Inauguration Lecture for full Professor, Saroj Dash

Welcome to Saroj Dash's inaugural lecture as a Full Professor at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology!

Abstract: 
Condensed matter physics has been the driving force behind breakthroughs in modern information and communication technologies. In today's digital world, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence demands faster and efficient methods of data storage, processing, and transmission. However, we face significant challenges in computing capability, speed, and energy consumption as the conventional electronic materials and basic phenomena used today are reaching their limits in meeting these demands. To address these issues, we are specifically focusing on creating and controlling fundamental electronic properties, such as the charge, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom and their correlated topological quantum phenomena. We efficiently exploit these basic properties in atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) quantum materials and engineered heterostructures, which reveal entirely new physical phenomena for multifunctional electronic applications. Furthermore, by carefully breaking crystal and time-reversal symmetries, we generate new states of matter with giant spin-polarized electronic states, which are key to efficient spintronic and quantum technologies. These breakthroughs could lay the foundation for a new generation of sustainable, high-performance technologies for computing, data storage, and communication systems.