Title: Topologically Protected Nodes in Superconductors

Abstract:

The recent rapid development in understanding quantum materials has been shaped by the concept of topological stability: topology ensures robustness of physical properties even when the underlying interactions change substantially. Here, after a general introduction to the growing list of applications of this concept, I will discuss how zero energy excitations – nodes-in superconductors can be naturally understood this way. This will be followed by applications to superconducting materials where topologically protected Fermi surfaces (in strontium ruthenate) and Weyl points (in uranium ditelluride) are predicted.

Bio:

Daniel Agterberg received his BSc in Physics from the University of Waterloo in 1991, his MSc in 1992 and his PhD in 1996, both from the University of Toronto. He was a research associate at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) – Zurich with Maurice Rice and Manfred Sigrist from 1996 to 1998 and from 1998 to 2000 at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University with Lev Gor’kov, Robert Schrieffer, and Kun Yang. Since 2000, Daniel Agterberg has been working at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he holds the rank of professor.

He works on the theoretical description of quantum materials, emphasizing the role of electronic interactions, symmetry, and topology in establishing fundamentally and technological important material properties.

Professor Agterberg has held visiting scientist positions at Argonne National Laboratory, Stanford University, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zurich), and the University of Tokyo.