Brief Vita

I obtained my Ph.D. in Physics in December 2005 from University of Texas at Austin with Prof. John B Goodenough. Then, I became a Postdoctoral Associate at National High Magnetic Field Lab/Florida Sate University with Prof. C. R. Wiebe. In August 2008, I obtained a position as assistant scholar/scientist in NHMFL. I became an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at UTK in August 2012 ans was promoted to Full Professor in August 2023. For a full CV, including full publications record, see here.

Research

Almost every new technological innovation depends heavily upon the discovery of new materials and new novel physical properties. The discovery of many extraordinary properties of transition-metal oxides (TMOs), such as high-Tc superconductivity, CMR effect, and multi-ferroelectric effect, or the so called “strongly correlated systems”, has opened many new fields in condensed matter physics. Recently, new “quantum states of matter” are coming increasingly to the fore in modern condensed-matter physics. Two celebrated examples are topological insulator and quantum spin liquid. The understandings of the strongly correlated spin/orbital/lattice couplings and the quantum phase coherence in all these materials are not only of fundamental importance but also potentially useful for applications. My main research interests are to discovery new materials possessing abnormal physical properties, such as geometrically frustrated magnetism showing quantum spin behaviors, multiferroicity, orbital ordering, and metal-insulator transitions. The strategies are to grow single crystals of them, and study them by x-ray scattering, low temperature and high magnetic field measurements, and neutron scattering. We expect our studies will advance the understanding of strongly correlated systems and quantum matters. For full statement of research interests, see here.

Selected Honors

• Fellow of the American Physical Society (2024)
• UT College of Arts and Sciences Award for Excellence in Research/Creative Achievement (2017)
• National Science Foundation Early Career Award (2014)

For Prospective Students

A couple of positions are immediately available for highly motivated graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in growing single crystals of novel materials and study them with different techniques. If interested, please e-mail or call me.

Selected Recent Publications

Google Scholar Profile

1. S. Pandey, H. Zhang, J. Yang, A. F. May, J. Sanchez, Z. Liu, J. H. Chu, J. W. Kim, P. J. Ryan, H. D. Zhou, and J. Liu, Controllable emergent spatial spin modulation in Sr₂IrO₄ by in situ shear strain, Physical Review Letters 129, 027203(1-7) (2022).
2. N. Anand, K. Barry, J. N. Neu, D. E. Graf, Q. Huang, H. D. Zhou, T. Siegrist, H. J. Changlani, and C. Beekman, Investigation of the monopole magneto-chemical potential in spin ices using capacitive torque magnetometry, Nature Communications 13, 3818(1-8) (2022).
3. L. Kish, A. Thaler, M. Lee, A. Zakrzewski, D. Plessis, B. Wolin, X. Wang, K. Littrell, R. Budakian, H. D. Zhou, Z. Gai, M. Frontzek, V. zapf, A. Aczel, L. Schmitt, G. MacDougall, Domain wall patterning and giant response functions in ferromagnetic spinels, Advanced Science 8, 2101402(1-13) (2021).
4. J. Wang, Y. Jiang, T. Zhao, Z. Dun, A. L. Miettinen, X. Wu, M. Mourigal, H. D. Zhou, W. Pan, D. Smirnow, and Z. Jiang, Magneto-transport evidence for strong topological insulator phase in ZrTe₅, Nature Communications 12, 6758(1-7) (2021).
5. G. Lin, J. Jeong, C. Kim, Y. Wang, Q. Huang, T. Masuda, S. Asai, S. Itoh, G. Gunther, M. Russina, Z. Lu, J. Sheng, L. Wang, J. Wang, G. Wang, Q. Ren, C. Xi, W. Tong, L. Ling, Z. Liu, L. Wu, J. Mei, Z. Qu, H. D. Zhou, X. Wang, J. Park, Y. Wan, J. Ma, Field induced quantum spin disordered state in spin-1/2 honeycomb magnet Na₂Co₂TeO₆, Nature Communications 12, 5559(1-8) (2021).
6. X. Rao, G. Hussain, Q. Huang, W. J. Chu, N. Li, X. Zhao, Z. Dun, E. S. Choi, T. Asabam L. Chen, X. Y. Yue, N. N. Wang, J. G. Cheng, Y. H. Gao, Y. Shen, J. Zhao, G. Chen, H. D. Zhou, and X. F. Sun, Survival of itinerant excitations and quantum spin state transitions in YbMgGaO₄ with chemical disorder, Nature Communications 12, 4949(1-9) (2021).
7. X. Hu, Daniel M. Pajerowski, D. Zhang, Andrey A. Podlesnyak, Y. Qiu, Q. Huang, H. D. Zhou, I. Klich, Alexander I. Kolesnikov, Matthew B. Stone, and S. H. Lee, Freezing of a disorder induced spin liquid with strong quantum fluctuations, Physical Review Letters 127, 017201(1-6) (2021).
8. R. J. Koch, R. Sinclair, M. T. McDonnell, R. Yu, M. Abeeykoon, M. G. Tucker, A. M. Tsvelik, S. J. L. Billinge, H. D. Zhou, W. G. Yin, and E. S. Bozin, Dual orbital degeneracy lifting in a strongly correlated electron system, Physical Review Letters 126, 186402(1-6) (2021).
9. X. J. Bai, S. S. Zhang, Z.Dun, H. Zhang, Q. Huang, H. D. Zhou, M. B. Stone, A. I. Kolesnikov, F. Ye, C. D. Batista, and M. Mourigal, Hybridized quadrupolar excitations in the spin-anisotropic frustrated magnet FeI₂, Nature Physics 17, 467-472 (2021).
10. Z. Dun, X. Bai, J. A. M. Paddison, EE. Hollingworth, N. P. Butch, C. D. Cruz, M. B. Stone, T. Hong, F. Demmel, M. Mourigal, and H. D. Zhou, Quantum versus classical spin fragmentation in dipolar kagome ice Ho₃Mg₂Sb₃O₁₄, Physical Review X 10, 031069(1-23) (2020).