Abstract
Recently there has been a surge of interest in the states that emerge at the surface of a topological insulator. In addition to understanding the nature of these emergent states, they also pose a unique opportunity for novel devices for spintronics and quantum computation. In this talk I will discuss my groups recent optical spectroscopy studies that demonstrate the importance of electron-phonon coupling in the transport of these materials. Surprisingly we find the Kinetic Energy is suppressed by coupling to the bulk. I will then transition to discuss our efforts to induce high temperature superconductivity in these materials via proximity to the high Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 via a new technique we have invented.
Coffee and tea will be served 20 minutes prior to the seminar.