When Tiny Crystals Make Big Surprises with Xi Wang
What if we could build new materials the way we build with LEGO, one incredibly thin layer at a time?
Scientists can now work with crystals that are only one or a few atoms thick. When we stack these tiny sheets, rotate them, or place different materials together, surprising things can happen. Electrons may move in completely new ways, materials can become magnetic, and light can behave differently. A small twist between two layers can sometimes change the properties of the whole material.
We will take a journey into a world far too small to see with our eyes. We will explore how scientists make these tiny materials, how we discover what is happening inside them, and how simple ideas like stacking and twisting can create entirely new behavior. Along the way, we will see how playing with materials at the scale of atoms is opening new possibilities for understanding our quantum world and for technologies of the future.
This lecture will be recorded and made available for viewing after the event.