Author: Menghan Song

A recent study, led by Professor Zi Yang MENG and co-authored by his PhD student Menghan SONG of HKU Department of Physics, in collaboration with researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Yale University, University of California, Santa Barbara, Ruhr-University Bochum and TU Dresden, has unravelled some of the secrets concealed within the deconfined quantum critical points. Their findings, recently published in the prestigious journal Science Advances, push the boundaries of modern physics and offer a fresh perspective on how quantum matter operates at these enigmatic junctures.

A collaboration between Mr. Ting-Tung Wang, Mr. Menghan Song, and Professor Zi Yang Meng from the Department of Physics at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) together with their collaborators Liuke Lyu and William WITCZAK-KREMPA from the University of Montreal has recently developed a novel algorithm in quantum physics known as ‘entanglement microscopy’ that enables visualization and mapping of this extraordinary phenomenon at a microscopic scale. Their study was published in a recent issue of Nature Communications. Using the algorithm, one can uncover the hidden structures of quantum matter, revealing insights that could transform technology and deepen the understanding of the universe. Continue reading

Recent research demystifies the effects of long-range interactions on physical systems. Our quantum Monte Carlo simulations and field theoretical analysis on (2+1)-dimensional O(3) quantum critical points and two-dimensional Néel states with long-range interactions have uncovered the critical exponents of quantum critical points influenced by long-range interactions exhibit three distinct renormalization group fixed points [Phys. Rev. B 109, L081114 (2024) Editor's suggestion]. At finite temperature, our unbiased investigation demonstrated the spontaneous breaking of SU(2) symmetry in Heisenberg model with 1/r^α-form long-range interactions beyond the Mermin-Wagner theorem. Critical exponents have been determined for different ranges of α, revealing new critical behaviors [npj Quantum Mater. 8, 59 (2023)]. These works encourage further theoretical and experimental studies of quantum materials with long-range interactions, expanding our understanding beyond locality.