Kinetic theory of interaction-dominated charge and heat transport

The purpose of this proposal is to describe electron and phonon transport (i.e., the flow of charge or heat) in materials with strong interactions, called “interaction-dominated”.

This is a recently discovered transport regime in clean (i.e., nearly impurity-free) materials in which particles establish a collective liquid-like hydrodynamic flow, with electrons navigating nanoscale devices with less resistance than in conventional transport and fast sound-like heat propagation.

The theoretical description of these materials is based on kinetic equations that are currently solved using approximate methods, which makes the interpretation of experiments difficult and can miss important physics.

In a recent development crucial for the success of this proposal, I have succeeded to combine the mathematical structure of the kinetic equations with high-performance calculations to provide practical exact solutions without approximations.

In collaboration with one PhD student, I now propose to develop this line of research to answer (i) if recent experiments have indeed observed a conjectured electronic quantum-critical transport regime in graphene and how phonons behave collectively to transport heat quickly; and (ii) how an external confinement can be used to enhance interactions.

In the long term, the project will significantly advance the theory of interaction-dominated materials and help move this field from fundamental physics to applications.