Chinese scientist makes history by winning the US’ top physics prize
- Xue Qikun’s groundbreaking work on the next generation of electronics recognised with prestigious American Physical Society award
- The physicist is the first Chinese citizen to receive the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Physics Prize in its 70-year history
The American Physical Society’s 2024 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Physics Prize was awarded jointly to Xue and Harvard University’s Ashvin Vishwanath on Tuesday.
Xue has been working with his university team to synthesise topological insulators – a class of materials that exists in a recently discovered state of quantum matter – for the development of next-generation, low-energy consumption electronics.
Unlike conventional materials, a topological insulator’s interior insulates while its surface conducts electricity without heat loss, making it an ideal candidate for the efficient electronics of the future.
Xue and Vishwanath were recognised for their “groundbreaking theoretical and experimental studies on the collective electronic properties of materials that reflect topological aspects of their band structure”, the society said.
Endowed by AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1952, the US$20,000 prize – to be shared by the two recipients – is seen as the highest award in condensed matter physics, a branch of the discipline that explores the macroscopic and microscopic properties of matter.