Personnel

M. Brian Maple

Professor, Principle Investigator
office: MH1230
phone: (858) 534-3968
email: mbmaple@ucsd.edu
webpage: mbmlab.ucsd.edu , matsci.ucsd.edu/faculty/m-brian-maple

Biography

Brian Maple is a Distinguished Professor of Physics and holds the Bernd T. Matthias Endowed Chair in the Physics Department at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego). He served as Chair of the Physics Department (2004-2010 and 2012-2022), Director of the Center for Interface and Materials Science (1990-2010), and Director of the Institute for Pure and Applied Physical Sciences (1995-2009). He leads a research group in experimental condensed matter physics that focuses on emergent phenomena in strongly correlated d– and f-electron quantum materials. Another major effort involves the study of quantum matter under extreme conditions of low temperature (millikelvin range), high pressure (megabar region), and high magnetic field (100 tesla region). Subjects under investigation include high temperature superconductivity, unconventional types of superconductivity, valence fluctuation and heavy fermion behavior, quantum criticality, quantum spin liquids, topological insulators, and exotic types of magnetism.  Research activities in his laboratory include materials synthesis and single crystal growth, and transport, thermal, and magnetic measurements as a function of temperature, pressure, and magnetic field.

Professor Maple is a first-generation college graduate who earned B.S. (physics) and A.B. (mathematics) degrees in 1963 from San Diego State University (SDSU) and M.S. (physics) and Ph.D. (physics) degrees in 1965 and 1969, respectively, from UC San Diego.  All of his academic appointments have been in the Physics Department at UC San Diego, interspersed with visiting professorships and research positions at the University of Chile, the Instituto de Fisica Jose Balseiro, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, UC Santa Barbara, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. He served as Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Division of Condensed Matter Physics of the American Physical Society (APS) in 1987 and 1988, respectively, and chaired the famous “Woodstock of Physics” Session on High Temperature Superconductivity at the APS March Meeting in New York City in 1987.

Professor Maple is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  He has received numerous awards, including: Excellence in Teaching Award, Revelle College, UC San Diego (1983), John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship (1984), APS David Adler Lectureship Award (1996), Alexander v. Humboldt Research Award, Germany (1998), Frank H. Spedding Award (1999), APS James C. McGroddy Prize (2000), Bernd T. Matthias Prize (2000), Honorary Professorship, Trzebiatowski Institute for Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland (2006), and Science Lectureship Award, Chiba University, Tokyo, Japan (2010).  Maple was ranked internationally among the top 30 scientists for number of citations received for papers published in physical sciences between 1990 and 1996 (Science Watch, November/December 1997, published by ISI), and he was identified as one of the world’s most Highly Cited Researchers by ISI in 2000 (number 62 out of 1000).  He was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year at UC San Diego in 1987 and at SDSU, College of Sciences, in 1988.

Erin Gerlach

Administrative Assistant
office: N/A
phone: (858)822-1291
email: egerlach@ucsd.edu
webpage: mbmlab.ucsd.edu

Publications

1. Alexander Breindel, Yuhang Deng, Camilla M. Moir, Yuankan Fang, Sheng Ran, Hongbo Lou, Shubin Li, Qiaoshi Zeng, Lei Shu, Christian T. Wolowiec, Ivan K. Schuller, Priscila F. S. Rosa, Zachary Fisk, John Singleton, and M. Brian Maple. Probing FeSi, a d-electron topological Kondo insulator candidate, with magnetic field, pressure, and microwaves Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Submitted for Publication)
2. Alejandro Ruiz, Brandon Gunn, Yi Lu, Kalyan Sasmal, Camilla M. Moir, Rourav Basak, Hai Huang, Jun-Sik Lee, Fanny Rodolakis, Timothy J. Boyle, Morgan Walker, Yu He, Santiago Blanco-Canosa, Eduardo H. da Silva Neto, M. Brian Maple, & Alex Frano. Stabilization of three-dimensional charge order through interplanar orbital hybridization in PrxY1−xBa2Cu3O6+δ. Nat Commun 13, 6197 (2022)
3. Chunruo Duan, R. E. Baumbach, Andrey Podlesnyak, Yuhang Deng, Camilla Moir, Alexander J. Breindel, M. Brian Maple, E. M. Nica, Qimiao Si & Pengcheng Dai. Resonance from antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations for superconductivity in UTe2. Nature, 600 (2021)
4. C.M. Moir, Scott C. Riggs, J.A. Galvis, Jiun-Haw Chu, P. Walmsley, Ian R. Fisher, A. Shekhter, G.S. Boebinger. Mass enhancement in multiple bands approaching optimal doping in a high-temperature superconductor. npj Quant. Mat. 4, 8 (2019)
5. P. Giraldo-Gallo, J. A. Galvis, Z. Stegen, K. A. Modic, F. F Balakirev, J. B. Betts, X. Lian, C.M. Moir, S. C. Riggs, J. Wu, A. T. Bollinger, X. He, I. Boˇzovi´c, B. J. Ramshaw, R. D. McDonald, G. S. Boebinger,and A. Shekhter. Scale invariant magnetoresistance in a cuprate superconductor. Science 361, 6401 (2018)
6. A. Gallagher, K.-W. Chen, C. M. Moir, S. K. Cary, F. Kametani, N. Kikugawa, D. Graf, T. E. Albrecht-Schmitt, S. C. Riggs, A. Shekhter & R. E. Baumbach. Unfolding the physics of URu2Si2 through silicon to phosphorus substitution. Nat. Commun. 7, 10712 (2016)
7. J. P. Sheckelton, F. R. Foronda, LiDong Pan, C. Moir, R. D. McDonald, T. Lancaster, P. J. Baker, N. P. Armitage, T. Imai, S. J. Blundell, and T. M. McQueen. Local magnetism and spin correlations in the geometrically frustrated cluster magnet LiZn2Mo3O8. Phys. Rev. B 89, 064407 (2014)

Yuhang Deng

Postdoctoral Researcher
office: MH1222
phone: (858) 534-2493
email: yud001@physics.ucsd.edu

Research Interests

• General Interests
  Superconductivity and magnetism under extreme pressures.
  Correlated electron materials including topological insulators, Kondo insulators, spin triplet superconductors.
  Physics of elements such as alkali, rare earth, and actinide metals.
  Application of diamond nitrogen-vacancy centers in high pressure physics
  Diamond anvil cell design for different characterizations.

• Current (and Future) Projects
  Single crystalline FeSi growth by Sn molten flux method.
  High pressure X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy on UFe2Si2, UTe2.
  High Tc lanthanide hydrides in collaboration with Russell Hemley group.
  Electrical transport measurements on FeSi, UTe2, UFe2Si2, and Th.

Publications

1. A. J. Breindel, Y. Deng, C. M. Moir, Y. Fang, S. Ran, H. Lou, S. Li, Q. Zeng, L. Shu, C. T. Wolowiec, I. K. Schuller, P. F. S. Rosa, Z. Fisk, J. Singleton, and M. B. Maple, Probing FeSi, a d-electron topological Kondo insulator candidate, with magnetic field, pressure, and microwaves, PNAS 120, e2216367120 (2023).
2. N. Pouse, Y. Deng, S. Ran, D. Graf, Y. Lai, J. Singleton, F. F. Balakirev, R. E. Baumbach, and M. B. Maple, Anisotropy of the T vs. H phase diagram and the HO/LMAFM phase boundary in URu_2−x Fe_xSi₂, Frontiers in Electronic Materials 2, 18 (2022).
3. D. L. Kunmar, S. R. Panday, Y. Deng, S. Ran, R. E. Baumbach, M. B. Maple, C. C. Almasan, and M. Dzero, Heat capacity of URu_{2− x}Os_xSi₂ at low temperatures, Phys. Rev. B 105, L041106 (2022).
4. C. Duan, R. E. Baumbach, A. Podlesnyak, Y. Deng, C. Moir, A. J. Breindel, M. B. Maple, E. M. Nica, Q. Si, and P. Dai, Resonance from antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations for superconductivity in UTe₂, Nature 600, 636 (2021).
5. Y. Deng and J. S. Schilling, Enhanced magnetic ordering in Sm metal under extreme pressure, Phys. Rev. B 99, 085137 (2019).
6. Y. Deng and J. S. Schilling, Evidence for superconductivity in Rb metal above 55 GPa pressure, Phys. Rev. B 100, 041109(R) (2019).
7. P. Malavi, Y. Deng, F. Guillou, Y. Mudryk, V. Pecharsky, and J. S. Schilling, Antiferromagnetism of β-Ce under Hydrostatic Pressure, Solid State Commun. 294, 36 (2019).
8. L. S. I. Veiga, M. Etter, K. Glazyrin, F. Sun, C. A. Escanhoela, Jr., G. Fabbris, J. R. L. Mardegan, P. S. Malavi, Y. Deng, P. P. Stavropoulos, H.-Y. Kee, W. G. Yang, M. van Veenendaal, J. S. Schilling, T. Takayama, H. Takagi, and D. Haskel, Pressure tuning of bond-directional exchange interactions and magnetic frustration in the hyperhoneycomb iridate β−Li₂IrO₃, Phys. Rev. B 96, 140402(R) (2017).
9. U. S. Kaluarachchi, Y. Deng, M. F. Besser, K. Sun, L. Zhou, M. C. Nguyen, Z. Yuan, C. Zhang, J. S. Schilling, M. J. Kramer, S. Jia, C. Wang, K. Ho, P. C. Canfield, and S. L. Bud’ko, Highly responsive ground state of PbTaSe₂: Structural phase transition and evolution of superconductivity under pressure, Phys. Rev. B 95, 224508 (2017).
10. J. Shen, C. Heuckeroth, Y. Deng, Q. He, H. C. Liu, J. Liang, J. Wang, I. K. Sou, J. S. Schilling, and R. Lortz, Pressure-induced reinforcement of interfacial superconductivity in a Bi₂Te₃/Fe_1+yTe heterostructure, Physica C 543, 18 (2017).
11. Y. H. Deng, W. S. Song, W. L. Dong, R. C. Dai, Z. P. Wang, Z. M. Zhang, and Z. J. Ding, White light emission of Eu³⁺/Ag Co-doped Y₂Si₂O₇, J. Rare Earths 32, 779 (2014).
12. X. G. Qi, Z. L. Sui, Y. H. Deng, R. C. Dai, Z. P. Wang, Z. M. Zhang, and Z. J. Ding, Pressure and temperature dependent up-conversion properties of Yb³⁺-Er³⁺ co-doped BaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ ferroelectric ceramics, J. Rare Earths 32, 879 (2014).
13. Y. H. Deng, Z. L. Sui, J. B. Gong, R. C. Dai, Z. P. Wang, Z. M. Zhang, and Z. J. Ding, Pressure-induced reverse reaction of the photochemical decomposition of germanium tetraiodide molecular crystal, J. Phys. Chem. C 117, 25012 (2013).

Ziad Khayat

Masters Student
office: MH1210
phone: (858) 534-2493
email: zkhayat@ucsd.edu

Research Interests

• General Interests
  Superconductivity and magnetism under extreme temperature.
  Physics of topological insulators in addition to superconductors.
  Applications of solid state physics and their contributions towards quantum computing.

• Current (and Future) Projects
  Growth of compounds displaying kondo surface state properties.
  Single crystalline FeSi growth by Sn molten flux method.
  Electrical transport measurements on FeSi.

Eric Lee-Wong

PhD Student
office: MH1208
phone:
email: eleewong@ucsd.edu

Research Interests

• Nitrogen Vacancy Center measurements.

Chalach Kasemtantikul

office: MH1210
phone: (***)*** – ****
email: ckasemtantikul@ucsd.edu

Current Projects

• Preparation and synthesis of PrYBCO
• Preparation and synthesis of FeSi by arc-melting

Nathan Swedan

office: MH1210
phone: (***)*** – ****
email: nswedan@ucsd.edu 

Current Projects

• Measuring thermal and magnetic properties of PrYBCO and UTe2 using a PPMS Dynacool

Ethan Stark

office: MH1210
phone: (***)*** – ****
email: estark@ucsd.edu 

Current Projects

• Measuring thermal and magnetic properties of PrYBCO and UTe2 using a PPMS Dynacool

Farhad Taraporevala

office: MH1210
phone: (***)*** – ****
email: ftaraporevala@ucsd.edu

Current Projects

• Measure the electrical transport of FeSi and UTe₂ under high pressures and magnetic fields.
• Design an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator for the PPMS DynaCool system.