Big Question: Exploring connections between active nematics and fractional quantum Hall effect

Principal Investigator: Son Dam, Physics

Funding Type: Vision

Big Idea: The proposed research program based on a nascent idea: there exists a deep connection between active nematics and fractional quantum Hall effect that has the potential of changing the way we think about order and structure formation in classical and quantum materials out of equilibrium. Hydrodynamics of active nematics is a blossoming research direction in soft matter physics and a paradigmatic example of classical (non quantum) matter out of equilibrium that typically occurs at room temperature. The Fractional quantum Hall effect, on the other hand, is a quantum effect. At very low temperatures and high magnetic field, an electron gas in two dimensions shows behavior unlike any other fluid: quantized Hall conductivity, excitations with fractional and non-Abelian statistics, etc. There are tantalizing hints that the physics of fractional quantum Hall effect and active nematics may have deep, unexplored similarities. Preliminary work by the two PIs and their teams reveals that the underlying mathematics behind these two hitherto separate fields displays striking similarities. We hope to generalize these initial findings to produce a unified theoretical framework to understand strongly correlated materials out of equilibrium across the classical-quantum divide.