Electric and magnetic responses from materials are all mediated by electrons. The many-electron phenomena in solid is beyond the simple anticipation from the sum of individual electron behaviors. This is an essence of many emergent physical phenomena including metal-insulator transition, superconductivity, and magnetism. Among them, the strongly correlated electron system characterized by Coulomb repulsive interactions among electrons can show a dramatic conversion of the electronic state between the frozen electrons (Mott insulator) and the barely mobile electron liquid (Fermi liquid).
On the verge of the transition, many emergent and fascinating electronic properties can show up as gigantic and ultrafast responses to tiny external stimuli, such as compositional change, applications of magnetic and electric field, light irradiation, etc.
Professor Tokura has long been pioneering the exploratory materials showing the gigantic electromagnetic responses, including high-temperature superconductors, colossal magnetoresistance, multiferroics and magnetic skyrmions, as well as their related physics mechanisms. There in the interplay and entanglement among magnetism, (super) conductivity, dielectrics, and real- and momentum-space topology will continue to be an abundant gold mine for emergent electronic science and technology.

Emergent phenomena in strongly correlated electron system
2019
Production: Professor Yoshinori Tokura, Department of Applied Physics, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Collection: Department of Applied Physics, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
The strongly correlated electron system characterized by Coulomb repulsive interactions among electrons can show a dramatic conversion of the electronic state between the frozen electrons (Mott insulator) and the barely mobile electron liquid (Fermi liquid). On the verge of the transition, many emergent and fascinating electronic properties can show up as gigantic and ultrafast responses to tiny external stimuli.