CM-AMO Seminar |
New Phase Transitions in Atomically Thin Quantum Materials

We have recently demonstrated an experimental platform to isolate 2D quantum materials that are unstable in the ambient environment. I will discuss our studies of the Weyl semimetal candidate, 1T’-MoTe2, and layered magnetic insulator, CrI3, in the atomically thin limit, made possible using this technique. In MoTe2, lowering dimensionality suppresses the inversion symmetric monoclinic phase, driving the Weyl ground state up to and beyond room temperature. The different electronic structure of thin samples is studied by magnetotransport measurements at low temperature. In CrI3, we observe a very large negative magnetoresistance effect comparable to colossal magnetoresistance in the manganites. I will explain the origin of this effect and discuss some new opportunities in spintronics incorporating 2D magnets.