Our research is centered on the properties of electrons confined to two dimensions. This remarkable system has yielded a tremendous amount of interesting and important physics over the past several decades, from the integer and fractional quantum Hall effects to the groundbreaking discovery of graphene and other atomically thin crystals, and especially to the recent realization of the topological character exhibited by so many materials both novel and familiar.

Our present work encompasses exploration of novel quantum electronic phases in graphene as well as strongly correlated materials including candidate quantum spin liquid systems in layered materials. Our tools include electronic transport, thermodynamic probes, and broadband magnetospectroscopy, in order to probe these materials from multiple directions. We have constructed a dedicated infrared magnetospectroscopy experiment operating below 100 mK and in magnetic fields up to 14 T. We also contribute to the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) based at University of Washington in Seattle.

The experiments in our lab are generally conducted at very low temperatures— fractions of a degree Kelvin above absolute zero— and high magnetic fields, and employ custom devices made of graphene or related crystals. Occasionally this work takes us to the National High Magnetic Field Lab in Tallahasee, FL, to use some of the strongest magnets in the world! Our experiments entail the careful measurement of the electronic properties of these materials including both electronic transport and thermodynamic quantities such as the magnetization and compressibility of the electron gas. We also conduct measurements of the infrared absorption spectrum to probe the electronic structure directly.

All of our devices are fabricated in-house on our own equipment as well as that of the cleanroom facilities in the Institute for Materials Science and Engineering (IMSE) located next door in the basement of Rudolph Hall.

We co-founded the Center for Quantum Sensors here at Washington University, with a mission to develop and exploit the properties of quantum materials to enable more precise and delicate measurements including single photon detection.

For further information please contact Dr. Erik Henriksen.