Dr. Allen Scheie, MPA-Q Divison, Los Alamos National Laboratory will present "Neutron scattering: its history, philosophical implications, and its use to probe quantum materials"

In the first half of this talk I give a history of neutron scattering, developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory during the Manhattan project to build an atomic bomb. This technique gave some surprising insight into many-body quantum physics, such as spontaneous symmetry breaking and direct evidence of quasiparticles. Both philosophical concepts radically changed the way contemporary physicists view reality. In the second half I will discuss my work using neutron spectroscopy to solve current problems in quantum condensed matter: (i) using neutron scattering to search for and characterize quantum spin liquids (proposed states of matter exhibiting stable long-range quantum entanglement) and (ii) witnessing the presence of solid-state quantum entanglement between electron spins.