Doctoral student Myles Forrester Scllon from Oshikawa Group conducted research through ISSP International Research Opportunities for Student Program at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) in the United States from April 28 to May 25, 2024. This program, initiated in 2017, aims to foster international talent through collaborative research abroad, sending graduate students to overseas research institutions for several months.

SCOLLON, Myles Forrester (Oshikawa Group D1)

Purpose

The Kavli Institute for Physics (KITP) hosts unique, long form programs, which hold the usual talks associated with a conference but emphasize discussions and collaboration between participants outside of the usual question periods. My goal is to attend the GAPLESS24 program at KITP and engage in discussions with leading researchers on the topic of gapless systems. From this I hope to build new collaborations and develop new projects for my PhD studies.

Summary

From these discussions, I aimed to further my knowledge of numerical techniques and what they can teach us about the physical models that are studied in Condensed Matter Physics.

Activity

Many different topics were presented during the program. Of key interest were systems exhibiting the physics of deconfined quantum critical points, non-fermi liquids, and other exotic phases and their transitions. These topics have been of key interest over the past twenty years in studies which look into the physics of phases and phase transitions which are beyond the paradigm of Landau, Ginzburg, Wilson, and Fisher. Because of the nature of these transitions, analytical conclusions have proven to be difficult or impossible in many cases leading to an emphasis on numerical data to study the properties of such transitions. Additionally, many toy models were introduced in talks as tools with which to study the phases and properties of these exotic phases for which numerical studies are also crucial in building understanding of their properties. From this I became motivated to study Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) techniques as these have proven useful in numerical studies of models such as those presented during the program. During the conference I began studying and implementing QMC algorithms on simple systems and I plan to apply them to novel systems in the future as part of my PhD studies.

Beyond the specifics of my research, the program and environment at KITP made very it clear that collaboration and discussion is crucial for finding success as a researcher and as a member of a broader research community. Even in the absence of collaboration, properly contextualizing your research within the research community is crucial for ensuring your research not only remains relevant, but is also able to advance our understanding in the field.

Reflections and prospects for future research

Looking forward, I will work toward improving my understanding and knowledge of condensed matter physics and how I can apply my knowledge. Not only for answering questions in my own research, but also for how I can foster collaborative research and discussions with other researchers.

Related pages

• Oshikawa Group, ISSP, UTokyo
• 2024.6.24 ISSP News International Research Opportunities for Students Program Report of LIU, Yifan