Physics (Internal)
Pointing an X-ray Laser at Fluctuations in Quantum Materials: From Skyrmions to Superconductivity
This event is part of the Biophysics/Condensed Matter Seminar Series.
The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has ushered in a new era of science with the birth of the world's first x-ray free electron laser (XFEL). This revolutionary tool, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), is revealing intimate details of atoms, chemical reactions, and biomolecules through making stop-motion movies of the nanoscopic world [1]. Recently, we have used a new two-pulse mode to study fluctuations in quantum matter [2]. In this talk, I will describe recent results on the study of skyrmions and methods we have been developing to understand stochastic processes near phase transitions. In addition, I will discuss novel kinds of experiments focused on studying high-temperature superconductivity, and how the study of fluctuations will increase our understanding of this complex problem. We will first start with the basics of what an XFEL is, take a look at new science that has been initiated by this machine, and then discuss some of the ground-breaking results from the LCLS in the field of condensed matter. We will end with an outlook for future discoveries with the latest machine currently being constructed at Stanford University which will be operational in the spring of 2020: the LCLS-II.
[1] C. Bostedt, et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 88, 015007 (2016).