Topological
Phases in Transition Metal Oxides
Gregory A Fiete,
Center for Complex Quantum
Systems
Member, Texas Materials
Institute
University of Texas at Austin
In recent years, topological phases have
attracted much attention in physics. However, most of the
well known examples barely scratch the surface of the possible
varieties that are now known to be theoretically possible. In
particular, certain varieties of transition metal oxides possess
both significant interactions and strong spin-orbit
coupling--key ingredients that underpin a wealth of new
phenomenon originating in their interplay. In this talk I
will survey a number of materials-motivated models and
materials-specific calculations that predict topological phases
in bulk and heterostructured transition metal oxides. I
will finish by summarizing the status of the experimental search
for these phases and highlighting some interesting future
directions.