Since July 2023, I am an Assistant Professor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Before that I was a Gordon & Betty Moore Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University, before which I was a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University. I obtained a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2019.
My research focuses on the study of systems in which quantum correlations act to stabilize extreme states and sometimes entirely new forms of matter. My research aims to gain a general, unifying understanding of interactions in these many-body systems. I progress in this effort by studying model systems realized in experiment in some instances, or by identifying universal features common amongst many realizations in others. I am particularly interested in correlated quantum materials, ultracold atoms and molecules, and dynamics of non-linearly and optically driven systems. My research relies on a carefully tailored combination of analytical and numerical techniques.
When not working, I contemplate how science can positively affect society. Otherwise, I enjoy running, biking and absorbing culture.
I enjoy working with undergraduate and graduate students. UCSD undergrads and grads: Feel free to reach out to me, I am working on a number of exciting research directions that require analytical and/or computational work, and you are welcome to join.
Ph.D., Theoretical Physics, 2019
The University of British Columbia
M.Sc., Chemical Physics, 2013
University of Waterloo
Fractons, as a new type of exotic quasiparticle, have attracted immense attention due to their unique properties. Here, we construct a connection between fractons and polarons. We derive microscopic situations in which polarons and their two-body bound states, known as bipolarons, map exactly on to fractons and their two-body counterparts, dipoles. Highlighted as Editor’s Suggestion.
Frustrated fractons: Fractons, a new type of quasiparticles, have attracted attention due to their unusual mobility constraints. But, where can we find fractons in the lab? We show that frustration of the background due to hole motion in hole-doped antiferromagnets produces fractonic quasiparticles.
Rydberg Fermi polaron? We show that an atom excited to a Rydberg state in an atomic Fermi gas realizes an exotic state, dubbed Rydberg Fermi superpolaron, in which the Rydberg atom encircles the background atoms in the space between its nucleus and it Rydberg electron, and the Pauli principle manifests as a rotional blockade to excitations. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rydberg_polaron for more information about Rydberg polarons.
Machine learning is a powerful tool to analyze complex data, but can it help reveal unexplored domains of knowledge? We answer this question in the affirmative, showing in this work that one can predict phase transitions using Gaussian process extrapolation across parameter space.
Bipolarons shed off extra weight: Normally two polarons form a bipolaron by increasing their net potential energy. As a result, the two polarons tend to remain spatially close to each other, and the bipolaron becomes heavy. Here, we show that polarons can bind by increasing their kinetic energy, leading to light bipolarons and a possible new mechanism for high-temperature superconductivity.
Quantum mechanics freezes a hot plasma: We show that Rydberg molecules in a quenched molecular plasma interfere to form a stable long-lived localized state. Randomness in the Rydberg plasma acts decisively to freeze the dynamics of Rydberg excitations in a process suggestive of many-body localization, explaining recent experimental observations.
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