AlbaNova and Nordita colloquium

Simulating Hubbard model physics in moiré semiconductors

Prof. Kin Fai Mak (Cornell University)

13 november 2025, 15:15 - The Oskar Klein auditorium (FR4)

The strong Coulomb interactions between many electrons in solids can induce many fascinating phenomena, such as magnetism, high-temperature superconductivity, and electron fractionalization. In 1963, physicists developed a model, known as the Hubbard model, to describe such interactions in a highly simplified manner. The deceptively simple model is, however, difficult to solve accurately even with modern-day supercomputers. The physical realizations and thus simulations of the Hubbard model therefore have a vital role to play in solving this important problem. Moiré materials, metamaterials built on artificial “moiré atoms”, have emerged as a promising Hubbard model simulator in recent years. In this talk, I will discuss recent efforts on simulating the Hubbard model in moiré semiconductors, with a particular focus on the problem of high-temperature superconductivity.