Seminar Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM PT
Location: 67-3111 & Zoom
Talk Title: Unveiling quantum phenomena in complex 2D materials
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Abstract:
Two-dimensional materials offer a rich variety of physical phenomena — a variety that increases if you look beyond pristine crystals with few-atom unit cells. 2D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can exhibit strongly-correlated electronic effects including magnetism, Mott metal-insulator transitions, and the Kondo effect, and their properties are readily tuned through organic chemistry. Also, 2D crystals containing defects, such as domain walls, can host localized quantum states including topological edge modes and Luttinger liquids; the properties of these defects depend on their composition, structure, and symmetry. By employing theoretical and computational tools, we can explore possibilities, predict trends, and complement experimental probes for these complex materials.
In this talk, I will share my work on these complex 2D materials. I will demonstrate how computational methods can be used to deepen our understanding of various metal-organic systems. Using density functional theory, tight-binding models, and dynamical mean field theory combined with scanning tunneling microscopy, we revealed strongly correlated physics in a 2D MOF, then we made broader predictions about the conditions under which correlated physics could emerge. To better explore the phase space of possible 2D materials, I will also share a symmetry-informed approach involving machine-learning potentials for investigating domain walls in 2D materials. These techniques help us find new materials for quantum phenomena.
Bio:
Dr Bernard Field is a postdoctoral scholar in the Theory Facility of the Molecular Foundry, working under Dr Sinéad Griffin. His research focuses on quantum phenomena in novel materials using theoretical tools. He obtained his Ph.D. in Physics in 2023 (following a B.Sc. in Physics and Chemistry) at Monash University, Australia. Besides his research, he achieved 2nd place in the 2023 Berkeley Lab Research SLAM, is co-chair of the Berkeley Lab Postdoc Association, and is sometimes responsible for the freshly-baked goods at the Foundry Coffee Social.
