Purdue Science welcomes new physics faculty Claudio Chamon
11-07-2024
Claudio Chamon will join the Purdue University College of Science beginning fall 2025. Photo by Frank Curran.
Quantum science is the next frontier in scientific achievement and Purdue University is committed to blazing the trail forward in this ever-expanding realm of high-tech adventure. As quantum devices become more and more sophisticated, it is important to have top notch researchers expanding the field. Claudio Chamon, an expert in electron fractionalization and topology, will be joining the College of Science’s Department of Physics and Astronomy for the fall of 2025 and will further elevate Purdue’s standing in advanced physics research and education.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Claudio Chamon to our college’s faculty,” said Lucy Flesch, the Fredrick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science. “His internationally recognized work in electron fractionalization and its implications for condensed matter physics adds a significant dimension to our research capabilities.”
Chamon's research has revealed the existence of fractionally charged topological excitations in systems where time-reversal symmetry is respected. His research has been cited over 13,000 times and over 5,000 times since 2019.
“I study how particles behave when they interact in large groups and the unique forms of quantum matter that result from these interactions,” said Chamon. “Some special systems behave as if their building blocks carry only a fraction of an electron's charge. The unusual properties of these fractionalized building blocks — called fractional quasiparticles — could be useful for processing quantum information and creating stable qubits for quantum computers. My work has focused on how to understand and build quantum states containing these fractional quasiparticles.”
The talent-based Moveable Dream Hires program is piloted by the Deans and Provost to attract high-performing, top-caliber faculty to Purdue even when the topic-based openings in a given year do not match the moveable talent. It complements typical topic-based faculty searches across the University and enables the recruitment of faculty who may not be actively on the job market. These recruits are tenure-track or tenured faculty.
Chamon received his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, finishing in 1996. He was awarded an NSF Early CAREER Award in 1999 and was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2008. His research focuses on strongly correlated quantum matter and the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of classical and quantum systems.
“What excites me most about joining the faculty at Purdue is the opportunity to contribute to and be part of forward-thinking initiatives, such as the Purdue Computes initiative, specifically its Quantum Science and Engineering pillar,” said Chamon. “I am looking forward to collaborate with world-class researchers in an innovative, interdisciplinary environment led by the College of Science at the Hall of Data Science and AI, Theoretical Quantum Science Neighborhood. I am also thrilled to join the Physics and Astronomy faculty, and together push the boundaries of knowledge in quantum many-body physics and mentor the next generation of scientists.”
His research winds through the ever-growing field of electron fractionalization, from quantum Hall states that are sustained at large magnetic fields, to a novel type of quantum Hall fluid that he and co-workers theoretically predicted and that were recently observed experimentally to exist at zero magnetic field. He also proposed fractionalization in graphene-like structures.
“In our research, we showed that fractionally charged topological excitations exist in two space dimensions in tight-biding systems where time-reversal symmetry is respected,” said Chamon.
“These systems are described, in the continuum approximation, by the Dirac equation. The topological zero-modes are mathematically similar to fractional vortices in p-wave superconductors. They correspond to a twist in the phase in the mass of the Dirac fermions, akin to cosmic strings in particle physics,” said Chamon.
He added, “The quasiparticle excitations can carry irrational charge and irrational exchange statistics. These excitations can be deconfined at zero temperature, but when they are, the charge re-rationalizes to the value 1/2.”
In addition to leading his own research group of physics students and postdocs, Chamon envisions fostering collaboration with faculty in the Theoretical Quantum Science Neighborhood. He said this setup would encourage interaction among members from various disciplines — physics, chemistry, math, and computer science — by creating a dynamic research and learning environment. He believes that a collaborative model such as this will be ideal for training the future quantum workforce.
“Many of the possible exotic quantum states of matter, which could be valuable for quantum information processing and quantum computing, are difficult to find in naturally occurring materials,” said Chamon.
“My current research focuses on leveraging symmetry principles to design superconducting circuits capable of realizing these quantum states, creating blueprints tailored to specific target certain states. At Purdue, I will ramp up this effort, which bridges both quantum science and quantum engineering.”
About the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue University
Purdue’s Department of Physics and Astronomy has a rich and long history dating back to 1904. Our faculty and students are exploring nature at all length scales, from the subatomic to the macroscopic and everything in between. With an excellent and diverse community of faculty, postdocs and students who are pushing new scientific frontiers, we offer a dynamic learning environment, an inclusive research community and an engaging network of scholars.
Physics and Astronomy is one of the seven departments within the Purdue University College of Science. World-class research is performed in astrophysics, atomic and molecular optics, accelerator mass spectrometry, biophysics, condensed matter physics, quantum information science, and particle and nuclear physics. Our state-of-the-art facilities are in the Physics Building, but our researchers also engage in interdisciplinary work at Discovery Park District at Purdue, particularly the Birck Nanotechnology Center and the Bindley Bioscience Center. We also participate in global research including at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, many national laboratories (such as Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermilab, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Stanford Linear Accelerator, etc.), the James Webb Space Telescope, and several observatories around the world.
About the College of Science
Purdue University’s College of Science is committed to the persistent pursuit of the mathematical and scientific knowledge that forms the very foundation of innovation. More than 350 tenure-track faculty conduct world-changing research and deliver a transformative education to more than 6,000 undergraduates and 1,750 graduate students. See how we develop practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges with degree programs in the life sciences, physical sciences, computational sciences, mathematics, and data science at www.purdue.edu/science.
Written by: Cheryl Pierce, Lead Marketing and Public Relations Specialist at the Purdue University College of Science