Sami Hakani

Graduate Student

Education

• PhD in Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024
• B.S. in Physics, Electrical Engineering (distinction in the major), Yale University, 2018

Honors & Awards

1. Amelio Endowment and the Weatherly Fund Graduate Student Travel Grant (Grantor: GaTech, $500), 2023.
2. Amelio Endowment and the Weatherly Fund Graduate Student Travel Grant (Grantor: GaTech, $1000), 2022.
3. Bonnie B. and Charles K. Rice Jr. Fellowship (Grantor: GaTech, $2500), 2022.
4. Amelio Endowment and the Weatherly Fund Graduate Student Travel Grant (Grantor: GaTech, $500), 2022.

Research

Theoretical condensed matter physics:

Low-dimensional quantum systems, spin dynamics of strongly correlated electronic systems, topological and entangled phases of matter in model systems (frustrated quantum magnets, ultracold atoms and molecules, topological semimetals, etc.)

Papers

1. Sami Hakani and Itamar Kimchi. "Crystalline topological defects within response theory" (arXiv:2311.00698). arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2311.00698

2. Yu Zhang, Yifei Ni, Hengdi Zhao, Sami Hakani, Feng Ye, Lance DeLong, Itamar Kimchi, Gang Cao, “Control of chiral orbital currents in a colossal magnetoresistance material”, en, Nature, Publisher: Nature Publishing Group, 1–6 (2022).

3. Aaron Sokolik, Sami Hakani, Susmita Roy, Nicholas Pellatz, Hengdi Zhao, Gang Cao, Itamar Kimchi, and Dmitry Reznik. Spinons and damped phonons in the spin-1/2 quantum liquid Ba4Ir3O10 observed by Raman scattering. Phys. Rev. B, 106:075108, Aug 2022.

Talks & Presentations

1. "Topological Defects in a Response Theory." Dynamical Response and Transport in Quantum Magnets. Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) 2023. Santa Barbara, CA. 
2. "Topological Defects in a Response Theory." Dynamics and Quantum Information in Many-body Systems. University of Minnesota 2023. Minneapolis, MN. 
3. "Topological Defects in a Response Theory." TopoMag23 – Topology and Fractionalization in Magnetic Materials. The Ohio State University 2023. Columbus, OH. 
4. "Raman Responses With and Without Topological Defects." A Quantum Many-Body Handshake: Theory and Simulation meet Experiment, Weizmann Institute of Science 2022. Rehovot, Israel. 
5. "Optical Signatures for Fractional Excitations in Quantum Liquid Candidate Ba4Ir3O10." Georgia Tech Quantum Alliance Workshop 2022. Atlanta, GA. 
6. “Raman response via 4-spinon continuum in spin-1/2 quantum liquid Ba4Ir3O10.” American Physical Society March Meeting 2022. Chicago, IL.
7. "Spinons and damped phonons in spin-1/2 quantum-liquid Ba4Ir3O10 observed by Raman scattering." MagLab Winter Theory School, 2022. Virtual / Tallahassee, FL. 

Other Publications

New Quantum State Discovered in Trimer-Honeycomb Material

Memberships & Committees

American Physical Society

President - Graduate Association of Physicists (GAP) (2022 - 2023)

College of Sciences (CoS) Dean's Advisory Council (2022 - 2023)

Equity in Graduate Education Consortium (2022 - 2023)

Student Organizer, Quantum Cafe (2021 - 2023)

Student Organizer, Quantum Journal Club (2021)