Prof. Greg Fiete, Department of Physics, UT-Austin

"Topological States in Transition Metal Oxides"

Abstract: The past decade has seen a flurry of activity centered around topological states of matter, and there has been a beautiful cross-fertilization of ideas between high energy physics and condensed matter physics at their intersection. In this talk, I will highlight some of our theoretical work in this area with an eye towards novel quantum states of matter that depend crucially on electronic correlations and one of the most important consequences of the theory of special relativity in the solid state: spin-orbit coupling. As a concrete material system, I will focus on a class of transition metal oxides which contain both strong electronic correlations and strong spin-orbit coupling. I will conclude with an outlook on prospects for the experimental realization of these states and what their technological implications may be.