Group Huber - ETHZ
We bend waves with topology and we explore how one can build physical models using information theory and machine learning.
The group of Sebastian Huber tries to make sense of complex statistical physics problems and strongly interacting quantum systems. To make progress we rely both on our own and on artificial intelligence and capitalize on our expertise in topology in physics.
Specifically, we design new approaches to determine emergent degrees of freedom and symmetries in the framework of statistical physics. We do so by employing analytical and numerical tools borrowed from information theory. Quantum systems, on the other hand, we try to harness by coming up with new ways of writing down variational wavefunctions: going beyond the traditional Slater- and Jastrow-wavefunctions we endow machine learning based approaches with physical insight. Finally, we enjoy exploring topology in physics, both in its effect on modern trends such as superconductivity in twisted two-dimensional materials as well as in classical meta-materials where we introduce new engineering paradigms for mechanical metamaterials.
contact: Prof. Dr. Sebastian Huber
webpage: https://cmt-qo.phys.ethz.ch
Selected publications
- Observation of phononic helical edge states in a mechanical topological insulator, external page Science 349, 47 (2015).
- Observation of a phononic quadrupole topological insulator, external page Nature 555, 342 (2018).
- Experimental characterization of fragile topology in an acoustic metamaterial, external page Science 367, 797 (2020).
- Learning phase transitions by confusion, external page Nature Physics 13, 435 (2017).
- Fragile Topology and Flat-Band Superconductivity in the Strong-Coupling Regime, external page Phys. Rev. Lett.126, 027002 (2021)