Having received the 11th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, physicist Eugene Mele describes in this interview how his theoretical contributions, along with Charles Kane, laid the foundation for the study of topological insulators, a class of quantum materials with surprising electronic properties. Mele clearly explains how topology in condensed matter physics allows the identification of new states of matter with potential applications in advanced electronics and quantum computing. Through accessible examples, the physicist offers insight into how abstract concepts can influence future technologies and why this frontier of physics is crucial for understanding and designing materials with unique functionalities.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Basic Sciences category has gone in this eleventh edition to physicist Charles L. Kane and Eugene Mele, “fo
Having received the 11th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, physicist Eugene Mele describes in this interview how his theoretical contributions, along with Charles Kane, laid the foundation for the study of topological insulators, a class of quantum materials with surprising electronic properties. Mele clearly explains how topology in condensed matter physics allows the identification of new states of matter with potential applications in advanced electronics and quantum computing. Through accessible examples, the physicist offers insight into how abstract concepts can influence future technologies and why this frontier of physics is crucial for understanding and designing materials with unique functionalities.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Basic Sciences category has gone in this eleventh edition to physicist Charles L. Kane and Eugene Mele, “for their discovery of topological insulators, a new class of materials with extraordinary electronic properties: (…) they behave as conductors on the surface, but as insulators in the interior,” according to the committee’s citation.
00:00 Introduction
00:05 First of all, could you explain in simple terms for a general audience what topological insulators are and the distinctive electronic properties that characterize this new class of materials?
00:54 What are the most important technological applications you foresee for topological insulators in electronics and in other fields?
01:41 What does your work in the field of topological insulators demonstrate about the fundamental importance of basic science research for society?
