PHY research student immersed in the utopia of physics research in America

Nestled in the Colorado Rockies, where hiking trails meet theoretical equations, Mr HUANG Ke, a year-4 PhD student at CityUHK Physics, found himself at what many consider the utopia of physics research in July last year. The Aspen Center for Physics in the USA has been drawing the world's brightest minds since 1962, and this summer, Ke was fortunate to join their ranks, thanks to his research supervisor and mentor, Professor LI Xiao.

For two transformative weeks, from 30 June to 14 July 2024, Ke immersed himself in a program that might sound bewildering to many: "Quantum Matter Through the Lens of Moiré Materials." While these terms might seem foreign to most, they represent the cutting edge of a field that could revolutionize our understanding of quantum matter itself. The program focused on recent breakthroughs in observing fractional quantum anomalous Hall effects in rhombohedral multilayer graphene – a discovery that has sent ripples through the condensed matter physics community over the past year.

For Ke, this wasn't just a casual summer workshop. Since October 2023, Ke has been working alongside Professor Li on this very problem, and Aspen offered the perfect stage to dive deeper. Over those two weeks, he found himself in an environment where coffee breaks turned into impromptu physics discussions, and dinner conversations revolved around the most recent experimental data as well as possible theories to explain them. He attended more than ten research presentations, many featuring unpublished data – a rare privilege that felt like getting a glimpse into physics' future.

The true magic of Aspen, however, lay in its informal atmosphere. During his time at Aspen, Ke could approach world-leading physicists with questions about his research, engage in face-to-face discussions, and receive immediate feedback on his ideas. This collaborative spirit proved incredibly productive – so much so that he completed three research papers in the weeks during and after his visit. These works have been posted as arXiv:2407.08661, arXiv:2408.05139, and arXiv:2409.04349, the first of which has been published as Phys. Rev. B 110, 115146 (2024).

“Looking back, my time at the Aspen Center for Physics was more than just a summer program; it was a glimpse into how scientific progress really happens. In an age of virtual meetings and remote work, there's still something irreplaceable about gathering brilliant minds in one beautiful location, allowing them to share ideas freely, and watching the spark of discovery unfold,” Ke said.

As Ke left Aspen, carrying with him new insights and collaborations, he felt grateful for this opportunity to engage in the tradition of scientific exchange that has endured for over six decades as a CityUHK graduate student. Ke concluded, “In this haven where physics meets the mountains, I experienced firsthand how the next generation of scientific breakthroughs takes shape – one conversation at a time.”