Probing Emergent Phenomena in Layered Magnets with Zhong Lin

Magnetism is a cornerstone of modern information technology, from data storage to sensing. The recent rise of van der Waals (vdW) magnets has opened a new frontier in this field, allowing us to push magnetism into the ultimate two-dimensional (2D) regime. These atomically thin magnets offer significant tunability and a rich platform where spin, charge, lattice, and topology can couple, giving rise to a wide range of emergent phenomena.

In this talk, I will showcase the rich physics offered by 2D antiferromagnetic insulators. First, I will describe how magnetism can be intricately coupled to topology, leading to novel quantum states. Second, I will discuss the observation of a lateral exchange bias effect, a phenomenon directly enabled by the even-odd layer-dependent magnetic order inherent in certain 2D antiferromagnets. Finally, I will present our recent efforts in probing and understanding the crucial role of spin-lattice coupling in transition metal phosphorus trichalcogenides.

Zhong Lin received his PhD in physics from Pennsylvania State University under the supervision of Mauricio Terrones in 2018. He then worked as an EFRC postdoctoral fellow with Xiaodong Xu and Jiun-Haw Chu at the University of Washington. In 2022, he joined the Department of Physics at Binghamton University as an assistant professor. His research interests center on van der Waals 2D materials, including semiconductors and magnets. His lab synthesizes bulk crystals, fabricates 2D heterostructures, and performs magneto-optical measurements.

This lecture was made possible by the William C. Ferguson Fund.