This National Science Foundation (NSF) award under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) program provides $464,834 in funding to the University of Maryland, College Park to conduct joint theoretical research and education activities to advance the foundations of strongly correlated topological and geometric phases of matter. The project is focused on studying fracton excitations, which possess unique properties like topological non-triviality and constrained mobility. Key efforts include exploring how fracton excitations affect observable properties in gapless correlated spin liquids, developing a general theory of symmetries that impose mobility constraints, and investigating connections between fracton behavior and phenomena in systems like superfluids and liquid crystals. The award also supports training undergraduate and graduate students in the use of machine learning for theoretical physics problems, as well as outreach to high school students to encourage STEM study. There are no planned sub-awards under this grant.
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