NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in Japan

Lundgren Rex O, Elgin TX

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds Rex Lundgren of the University of Texas at Austin to conduct a research project in the Math and Physical Sciences area during the summer of 2013 at The University of Tokyo Institute for Solid State Physics in Tokyo, Japan. The project title is "Entanglement Spectrum of Metallic Systems." The host scientists are Dr. Masaki Oshikawa and Dr. Shunsuke Furukawa. The proposed project is to theoretically calculate the entanglement spectrum of metallic condensed matter systems, i.e. systems without an energy gap in their band structure. The entanglement spectrum and possible entanglement applications of these systems have not been well explored. In insulating systems, the entanglement spectrum has provided a wealth of information and applications. In particular, the entanglement spectrum allows one to identify topological systems of matter, such as a topological insulators or the fractional quantum hall states, from just the ground state wave function. This theoretical calculation is being done with a combination of powerful non-perturbative and perturbative analytics and numerics, on which the host scientists at the University of Tokyo are world renowned experts. Studying the entanglement spectrum of metallic systems allows one to better understand strongly correlated condensed matter systems and investigate the potential entanglement applications of these interesting systems, which could lead to wide ranging broader impacts outside the physics community. Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, the Fellow will submit this research in a paper to a leading condensed matter journal and to to submit a poster on the work for the Mathematical Statistical Physics conference in Kyoto, Japan in July 2013. Upon his return, the Fellow plans to give a talk to the local undergraduate physics club about the experience in Japan and why studying the entanglement spectrum is important. The talk will focus on the experience in Japan and the broader impacts of the entanglement spectrum and physics in general. In addition, the Fellow plans to give talks about the experience to a few local high schools, especially those with a large number of minority students.