Physics Colloquium

Frustration, resulting from competing interactions that cannot be simultaneously satisfied, has emerged as a key mechanism for stabilizing novel electronic phases of matter. In this talk, I will explore how frustration stabilizes electronic flat band states, which arise from constrained electron hopping on specific lattice geometries. These flat bands are particularly intriguing due to a large degeneracy in the electronic manifold, creating a fertile platform for the emergence of correlated states. I will present experimental realizations of these flat band states in a class of materials termed kagome metals, highlighting their unique properties as revealed by spectroscopic and transport measurements [1,2], including the discovery of an unconventional non-Fermi liquid "strange metallic" phase [2]. Toward the end of the talk, I will also discuss our recent efforts to uncover novel physical properties stemming from frustrated magnetic states.

[1] M. Kang et al., Nat. Commun. 11, 4004 (2020)

[2] LY et al., Nat. Phys. 20, 610 (2024)

Join via Zoom:
https://caltech.zoom.us/j/89860951893
Meeting ID: 898 6095 1893

The colloquium is held in Feynman Lecture Hall, 201 E. Bridge.