School of Physics Colloquium

Title: Phonon Meets Correlation in Strongly Correlated Superconductors

Abstract: Correlated materials comprise a large part of the innovative landscape due to rich applications and unconventional phases. In this talk, I will employ the recent progress in cuprates as an example to illustrate the closed-loop design and discovery of quantum materials. By comparing experiments and simulations, we identified a prominent spectral feature beyond the predictions of the Hubbard model. Then, with our recently developed hybrid algorithms, we quantitatively explained it through the coexistence of strong correlations and electron-phonon coupling. The interplay between these two interactions provides a possible reason for unconventional superconductivity. Finally, I will employ the mechanism learned from simulations and discuss two attempts to design better superconductors through in-plane strains and ultrafast lasers.

Bio: Yao Wang is an assistant professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Clemson University. He received bachelor degree from University of Science and Technology of China in 2011 and Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in 2017. After that, he worked at Harvard University as an MPHQ postdoctoral fellow, before joining Clemson in 2020. His research interests lie in the theoretical and computational study of quantum many-body problems and their experimental correspondence in solid-state materials and quantum simulators. He was the recipient of the DOE early career award and AFOSR young investigator award of 2022.