Topological and electron correlation phenomena in 2D / layered materials.

Studying phenomena arising from electron correlations and nontrivial band topology has become one of the most important areas of research in modern solid-state physics. This results in a variety of (new) material types: ferromagnets, superconductors, topological insulators, Mott insulators, Dirac/Weyl semi-metals and anomalous quantum Hall insulators (QAHI). Moreover, when such materials are combined, unique phenomena and functionalities arise at their interfaces, including Majorana particles. In the future, these particles may allow us to perform so-called topological quantum calculations. Although major research efforts have been made to study such phenomena in conventional 3D materials, the vast potential of 2D materials remains largely unexplored. Since these phenomena arise from surface-mediated coupling (eg bringing together the surfaces of a QAHI and a superconductor), 2D materials and related layered systems are an ideal platform. In this project we will: (i) develop and study 2D systems that exhibit phenomena of electron correlations and nontrivial band topology; (ii) couple such materials together in hybrid structures and study their electronic properties; (iii) manipulate the observed quantum states of these systems in electronic nanocircuits. We will focus in particular on 2D oxides and chalcogenides. For this, we use the specific expertise available in our consortium and the available state-of-the-art techniques (both theoretical and experimental) regarding in-situ growth and characterization at the atomic scale and the creation of electronic nano-circuits for potential applications.