IQIM Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Seminar

Abstract: Fractionalization and superconductivity are two of the most striking collective phenomena in quantum matter. A paradigmatic setting for fractionalization is the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect, where strong interactions give rise to quantum liquids whose excitations carry fractional charge and obey anyonic exchange statistics. Superconductivity, by contrast, is a coherent condensate of paired electrons, characterized by phase rigidity and dissipationless transport.  At first sight, the two appear incompatible: superconductivity is associated with an effective attraction that binds electrons into pairs, whereas fractionalization is driven by strong repulsive interactions. This contrast motivates a natural question: can fractionalization and superconductivity coexist? 

In this talk, I will show that these seemingly contrasting phenomena can in fact coexist within a unified theoretical framework in the flat bands of two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures such as twisted transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Because this physics is strongly interacting, making reliable predictions requires solving the challenging quantum many-body problem beyond mean-field or perturbation theory. I will conclude by showing how artificial intelligence (AI) provides a powerful route for studying quantum many-body systems from first-principles, enabling access to regimes that were previously inaccessible.

[1] D.Guerci*, A. Abouelkomsan*, L. Fu, Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 186601 (2025)

[2] D. Guerci, A. Abouelkomsan, L. Fu, arXiv:2602.15106

[3] A. Abouelkomsan, L. Fu, arXiv:2602.03927

Following the talk, lunch will be provided on the lawn outside East Bridge.