PME Special Seminar - Yunhe Bai, PhD

Unexplored quantum science based on the quantum anomalous Hall effect

The quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) can be roughly grasped as a quantum Hall effect without needing an external magnetic field, despite having different physical origins. It provides a “quantum highway” for electrons to flow along material edges in a dissipationless fashion. The macroscopic ballistic transport property, combined with freedom from the need for a magnetic field, endows QAHE with application potential for energy-efficient electronics and spintronics. Furthermore, QAHE can serve as a building block for constructing other exotic topological phases by its non-trivial bands, e.g., chiral superconductors (for topological qubits), Weyl semimetals, and more. Rapidly growing research interest has been attracted by the QAHE-related studies in recent years. However, the crucial limitation lies in the relatively low realization temperature. In this talk, I will discuss the roadmap for pursuing a higher realization temperature of QAHE and current progress in this direction. Additionally, I will discuss the potential for advancing quantum science based on QAHE.