Understanding the collective
behavior of many-particle systems is a major intellectual
challenge in modern physics. Even when the interactions between
particles
are well understood, as is the case in condensed matter, the correlated
motion
of large numbers of particles leads to emergent phenomena that
require
new experimental probes and new modes of thinking.
Our
experimental research explores
systems of reduced dimensionality at low temperatures and high
magnetic
fields where collective effects can lead to the emergence of
correlated electron phases
with non-trivial topology and
to dramatic changes in the electronic properties.
Phenomena we study include superconductivity, charge density waves,
magnetism and Chern insulators. We employ scanning tunneling
microscopy,
spectroscopy and transport techniques to probe these
properties
and harness them for applications.