Rice Laboratory for Emergent Magnetic Materials (RLEMM) Overview
Magnetism and magnetic interactions, driven by how electron motions exert forces on each
other, are quintessential many-body effects in quantum materials. They give rise to novel
collective phenomena such as quantum spin liquids, unconventional superconductivity, and
altermagnetism. This DOE project establishes the Rice Laboratory for Emergent Magnetic
Materials (RLEMM), a collaborative research center designed to advance our understanding of
magnetism and its interplay with other electronic orders in bulk quantum materials. The
understanding of these phenomena will not only enhance our knowledge of basic science, but
also gives us the ability to design materials with novel and predictable properties. The RLEMM
will be spearheaded by four principal investigators whose combined expertise spans material
synthesis and discovery, neutron scattering, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy,
thermodynamics and transport measurements, and theoretical modeling. The research program
will focus on three primary thrusts: (1) elucidating quantum magnetism governed by
fractionalized quasiparticles, which are particles with fractional quantum numbers compared to
the fundamental particles such lattice vibrations (phonons), potentially useful for quantum
computation; (2) exploring unconventional superconductivity emerging from flat electronic
bands near the Fermi level; (3) advancing the nascent field of altermagnetism. By fostering a
synergistic environment for cutting-edge research, RLEMM aims to enhance our collective
efforts to understand and engineer the magnetic quantum materials of the future and the training
of the next generation of researchers on quantum materials. We will also organize Frontier
Condensed Matter Physics Seminars, where we invite speakers around the world to present
online lectures and post the talks on YouTube, to facilitate discussion and dissemination of
scientific results.
Funded by the Department of Energy under DE:XXXX -TBD
