Colloquium: Dr. You Zhou | UMD College Park

TITLE:  Exploring Quantum Phases of Electrons and Excitons in Atomic Flatland

ABSTRACT: Van der Waals heterostructures, assembled by stacking two-dimensional (2D) materials with atomic precision, are creating a new paradigm for quantum materials design. Unlike conventional semiconductor platforms, these structures allow interactions, band topology, and light–matter interactions to be engineered almost on demand, opening new opportunities for both fundamental discovery and device innovation.

In this talk, I will describe my group’s efforts to explore and control emergent quantum phases of electrons and excitons in 2D semiconductors, including Wigner crystals, quantum anomalous Hall states, and exciton Bose–Einstein condensates. These systems provide a rich platform for investigating strongly correlated and topological phenomena, while their unusually strong exciton interactions create exciting opportunities for nonlinear quantum optics and photonic functionalities beyond those achievable in traditional materials.