Emergent Phenomena Under Pressure: From Hydrogen to Hot Superconductors

Normal matter and materials — the atoms and molecules that make up the gases, liquids and solids of everyday life — take on entirely new properties when compressed to conditions found deep inside planets and other astrophysical bodies.

In this Presidential Lecture, Russell J. Hemley will discuss the new regimes of emergent quantum phenomena arising from the collective many-body interactions of electrons and nuclei in high-pressure conditions. Among the most profound are potentially new states of electron order and enhanced coupling of electrons and nuclei, leading to unprecedented superconductivity in the vicinity of room temperature. First envisioned for the ‘simple’ many-body system of protons and electrons, the unveiling of this remarkable superconductivity is now well established experimentally at ever-increasing temperatures in a growing variety of chemical environments under pressure. Made possible by important advances in experimental techniques, these developments are leading to the prospects of ‘hot’ superconductivity at ambient conditions, inspiring prospects for both quantum energy technologies of the future as well as for the discovery of still new physical phenomena under pressure.

Hemley holds the position of LAS Distinguished Chair in the Natural Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). His research explores the behavior of matter and materials in extreme environments, notably high pressures and temperatures, with applications to fundamental physics and chemistry, materials science and technology, and earth and planetary science. He received his B.A. from Wesleyan University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University, all in chemistry. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a corresponding fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, an honoris causa professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences and is a recipient of the Balzan Prize and the Percy W. Bridgman Award. He has co-authored approximately 700 scientific publications. His recent research at UIC has focused on the design, discovery and synthesis of novel energy materials, including the discovery of near-room-temperature superconductors.