Dr. Luis Balicas

Dr. Luis Balicas
Stem Field
Physics
Title of Research
Exploring interfaces between two dimensional compounds
Description of Research Area

In the last few years, we have been synthesizing and exploring the physics of exfoliable two dimensional materials beyond graphene. This means studying, the electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of such compounds as well as heterostructures based on such compounds. For instance, compounds like Fen-xGeTe2 (n = 3, 4, and 5) are layered ferromagnetic compounds displaying Curie temperatures ranging from 210 K to beyond room temperature. These compounds are characterized by competing magnetic interactions that lead to a certain level of magnetic frustration, and particularly to topological spin textures such as merons and skyrmions. These topological spin structures have been proposed for several computational schemes, including quantum computation, as well as dense memory elements. These schemes rely on our ability to move them and manipulate their quantum states with electrical signals or microwaves. Here, we propose to evaluate the feasibility of generating, erasing, or displacing these objects at room temperature or above, particularly in exfoliated flakes, which would offer the basic elements for future technological developments. We also want to confirm that the size of such objects can be defined by the lateral dimensions of pre-defined stripes of these materials, which would be fundamental for the development of dense memories. Many other parameters remain to be studies such as the lifetimes of such objects at room temperature. Finally, a number of theoretical proposals indicate that it is possible to stabilize topological superconductivity, by interfacing a s-wave superconductor (e.g., exfoliated NbSe2 or NbS2) with a skyrmion lattice. We propose to test this prediction through a battery of experiments, including scanning tunneling microscopy with collaborators. Similar predictions indicate that one should also observe quantum anomalous Hall effect in graphene when interfaced with a skyrmion lattice.

Special Research & Career Skills

Ideally, experimental condensed matter physics or solid state chemistry background. Experience in bulk properties of materials, Such as electrical and thermal transport, heat capacity, magnetization, dielectric and optical response. Sample synthesis and characterization such as x-ray.