Did You Know...that Penn Physicists Charles Kane and Eugene Mele were awarded the 2010 Europhysics Prize of the European Physical Society Condensed Matter Division for the theoretical prediction and experimental observation of the quantum spin Hall effect and topological insulators? This work, published in 2005, showed the existence of a set of band insulators (which were subsequently observed experimentally by other researchers sharing the prize) in which the topology of the band structure implies the existence of edge or surface states that are insensitive to disorder in the lattice. The discovery has implications for spintronics, quantum computing and possibly for fundamental and exotic physics.

Condensed matter physics underlies many key devices of information technology, including the transistor, the solid-state laser, optical fiber, magnetic storage media, and the liquid crystal display.

To view the press release:
http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/penn-physicists-honored-2010-europhysics-prize

To learn more about our Physics and Astronomy Department:
http://www.physics.upenn.edu/