Summer 2023 Newsletter

We hope you are enjoying the summer months. With the Las Vegas March Meeting in the rear view mirror, we are now in the midst of preparing for next year’s March Meeting in Minneapolis and finalizing DMP award, prize and fellowship recognition. As always, your participation in nominating speakers and giving us feedback is key to the success of DMP’s activities.

We are excited to convene in Minneapolis for the 2024 March Meeting from March 4-8, 2024. It is hard to believe that it has been over two decades since the March Meeting was last in Minneapolis in 2000. James Rondinelli, DMP Chair-Elect, is our 2024 March Meeting DMP program chair. He is putting together an exciting program with help from the entire Executive Committee. As described below, James has assembled a strong line-up of 21 Focus Topics, covering a diverse range of contemporary topics in materials physics, including the exciting physics that arises at the intersection of materials science with topology, strong correlations, quantum  information,  and  reduced  dimensionality.  We  anticipate  that  the  DMP Focus Topics will continue to attract outstanding invited and contributed talks as well as posters. We appreciate your continued support in nominating excellent speakers is key for the success of our DMP Focus Topics.

Focus  Topic  sessions  provide  an  excellent  venue  for  the  presentation  of  your  most  recent exciting  advances  among  descriptions  with  your  students  and  colleagues,  so  that  you  can plan in advance about submitting your most exciting advances to relevant sessions. As you know,  the  March  Meeting  provides  an  excellent  venue  for  both  advancing  the  state  of knowledge in our research areas as well as training beginning scientists in the skill sets that are so crucial for their professional development.

DMP also facilitates the recognition of the many achievements of our community via awards, prizes  and  fellowship.  First  of  all,  I  would  like  to  thank  the  DMP  community  for  submitting strong nominations. I would also like to thank my colleagues from the community as well as the  DMP  Executive  Committee  who  chaired  and  served  on  selection  committees  for  APS Fellows, the James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials, and the David Adler Lectureship in Materials Physics. DMP also has representation on the selection committee for the Mildred Dresselhaus Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomaterials. These committees have been hard at work  over  the  summer  months,  selecting  winners  from  the  nominations  from  the  APS community. The final selections will be announced by APS in late Fall. If you wish to nominate well deserving colleagues for the above recognition in the future, please note that the DMP nomination deadline for APS fellowship is usually the beginning of May and the award/prize nomination for McGroddy, Adler and Dresselhaus is usually the beginning of June. DMP and APS encourage nominations of women and members of under-represented minority groups for these prizes, awards, and fellowships.

DMP is also heavily invested in recognizing junior members of our community. We would like to remind you of the September 1 nomination deadline for the Richard L. Greene Dissertation Award in Experimental Condensed Matter Materials Physics. The 2023 awardees are:

Suraj  Cheema,  University  of  California,  Berkeley,  "For  atomic-scale  design  of ferroelectricity and negative capacitance in ultrathin HfO2-ZrO2 films on Si" and

See https://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/greene.cfm for full details.

I would also like to remind everyone about the DMP travel awards for students and post-docs. Student presenters at the March Meeting are invited to apply for a Stanford and Iris Ovshinsky Student  Travel  Award.  Postdoctoral  presenters  are  also  invited  to  apply  for  a DMP Postdoctoral Travel Award. These highly competitive and prestigious awards are available to students  and  postdocs  whose  abstracts  are  submitted  to  DMP-sponsored  contributed sessions. The awards provide travel support and the awardees will be publicly recognized at our Reception at the 2024 March Meeting. Applications must be completed by November 13, 2023. Advisors will be asked to complete a letter of support by November 28, 2023.

I  would  also  like  to  encourage  you  to  nominate  colleagues  or  self-nominate  for  DMP nominating committee, executive committee and chair-line as described below.

Finally, I would like to recognize the members of the DMP Executive Committee who have recently completed their service. Rachel S. Goldman (University of Michigan) completed her four  years  in  the  chair  line,  while  Peter  Fischer  and  Anand  Bhattacharya  completed  their terms as Members-at-Large. We appreciate all their time and effort to better our community and their contributions have been invaluable.

I look forward to seeing you all in Minneapolis next March!

Judy J. Cha, Cornell University (03/21 – 03/24)

Jorge A. Muñoz, University of Texas at El Paso (03/21 – 03/24)

Prineha Narang, University of California, Los Angeles (03/22 – 03/25)

Xiuling Li, University of Texas at Austin (03/22 – 03/25)

Bharat Jalan, University of Minnesota (03/23/-03/26)

Paul E. Sokol, Indiana University Bloomington (03/23-03/26)

• Ferroelectricity in inorganic, organic and hybrid-inorganic-organic materials
• Novel and unconventional routes to induce ferroelectricity
• Bulk multiferroic and magnetoelectric oxides
• Bulk multiferroic and magnetoelectric non-oxide materials
• Multiferroicity and magnetoelectricity in emerging low-dimensional systems such as two-dimensional materials and van der Waals heterostructures.
• Heterostructured magnetoelectrics such as thin film, pillar and nanostructured materials.
• Metal-organic frameworks, organometallics, molecule-based materials, organic thin films and other soft materials that can exhibit magnetoelectric properties
• Spin-electric coupling in single molecule magnets•    Coupling  of  spin  crossovers  and  spin  state  ordering  to  electric  and  strain  properties  of materials
• Magnetoelectric domains and domain walls and coupling at surfaces
• Magnetoelectric coupling at surfaces
• Band-filling  and  bandwidth  control  in  complex  oxides  (a  prerequisite  to  harnessing charge/orbital order, magnetic transitions and metal insulator transitions)
• Other  novel  theoretical  and  experimental  routes  to  multifunctional  cross  coupling  of magnetic, electric and strain properties.

09.01.01 Fe-based Superconductors

Organizers: Dr. Elena Gati, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, elena.gati@cpfs.mpg.de, Prof. Andreas Kreisel, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen University, kreisel@itp.uni-leipzig.de

More  than  a  decade  after  their  discovery,  Fe-based  superconductors  (FeSCs)  continue  to fascinate  the  materials  and  condensed  matter  physics  communities,  not  only  due  to  their potential to lead to higher superconducting transition temperatures, but also as a platform to investigate the complicated interaction(s) of correlated quantum matter and new techniques. Considerable synthesis, experimental, and theoretical progress has been made in elucidating the  defining  properties,  including  the  role  of  electron-electron  interactions  in  shaping  their normal state; the intertwining between different ordered states involving spin, orbital, charge, and  lattice  degrees  of  freedom;  the  relevance  of  nematicity,  magnetism,  and  quantum criticality to the pairing interaction; and the symmetry effects associated with the multi-orbital nature. At the same time, there is progress in understanding the unifying principles causing superconductivity and finding connections with other unconventional superconductors such as cuprates, heavy fermions and organic charge-transfer salts. In recent years, topological phenomena  in  the  normal  state  and  the  superconducting  state  have  been  explored  in  the FeSCs such that these systems allow additional insights into the role of different degrees of freedom for topological phases. In addition to advancing our fundamental understanding of superconductivity and correlated electron systems, the unique material parameters of FeSCs (relatively high Tc, low anisotropy, high critical fields) offer new approaches to the design of applications such as superconducting wires, magnets and thin-film devices. This focus topic will   cover   the   pertinent   recent   developments   in   the   materials   growth,   experimental measurements,  and  theoretical  approaches,  and  survey  the  potential  for  discovering  new applications and new superconducting systems.

11.01.01  4d/5d  Transition  Metal  Systems:  Spin-orbit  Driven  Emergent  Phases  and Phenomena

Organizers: Dr. John Mitchell, Argonne National Laboratory, mitchell@anl.gov, Prof. Patrick Woodward,  The  Ohio  State  University, woodward.55@osu.edu,  Prof.  David  Mandrus,  The University of Tennessee, dmandrus@utk.edu

Transition metal compounds with 4d/5d orbitals exhibit rich exotic phenomena resulting from the complex interplay between spin-orbit coupling, electron interactions, and noncubic crystal electric field. With different filling of d orbitals, a rich variety of spin-orbit-entangled states are being experimentally and theoretically investigated.  This Focus Topic explores the nature of various exotic states of such spin orbit entangled matter and how the interplay between spin orbit  coupling,  electron  correlations,  and  crystal  fields  leads  to  rich  novel  phenomena. These include unusual magnetic phases, topological behavior, spin liquids, unconventional superconductivity, and insulator-metal transitions. Contributions  are  solicited  in  areas  that  reflect  recent  advances  in  synthesis,  experiment, theory, and simulation covering new materials in single-crystal, thin film, and heterostructure morphologies. Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Rhodates
• Ruthenates
• Iridates
• Osmates
• Kitaev materials
• Anomalous and topological Hall effects
• Tunability with external stimuli

11.01.02: Light-Induced Dynamical Control of Electronic Phases

Organizers: Prof. Fahad Mahmood, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, fahad@illinois.edu, Prof. Liuyan Zhao, University of Michigan, lyzhao@umich.edu, Prof. Yao Wang, Clemson University, yaowang@g.clemson.edu

The novel electronic properties of strongly correlated materials typically arise due to complex interactions   between   various   degrees   of   freedom   (charge,   spin,   orbital   and   lattice). Controlling these interactions at various length- and timescales is thus key to understanding unconventional  material  properties  and  establishing  routes  to  functionalize  their  physical states.  New  light  sources,  ultrafast  probes,  and  the  achievement  of  strong  light-matter coupling  have  made  it  possible  to  directly  induce  changes  in  the  electronic,  magnetic,  or crystal structure with light, enabling the control and examination of non-equilibrium states in a  wide  range  of  materials.  Examples  range  from  driving  phase  transitions  by  nonlinear phononics, the observation of coherent dressed states, to the demonstration of effects from pure vacuum fluctuations of light on material properties in light-matter hybrid systems. This focus topic aims to create a platform for communicating high-impact developments in light-induced  dynamical  control  of  novel  phases  to  a  broad  audience,  involving  theorists  and experimentalists.  Particular  emphasis  is  placed  on  topics  such  as  ultrafast  dynamics  in correlated  and  low-dimensional  materials,  light-induced  phase  transitions  and  metastable phases,  non-thermal  nonequilibrium  states  and  band-engineering,  nonlinear  response  and mode-selective control.

12.01.01:  2D  Materials: Formation  Pathways  and  Mechanisms,  Heterostructures,  and Defects

Organizers: Prof. Zakaria Y. Al Balushi, University of California, Berkeley, albalushi@berkeley.edu, Prof. Tanushree Choudhury, India Institute of Technology, Bombay, tanuhc@iitb.ac.in

The multitude of two-dimensional (2D) materials in regard to composition, crystal structure and  layer  thickness  leads  to  a  variety  of  material  properties,  including  semiconducting, metallic, insulating, superconducting and magnetic, covering all of the components necessary to  address  voltage,  interconnect,  energy,  and  dimensional  scaling  issues  for  a  plethora  of future applications and technology. Their structural anisotropy provides new pathways to the controlled  formation  and  interfacing  of  atomically  thin  crystals  and  layers.  The  underlying mechanisms remain, however poorly understood, which manifests itself in limited control and scalability,  when  it  comes  to  integration  with  industrial  process  flows.  This  focus  topic  will concentrate on the science of scalable and controlled synthesis and tuning of 2D materials and their heterostructures, covering both experimental and computational approaches. This comprises  reaction  design,  crystal  and  amorphous  layer  formation,  phase  engineering, confined growth phenomena, post-growth transformation, defect engineering (structural and chemical), in-plane and out-of-plane heterostructures, approaches to clean interfacing, 2D-3D interfacing, substrate preparation for large scale synthesis and area-select approaches.

12.01.02 2D Materials: Frontiers of Van der Waals Assembly and Moiré Materials

Organizers: Prof. Hugh Churchill, University of Arkansas, hchurch@uark.edu, Prof. Diana Qiu, Yale University, diana.qiu@yale.edu, Prof. Andrew Mannix, Stanford University, ajmannix@stanford.edu

2D  layered  materials  provide  a  unique  platform  to  assemble  heterostructures  without  the typical constraints of epitaxial interfaces, providing exciting opportunities for the discovery of emergent interfacial phenomena unique to these non-covalently bonded interfaces. A prime example concerns moiré patterns emerging at twisted and/or strained interfaces, which may simultaneously modify the momentum-space registry, interlayer hybridization, and/or shape and period of the periodic potential superlattice. Recent advances have highlighted unique electronic,  optical,  topological,  and  magnetic  properties  that  emerge  from  the  interfaces  of bilayers involving two otherwise trivial materials. The exciting opportunities to translate these emergent properties into new functional devices require concurrently: (i) enhanced processes for  assembling  and  modifying  layered  material  heterostructures;  and  (ii)  an  improved understanding of interfacial device physics, including the role of strain and atomic relaxation effects  in  the  emerging  electronic  and  optical  interfacial  properties,  the  physics  of  beyond-bilayer systems, the coupling and engineering of quantum defects, the engineering of thermal coupling  in  heterostructures,  and  beyond.  This  focus  topic  will  cover  experimental  and theoretical/computational work related to devices based on the growing array of 2D materials that  exhibit  a  wide  variety  of  behaviors.  Our  focus  section  invites  contributions  on  topics including   theory,   computation,   synthesis   and   device   fabrication,   and   experimental characterization covering the wide-ranging library of 2D materials and their heterostructures.

12.01.03 2D Materials: Advanced Characterization

Organizers:  Prof.  Dong  Yu,  University  of  California,  Davis, donyu@ucdavis.edu,   Dr.  Alex Weber-Bargioni, Molecular Foundry, afweber-bargioni@lbl.gov

The ever-increasing class of 2D materials, with their various polymorphs, distinct electronic phases,  and  2D  heterostructures,  require  sophisticated  characterization  methods  to  both understand  their  emergent  electronic  and  magnetic  phases  as  well  as  establish  structure-property   relationships.    This   focus   topic   will   concentrate   on   advanced   and   novel characterization  methods  to  probe  structural,  optical,  electronic,  magnetic,  and  other properties  of  2D  materials  and  heterostructures. Characterization  methods  include  but  are not  limited  to  advanced  electron  microscopy  and  spectroscopy  (ex:  4D  STEM,  in  situ techniques,  ARPES,  and  momentum-resolved  EELS),  advanced  optical  microscopy  and spectroscopy (nanoscale imaging, ultrafast time-resolved, non-linear), and various scanning probes,   and   multi-modal   characterization   methods.    Theory   development   for   data interpretation, treatment of large data sets, and machine learning approaches applied to 2D material characterization are also relevant to this focus topic.

12.01.04  2D  Materials:  Correlated  States:  Superconductivity,  Density  Waves,  and Ferroelectricity

Organizers:  Dr.  Biao  Lian,  Princeton  University, biao@princeton.edu,  Dr.  Yu  He,  Yale University, yu.he@yale.edu, Dr. Qiong Ma, Boston College, maqa@bc.edu

The  low-dimensional  nature  of  2D  materials  alters  bulk  crystalline  symmetries,  weakens screening  effects,  boosts  interactions,  promotes  fluctuations,  and  facilitates  exceptional physical  tunability,  thereby  introducing  many  novel  states  of  matter.  The  interconnection between spontaneous symmetry breaking and emerging orders in low-dimensional systems, such as superconductivity, density waves, and ferroelectricity, is a fascinating topic for both fundamental physics and applications. This focus topic will cover theoretical and experimental studies of the emerging correlated states in 2D stacked or epitaxial systems, including:

• Unconventional  superconductivity  in  naturally  occurring  and  engineered  materials  and interfaces
• Emergent charge, spin or pair density wave orders and nematicity
• Ferroelectricity arising from engineered lattice or electron structures
• Emergent phenomena as the above effects couple, such as multiferroicity
• Related novel device engineering and applications

13.01.01 Nanostructures and Metamaterials

Organizers: Prof. Cheng-Wei Qiu, National University of Singapore, chengwei.qiu@nus.edu.sg, Prof. Yongmin Liu, Northwestern University, y.liu@northeastern.edu, Prof. Andrea Alu, City University of New York, aalu@gc.cuny.edu

Metamaterials are artificially designed structures with subwavelength, atomic- or molecular-level constituents that exhibit exotic properties not occurring in nature. Because of advances in state-of-the-art nanofabrication technologies, we could realize sophisticated metamaterials and   structures   precisely   at   the   nanoscale.   Metamaterials   research   merged   with nanophotonics and physics, which further leads to metaphotonics. These concepts have also been extended to acoustic, mechanical, elastic, phononic metamaterials. The transition from three-dimensional    nanostructures    and    metamaterials    to    planar    two-dimensional metasurfaces further facilitates structure fabrication, material integration, novel functionality, and system miniaturization, thereby finding a wide range of potential applications. This focus topic will include, but are not limited to: nanophotonics, plasmonics, near-field and quantum optics,   optoelectronics,   energy   harvesting,   reconfigurable/flexible/dynamically   tunable structures,  inverse  designs,  and  machine-learning  metastructures,  acoustic/mechanical meta-devices.

13.01.02: Electron, Exciton, and Phonon Transport in Nanostructures

Organizers: Prof. Mandar M. Deshmukh. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, deshmukh@tifr.res.in, Prof. Aditya Sood, Princeton University aditya.sood@princeton.edu

Flow  of  energy  in  nanoscale  devices  is  often  the  key  to  their  performance.  Energy  can  be carried  by  a  variety  of  quasiparticles  like  electrons,  phonons,  plasmons  and  excitons.  The efficiency of energy transport depends on the interaction of the quasiparticles with the lattice in solids and the nanoscale substructure within such a lattice. Such interactions with the lattice can   lead   to   coupling   between   different   quasiparticles,   resulting   in   novel   emergent phenomena.   Contributions   are   solicited   in   areas   that   reflect   recent   advances   in measurement, theory, and modeling of transport mechanisms of quasiparticles in nanoscale materials and across interfaces. This includes, but is not limited to, studies of classical and quantum  scaling  effects,  electron-phonon  coupling  in  low-dimensional  materials,  emergent electronic   and   thermal   phenomena   in   heterostructures,   nanoscale   phonon   transport, quasiparticle-defect interactions, strong light-matter coupling, and related areas.

13.01.03 Complex Oxide Interfaces and Heterostructures

Organizers: Prof. Lior Kornblum, Technion, Israel, liork@technion.ac.il, Senior Researcher Felix Trier, Technical University of Denmark, fetri@dtu.dk, Prof. Lucas Caretta, Brown University, lucas_caretta@brown.edu

Emergent electronic and magnetic states at complex oxide interfaces raise exciting prospects for new fundamental physics and technological applications. These novel properties arise as a  result  of  interfacial  charge  transfer,  exchange  coupling,  orbital  reconstructions,  proximity effects, dimensionality, and mechanical and electric boundary conditions. This Focus Topic is  dedicated  to  progress  in  the  fabrication,  methodologies,  and  knowledge  in  the  field  of complex  oxide  thin  films,  membranes,  heterostructures,  superlattices,  and  nanostructures. Synthesis, characterization, theory, and novel device physics are emphasized. Specific areas of  interest  include  but  are  not  limited  to:  the  growth  of  novel  oxide  thin  films  and heterostructures; creation of complex oxide membranes, the control of magnetic, electronic, ordering,  ionic  conduction,  phase  transitions,  interfacial  superconductivity,  multiferroicity, magnetotransport, spin-orbit coupling properties; and developments in theoretical prediction and materials-by-design approaches. Advances in techniques to probe and image electronic, structural, and magnetic states at heterostructure interfaces are also emphasized. Note that some overlap may exist with other DMP and GMAG focus sessions. As a rule of thumb, if complex oxides and their heterostructures are at the core of the investigation, then the talk is appropriate for this focus topic.

13.01.04  Discovery  and  Design  of  Enhanced  Physical  Qubits:  From  Electrons  to Devices

Organizers: Dr. Sinéad Griffin, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SGriffin@lbl.gov, Prof. Geoffroy Hautier, Dartmouth College, geoffroy.hautier@dartmouth.edu, Prof. Danna Freedman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, danna@mit.edu

To  fully  unlock  the  potential  of  quantum-based  sensing,  communication,  and  computation, new strategies are required to protect, control, and scale quantum coherence in qubits. The diverse  nature  of  these  applications  necessitates  tailored  quantum  properties  for  qubits, prompting  advancements  in  computational  and  theoretical  tools  for  predicting  quantum properties, as well as innovative synthesis and characterization techniques for tailoring and measuring quantum phenomena. These advances are now enabling ‘qubits by design’ where physical  qubits  ranging  from  solid-state  defects  and  molecular  qubits  to  trapped  ions  and topological  systems  can  potentially  be  designed  with  desired  properties  such  as  improved coherence or optimized interactions with initialization and readout schemes. This focus topic invites  scientists  exploring  the  intentional  design  of  qubits,  focusing  on  the  control  of coherence, entanglement, and functionality. It also welcomes contributions focusing on the understanding of physical mechanisms in qubits in view of their rational design. This focus topic  welcome  submission  for  any  qubit  platforms  and  materials  except  superconducting materials and devices which should be submitted elsewhere.

13.01.05 Design and Synthesis of New Bulk and Thin-Film Quantum Materials

Organizers: Prof. Gang Cao, University of Colorado Boulder, gang.cao@colorado.edu, Prof. Sang Cheong, Rutgers University, sangc@physics.rutgers.edu, Prof. Yuri Suzuki, Stanford University, ysuzuki1@stanford.edu

The persistent failure to realize many predicted, important quantum phases/materials (e.g., quantum  spin  liquids,  accessible  p-wave  superconductors,  etc.)  is  a  stark  reminder  that existing synthesis techniques may be inadequate. This Focus Topic exclusively addresses the  materials  synthesis  challenges  in  the  following  key  areas:  (1)  Design  of  new  quantum materials  exhibiting  exotic  states,  such  as  strong  frustration/quantum  spin  liquids,  novel superconductivity, correlated topological states, heavy fermion states without f-electrons, etc. (2) New synthesis techniques, such as high-temperature synthesis under extreme conditions of high pressures or magnetic/electric fields, laser floating-zone techniques. (3) Thin film and heterostructure  synthesis,  such  as  heterostructures  via  hybrid  pulsed  laser  deposition, advanced layer-by-layer growth methods, etc. (4) Precision synthesis of interfacial materials. (5) Theoretical design of materials and machine learning approaches to materials discovery that include synthesizability.

13.01.06   Superconducting   Qubits:   Linking   Surfaces,   Interfaces,   and   Defects   to Decoherence

Organizers: Dr. Akshay Murthy, Fermilab, amurthy@fnal.gov, Dr. Josh Mutus, Rigetti Computing, jmutus@rigetti.com, Dr. Tobias Lindstrom, National Physical Laboratory, tobias.lindstrom@npl.co.uk

With  massive  improvements  in  device  coherence  times  and  gate  fidelity  over  the  past  two decades, superconducting quantum devices have emerged as a leading technology platform for next generation quantum computing. While much of these improvements has been driven through optimized device designs and geometries, the constituent materials continue to limit performance and present a critical barrier in achieving scalable quantum systems with long coherence  times.  As  a  result,  groups  around  the  world  are  using  a  wide  variety  of experimental  techniques  to  identify  structural  defects  and  chemical  inhomogeneities  in superconducting qubits. Through this effort, researchers have identified surfaces, interfaces, impurities,  and  defects  that  may  potentially  serve  as  sources  of  two-level  system  (TLS)  or non-TLS dissipation in superconducting quantum systems. This Focus Topic brings together the materials characterization, superconductivity theory, and device physics communities in an effort to systematically and intelligently improve the coherence times of superconducting qubits. Suitable talks for this focus topic should focus on the use of experimental techniques to gain an understanding of the underlying physical interactions limiting performance in these superconducting  quantum  devices.  Contributions  on  Trapped  ion  systems;  Solid-state artificial atoms (quantum dots, quantum wells); Solid-state quantum defects; and 2D materials should be submitted elsewhere.

13.01.07   Ultrawide-Bandgap   Semiconductor   Materials:   Growth,   Characterization, Theory, and Devices

Organizers: Dr. John Lyons, US Naval Research Laboratory, john.lyons@nrl.navy.mil, Dr. Mahesh Neupane, US Army Research Laboratory, mahesh.r.neupane.civ@army.mil, Prof. Mary Ellen Zvanut, University of Alabama-Birmingham, mezvanut@uab.edu

Ultrawide-bandgap semiconductors (UWBGS) represent an emerging new area of materials that are engaging researchers in material science and condensed-matter physics to devices and applications. This new class of semiconductors, all of which have band gaps in excess of 3.5 eV, has promising applications for future generations of RF and high-power electronics, as well as for deep-UV optoelectronics, quantum information science, and harsh-environment applications.  This  focus  topic  will  cover  broad  research  subtopics,  including  (but  are  not limited  to)  UWBG  bulk  crystal  growth,  film  deposition,  and  substrate  development,  the electronic and optoelectronic properties of UWBG crystals, films, and interfaces, the science of  defects  and  dopants  in  UWBGS,  doping  and  carrier  dynamics  for  quantum  information science, related low-dimensional structures and devices, applications in power electronic and RF   electronic   devices,   and   UV   light   emitting   diodes   and   detectors.   Theoretical, computational,  and  experimental  contributions  are  all  sought,  and  this  Focus  Topic  also welcomes researchers investigating a wide variety of materials, including (but not limited to) diamond, gallium oxide (Ga2O3), aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN), cubic and hexagonal boron nitride (BN).