Dark-Matter Challenges of the Solid State

Prof. Piers Coleman, Center for Materials Theory, Dept Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University,

Dept Physics, Royal Holloway University, London.

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At the turn of the 20th century, physicists faced an uncanny range of unsolved problems: simple questions, such as why hot objects change color, why matter is hard and why the sun keeps on shining, went unanswered. These problems heralded a new era of quantum physics. What was truly remarkable about discovery in this heroic era, was the intertwined nature of research in the lab and in the cosmos: solving superconductivity really did help answer why the sun keeps on shining, while looking at the stars provided clues as to why matter is hard.

The challenges facing us today, epitomized by our failure to quantize gravity and the mysteries of dark matter and energy, challenge physics to its core. But equally, physics in the lab and cosmos remain just as intertwined as they were a hundred years ago.  I will discuss the less well-known dark matter challenges of the solid state, epitomized by the strange metals with linear resistivity that accompany high temperature superconductivity, the discovery of insulators with Fermi surfaces and the phenomenon of Quantum criticality. I will argue that these laboratory-scale problems challenge our fundamental understanding of emergent quantum matter in ways that are no less intertwined with their cosmological counterparts than they were a hundred years ago.

Prof Coleman is the Director of the Rutger’s Centre for Materials Theory. The quest to understand the principles that govern collective behavior of matter, from the coldest quantum fluids to the simplest biological systems, poses a new frontier for 21st century science. The Rutgers Center for Materials Theory is developing the tools, the models and the new concepts needed to explore this new world.

This talk is part of an ongoing series of talks by US and Australian researchers presenting novel developments in condensed matter and cold atomic physics, enriching connections between the two physics communities. Co-presented by FLEET, Monash School of Physics and Astronomy, and the Joint Quantum Institute.

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