Colloquium
Upcoming Colloquium
When Electrons Break Symmetry: Charge Order in Quantum Materials
Dr. Jing Xia, UC Irvine
October 26, 2026
11:00am-12:00pm in HSCI-102
When a material cools, its electrons can spontaneously organize, much as molecules align in a liquid-crystal (nematic) display. This "charge order" takes many forms: electrons may form repeating patterns or favor one direction. Some ordered states may break time-reversal symmetry, behaving differently if time ran backward. In this talk, I will introduce these ideas from the ground up and explore them in three families of quantum materials. In ultraclean semiconductors, liquid-crystal-like electron "stripes" intertwine with a special fractional quantum Hall effect promising for robust quantum computing. In kagome metals, a fiber-optic interferometer adapted from navigation gyroscopes tests whether charge order in CsV₃Sb₅ breaks time-reversal symmetry, and instead reveals unconventional specular optical rotation. In ScV₆Sn₆, an intermediate nematic state appears as charge order sets in. Finally, in a layered antiferromagnet, twisted spin arrangements produce a giant optical response without net magnetization, while intertwined nematic order is switchable and retains its state.
About the Colloquium
The Colloquium is a unique opportunity for students to learn about new developments in physics and what physicists do after they graduate. Hosted by the Physics and Astronomy Department at California State University, Long Beach, the weekly meetings invite guests from universities, research laboratories, and industry to present and discuss current topics in physics. All students are encouraged to attend for a well-rounded experience and training in physics.
Colloquium Coordinator
For information and suggestions about the colloquium please contact the colloquium coordinator:
Dr. Sarah Grefe
Sarah.Grefe@csulb.edu
Schedule
The schedule for Fall 2026 is posted below.
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| October 26, 2026 | When Electrons Break Symmetry: Charge Order in Quantum Materials | Dr. Jing Xia, UC Irvine |
| November 2, 2026 | (topic: astrophysics) | Dr. Brad Hansen, UCLA |
| November 9, 2026 | (topic: bose-einstein condensation) | Dr. Maren Mossman, University of San Diego |
| November 16, 2026 | (topic: quantum sensing techniques) | Dr. Darmindra Arumugam, JPL |
| November 30, 2026 | (topic: AI in mathematics) | Dr. Michael Mulligan, UC Riverside |
| December 7, 2026 | Student Presentations | students, CSU Long Beach |
| December 9, 2026 | Student Presentations | students, CSU Long Beach |
Previous Colloquia
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| October 19, 2026 | Topology and Mechanics of Kinetoplast-Inspired Olympic Gels | Dr. Alex Klotz, CSU Long Beach |
| October 12, 2026 | Determining the Radiative Properties of Anthropogenic Halocarbons by Integrating Experimental FTIR Spectroscopy with Quantum Chemistry Calculations | Dr. Karine Le Bris, CSU Los Angeles |
| October 5, 2026 | Detecting the Secrets of the Cosmos with Quantum Materials | Dr. Elizabeth A. Peterson, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| September 28, 2026 | Faculty Presentations | department faculty, CSU Long Beach |
| September 21, 2026 | Metamagnetic Materials as Switchable MRI Cell Tracking Micro-Labels | Dr. Barbic Mladen, Caltech |
| September 14, 2026 | Unravelling the hidden state of a kagome magnet | Dr. Yona Soh, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland |
The Colloquium Archive has the Colloquia from previous semesters.
Sponsors
We acknowledge with gratitude donations and support from the following present sponsors:
- H.E. and H.B. Miller and Family Endowment
- Benjamin Carter
- Mary L. Bresnan
- K. Y. Shen
- American Physical Society
- Anonymous
We also acknowledge with gratitude our past donors: The Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., The Northrop Grumman Foundation, Sandra Dana, Anonymous.
If you wish to support the Colloquium, please contact the colloquium coordinator or the department chair. Thank you!
