Dpoly: Focus Topic Sessions

FOCUS TOPIC SESSIONS
DPOLY but are significantly more stable. In addition to device fabrica-

tion, the fundamental physics governing assembly of charged
soft materials capable of learning and memory will be dis-
01.01.33 Sustainable Polymers: Fundamental Properties, cussed.
Applications, and Design for End-of-Life C. Patrick Collier (ORNL), Bradley Lokitz (ORNL); [email protected],
[email protected]
Recently there has been significant interest in the development
of polymers with a reduced environmental impact. Biomass
and other renewable resources are attractive substitutes for
01.01.31 Developments in reflectivity for thin film
petroleum sources for polymers. Grand challenges remain in
matching the diverse properties of traditional, petroleum-de- characterization (DPOLY, DBIO, DSOFT) [same as 04.01.51,
rived polymers. Furthermore, the end-of-life behavior of 02.01.51]
polymers has come under recent scrutiny. Design of polymers
with more facile routes to recycling or other end-of-life options Reflectivity based methods are mainstays for characterizing
can have a significant impact on reducing polymer waste. This thin film compositions and structure. These methods are used
focus session includes all aspects of polymer sustainability, to study a broad range of materials including membranes,
including fundamental property relationships of polymers block copolymers, nanoparticle assemblies and model biolog-
derived from renewable resources, tailoring sustainable poly- ical systems. This session will bring together researchers with
mers for targeted applications, and design of new materials for an interest in methods such as specular reflectivity, GISAXS
ease of end-of-life management. and ellipsometry. Topics will include developments in methods
such as in-situ characterization techniques, advances in exper-
Megan Robertson, University of Houston / Joe Stanzione, Row- imental design and data analysis, and explorations of novel
an University material systems.
Daniel Sunday (NIST); [email protected]

01.01.32 Charged polymers for neuromorphic applications
(DPOLY, DSOFT, DBIO, DCOMP, DCP) [same as 02.01.50, 01.01.29 Non-linear polymers, nanocomposites and blends
04.01.35, 16.01.19, 05.01.18] (DPOLY)
Polymers have several properties that make them ideal can-
Over the last decades, linear polymer chains have been
didates for two-terminal memristors and other neuromorphic
commonly used to develop polymer based nanocomposites
devices such as low cost, mechanical flexibility, straightforward
and blends with superior and tunable physical properties.
solution phase synthesis, and biocompatibility. However, there
Thanks to the recent advances in synthetic chemistry, ‘non-lin-
are also challenges to overcome before they can be broadly
ear’ polymer topologies, such as stars, combs, bottlebrushes,
adopted, including environmental sensitivity, stability, slow
rings, hyper-branched and internally cross-linked polymers,
switching, and poor conduction. In addition, their inherent
have become available with unique structural and dynamical
electrical properties are often masked by those of the elec-
features that cannot be provided by their linear chain analogs.
trodes. Part of the difficulty is due to the lack of direct evidence
While these polymer architectures have been studied in neat
for determining the mechanisms responsible for conductive
form, their behavior in presence of solid surfaces, nanoparti-
bistability, which could include any combination of one or
cles and chemically dissimilar polymers is a relatively new area
more of the following: charge transfer, phase change, confor-
that is full of fundamental physics and potential applications.
mational change, redox chemistry, or thermal effects. Charged
This new DPOLY focus session aims to bring together theore-
polymers introduce long-range electrostatic forces that can
ticians and experimentalists to exchange ideas on the topics
influence assembly at the nanoscale, and by extension, ion
of synthesis of non-linear polymers with precisely controlled
mobility. In this session, research related to how charged
shape and dimensions; multiscale structural and dynamical
polymers affect the search space for neuromorphic devices
characterization of these polymers in their bulk form, thin
like memristors will be presented. Charge cohesion effects in
films, nanocomposites and blends.
block copolyelectrolytes can result in the formation of nano-
structures that are inaccessible to neutral block copolymers. Erkan Senses (Koc University); [email protected]
For charged, amphiphilic homopolymers, covalent grafting of
ionic headgroups to hydrophobic tails can result in structures
that self-assemble into membranes that mimic lipid bilayers
APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 1

01.01.28 Topological effects in soft and condensed matter 01.01.25 Self-assembly in polymer blends and
(DPOLY, DSOFT, DBIO, DCOMP, DCP) [same as 02.01.49, nanocomposites (DPOLY)
04.01.37, 16.01.21, 05.01.20]
Polymer self-assembly has been investigated extensively over
Topological effects resulting from interplay of geometry and the past few decades as a way to rationally engineer material
shape of molecules play key roles in affecting their properties properties, where the addition of nanoscale fillers or other
and responses to external forces. Extensive research has been polymers has proven to be a fruitful way to augment self-as-
focused on understanding equilibrium properties of topologi- sembling behavior. Synthetic advances have introduced new
cal effects in two dimensions for superconductors. New fron- polymer chemistries and chain architectures (e.g. branched,
tiers in this direction emerge along dynamics of topological bottlebrush, multiblock) as well as nanoscale fillers with a
defects, owing to relevant advances in computational capacity variety of properties. Meanwhile, new processing pathways
and experiments. In parallel, understanding topological effects are made possible by layering strategies, in situ polymeriza-
present in melts of long polymers, rings and knotted polymers tion, and other emerging methods. These work together in
have been at the forefront of research in polymer physics. In polymer blends and nanocomposites to dramatically alter the
this session, experimental and theoretical research related to energy landscape for self-assembly. This focus session will
the topological effects in soft and condensed matter including highlight recent research that increases our understanding of
polymers, liquid crystals, ferroic and magnetic materials will how self-assembled phases, ordering kinetics, and dynamic or
be discussed. The intentionally interdisciplinary scope of the functional properties change with compositional variation in
session is designed to bring together and synergize disparate polymer blends and nanocomposites. Both experimental and
research activities that share topological common ground. theoretical contributions are welcome.
Rajeev Kumar (ORNL), Petro Maksymovych (ORNL); kumarr@ornl. Gregory Doerk (Brookhaven National Laboratory); [email protected]
gov, [email protected]
01.01.22 Polymers in extreme environments (DPOLY, DSOFT)

01.01.27 Dynamics of polymers and electrolytes in bulk and [same as 02.01.45]
in confinement (DPOLY, GERA) [same as 21.01.07]
In many applications, polymeric materials are subjected to
Multi-scale dynamics within materials are responsible for their extreme environments, including high strain and high strain
physical properties. Understanding the dynamics at a broad rate mechanical deformation. Such deformation can lead to
range of length and time scales of polymers and electrolytes in non-linear deformation, instabilities, fracture, and heat genera-
bulk and in various confining matrices is critical for their practi- tion causing local melting and thermal degradation. This focus
cal applications. Furthermore, the techniques and the instru- session will cover a diverse set of experimental, computation-
ments that can provide the information at a wide spectrum of al, and theoretical studies capturing the physical aspects of
the temporal and spatial levels are equally important too. This polymeric materials in extreme conditions. The submissions
focus session aims to showcase the contribution of various capturing responses of homo or block polymers, polymer gels
techniques, especially the neutron scattering, to explore the and networks, composites, and mechanical metamaterials in
diffusivity and the diffusion mechanism at an atomic/molec- the form of thin films and bulk materials will be of interest. The
ular level of various polymers and electrolyte systems. Con- focus session will also seek submissions related to the impact
tributions from molecular dynamic simulations together with of projectiles on polymeric materials in the ballistic and hyper-
others spectroscopic techniques are also welcome. velocity range.
Laura R. Stingaciu (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Naresh Santanu Kundu (Mississippi State University); santanukundu@che.
C Osti (Oak Ridge National Laboratory); [email protected], msstate.edu
[email protected]
01.01.21 Polymers and block copolymers at interfaces

01.01.26 Optics and photonics in polymers and soft matter (DPOLY, DSOFT) [same as 02.01.44]
(DPOLY, DSOFT, DBIO, DAMOP) [same as 02.01.48, 04.01.41,
The physical chemistry of interfacial region between two
06.01.11] phases is important in adhesion, lubrication, material design
and synthesis, membranes, and colloidal systems. The inter-
The length scales in common between optical phenomena
faces can also be used as the loci for crystallization, polymer-
and those readily accessible in polymers and soft matter have
ization, copolymerization, or grafting. The session is a good fit
provided a unique opportunity: many optical techniques are
but not limited to following topics: kinetics of adsorption at the
well-suited for exploring important polymer physics problems,
interface, surface/interfacial rheology of amphiphilic macro-
and soft matter offers advantageous methods for fabricating
molecules, self-assembly of block copolymers in solvents and
structures of interest for photonics. This Focus Session invites
at interfaces, conformation of polymers and block copolymers
contributions on all aspects of optics and photonics pertaining
at the interface, the effect of polymers on colloidal stability,
to polymer science and soft matter. Possible topics of interest
(co)polymerization at the surface, grafting to/from surfaces,
may include: fluorescence or single-molecule measurements
the importance of surface forces for pattern formation on
of polymer dynamics, super-resolution microscopy and imag-
surfaces, etc.
ing, fabrication of optical materials and devices, etc.
Reza Foudazi (New Mexico State University); [email protected]
Chaitanya Ullal (RPI), Danielle J. Mai (Stanford University); ullalc@
rpi.edu, [email protected]

01.01.20 Polymer structure formation and dynamics in their excellent gas separation performances, catalytic abil-
solution (DPOLY, DSOFT, DBIO) [same as 04.01.39, 02.01.76] ities, energy storage capacities, and anti-microbial activity.
Their superior porous structure, tailorable functionalities,
The impact of polymer chain dynamics and assembly in solu- low cytotoxicity, and biocompatibility have attracted unprec-
tion ranges from discovery of new, highly controlled materials edented attention in gas separation, energy and biomedical
to understanding and mimicking the complexity of nature in fields. Recent investigations have resulted in several significant
equilibrated or non-equilibrated state. For example, dynamics breakthroughs contributing to the strategic evolution of the
of polymer chains in solution can influence flows, interfacial design and synthetic approaches of porous organic materials
behavior like lubrication, and other bulk properties. Assembled with tunable characteristics. This focus session solicits contri-
conjugated polymeric aggregates tremendously impacts their butions that demonstrate recent experimental and theoretical
optoelectronic property. Structure formation in solution can efforts in the development of porous organic polymers and
simulate biological assemblies and produce almost infinite nanostructured materials, including synthetic methodologies,
morphological possibilities. Structure formation depends on self-assembly, structure-function correlations and thermody-
the chemical details of the backbone, the precise location of namics.
interaction, backbone flexibility, pedant sidechain groups and
polymer solvent interactions. These effects encompass many Venkat Padmanabhan (Tennessee Tech); vpadmanabhan@tntech.
impactful discoveries, like micelles, coacervates, and biological- edu
ly-inspired assemblies. Contributions to this focus session will
highlight recent advances in polymer solution assembly and
dynamics, as well as new tools, data interpretation, compu-
01.01.24 Molecular and ion transport in polymers (DPOLY,
tational method and theory. This includes a broad range of DSOFT, DBIO, DCOMP, DCP) [same as 02.01.47, 04.01.36,
physical behaviors and systems, including block copolymers, 16.01.20, 05.01.19]
polyelectrolytes, functional conjugated polymers, doped
polymers, grafted polymers, ring polymers, dendritic poly- Molecular and ion transport play critical roles in gas separa-
mers, and others. Studies can include both equilibrium and tion/purification, water purification/desalination and ionic
non-equilibrium behaviors in the presence of external stimuli. conduction. Despite extensive experimental and theoretical
Works on unique structures, polymeric architecture, morphol- research focused on understanding molecular and ionic
ogies, functional polymeric material, and new structure-prop- transport in polymeric media, we still lack a practical guid-
erty relationships are particularly encouraged. Combination of ance on how to design polymers exhibiting superior transport
experimental results and simulation is highly welcomed. properties. Multiple studies in the area of gas separation and
ion transport demonstrated that number of structural and
Xiaodan Gu (The University of Southern Mississippi), Svetlana Mo- dynamic parameters are important to promote diffusion of
rozova (Case Western Reserve University); [email protected], ions and gas molecules. In this session, research related to the
[email protected] diffusion of ion and small molecules including various gases in
polymer-based membranes will be discussed.
01.01.30 Machine learning for biomolecular design and Vera Bocharova (ORNL), Rajeev Kumar (ORNL); bocharovav@ornl.
simulation (DPOLY, GDS, DSOFT, DBIO, DCOMP) [same as gov, [email protected]
23.01.14, 02.01.43, 04.01.38, 16.01.22]
Advances in machine learning (ML), along with the increased
01.01.19 Polymer Crystals and Crystallization (DPOLY, DSOFT,
ability of generating and processing large datasets, are stimu- DMP) [same as 02.01.42]
lating a fundamental shift in the approach to scientific discov-
This focus session invites presentations related to polymer
ery. This focus session seeks to explore how ML is transform-
crystals and crystallization with the focus on molecular level
ing biomolecular design and simulation. ML is revolutionizing
understanding of polymer crystal structure, morphology, and
biomolecular design by enabling the prediction of protein
crystallization pathway. Correlation of the crystalline struc-
function and structure from sequences, while contributing to a
ture, morphology and crystallization process with mechanical,
deeper understanding of the sequence-structure-function re-
transport (e.g. electron, ion, gas), and dielectric properties are
lationship. In biomolecular simulation, ML promises to enable
of interest. Potential topics include, but are not limited to,
simulations with the accuracy of first-principle calculations and
the following studies: chain architecture and polymer crys-
the performance of phenomenological interatomic potentials;
tallization, transport behavior in polymer crystal-containing
along with new approaches to perform and analyze simula-
systems, polymer crystallization in hybrid systems: epitaxy,
tions.
graphoepitaxy and soft epitaxy; structural and morphologi-
Stefano Martiniani (University of Minnesota) cal development of ordered polymer chains in hard and/or
soft confined space; ultra-small polymer crystals; ultra-large
polymer crystals; curved, scrolled and twisted crystals; polymer
01.01.23 Structure-function correlations of porous polymers crystallization during processing. Both theoretical and experi-
for membrane applications (DPOLY, DSOFT, DBIO) [same as mental studies are welcome.
02.01.46, 04.01.40] Christopher Li (Drexel), Toshikazu Miyoshi (Akron); chrisli@drexel.
edu, [email protected]
Porous organic polymers (POP) represent an interesting class
of materials that are suitable for various applications due to

01.01.18 Polymers with Special Architectures: From 01.01.15 Dynamics of Glassy Polymers Under Nanoscale
Molecular Design to Physical Properties (DPOLY, DSOFT) Confinement (DPOLY, DSOFT, DCP) [same as 02.01.38,
[same as 02.01.41] 05.01.08]
In this session, we aim to give a better understanding of uni- The properties of polymer glasses under nanoscale confine-
versal factors that control polymer physics through synthesis, ment has remained poorly understood despite more than two
structure and physical properties of polymers with special ar- decades of activity. The presence of interfaces can induce
chitectures. In particular, we encourage researches using star changes in polymer dynamics at the segmental and chain
polymers, hyperbranched polymers, polymer brushes, helical scale, the mechanical properties, and the effects tend to
polymers, etc. persist over surprisingly long length scales depending on the
polymer chemistry, architecture, presence of additives such as
Keiji Tanaka (Kyushu U, Japan), Reika Katsumata (UMass); k-tana- nanoparticles or solvents, and the nature of the confining sur-
[email protected], [email protected] faces. In this session, we solicit theoretical, experimental, and
computational studies of the effects of nanoscale confinement
on glass-forming polymers and related materials.
01.01.17 Confinement, Dynamics, and Ion Interactions in
Ion-Containing Polymers (DPOLY, DSOFT) [same as 02.01.40] Rob Riggleman (UPenn); [email protected]
Ion-containing polymers are rapidly emerging options for

energy storage and conversion, water treatment, sensors, and 01.01.14 Molecular Glasses (DPOLY, DSOFT, DCP, DMP) [same
actuators. The current scientific thrust is to develop practically as 02.01.37, 05.01.10]
viable polymer electrolytes, especially in the solid state. De-
signing new materials requires a fundamental understanding Molecular glasses are important models for understanding
of structures, dynamics, and ionic interactions within, giving fundamental aspects of amorphous systems and also import-
rise to better transport processes of ionic carriers in polymer ant materials for organic electronics and coatings. Systems
matrices. This session will focus on efforts to uncover and of interest include vapor-deposited glasses, geologically-aged
describe confinement-entitled features and mechanisms of glasses, stable glasses, and organic semiconductor glasses.
ionic transport in ion-containing polymers. Topics will include This session on molecular and atomic glasses includes theory,
progress in understanding and development of single-ion simulations, and experiment that explore structure and prop-
conductors and integration of experimental characterizations erties, including stability, energy, and relaxation processes.
with theory and computation. We encourage contributions
that quantitatively explore correlations among molecular-level Mark Ediger (Wiscon-Madison), Zahra Fakhraai (UPenn); ediger@
structure and non-covalent interactions, multi-scale morpho- chem.wisc.edu, [email protected]
logical ordering, ionic internal and rotational dynamics, and
diffusive and/or driven ionic transport.
01.01.13 Dynamic Polymer Networks (DPOLY, DSOFT, DBIO)
Moon Jeong Park (Postech); [email protected] [same as 02.01.36, 04.01.32]
This session will focus on the exciting class of dynamically as-
01.01.16 Polymers and Soft Solids at Interfaces: Tribology, sociated polymers, and includes dynamic supramolecular and
Wear, Rheology and Interactions (DPOLY, DSOFT, GSNP, DFD, dynamic covalent polymer networks held together by associa-
DMP) [same as 02.01.39, 03.01.36, 20.01.13] tive bonds (such as in vitrimers), or by reversibly dissociating
covalent bonds, respectively. Studies exploring the viscoelas-
Tribology studies the friction, wear, and lubrication of inter- tic relaxation timescales, the role of supramolecular bond
acting surfaces in relative motion. It is highly multidisciplinary, lifetimes, and applying diverse experimental techniques (NMR,
and includes complex physics, interfacial science and rheology rheology and dielectric spectroscopy, among others) to un-
and materials science. Tribology is industrially relevant for derstand dynamics, self-healing and re-processability of these
many polymer surfaces and fluid interfaces, and macroscopic materials are welcome. Phase behavior and crystallization, as
(tribometers) and microscopic (probe or AFM) techniques have well as are various functional properties of these materials are
been used for these studies. However many complexities, also of interest. Experimental, theory and simulation work is
including heat generated through friction, surface wear that encouraged.
deposits debris in the lubricating fluid or on the surface, and
low modulus of soft substrates, have been a challenge to fun- Chris Evans (UIUC), Svetlana Sukhishvili (TAMU); cme365@illinois.
damental understanding. In addition, the underlying physics edu, [email protected]
and interfacial rheology of using functional surfaces such as
those with porous structures, brushes or patterns remain
largely unexplored. The purpose of this session is to provide a
01.01.12 Polyelectrolyte Complexation (DPOLY, DSOFT, DBIO)
forum for recent experimental and theoretical developments, [same as 02.01.35, 04.01.33]
to improve the understanding of polymer tribology, wear and
The phenomenon of polyelectrolyte complexation can take
interfacial interactions and foster collaboration within the
many forms including coacervation, precipitations, and multi-
varied scientific communities.
layer assembly, among others. Understanding the fundamen-
Cathy Jackson (Dow), Saad Khan (NCSU); [email protected], tal physics of these complexes, as well as how these complex-
[email protected]

es can be manipulated through a variety of stimuli including 01.01.09 Polymers Under Dynamic Environmental Conditions
salt, pH, temperature is of utmost importance for a wide (DPOLY, DCP) [same as 05.01.09]
variety of applications including, but not limited to underwater
adhesives, drug-delivery, and membranes. This focus session This session is focused on polymers under dynamic external
covers all aspects of polyelectrolyte complexation, including conditions, including ionizing radiation, extreme pressures and
the structure, dynamics and rheology of complexes, advances temperatures, solvent, and electric and magnetic fields. This
in chemical synthesis techniques and all methods of study, as will include chemically reactive scenarios as well as those for
well as emerging application areas in these systems. which chemical bonds are not necessarily broken. Topics will
focus on chain scission and cross-linking reactions, network
Samanvaya Srivastava (UCLA), Debra Audus (NIST); samsri@ucla. rearrangements, and ordering/disordering phenomena due
edu, [email protected] to environmental variables. All of these scenarios can induce
significant changes in the mechanical properties of any given
polymer structure, which can be largely unknown for many
01.01.11 Dynamics and Rheology of Polymers and systems and sets of conditions. This session will also explore
Polyelectrolytes (DPOLY, DSOFT, GSNP, DBIO, DFD) [same as the effects of various additional environmental factors, such
02.01.34, 03.01.35, 04.01.21, 20.01.12] as changes in relative humidity and different gaseous atmo-
spheres on these systems. We wish for presentations to span
Polymers and polyelectrolytes in concentrated solutions and experimental and computational approaches, including novel
melts undergo highly-correlated many-body dynamics that machine learning studies. Our goal is to engage a wide variety
produce a complex hierarchy of viscoelastic relaxation modes of research efforts in a synergistic discussion in areas of mutu-
in the flowing polymer liquid. These dynamics emerge from al interest.
the complex interactions of polymer topology, chemistry, and
charge that span many time, length, and energy scales. Un- Nir Goldman (LLNL), Christian Pester (PennState); goldman14@llnl.
derstanding and controlling these dynamics is challenging but gov, [email protected]
essential for controlling and improving polymer processing in
industrial and biomedical applications. This focus session will
broadly cover recent advances in understanding the micro- 01.01.08 3D Printing of Polymers and Soft Materials: From
scopic dynamics and macroscopic rheology of polymers and Chemistry and Processing to Devices and Characterization
polyelectrolytes and their applications. (DPOLY, DSOFT, GSNP, DFD, FIAP) [same as 02.01.32,
Vivek Sharma (UIC), Thomas O’Connor (Sandia); [email protected], 03.01.34, 20.01.11, 22.01.11]
[email protected]
3D printing of polymers and soft materials relies on a variety
of chemical and physical processes, such as thermal extrusion,
01.01.10 Non-equilibrium and Process-Dependent Mesoscale hydrogel and bio-printing, laser sintering, monomer jetting and
photopolymerization. For example, fused deposition modeling
Structures of Polymeric Compounds (DPOLY, DSOFT) [same as (FDM) (aka fused filament fabrication (FFF)), Polyjet, selective
02.01.33] laser sintering (SLS), direct ink writing (DIW), stereolithogra-
phy (SLA), and digital light processing (DLP) techniques have
Nearly all polymeric materials employed for practical applica-
provided emerging opportunities to prepare complex-shaped
tions have non-equilibrium mesoscale structures critically in-
parts and devices using a wide range of polymers, polymer
fluenced by processing. From melt-blown plastic bags, solution
composites and soft materials via versatile and high through-
processed polymer membranes, to temperature-quenched
put platforms of additive manufacturing. Furthermore, 3D
block copolymers, non-equilibrium mesoscale structures are
printing of soft matter using bio-printing has become import-
important for practical applications as well as understanding
ant for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This
process-dependent structure-property relationships of poly-
focus session will provide opportunities to invite keynote
mers.
speakers in 3D printing of polymers and soft materials and to
Recent investigations of non-equilibrium and transient struc- have researchers discuss their recent findings of chemistry,
tures of polymeric materials including flow and diffusion physics, device and characterization of 3D printed objects.
induced multi-scale mesoscale structures of polymer blends,
Chang Y. Ryu (RPI), Anthony Kotula (NIST), Jinhye Bae (UCSD);
reaction-induced microstructures of block copolymers, bio-
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
polymers, and self-assembled structures of micelles reveal that
understanding process-dependent non-equilibrium structures
requires multi-faceted considerations ranging from thermo- 01.01.07 Responsive Polymers, Soft Materials, and Hybrids
dynamic and chemical environments, dynamic and kinetic fac-
tors, and momentum and other field effects. This focus session
(DPOLY, DSOFT, DBIO) [same as 02.01.31, 04.01.20]
aims to offer a venue to the community to review the recent Stimuli-responsive polymers and soft materials have been uti-
progress of non-equilibrium mesoscale structures of polymer lized for generating various shapes, motions, and functions by
and related molecular systems to expand our understanding spatial and temporal changes in their physical and/or chemical
of the origin and controllability of non-equilibrium structures. properties due to external stimuli (i.e., temperature, light, pH,
salt, electricity, humidity, etc). Such designable and program-
Sangwoo Lee (RPI), Michael Hore (Case Western), Douglas Tree
mable characteristics have created new opportunities in
(Brigham Young); [email protected], [email protected], tree.doug@
byu.edu

applications ranging from drug delivery, biomimetic systems, resistance and large strain amplitude mechanical response, i.e.
sensors, actuators, to soft robotics. This focus session covers the Payne effect. This session explores the complex hierarchi-
recent advances in stimuli-responsive polymers, soft materials, cal structure and properties that emerge in nanocomposite
and hybrids including fundamentals of materials, manufac- elastomers through structural and dynamic analysis, simula-
turing techniques, characterization of the response, and their tion, and modeling.
applications at various size scales. We welcome experimental
and computational contributions. Greg Beaucage (U Cincinnati), Julian Oberdisse (Montpellier U,
France), Anne-Caroline Genix (Montpellier U); gbeaucage@gmail.
Jinhye Bae (UCSD), Matthew Green (Arizona State); j3bae@ucsd. com, [email protected], anne-caroline.genix@
edu, [email protected] umontpellier.fr
01.01.06 Advanced Morphological Characterization of 01.01.05 Hierarchical Structural Emergence in Elastomer

Polymeric Materials (DPOLY) Nanocomposites: Dispersion, Dynamics, Structure, Modeling,
and Simulation (DPOLY, DSOFT) [same as 02.01.30]
The scientific discoveries that expand the frontier of research
require scientific instruments and techniques to enable ob- The addition of nanoscale fillers to polymer materials with
servation of the structure at multiple length scales. Recent ad- the goal of enhancing or tuning materials properties has been
vances in instrumentation, including in scattering, microscopy, utilized over the past few decades. This focus session covers
and spectroscopy techniques, will transform how we charac- recent developments on the structure-property relationship
terize the polymer microstructure at the atomic, molecular and of polymer nanocomposites that exhibit mechanical, optical,
mesoscopic scale, as well as how we measure polymer dynam- electronic, magnetic, dielectric, or barrier properties. Areas of
ics across broad timescales. For example, high-flux coherent interest include polymer and nanoparticle dynamics in nano-
light sources enable X-ray ptychography and X-ray photon composites, mechanical properties (glassy behavior, fracture,
correlation spectroscopy, thereby opening up a new frontier creep, and viscoelastic properties), fabrication and processing
for structure and dynamic characterization of polymeric ma- of polymer nanocomposites, semi-crystalline nanocomposite
terials. New microscopy techniques can image polymers at a materials, structural characterization, and phase behavior. We
sub-nanometer resolution with selective chemical contrast and welcome experimental and computational contributions. Re-
controlled dosage to minimize sample damage. Contributions cent developments based on big data and machine learning on
to this Focus Session will highlight recent advances in structur- understanding and predicting the structure-property relation-
al and dynamic characterization of complex multi-functional ship of polymer nanocomposites are also of the interest.
soft materials over a broad range of length and time scales.
This includes work related to the use of X-ray, photon, neutron, Rob Hickey (PennState), Shiwang Cheng (Michigan State); rjh64@
and electron beams to explore structure-property relation- psu.edu, [email protected]
ships for polymers involved in energy, biological or mechanical
applications, as well as advances in modeling and analyses to
complement structural characterization. Works focused on 01.01.03 Electric Polarization in Polymer Physics (DPOLY,
the use of resonant X-ray scattering, contrast-varied neutron GSNP, DCP, DCOMP) [same as 03.01.32, 05.01.07, 16.01.18]
scattering, and analytical transmission electron microscopy to
probe the structure and dynamics of the polymer are partic- Polar polymers synthesized by introducing polar groups on
ularly encouraged, as well as in-operando and in-situ experi- the monomers have been shown to be promising materials
ments or experiments focused on multimodal characterization with desirable responses to various stimuli in applications such
techniques. as actuators, capacitors, membranes and polymer batteries.
However, the simple introduction of polar groups leads to
Xiaodan Gu (Southern Missip.), Cheng Wang (LBNL); Xiaodan.Gu@ dramatic changes in structure and dynamics of the polymers.
usm.edu, [email protected] These changes get reflected in the responses of the polymers
to temperature, applied electric fields and solvents used in
the processing. In this session, research related to electric
01.01.05 Hierarchical Structural Emergence in Elastomer polarization in polar polymers will be discussed. Local and
Nanocomposites: Dispersion, Dynamics, Structure, Modeling, non-local (due to gradients) effects of electric polarization,
and Simulation (DPOLY, DSOFT) [same as 02.01.30] applied electric fields and ion solvation in affecting structure
and dynamics of polar polymers will be discussed. Computa-
Nanoparticle reinforcement has transformed friable elasto- tional and experimental results obtained using scattering and
mers into tear resistant, tough materials that pervade the reflectivity measurements, broadband dielectric spectroscopy,
modern world enabling automotive transport. Many materials and atomic force microscopy-based measurements will be
have been explored as reinforcing filler and it is found that na- discussed. In addition to fundamentals, applications of polar
noaggregates provide the best reinforcement. The most com- polymers for various applications will be discussed.
mon fillers are nano-aggregates of silica and carbon black with
~10 nm primary particles arranged in branched mass fractal Rajeev Kumar (Oak Ridge), Yangyang Wang (Oak Ridge); kumarr@
aggregates of ~100 nm. Through emergent hierarchical net- ornl.gov, [email protected]
works these nanoparticles and their agglomerated networks
impact properties centered on the micron scale such as tear

01.01.02 Organic Electronics (DPOLY, FIAP, DMP) [same as 04.01.02 Mechanics of cells and tissues (DBIO, DSOFT,
08.01.06] GSNP, DPOLY, DFD ) [same as 02.01.72, 03.01.24, 01.01.43,
20.01.15]
This session invites talks on the fundamental physics of poly-
mer and small molecule semiconductors, as related to photon- It is now indisputable that the physical environment critically
ic and charge transport processes and their electronic, optical, regulates cell and tissue functions. However, only recently we
and magnetic properties. Experimental and theoretical studies have begun to understand how mechanical information such
on processing-structure-function relationships in devices, as mechanical stresses and strains are sensed and transmitted
including transistors, solar cells, sensors, and light emitting from molecules to cells to tissues, and vice versa.
diodes and device physics are welcome. Contributions on the
interface between conjugated organic molecules/polymers and This session will bring together a collection of experimen-
biological systems are also encouraged. tal and theoretical work in nuclear, single-cell, and tissue
mechanics, and cross talks between difference length scales.
Stephanie Lee (Stevens Instit Tech), Takuji Adachi (University of In addition, we will include work on how cell-cell interactions
Geneva); [email protected], [email protected] drive the collective emergent properties of cells and tissues.
1. Moumita Das, Rochester Institute of Technology, modsps@rit.

01.01.01 Machine Learning and Data in Polymer Physics edu 2. MingMing Wu, Cornell University, [email protected]
(DPOLY, DBIO, DCOMP, GDS, FIAP) [same as 04.01.19,
16.01.17, 23.01.11, 08.01.05]
04.01.10 Morphogenesis (DBIO, GSNP, DSOFT) [same as
Increasingly, polymer and soft materials research is incor- 03.01.20, 02.01.62]
porating data-analytic techniques, including (but not strictly
limited to) machine learning to classify materials and predict The field of Morphogenesis lies at the intersection between
new properties or formulations, to extract data from natural physics, biology, and engineering. Morphological shapes of
language processing, and to inform the design of experimental biological tissues and structures have inspired a plethora
assays. We solicit contributions from cutting edge research in- of scientists throughout history, especially since the D’Arcy
tertwining polymers and soft materials with machine learning Wentworth Thompson’s influential book titled “On Growth
and data. Of particular interest are efforts unifying data sci- and Form” was published a century ago. Many recent activi-
ence with experimental research, work exploring vast existing ties have focused on understanding how biology has devised
datasets for the design of new materials, and techniques to elaborate strategies for regulating pattern formation and
mine data in different forms (e.g. simulation trajectories) and mechanical forces in both space and time. Morphogenesis has
different sources (e.g. rheology or scattering) which elucidate also inspired scientists to design shape-programmable stim-
fundamental polymer physics. uli-responsive matter. This session aims at bringing together
researchers from diverse backgrounds to forge new interdisci-
Debbie Audus (NIST), Jonathan Whitmer (Notre Dame); debra. plinary connections.
[email protected], [email protected]
Andrej Kosmrlj, Princeton University ([email protected]);. Zi
Chen, Dartmouth ([email protected]);. Smitha Vishvesh-
DBIO wara, UIUC ([email protected])
04.01.13 Physics in Synthetic Biology (DBIO, DSOFT) [same as 04.18.00 Biomaterials (biological materials,
02.01.54] biomineralization, gels, biomimetic, biocompatible
materials)
Synthetic biology has high relevance to biological physics. Yet,
this has not been sufficiently highlighted at March Meetings. Natural, synthetic, and biomimetic biomaterials continue to be
At the 2018 March Meeting, Nigel Goldenfeld said to the APS extremely interesting to biological physicists. Natural biomate-
audience: “Ask not what you can do for biology, but what rials, such as biominerals or photonic tissues, are exciting from
biology can do for you”. Now, biological physicists should learn a fundamental science point of view because of their complex
about what synthetic biology can do for them. The session formation mechanisms leading to spectacular mathematical
will highlight how synthetic biological engineering of cells and structures or impressive functions, which need a physicist to
molecules provides research tools for biological physics, to figure out. Examples include the bicontinuous gyroid struc-
interrogate biological systems at all scales through precise per- ture of sea urchin spines, formed by amorphous precursor
turbations, quantitative readouts, parameter scans, revealing phases and phase transitions entirely under biological control;
quantitative principles of biological organization and func- the iridescent wings of butterflies and beetles, bird feathers,
tion. mollusk shell nacre, or iridovirus. Synthetic biomaterials are
engineered to interact with living tissue for medical purposes,
Gabor Balaszi, Stony Brook, [email protected]; Guil- to either treat, repair, replace a tissue function, or to sense,
laume Lambert, Cornell University, [email protected] detect, or diagnose a tissue behavior. Far from being just
applied engineering, biomaterials need physicists to figure out
their complex, dynamic and thermodynamic behavior before
and after they are in contact with the living tissue. Examples

include bone implants, stents, valves, etc. Biomimetic materi- the role of peptides and disordered proteins.
als are inspired by natural ones, but outperform the natural
ones, thus they are metamaterials. They may have a structure, Wouter Hoff, Oklahoma State University; Jayanth Banavar, Uni-
self-assembly fabrication strategy, or function inspired by na- versity of Oregon Wei Wang, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China,
ture, but their composition is usually different, thus the result [email protected] Dongping Zhong, Ohio State University,
is better than the inspiring natural material. [email protected]
Pupa Gilbert, University of Wisconsin-Madison

04.01.12 Macromolecular Phase Separation (DBIO, DPOLY,
GSNP, DSOFT) [same as 01.01.41, 03.01.22, 02.01.63]
04.01.03 Physics of Social Interactions (DBIO, GSNP) [same as
03.01.25] Macromolecular phase separation is increasingly appreciated
to play a fundamental role in a wide range of cellular process-
Social interactions shape our lives. Yet, their complexity es. Often these processes rely on one or more aspects of the
challenges our ability to understand, model and even mimic particular material properties of the biomolecular condensates
optimal social network structures. The recent advent of phys- formed following phase separation of specific proteins, RNAs,
ics of behavior studies is providing new insights into physical or sugars. An understanding of how condensate material prop-
principles that govern social behavior: from short range inter- erties such as viscosity, surface tension, phase equilibria, and
actions, e.g. plants that utilize the infra-red visual spectrum to aging emerge from the multiple interactions between constitu-
distinguish shade producing plants from inanimate objects, to ent macromolecules remains elusive, as do general principles
long range interactions, e.g. insect swarms who harness air- for how these properties are regulated within cells and tuned
flow fields to coordinate thermoregulation. by evolution. Progress requires quantitative measurements
on diverse experimental model systems combined with new
This session will explore the boundary between such animate theoretical and computational frameworks to both describe
and related inanimate physical interactions, how social inter- sequence-dependent interactions between heteropolymers on
actions are governed by physics, and vice versa, how other the molecular level and to account for non-equilibrium aspects
interactions between entities we tend to consider as inanimate of the dynamics on the cellular scale. By bringing experimen-
could be social. We will draw from a diverse range of efforts to tal, computational, and theoretical physicists from the polymer
address it including experimental work as well as theoretical, science, biophysics, statistical physics and soft matter commu-
computational, and robotic models. nities together with biologists and bioinformaticians, this focus
session aims to foster interdisciplinary communication and
Orit Peleg/University of Colorado Boulder/ Greg J Stephens/Vrije collaboration in this exciting area.
Universiteit Amsterdam & Okinawa Institute of Science and Tech-
nology/[email protected] Ned Wingreen, Princeton University Yaojun Zhang/Princeton Uni-
versity/[email protected] Patrick McCall/Max Planck Institute
for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics Daphne Klotsa / University
04.01.04 Immune Sensing and Response (DBIO, DCP, DSOFT) of North Carolina at Chapel Hill / [email protected]
[same as 05.01.12, 02.01.52]
The immune system is essential to our health, and yet its 04.01.08 Physics of the Cytoskeleton across Scales (DBIO,
understanding is in its infancy. In particular, immune sensing DSOFT) [same as 02.01.60]
and response, often the first steps in widely divergent systemic
decisions, present key targets for manipulation and modeling. These focus sessions will explore the physics of molecular
Indeed, in recent years study of these processes has yielded motors and cytoskeletal systems on length scales ranging from
increasing abundance of quantitative data, along with the de- the molecular to the cellular. We will bring together single-mol-
velopment of powerful theoretical and simulation methods. As ecule approaches, theoretical, and computational research to
a result, a community of physicists interested in immunology dissect the physical mechanisms underlying cellular function
has been forming gradually. This Focus Session aims to bring and behavior. We will focus on work that connects molecu-
together a broad range of experimentalists and theoreticians lar-level features with cellular-level properties of molecular
interested in immune sensing and response, further support- motors and cytoskeletal filaments. These focus sessions will
ing the immuno-physics community as it gathers momentum. explore determinants for molecular motor function, showcas-
Given the infancy of the field, we particularly encourage partic- ing recent work on the novel impact of cargo membrane on
ipation by early career researchers, reflected in our choice of motor-based transport, and the modulation of the motor’s
invited speakers. load-bearing capacity by force geometry and the microtubule
track. Moreover, we will explore the cytoskeletal filaments and
Ned Wingreen, Princeton University their assemblies, showcasing recent findings on the structure
and dynamics of the actin network, and their modulation by
actin-binding proteins.
04.01.06 Physics of Proteins (DBIO)
Jing Xu (University of California, Merced, [email protected])
Proteins are key constituents of all living cells and they play a
Serapion Pyrpassopoulos (University of Pennsylvania, serappyr@
direct role in health and disease. This session will encompass
pennmedicine.upenn.edu) James Liman (Rice University, jl135@
theory and experiment and will cover a wide range of topics
rice.edu), Carlos Bueno (Rice University, [email protected])
including but not restricted to structure-function relationships,

04.01.48 Physics of Biofilms (DBIO, DFD, DPOLY, DSOFT) of proteins sessions and the liquid-liquid phase separation
[same as 20.01.23, 01.01.52, 02.01.55] sessions. Therefore, the outcome of this focus session would
fill that gap by consolidating talks from the molecular under-
In nature and during infection, populations of bacterial cells of- pinnings of transient protein-protein interactions to emergent
ten exist in surface-attached, spatially structured communities complex assembly at the cellular scale. Ultimately, the interdis-
called biofilms. Understanding the physical principles behind ciplinary biological physics community would greatly benefit
the formation of such complex communities in space and time from this Focus Session at the 2021 APS March meeting.
requires an integrated approach stretching from biomolecules
to intracellular networks to continuum mechanics of the whole Andrei Gasic, Department of Physics at University of Houston and
biofilm. Physically inspired approaches at all these levels have Center for Theoretical Biological Physics at Rice University
provided powerful tools to explore molecular mechanisms and
to uncover the biophysical principles of biofilm formation. In
this Focus session, we will bring together a collection of talks
04.01.54 Irreversible dynamics and aging: from cells to
at the interface of biology and physics, focusing on the cell-cell organisms (DBIO, DSOFT) [same as 02.01.77]
and cell-surface interactions in the biofilm context. These prin-
In living systems, the fundamental processes of maintaining
ciples will be presented for a variety of bacterial communities
function and undergoing aging should be intimately connected
in a rich variety of biological contexts. Emerging experimental
to physical principles of decay, entropy, and information pro-
techniques and concepts will be highlighted. The target audi-
cessing. While the overarching concepts for these processes in
ence is all physicists with an interest in microbiology, biome-
living systems are indeed understood, the detailed connection
chanics, active matter, and collective behavior.
to a variety of physiological processes or to recent develop-
Jing Yan (Yale University) Vernita Gordon Rice University ments in nonequilibrium thermodynamics is still incomplete.
In this session we will address the physical foundations of
physiological aging spanning the scales of basic biochemistry
04.01.11 Physics of Genome Organization: From DNA to to cells to whole organisms. We will also connect fundamental
Chromatin (DBIO, DPOLY, GSNP, DSOFT) [same as 01.01.40, physical processes and limits of how living systems gain and
maintain information or function. Submissions to this session
03.01.21, 02.01.56] should address the fundamental physics of these processes
and should highlight either novel measurement and quantifi-
In nature and during infection, populations of bacterial cells of-
cation techniques or the application of modeling approaches
ten exist in surface-attached, spatially structured communities
to new empirical biological observations. Work focusing on
called biofilms. Understanding the physical principles behind
synthesizing multiple biological processes of aging or address-
the formation of such complex communities in space and time
ing common features across the tree of life are also particular-
requires an integrated approach stretching from biomolecules
ly encouraged.
to intracellular networks to continuum mechanics of the whole
biofilm. Physically inspired approaches at all these levels have Christopher Kempes, Santa Fe Institute Srividya Iyer-Biswas/ Pur-
provided powerful tools to explore molecular mechanisms and due University/ [email protected]
to uncover the biophysical principles of biofilm formation. In
this Focus session, we will bring together a collection of talks
at the interface of biology and physics, focusing on the cell-cell 04.15.00 Physics of Biological Active Matter
and cell-surface interactions in the biofilm context. These prin-
ciples will be presented for a variety of bacterial communities “Living cells are active objects that interact with each other and
in a rich variety of biological contexts. Emerging experimental with the environment in very complex ways. This combination
techniques and concepts will be highlighted. The target audi- of activity and complex interactions can lead to the emer-
ence is all physicists with an interest in microbiology, biome- gence of spectacular collective phenomena at both the sub-cel-
chanics, active matter, and collective behavior. lular and the multi-cellular scales, and such observations have
stimulated the development of active matter physics. In recent
Bin Zhang (MIT) Alexandre V. Morozov/Rutgers University/morozo- years, the field has greatly advanced by (i) devising models that
[email protected] account for crucial aspects of the biological complexity, and (ii)
performing experimental measurements that enable quantita-
tive tests of theory. This focus session, and its associated invit-
04.01.53 Physics of Emergent Protein-Complex Assemblies ed symposium, will discuss this exciting progress, highlighting
(DBIO, DPOLY, DSOFT) [same as 01.01.51, 02.01.57] how phenomena such as spontaneous flows, jamming, chiral
stresses, mechano-chemical patterns, and defect-mediated
“The majority of proteins assembly into stable complexes or transitions are relevant for the biological function of systems
transient clusters in order to perform cellular functions. With ranging from active macromolecular assemblies to bacterial
up to 10^4 types of proteins in a cell at a given moment, their biofilms to epithelial tissues to developing embryos.
specific interactions and concentrations regulate the biochem-
ical processes that are the essence of life. However, under- Ricard Alert, Princeton University, [email protected] Josh-
standing the mechanism of protein assemblies and transient ua Shaevitz / Princeton University / [email protected]
interactions are largely known. Investigating the physics of
protein assemblies is essential for developing the physical
principles for living systems from molecular underpinnings.
The APS March meeting currently has gap between the physics

04.01.52 Self-Organization in Biological Systems: Sub-Cellular 03.01.04 Granular Flows Beyond Simple Mechanical Models
to Tissue Scales (DBIO, DSOFT) [same as 02.01.59] (GSNP, DSOFT, DFD) [same as 02.01.22, 20.01.24]
“Self-organization, the process by which interacting com- This focus session will explore outstanding issues related to
ponents organize and arrange themselves in higher-order granular flow and packing beyond simple mechanical models.
structures and patterns, plays a critical role in biological form Though most studies of granular materials have treated the
and function. This Focus session will explore physical rules and particulates as spherical, granular materials exhibit a wide-
mechanisms that govern self-assembly, complexity, and phase range of complex shapes and sizes with varying material
separation in biological systems. compositions and structure. This focus session will address the
effect of particle shape and distribution of sizes on complex,
It will showcase new results on the spontaneous emergence of nonlinear granular flows including shear thinning, shear thick-
spatiotemporal order at subcellular, cellular, and tissue scales ening and jamming of dense suspensions and dry granular
due to the interplay of geometry, statistical mechanics, and materials.
mechanical/chemical properties. The invited talks will elucidate
self-organization and shape changes in composite cytoskeletal Gary Grest, Sandia National Laboratories
droplets and provide a general framework for understanding
phase separation in multi-component, liquid-like biological
matter. GSNP
Moumita Das, Rochester Institute of Technology
03.01.10 Steerable particles: new ways to manipulate fluid-
04.01.09 Robophysics: Robotics Meets Physics (DBIO, DSOFT) mediated forces (GSNP, DFD, DSOFT) [same as 20.01.18,
[same as 02.01.61] 02.01.27]
Building on the robophysics Focus Sessions at APS MM in The transport of fluid-suspended objects by various driving
2016-2020 (see Aguilar et al, Rep. Prog. Physics, 2016), we pro- forces is ubiquitous in near-surface planetary environments.
pose a Robophysics Focus Session in 2021. Robots are moving In addition to hydrodynamic and Brownian forces, individual
from the factory floor and into our lives (autonomous cars, particles can experience a number of novel “phoretic” forces
homecare assistants, search and rescue devices, etc). Howev- that steer their motion. Up until now studies of such “steer-
er, despite the fascinating questions such future “living sys- able particles” have been performed separately, often without
tems” pose for scientists, the study of such systems has been recognition of their common theme. The goal of this proposed
dominated by engineers and computer scientists. We propose Focus Session is to encourage a broad range of scientists who
that interaction of researchers studying dynamical systems, work on these driven systems to get together, communicate,
soft materials, and living systems can help discover principles and identify common interests, possible collaborations, and
that will allow physical robotic devices to interact with the real future directions.
world in qualitatively different ways than they do now. And we
Justin Burton, Emory University
propose that a Focus Session at the APS March meeting that
brings together leaders in this emerging area (most of whom
are not physicists) will demonstrate the need for a physics of 03.01.08 Physics of Liquids (GSNP, DSOFT, DCP, DFD) [same as
robotics and reveal interesting problems at the interface of
nonlinear dynamics, soft matter, control and biology.
02.01.24, 05.01.11, 20.01.19]
Liquids, ubiquitous on earth, are prototypical disordered con-
This focus session addresses the urgent need to establish a
densed matter. Its very existence is remarkable, thanks to the
new field of robophysics--physics for complex “living” robotic
delicate balance between interparticle potential and entropy.
systems (analogous to biophysics, physics for complex biologi-
The phase behaviors of liquids and liquid-like matter, especial-
cal systems).
ly when driven out of equilibrium by extreme conditions, are
Chen Li, Johns Hopkins University, Dan Goldman, Georgia Tech, exceptionally rich. Accordingly, the physics of liquids have at-
[email protected] tracted much attention in the recent decades. In addition, nu-
merous soft and biological materials of amazing far-from-equi-
librium complexity seem to share many intriguing features of
CSWP liquids. Therefore, quantitative descriptions of the structure
and dynamics of liquids and liquid-like matter will likely impact
a wide range of disciplines in physics, chemistry, and materials
Proactive Ways to Recruit and Retain Women in Physics science and engineering. The proposed session at APS March
Meeting will focus on the forefront of the research on liquids,
Discussions of the programs that attempt to increase the per- from fresh theoretical treatments and computations to cut-
centage of women in physics through recruitment, retention, ting-edge experimental techniques.
promotion, mentorship, and advancement in the field. We will
discuss programs that attempt to address these issues, such Yang Zhang, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
as STEP-UP, CUWiP, and other research based practice that
include some specific suggestions on how to make those less
subject to bias.
Hume A. Feldman, University of Kansas, CSWP representative.

03.01.06 Mechanical metamaterials (GSNP, DSOFT, DMP) tational studies of collective behavior, especially crystallization,
[same as 02.01.26] in driven in granular materials. This focus session will catalyze
new collaborations aimed at understanding how external driv-
The field of mechanical metamaterials investigates materials ing controls the collective dynamics of granular media.
with properties obtained by architecture rather than composi-
tion or chemistry. The field has seen an explosion of activity in Corey O’Hern, Yale University
recent years largely due to the advent of advanced fabrication
and computational techniques. Mechanical metamaterials
have demonstrated properties that are untenable in traditional
03.01.09 Native and non-native protein structure and
engineering materials, such as negative Poisson’s ratio, nega- stability (GSNP, DBIO, DPOLY) [same as 04.01.31, 01.01.39]
tive thermal expansion coefficient, and negative bulk modulus,
In this focus session, we seek talks on novel experimental
and they have been shown to have novel shape changing and
and computational approaches to predicting and determin-
programmable behaviors. Many of these materials uniquely
ing protein structure and stability. Topics in this session will
capitalize on non-linearities to achieve their properties and can
include protein structure prediction and refinement, decoy
be activated by external stimuli such as heat, pressure, electric
detection, the influence of experimental techniques on protein
fields or chemical activity. This field lies at the cusp between
structure, and the response of protein structure to amino acid
physics, engineering and mathematics, and this session aims
mutations. We especially welcome studies of proteins that
to bring together researchers from diverse backgrounds to
apply techniques in machine learning to understand protein
form new interdisciplinary connections. Talks will be organized
structure and dynamics.
around three areas of 1) design/fabrication, 2) static properties
and 3) dynamic properties of mechanical metamaterials. Corey O’Hern, Yale University
Lucas Meza, University of Washington
03.01.01 Control of noisy non-linear dynamical systems
03.01.16 Stochastic thermodynamics of biological and (GSNP, DBIO) [same as 04.01.45]
artificial information processing (GSNP, DCOMP) [same as Most macroscopic systems in nature evolve in time in the pres-
16.01.23] ence of either extrinsic or intrinsic noise. Understanding these
noisy nonlinear dynamical systems has thus always been
The recent revolution in non-equilibrium statistical physics has of central importance and interest in contemporary physics.
allowed researchers to significantly advance and generalize Stochastic fluctuations, noise-induced correlations, sponta-
Landauer’s original results concerning the thermodynamics of neous pattern formation, and even generically scale-invariant
bit-erasure into a full-fledged “thermodynamics of information phases play an essential role in characterizing non-equilibrium
processing”, which analyzes computational systems ranging systems and constitute a highly active field of current research,
from information ratchets to digital circuits, all the way up both in experimental studies as well as in analytical theory and
to Turing machines. At the same time, our understanding of numerical investigations. Moreover, exploring potential exter-
the information processing within biological cells has greatly nal control of their characteristic features has become a fertile
expanded, driving an explosion of work on the thermodynam- research area in recent years,addressing the design, optimiza-
ics of biological information processing, including processes tion, and emergent behavior of stochastic non-linear systems.
such as polymerization, kinetic proofreading, and cellular
sensing. We feel the time is right to consolidate these research Uwe C. Tauber, Virginia Tech
thrusts, in a single GSNP focus topic on the thermodynamics
of information processing / computation in both biological and
artificial (human-engineered) systems. 03.01.03 Textiles and topology: physics of knots and tangles
(GSNP, DSOFT) [same as 02.01.21]
David Wolpert, Santa Fe Institute
Textiles are some of the most ubiquitous materials in our
every day lives. They are incredibly strong, lightweight and
03.01.02 Collective Behavior in Driven Granular Media (GSNP, have low bending rigidity for their weight. However, very little
DCMP) is known rigorously about the physics that underlies these
behaviors. The complexity of this problem arises from the
Although granular materials have received considerable atten- numerous knots and tangles that convert 1D threads into 2D
tion, we still do not have a complete description of their col- surfaces with 3D geometry. This session aims to target the
lective behavior under external driving. This focus session will multiscale physics that gives stretchiness to our sweaters and
highlight studies aimed at understanding crystallization in both pleats to our pants.
wet and dry granular materials undergoing vibration, cyclic
and continuous shear, and other external driving mechanisms. Elisabetta Matsumoto, Georgia Tech
Studies of the evolving structure and the dynamics (such as
nucleation and growth) during crystallization will help estab-
lish a theoretical framework for ordering transitions in driven,
dissipative systems. We seek abstracts from interdisciplinary
researchers in mechanics, physics, materials science and
engineering performing experimental, theoretical, and compu-

03.01.11 Geometrically-frustrated instabilities in solid concepts, and general nonequilibrium approaches. Relevant
mechanics (GSNP, DSOFT) [same as 02.01.28] disease propagation work that does not explicitly address
COVID-19 is also appropriate for this session.
In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in insta-
bilities of solids that are generated by, or controlled through, Cynthia Reichhardt, LANL
geometrical frustration. Examples in thin solid structures
include: wrinkling instabilities that are caused by enforced
changes of curvature as well as snap-through, which can be
03.01.05 Deformable particles in soft materials (GSNP,
caused by a change in the amount of geometric confinement DSOFT) [same as 02.01.23]
available. In these scenarios, not only is the instability itself
Soft materials such as foams, emulsions, cell monolayers, and
generated by some geometrical frustration, but the resulting
tissues are comprised of complex, non-spherical particles that
instability can be heavily influenced by such frustration. For ex-
can deform in response to applied stress. Particle-scale de-
ample, wrinkle patterns generically prefer constant wavelength
formability determines the mechanical properties of these ma-
or wavenumbers, but can be prevented from reaching these
terials, such as linear response and jamming, yet the majority
pure states by geometry. This focus session will bring together
of numerical research on soft materials has been performed
experts working on different aspects of how such frustrated
using models of particles that cannot change shape. This
elastic instabilities can be described across a broad range of
session will focus on studies of complex soft materials with
systems.
explicitly deformable particles, and how particle deformability
Dominic Vella, University of Oxford influences mechanical stability, jamming onset, glassy behav-
ior, and response to perturbations like compression, shear,
and both active and thermal excitations.
03.01.07 Noise-driven dynamics in far-from-equilibrium
Corey O’Hern, Yale University
systems (GSNP, DBIO) [same as 04.01.17]
Recently, there has been impressive experimental and the-
oretical progress to quantitatively characterize noise-driven GDS
dynamics in far-from-equilibrium systems. Examples abound
in diverse systems such as active biological matter, electronic
transport circuits, climate models, micro- and nano-mechani- 23.01.06 AI & Real World Networks (GDS, DBIO) [same as
cal oscillators, as well as voting models and financial markets. 04.01.50]
Common features include the observation and characteriza-
tion of non-vanishing probability currents in steady state, the This focus session is for research that advance scientific
development of novel metrics to quantify how far systems are understanding of real-world systems using large datasets and
from equilibrium behavior, the quantitative characterization of data science methods. Recent events especially in the COVID
detailed balance violation - an essential feature in the function- era have highlighted the importance of fundamental scientific
ing of many non-equilibrium systems, and the generalization advances in analyzing and understanding patterns through in-
of fluctuation-dissipation relations. The proposed session is creasingly available data. Contributions will be accepted across
targeted to both experimentalists and theorists from a range wide topics such as social networks, epidemiological networks,
of traditional fields spanning biophysics, nonlinear and statis- transportation networks, and brain networks (not an exclusive
tical physics, and condensed matter physics, for whom it will list).
be stimulating to explore common sets of new and emerging
experimental techniques and analytical tools for understand- Skanda Vivek, Georgia Gwinnett College
ing the noisy dynamics of far-from-equilibrium systems.
Stephen Teitsworth Duke University 23.01.02 Deep Learning for Dynamical Systems (GDS,
DCOMP) [same as 16.01.37]
03.01.13 Statistical mechanics of disease propagation (GSNP, The need to model dynamical behavior from data is pervasive
DBIO) [same as 04.01.46] across physics and other disciplines. In recent years, Deep
Learning has attracted considerable attention in several do-
Long before COVID-19 became a household name, a variety mains, including Dynamical Systems.
of statistical mechanics approaches were developed to tackle
the problem of disease propagation in systems with complex Using machine learning technology to discover accurate
transmission environments. This session focuses on the ap- mathematical models of dynamical systems directly from data
plication of such techniques to the evolution, prediction, and becomes increasingly important in the era of data. The idea
possible control of the COVID-19 outbreak. The models may of leveraging neural networks to model dynamical systems
range from homogeneously mixing (mean-field) populations has been proposed since the 90s, but since there are still
to studies with behavioral feedback and/or spatial or social many unanswered questions. This session will focus on Deep
structure in the population. Techniques could include network Learning in modeling Dynamical Systems. We will explore the
analysis, compartmental modeling, epidemiology, percolation recent advancements in the field and try to answer these open
questions.
Maria Longobardi, BAQIS

23.01.05 Open Science/Open Data (GDS) William Ratcliff (NIST Center for Neutron Research, NIST; Depart-
ment of MSE, University of Maryland, College Park); Brian Barnes
Science relies on the sharing of ideas, results, methods and (US Army Research Lab - Aberdeen)
data. As modern research is more complex and more da-
ta-driven, progress in scientific knowledge becomes intimately
tighten to research data availability. Open Science can be 23.01.08 AI and Statistical/Thermal Physics (GDS, GSNP,
used to support several disciplines and applications, including DCOMP) [same as 03.01.45, 16.01.40]
science, finance, statistics, weather and society. Open data,
including simulations, source codes, laboratory measurements Statistical Physics has been part of numerous recent break-
and data generated by the social sciences, can increase the throughs in AI. Methods from statistical physics are proving
transparencies in science and foster cross-disciplinary collab- valuable for enhancing AI algorithms, or making AI algorithms
orations. Moreover, open access to the research results would more explainable. At the same time AI algorithms are contrib-
enable faster and broader diffusion of scientific knowledge. uting solutions to a growing list of complex problems in sta-
This session will focus on the great potential and the challeng- tistical/thermal physics. This session welcomes contributions
es of Open Data and Open Science. We will discuss the state to all aspects of this convergence of Artificial Intelligence and
of the art, the perspectives for the next future, and some case Statistical/Thermal Physics. Wolfgang Losert,
studies. University of Maryland
Maria Longobardi, BAQIS

23.01.03 Deep Learning for Spectroscopy (GDS, DCOMP)
[same as 16.01.38]
23.01.09 Visualization Techniques and Systems (GDS, DCOMP)
[same as 16.01.41] Spectroscopic techniques are essential tools for studying
chemical compositions, crystal structures, and electromagnetic
Visualization techniques and systems are playing an increas- properties of hard and soft condensed matter from atomic
ing role in physics as datasets continue to expand and data to mesoscale. Recent advances in machine learning have led
analysis challenges become more sophisticated. Visualization to new opportunities for improving the spectral data quality
is integral to modern data science. Visualization offers unique and for analyzing the measurement result. This focus session
opportunities for human-in-the-loop analysis including inter- will cover all types of photon, electron, atomic, and molecular
active, real-time exploratory analysis of millions of data points, spectroscopic studies augmented by machine learning and
augmented reality, and techniques for exploring the inner deep neural networks.
works of machine learning models (i.e., explainable AI). Visu-
alization is also integral to how we communicate and dissem- Cheng-Chien Chen, University of Alabama at Birmingham
inate physical insights. By bringing together those working on
visualization systems and techniques for physics applications,
this session will be a forum for advancing data science in phys- 23.01.04 AI Materials Design and Discovery (GDS, DCOMP)
ics that is complementary to on-going initiatives and sessions [same as 16.01.39]
focused on automated data analysis.
AI and machine learning have created a new paradigm for
Kyle Wm. Hall (Institute for Computational Molecular Science & materials design and discovery in fundamental and applied
Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA) & research. This emerging data-driven framework is also revo-
William D. Ratcliff (NIST Center for Neutron Research, National In- lutionizing the deployment of novel quantum and functional
stitute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD & Depart- materials with an unprecedented speed. This focus session
ment of Materials Science and Engineering, U. Maryland, College will highlight contributions to advancing the field of materials
Park, MD) informatics. The topics of interests will include but not limited
to (i) creating materials database with ab initio calculations or
experiments, (ii) applying AI techniques for predictive materials
23.01.07 Autonomous Systems and Control (GDS) modeling, (iii) developing new materials-related AI algorithms
and innovative feature descriptors, and (iv) enhancing the
Advances in machine learning, automated experimental con- insights for interpretability and physical understanding of AI
trol, miniaturization of diagnostics, and networked computing models.
power over the past two decades have led to popularization
of artificial intelligence approaches to autonomous experi- Cheng-Chien Chen, University of Alabama at Birmingham
mentation for optimization and discovery in physics. Online
collection of data in a machine-friendly format (e.g. database
or dataframe) has allowed for instant analysis with data sci- 23.01.13 Deep Learning for Computer Vision (GDS)
ence techniques, greatly accelerating the overall experimental
process. Coupled with active learning models, sequential ex- The success of deep learning approaches in the analysis
periments may even be designed and proceed without human of images and movies is starting to impact a wide range of
intervention. This methodology has been successful for both research areas in physics. The goal of this focus session is
physical experimentation as well as in the context of theoret- to share best practices in deep learning for computer vision
ical modelling such as molecular dynamics simulations. This as applied across the physics research areas represented at
focus session explores the experimental and computational the APS March Meeting, in particular, biophysics, soft matter
techniques that make autonomous experimentation a success physics, medical physics, and statistical and nonlinear physics.
Both new approaches to deep learning and adaptation and

implementation of existing deep learning tools are of interest those observed in bulk materials. This Focus Topic explores
to this focus session. advances in magnetic nanostructures, the novel properties
that arise in magnetic materials at the nanoscale, and the
Mohammad Soltanieh-ha (Boston University, soltaniehha.m@ advanced characterization tools required for understanding
gmail.com) these properties. Magnetic nanostructures of interest include
thin films, multilayers, graded layer structures, superlattices,
nanoparticles, nanowires, nanorings, nanotubes, 3D nano-
GDS, GMED structures, nanocomposite materials, hybrid nanostructures,
magnetic point contacts, and self-assembled, as well as
patterned, magnetic arrays. Sessions will include talks on the
23.01.15 Artificial intelligence and machine learning in methods used to synthesize such nanostructures, the variety
medicine and biomedicine (GMED, GDS) [same as 25.01.01] of materials used, and the latest original theoretical, exper-
imental, and technological advances. Synthesis and charac-
Research in medicine and biomedicine generates large data- terization techniques that demonstrate nano- or atomic-scale
sets, including anatomic and pathologic imaging, genetic as- control of properties will be featured, such as: novel deposi-
says, demographic information, and clinical data. We are in the tion and lithography methods; electron microscopy (Lorentz
midst of a technological revolution with tremendous advances and holographic imaging, in-situ techniques, time / frequency
in imaging technology, omics science, and wide adoption of resolution); advances in synchrotron methods and neutron
wearable and IoT devices. Health information has become scattering techniques; and novel near field imaging techniques
multi-modal, with high temporal and spatial resolution com- including NV center-based imaging. Phenomena and proper-
plementing increasingly granular clinical information. Manual ties of interest include magnetization reversal and dynamics
parsing of these data limits their utility, and there now exist (including ultrafast and THz dynamics), topology in nanoscale
tremendous opportunities for both automated processing and spin textures, magnonics, magnetic interactions including an-
deeper analysis of datasets. Artificial intelligence can improve ti-symmetric and antiferromagnetic exchange, magnetic quan-
the utility of big medical datasets by accelerating analysis tum confinement, spin tunneling and spin crossover, proximity
for real-time decision making, guiding treatment regimens, and structural disorder effects, strain effects, and thermal and
elucidating indicators of disease state, and helping determine quantum fluctuations.
likelihood of response. In this focus session, we seek submis-
sions on the use of AI, machine learning, and deep learning to Vincent Sokalski, Carnegie Mellon University, [email protected];
address management and analysis of medical and biomedical Dario Arena, University of South Florida, [email protected]; Andreas
data, with an emphasis on efforts towards development of Berger, CIC nanoGUNE, [email protected]
therapeutics or tools for clinical decision-making.
Michael A. Boss (American College of Radiology, GMED), Jie Ren 10.01.02 Emergent Properties of Bulk Complex Oxides
(Merck, GDDS) (GMAG, DMP, DCOMP) [same as 16.01.34].
The emergence of novel states of matter, arising from the
23.01.01 Big Data in Physics (GDS, DCOMP, GSNP) [same as intricate coupling of electronic and lattice degrees of freedom,
16.01.16, 03.01.43] is a unique feature in strongly correlated electron systems.
This Focus Topic explores the nature of such ordered states
Physicists are at the forefront of analysis and exploration of observed in bulk compounds of these complex metal oxides;
big data, from the huge scientific collaborations in astronomy, it will provide a forum for discussion of recent developments
particle physics, climate science, to research areas that are in theory, simulation, synthesis, and characterization, with
near to everyday life like cancer imaging and material science. the aim of covering basic aspects and identifying future key
The infrastructure and methodology of how we explore and directions in bulk oxides. Of special interest are the ways in
analyze big data is essential for both theoretical and exper- which the spin, lattice, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom
imental efforts, and the advancements in such capability cooperate, compete, and/or reconstruct in complex oxides to
greatly impacts science and society. This session will discuss produce novel phenomena as well as novel magnetic states,
research related to big data analysis and exploration in physics often with exotic topological properties that can arise from
contexts. the interplay of spin-orbit coupling and Coulomb interactions.
Associated with this complexity is a tendency for new forms of
Jie Ren, Merck & Co., Inc., [email protected]; Wolfgang Losert, order, such as the formation of stripes, ferroic states, exotic
University of Maryland, [email protected] spin-liquid phases with topological order and fractionalized ex-
citations, spin-orbit entangled states or phase separation. An
additional focus of this session is on how competing interac-
GMAG tions result in spatial correlations over multiple length scales,
giving rise to enhanced electronic and magnetic susceptibilities
and responses to external stimuli.
10.01.01 Magnetic Nanostructures: Materials and
Phenomena (GMAG/DMP) Mohit Randeria, Ohio State University, [email protected].
edu; Gang Cao, University of Colorado at Boulder, Gang.Cao@
Reduced dimensionality and confinement lead to magnetic Colorado.edu; Stephan Rosenkranz, Argonne National Laboratory,
states and spin behaviors that are markedly different from [email protected]

10.01.03 Magnetic Oxide Thin Films and Heterostructures techniques to study chiral magnetism, such as spin-polarized
(GMAG, DMP, DCOMP) [same as 16.01.35] scanning tunneling microscopy, magneto-optical Kerr effect
microscopy, Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy, spin-polar-
The intricate interactions and competitions among charge, ized low energy electron microscopy, NV center microscopy,
spin, orbital, and structural degrees of freedom make magne- Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, neutron scattering,
tism in complex oxides an intriguing field of research. Specif- and synchrotron-based techniques will also be included. The
ically, in thin films and heterostructures, these competitions aim of this Focused Topic is not only to promote fundamental
might lead to a wide variety of interfacial phenomena such as understanding of chiral magnetism but also facilitate innova-
charge transfer, orbital reconstruction, quantum confinement, tive technology.
proximity effects, and modifications to local atomic struc-
ture. Novel magnetic interactions and ground states thus can Jiadong Zang, University of New Hampshire, jiadong.zang@unh.
emerge, generating exciting new prospects both for the discov- edu; Lisa DeBeer-Schmitt, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, debeer-
ery of fundamental physics and the development of technolog- [email protected]; Jacob Gayles, Max-Planck Institute/University of
ical applications. This Focus Topic is dedicated to progress in South Florida, [email protected]
the knowledge, methodologies, and tools required to advance
the field of magnetism in oxide thin films, heterostructures,
superlattices, and nanostructures. Synthesis, characterization,
10.01.05 Spin transport and Magnetization Dynamics
theory, and novel device physics are emphasized. Specific ar- in Metals-Based Systems (GMAG/DMP/FIAP) [same as
eas of interest include, but are not limited to, growth of oxide 22.01.04]
thin films and heterostructures, magnetic behavior in strongly
correlated systems, control of their magnetic properties and The generation, manipulation, and detection of spin currents
ordering, magnetotransport, dilute magnetism, magnetoelec- in metals and magnetic heterostructures are of great interest
tric phenomena, coupling of atomic and magnetic structures, for fundamental science and applications. Understanding of
strong spin-orbit coupling effects, topological surface states or fundamental spin-dependent transport physics, accompa-
spin-polarized states, charge-to-spin and spin-to-charge con- nied by progress in materials and nanoscale engineering, has
version, and recent developments in theoretical prediction and already had a dramatic impact on technology. Discoveries
materials-by-design approaches. Advances in experimental like giant and tunneling magnetoresistance have moved to
techniques to probe and image magnetic order and transitions applications, and uses of more recent discoveries, including
in complex oxide thin films (including scanning probes, optical, magneto-thermal effects, spin-transfer torque, spin-Hall ef-
electron, neutron, and synchrotron-based techniques) are fects, and chiral domain walls, are imminent. This Focus Topic
also emphasized. Note that overlap exists with other DMP and aims to capture experimental and theoretical developments in
GMAG focus topic sessions. As a rule of thumb, if magnetism spin transport and magnetization dynamics in mostly met-
plays a key role in the investigation, then the talk is appropri- al-based systems, such as ultra-thin films, heterostructures,
ate for this Focus Topic. lateral nanostructures, perpendicular nanopillars, and tunnel
junctions. In particular, contributions describing new results
Satoru Emori, Virginia Tech, [email protected]; A. Ariando, National in the following areas are solicited: (i) Interplay between spin
University of Singapore, [email protected]; Divine Kumah, North currents and magnetization dynamics in magnetic nanostruc-
Carolina State University, [email protected] tures; spin-transfer, spin-pumping and related phenomena,
including current-induced magnetization dynamics in hetero-
structures and domain wall motion in magnetic wires; (ii) The-
10.01.04 Chiral Spin Textures and Dynamics, Including oretical predictions and/or experimental discovery of half-me-
Skyrmions (GMAG/DMP) tallic band structures, both in bulk solids and at the surfaces
of thin films; Spin transport and magnetization dynamics in
Materials that display non-collinear or other complex magnet- magnetic nanostructures (e.g., TMR, CPP-GMR and lateral spin
ic textures are known to develop novel charge, heat, or spin valve structures) based on half-metallic materials; (iii) Mani-
transport characteristics. These properties are intrinsically re- festations of spin-orbit interactions including, but not limited
lated to the topology of the global magnetic spin arrangement. to field-like and damping-like torques on magnetic films and
Understanding and mastering these phenomena may help nanostructures, the spin-Hall, inverse spin-Hall, and anoma-
reveal hidden order/dynamics in novel materials and offer lous Hall effects; microscopic mechanisms of magnetization
exciting opportunities towards next-generation device appli- damping; (iv) Electric field control of magnetic properties (e.g.,
cations. At large, the study of these topological spin textures anisotropy, phase transitions, etc.), including but not limited to
is also relevant to fields as diverse as spintronics, nanomag- hybrid metal/oxide structures, piezoelectric layers coupled to
netism, quantum computing, strong correlation, and thermal ferromagnetic films, and electrolyte/ferromagnetic systems; (v)
management. This Focus Topic will address the most relevant Ultrafast magnetization response to (and reversal by) intense
and recent developments, from materials to physical modeling laser pulses; magnetization dynamics at elevated tempera-
and device technology, in the field of chiral magnetism. Spe- tures, and thermally-assisted magnetization reversal; (vi)
cific areas include, but are not limited to: magnetic skyrmions Thermoelectric spin phenomena such as giant magneto-ther-
(and more complex solitons) in various material architectures mopower and Peltier effects, spin-Seebeck effects, spin and
(bulk/thin-films/2D), chiral magnetization dynamics, spin-or- anomalous Nernst and Ettingshausen effects (spin caloritron-
bit torques, the physics and control of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya ics); (vii) Thermal gradient and/or RF-driven magnonic mag-
interaction (DMI), DMI-induced non-reciprocity in spin waves, netization dynamics in nanostructures, including spin wave
interfacial magnetism, topological transport phenomena, excitation, propagation, and detection; Interactions between
emergent electrodynamics, and novel devices based on electronic spin current and magnon propagations in thin-film
non-trivial topological spin textures and dynamics. Advanced

and device structures; and (viii) General considerations of spin tal aspects of the field. The themes to be represented are unit-
angular momentum, energy, and entropy flow, conservation ed by magnetic frustration: valence-bond solids, spin nematics,
laws, and Onsager reciprocity relations. topological magnons, and other exotic ordered states; spin
ices, quantum spin liquids, order-from-disorder; the interplay
Hyunsoo Yang, National University of Singapore, eleyang@nus. of spin, lattice, and orbital degrees of freedom; and design,
edu.sg; Ran Cheng, University of California Riverside, rancheng@ synthesis and modeling of new materials with magnetic frus-
ucr.edu; Benedetta Flebus, University of Texas at Austin/Boston tration. Also of interest are the effects of strongly fluctuating
College, [email protected] spins on properties beyond magnetism, including charge, spin,
and energy transport, as well as ferroelectricity.
10.01.06 Spin-Dependent Phenomena in Semiconductors, Oleg Tchernyshyov, Johns Hopkins University, [email protected]; Sara
Including 2D Materials and Topological Systems [same as Haravifard, Duke University, [email protected]; Hae-
08.01.01, 16.01.36] (GMAG/DMP/FIAP/DCOMP) Young Kee, University Toronto, [email protected]
The field of spin-dependent phenomena in semiconductors

addresses a wide range of new effects, materials systems [e.g., 10.01.08 Low-Dimensional and Molecular Magnetism
III-V and II-VI heterostructures, group-IV materials including (GMAG/DMP)
Si, Ge, SiC, diamond and graphene, transition-metal dichal-
cogenides (TMDs) and other 2D semiconductors, and oxide The possibility of reduction to zero-dimensionality allows
semiconductors] and new structures (e.g., quantum dots exploration of novel size and quantum effects in magnetic
and nanocrystals, nanowires and carbon nanotubes, hybrid systems. While single spins can be isolated in semiconduct-
ferromagnetic/semiconductor structures, and van der Waals ing devices or by scanning probe techniques, the molecular
heterojunctions). This Focus Topic solicits contributions aimed approach introduces synthetic flexibility, providing the possi-
at understanding spin-dependent processes in magnetic bility of engineering the magnetic quantum response of a spin
and non-magnetic structures incorporating semiconducting system. The development and study of molecular and low-di-
materials. Topics include: (i) electrical and optical spin injection mensional magnetic systems continue to provide a fertile
and detection, spin pumping, spin Hall effects, spin-dependent testing ground to explore complex magnetic behavior and new
topological effects, spin filtering, spin dynamics and scattering; challenges for the development of experimental techniques
(ii) growth and electrical, optical and magnetic properties of and theoretical models. New frontiers are also represented by
magnetic semiconductors, nanocomposites, and hybrid ferro- the possibility of combining low-dimensional magnetic systems
magnet-semiconductor structures, including quantum dots, in hybrid architectures and to study the interplay between
and nanowires; (iii) spin and valley dynamics in bulk (e.g. Si, Ge) spins and functional nanostructures. This Focus Topic solicits
and monolayer semiconductors (e.g. TMDs); (iv) spin-depen- abstracts that explore inorganic and organic molecule-based,
dent electronic and thermal transport effects, and dynamical as well as solid state, systems, and both theoretical and
effects in semiconductors with or without spin-orbit interac- experimental aspects of the field. Topics of interest include:
tions, including proximity effects in heterostructures; (v) ma- magnetism in zero, one, and two dimensions (e.g., quantum
nipulation, detection, and entanglement of electronic and nu- dots, single-molecule magnets, spin chains, interfaces between
clear spins in quantum systems, including dots, impurities and molecular spins and functional surfaces), spin-orbit and su-
point defects (e.g., NV centers in diamond); (vi) magneto-resis- per-exchange couplings, quantum critical low-dimensional spin
tance, magneto-electroluminescence, and resonance-driven systems, topological excitations, quantum tunneling of magne-
spin pumping in organic semiconductors; (vii) spin-dependent tization, coherent spin dynamics and quantum correlation (e.g.
devices and device proposals involving semiconductors; and entanglement), and novel field-induced behavior.
(viii) spin-dependent properties (e.g. quantum anomalous Hall
effects) in topological insulators and topological insulator/fer- Selvan Demir, Michigan State University, [email protected].
romagnet hybrid structures. edu; Wei Tian, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, [email protected];
Kemp Plumb, Brown University, [email protected]
Michael Flatté, University of Iowa, [email protected];
Sergio Valenzuela, Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotech-
nology (ICN2), [email protected]; Roland Kawakami, The Ohio State GPC
University; [email protected]
26.01.02 Statistical and nonlinear physics of Earth and its

10.01.07 Frustrated Magnetism (GMAG/DMP) climate (GPC, GSNP) [same as 03.01.44]
Simple antiferromagnets on bipartite lattices have well-under- Observations of natural processes on Earth, including those
stood ground states, elementary excitations, thermodynamic driven by its changing climate, present challenging applied
phases and phase transitions. At the forefront of current problems that have potential to advance research in statistical
research are frustrated magnets where competing interactions and nonlinear physics. These phenomena are not observed in
suppress magnetic order and may lead to qualitatively new a pristine laboratory setting, and come not only with environ-
behavior. Frustrated magnets may realize novel quantum-dis- mental heterogeneities, but also with enormous uncertainties
ordered ground states with fractionalized excitations akin to about the underlying physical models. This session is aimed at
those found in one-dimensional antiferromagnets, but with a bringing together researchers investigating Earth, its landscape
number of novel features. This Focus Topic solicits abstracts and ecosystems, and its climate, all through a lens of statistical
for presentations that explore both theoretical and experimen-

and nonlinear physics. We envision a broad set of topics, from netic materials, spin manipulation, and magnetic stimulation
critical phenomena associated with river networks, melt ponds of tissue, highlighting their use in medical and cellular imaging
on Arctic sea ice, and vegetation pattern formation in drylands, and therapies. In particular, we solicit talks on new methods of
to the distribution of lakes on Earth’s surface and the fracture spin hyperpolarization to enhance MRI, new types of nano-
mechanics of ice shelves in the Antarctic. How might we use magnetic contrast agents and therapies, new ways to use mag-
satellite and terrestrial observational data to constrain models netism to stimulate and probe tissues. The session will focus
and test predictions? What is the potential for table-top exper- on new magnetic metrology to sense in-vivo magnetic fields,
iments to probe physical processes that usually operate on a pathologies, cell activity, and neural activity. These metrologies
very large scale? What is an appropriate pairing of conceptual may include low field MRI, nanoMRI, magnetic cell tracking,
theoretical physics models with large scale computational multimodal imaging, real time imaging during therapy. The
ones to advance understanding of Earth in a changing climate? emphasis will be on how novel physics of magnetism and spins
This session will facilitate an exchange of ideas and pressing can enable new biomedical applications, on a scale from virus
questions between physicists and Earth scientists, and explore to humans.
how modern methods of statistical and nonlinear physics can
have an impact on these problems, and what new physics can Stephen Russek, NIST Boulder, CO, Hari Srikanth, University of
be learned by studying Earth’s many physical processes. South Florida, FL
Justin C. Burton, Emory University and Mary Silber, University of

Chicago 25.01.03 Quantitative stress imaging: from elastomers to
biological tissues to image-based modeling (GMED, DSOFT)
[same as 02.01.19]
26.01.01 Rare events, tipping points, and abrupt changes in
the climate system (GPC) Medical physics has developed a variety of approaches to
quantify stress in tissue: MRI, (micro)CT, X-ray, Ultrasound, me-
The Earth system has strong internal variability on many times- chanical measurements and optical modalities. These imaging
cales. Large-scale transitions can occur due to tipping points techniques present a broad research field, spanning multiple
in components of the climate system, and in many cases these scales (from nanometers to meters) and different applications
depend on complex interactions between different sub-sys- (in-vivo, ex-vivo, and in-situ). The soft matter community has
tems. However, the role of small-scale processes in inducing simultaneously developed similar quantitative stress imaging
these transitions is not well understood for many important methods, additionally including mechanochemical sensors, flu-
tipping points. These issues have been elevated in impor- orescence, photo-elasticity, rheo-optics and DIC. This session
tance since the Earth’s climate is currently experiencing an intends to provide a platform for exchange of perspectives be-
unprecedented transition under non-stationary anthropogenic tween medical and soft matter physicists on quantitative stress
radiative forcing and is far out of equilibrium with this forcing. imaging. One particular goal is to better combine quantitative
This session aims at connecting fluctuations and responses stress measurements with computer simulations of deforma-
for the climate system with a focus on issues involving abrupt tions in tissue and other soft materials
climate change, climatic hysteresis, tipping points, and climate
extremes as rare events. General approaches and novel mea- Matija Milanic, University of Ljubljana, SLO, Joshua Dijksman,
sures to quantify the climate response to non-stationary forc- Wageningen University, NL
ing in the climate system are encouraged. We also seek talks
on complex interactions between the different components
and subcomponents of the Earth system that illuminate how DFD
these interactions can induce rapid, large-scale transitions in
its major components. Submissions which are focused on the
study of reasons and mechanisms of the emergent behavior 20.01.10 Fluid Physics of Disease Transmission (DFD, DBIO)
are especially welcome. [same as 04.01.49]
William Collins, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Mary This session will focus on recent research at the intersection of
Silber, University of Chicago fluid flow and disease spreading, including but not restricted
to COVID-19. Topics of interest include aerosol dynamics (gen-
eration and dispersion of virus-laden drops), droplet deposi-
GMED tion on surfaces, transport of drops and contaminants to and
inside lungs, “washing flows”, etc. Also of interest are studies
on the effects of indoor and outdoor ventilation and use of
25.01.02 Magnetism in biomedicine (GMED, GMAG, DBIO) personal protective gear on airborne disease spreading.
[same as 10.01.10, 04.01.48]
Kenny Breuer (Brown University) and Rajat Mittal (Johns Hopkins
Magnetism plays a key role in biomedical technologies in- University)
cluding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic parti-
cle imaging (MPI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS),
magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetogenetics, magnetic
nanoparticles for hyperthermia, contrast agents, diagnostics
and therapeutics. This focus session will target advanced mag-

DAMOP ubiquitous, but no organizing framework exists that is compa-
rably comprehensive as for equilibrium behavior. Many special
cases of nonequilibrium dynamics are known to harbor inter-
6.01.01 Disorder and Localization in AMO Systems (DAMOP, esting features, many of which are forbidden in equilibrium.
Special cases of dynamics with recent progress include Floquet
DCMP)
dynamics, prethermalization, non-thermal fixed points, driven
Disorder can have a profound effect on matter, changing its dissipative steady states, turbulence, systems with scarring,
properties. In quantum systems, its effects can be even stron- and localization. This focus session will describe theoretical
ger, for example localizing particles and causing systems fail and experimental advances in our understanding of all of
to thermalize even in circumstances where the corresponding these dynamics in a variety of AMO systems.
classical system would remain localized. This focus sessions
Erich Mueller (Cornell University)
will discuss how AMO systems are being used to study some of
the most intriguing phenomena associated with disorder, such
as Anderson localization, many-body localization, effects on
06.01.06 Open Quantum Systems (DAMOP)
strongly correlated transport, and fundamental alteration of
phases of matter. No matter how isolated it is, a quantum system always has
some remnant coupling to its environment. This can lead to
Kaden Hazzard (Rice University)
decoherence, but also to new features, for example creating
useful entanglement. This focus session will consider advances
in our fundamental understanding and experimental advances
06.01.02, Topological States in AMO Systems (DAMOP, DCMP)
concerning of the dynamics and steady states of open quan-
Topology has played an increasing role in physics, giving rise tum systems, reservoir engineering, and applications thereof,
to new phases of matter and nonequilibrium behavior. Often for example to quantum sensing.
topology is linked with robust physical behaviors that are
Dan Stamper-Kurn (Berkeley)
insensitive to perturbations, and may have applications to
quantum materials, quantum sensing, and quantum comput-
ing. This focus session will focus on fundamental issues and
applications of these topological states as realized in AMO DQI
systems, including, but not limited to, methods to understand,
classify, and measure defects, band structures, and topologi-
cally ordered states in and out of equilibrium, and experimen- 17.01.01 Advances in Quantum Technologies:
tal studies of these phenomena. Superconducting Qubits
Chuanwei Zhang (UT Dallas) There is currently a major push towards the realization of
fault-tolerant quantum processors as well as exciting research
at the quantum-advantage frontier. This focus session will
06.01.03 Hybrid/Macroscopic Quantum Systems, highlight the technological advances towards these goals
Optomechanics, and Interfacing AMO with Solid State/Nano that have been achieved by one of its leading technologies:
superconducting qubits. Talks will address improvements in
Systems (DAMOP, DQI) [same as 17.01.14]
a number of areas related to this technology. Contemporary
Rapid progress is being made in engineering quantum systems superconducting circuits evolved from two fundamental types
of various types: ultracold matter, photonics, optomechanical of qubits: based on electric charge and on magnetic flux. These
systems, superconducting qubits, and more. Frontiers in- initial modalities (charge and flux qubits) have been improved
clude controlling the quantum state of increasingly large and and generalized to realize the multiple types of qubits in use
complex systems. This focus session will highlight research today. The transmon is currently the most widely used qu-
advancing these frontiers in individual macroscopic quantum bit for gate-based quantum computation, where it has been
systems, as well as research coupling different macroscopic used to demonstrate high-fidelity logical operations, quantum
degrees of freedom. simulations and digital algorithms. In turn, due to the structure
of their Hamiltonians, the persistent-current and rf-SQUID flux
Mikael Rechtsman (Penn State) qubits are currently the predominant platforms being used for
quantum annealing. With the advent of capacitively shunted
flux qubits, this modality now also supports high reproducibil-
DAMOP ity, long coherence times, and moderate anharmonicity levels.
Combined with the tunability of its Hamiltonian, this qubit
offers a potential alternative platform for Hamiltonian emula-
06.01.04 Non-Equilibrium Physics with Cold Atoms and tion, gate-based quantum computing and quantum annealing.
Talks in this session will include, but aren’t limited to, these
Molecules, Rydberg Gases, and Trapped Ions (DAMOP, DCMP)
relevant topics to superconducting qubits.
Non-Equilibrium Physics with Cold Atoms and Molecules, Ryd-
Blake Johnson (Rigetti), Jens Koch (Northwestern University), Erik
berg Gases, and Trapped Ions Nonequilibrium dynamics is
Lucero (Google), David McKay (IBM)

17.01.03 Advances in Quantum Technologies: Atomic Will Oliver (MIT), Robert McDermott (UW–Madison) , Britton
Systems (DQI, DAMOP) [same as 06.01.07] Plourde (Syracuse), Hanhee Paik (IBM), Andrew Houck (Princeton)
Trapped ions are promising systems for practical quantum

computing. The basic requirements for universal QC have all 17.01.07 Superconducting Qubits: Circuit Theory,
been demonstrated with ions, and quantum algorithms using Hamiltonian Analysis and Design Tools
few-ion-qubit systems have been implemented. This session
will cover the basics of trapped ions for quantum computing Robust quantum computation requires encoding delicate
including digital quantum computers and analog quantum quantum information into degrees of freedom that are hard
simulators. This will include how to scale trapped ion quantum for the environment to change. Quantum encodings have
computers while mitigating decoherence and control errors. been demonstrated in many physical systems by observing
The session will cover near-term applications, considerations and correcting storage errors and accurately computing with
impacting the design of future systems of trapped ions, and faulty operations. The theory of fault-tolerant quantum com-
experiments and demonstrations that may further inform puting provides a way forward by providing a foundation and
these considerations. collection of techniques for limiting the spread of errors. This
session will focus on Circuit Theory, Hamiltonian Analysis and
Chris Monroe (IonQ), Rainer Blatt (Innsbruck), Jeremy Sage (MIT) Design Tools for fault-tolerant state preparation and opera-
tion.
17.01.05 Advances in Quantum Technologies: Hybrid Systems Jens Koch (Northwestern), Cody Jones (Google), Liang Jiang (Chica-
go)
Hybrid quantum systems consisting of a combination of dis-
tinct elements, such as superconducting and semiconducting,
allow for the coupling of diverse quantum degrees of freedom, 17.01.08 Superconductor and Semiconductor Qubits: I/O,
e.g. the microscopic electronic degrees of freedom (charge or wiring/3D integration and cryogenic packaging
spin), cavity photons in a superconducting microwave resona-
tor or phonons in an optomechanical resonator. Research in All qubits operated at milli-Kelvin temperatures have common
this area opens new opportunities to combine previously dis- system requirements, which are challenged by the need to
connected quantum systems such as superconducting, charge, scale devices to 10’s and 100’s of qubits in the near future.
spin, phononic and photonic qubits, and study their functional- These challenges include delivering multiple microwave and
ities for qubit manipulation, quantum information processing, bias signals to the device, control of the electromagnetic
and quantum simulation. environment at cryogenic temperatures, microwave hygiene,
qubit readout with low noise amplification, and 3D on-chip
Guido Burkard (Konstanz), Mark Gyure (UCLA), Sophia Economu wiring to allow individual qubit control. To address these chal-
(Virginia Tech), Andrei Faraon (Caltech) lenges there has been novel innovation in I/O design, wiring,
3D integration and cryogenic packaging. These topics will be
addressed in this session.
17.01.06 Superconducting Qubits: Materials, Fabrication, and
Coherence Danna Rosenberg (MIT Lincoln Laboratory), Blake Johnson (Har-
vard), Erik Lucero (Google), David Reilly (Microsoft), Matt Reagor
Superconducting qubits are electronic circuits manufactured (Rigetti)
using fabrication process involving lithographic patterning,
metal deposition, etching, and controlled oxidation of thin
two-dimensional films of a superconductor such as alumi- 17.01.09 Superconducting Qubits: Fluxonium and Novel
num or niobium. They comprise of lithographically defined Superconducting Qubits
Josephson tunnel junctions, inductors, capacitors, and inter-
connects. When cooled to dilution refrigerator temperatures, An important pathway towards overcoming coherence limita-
these circuits behave as quantum mechanical “artificial atoms,” tions of superconducting qubits consists of developing circuits
exhibiting quantized states of electronic charge, magnetic flux, which offer an increased level of protection from noise. Wheth-
or junction phase depending on the design parameters of the er based on symmetries or disjoint support of computational
constituent circuit elements. Their potential for lithographic states, such protected qubits have the potential to outperform
scalability, compatibility with microwave control, and opera- the widely used transmon qubit. The promise of protection
bility at nanosecond time scales place superconducting qubits comes at a price: protected superconducting circuits are
among the leading modalities being considered for quantum generally more challenging to fabricate than the transmon,
information science and technology applications. Circuits and protection can significantly complicate high-fidelity gate
are fabricated on silicon or sapphire substrates, leveraging operations and readout. This session will highlight the exciting
techniques and materials compatible with silicon CMOS man- theoretical and experimental progress on designing, modeling,
ufacturing. Over the past decade, the quantum coherence of fabricating, and operating superconducting qubits with intrin-
superconducting qubits has increased more than five orders sic protection, ranging from high-coherence fluxonium over
of magnitude, due primarily to improvements in their design, 0-π to entirely new circuit proposals.
fabrication, and, importantly, their constituent materials and
interfaces. This session will focus on the important role of Michel Devoret (Yale), Jens Koch (Northwestern), Yu Chen (Google),
materials research in their development and provide a vision Chris Wilson (Waterloo), Vlad Manucharyan (Maryland)
for the future.

17.01.02 Advances in Quantum Technologies: Semiconductor designing fault-tolerant quantum computers. Recent large-
Qubits scale proposals for quantum computers in semiconductors
utilise single electron, or nuclear, spins as the qubits. The mea-
Qubits realized in semiconductors continue to make major ad- surement of spins in these semiconductor architectures can
vances in multiple materials. Spins in electrostatically defined be performed using a capacitively- or tunnel-coupled reservoir
quantum dots in both group-III-V and group-IV semiconduc- to the quantum dot/donor. This session focusses on correctly
tors, in optically-controlled self-assembled quantum dots, and identifying spin qubits in semiconductors and the parameters
bound to impurities, have all witnessed coherent control with needed for high fidelity operation.
increasing fidelity and progress in the mitigation of deco-
herence. Recent developments include demonstrations of Fernando Gonzalez-Zalba (Cambridge University), Benjamin D’An-
quantum logic in multiple dots, the analysis of robust methods jou (ULM University), Daniel Keith (UNSW Sydney)
for reducing charge and hyperfine noise effects, improvements
in device development and characterization, and hybridiza-
tion with superconducting resonators. These developments
17.01.11 Semiconductor Qubits: Multi-qubit control and
all indicate strong progress for single and multiple coupled scalability of spin qubits
qubits across different semiconducting materials and control
Using the spin-degree of freedom, the coherence properties
methods. This focus session is intended to draw together this
and the quality of single-qubit operations have now reached
progress, with interest in device fabrication, demonstrations of
the required level and are on par with competing approaches.
coherent manipulation, control and theoretical modeling.
Two-qubit operations will likely follow suit in the near future.
John Nichol (University of Rochester), Seigo Tarucha (RIKEN), Amir With these basic requirements being met, attention is turning
Yacoby (Harvard), Lars Schrieber (Forschungszentrum Julich, to how to realise increasingly large multi-qubit systems. This
Aachen) session will cover the challenges of scale-up in semiconductor
spin qubits including, but not limited to, scalable implementa-
tion of single and two qubit gates, qubit reproducibly, auto-
17.01.04 Advances in Quantum Technologies: Topological mated qubit operation, qubit arrays and connectivity along
Quantum Computing with multi-qubit control including crosstalk, frequency crowd-
ing, power consumption and integration density. This focus
Topological Stabilization of Memory and Computation: Encod- session will discuss the challenges of scalability and multi-qubit
ing quantum information topologically is a powerful strategy control.
for achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing platforms.
This includes both active approaches, as utilized in topologi- Mark Eriksson (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Lieven Vander-
cal codes, and passive approaches, achieved by manifesting sypen (Delft University of Technology and QuTech and Kavli Insti-
topological phases of matter. Recent progress in the field tute of Nanoscience), Hendrik Bluhm (RWTH Aachen University)
has proposed synthesizing these two approaches, uncovered
deep relations between them, and advanced novel methods
of processing their topologically encoded quantum informa-
17.01.12 Semiconductor Qubits: Quantum Computing with
tion. There has also been a steady exploration of new codes/ Donor Spins
phases and their properties, such as fracton phases, which can
Donor atoms in silicon form an attractive platform for univer-
realize self-correcting quantum memory. Combined with the
sal quantum computing due to the seconds long nuclear spin
accelerating experimental activity on topological phases and
coherence times coupled with exquisite high fidelity (>99.9%)
multi-qubit systems, this is a ripe time for the study of topolog-
coherent control of electron spin qubits. Analog quantum sim-
ical quantum computing.
ulation is also appealing in these systems due to the possibility
Jay Deep Sau (University of Maryland), Tudor Stanescu (West Vir- of fabricating large scale single or few-atom donor arrays.
ginia University) This session focusses on engineering and control of donors in
silicon, including control of tunneling, modelling the electronic
and spin structure of donor states and the realization of high
17.01.10 Semiconductor Qubits: Spin Qubit Read-out fidelity single and two qubit gates. Scaling of donor qubits will
require a detailed knowledge of various types of qubit cou-
Quantum computing relies on the preparation, control and pling mechanisms, atomic level engineering of quantum states,
measurement of quantum states. In order to achieve scalable and the noise environment. The session will include advances
universal quantum computation, the error rate of all these in the fabrication of donor devices, benchmarking qubits, the
processes needs to be less than 1%, the fault-tolerant thresh- formation of donor arrays, tunnel junctions, single electron
old for 2-dimensional surface-code architectures. Recently, transistors, cavity coupling and electron spin transport.
the quality of single- and two-qubit gates have been charac-
terised by randomised benchmarking. Whilst randomised Joris Keizer (SQC/UNSW) John Randall (Zyvex Labs), Rick Silver
benchmarking is useful to establish a comparative analysis of (NIST)
the quality of operation of qubit gates, state-preparation and
measurement errors will lower the overall fidelity of quantum
computer operation and always need to be considered when

7.01.13 Semiconductor Qubits: Novel spin qubit materials the question is whether these technologies can give any kind
and technologies of advantage that the machine learning community would be
interested in. Much research effort has been dedicated to the
Qubits can be made from any quantum system that has two application of optimization or sampling by quantum annealing,
states, but the challenge is to maintain quantum coherence but we have also seen proposals for learning algorithms using
long enough to allow manipulation of the qubits. Multiple can- gate-based quantum computers, continuous-variable and
didates are emerging for spin qubits in the solid state, includ- open quantum systems. The latest results in the field show dis-
ing quantum dots in germanium, acceptor dopants, rare-earth tinct advantages in specific learning scenarios, but much more
ions, color centers in diamond and silicon carbide (SiC). This work is needed to develop algorithms for near-term quantum
focus session will showcase some of the emerging semicon- devices. The proposed invited session showcases some of the
ductor material platforms and differing technologies for these most interesting results and discusses major open questions.
qubits.
Hartmut Neven (Google), Yariv Yanay (University of Maryland)
David Awschalom (The Universtity of Chicago), Menno Veldhorst
(QuTech)
17.01.18 Quantum Characterisation, Verification and
Validation
17.01.15 Multi-mode and 3D Cavity Circuit QED Systems
Quantum systems are predicted to outperform current digital
Superconducting circuits form a promising platform for quan- technologies at various information processing tasks, such
tum computation. Most modern superconducting processors as simulating the dynamics of quantum systems and integer
are based on the transmon circuit and rely on nearest-neigh- factorization. This session will focus on Quantum Characteri-
bor interactions for gate operations and entanglement. This zation, Verification, and Validation (QCVV), the procedure for
session will focus on alternative architectures for supercon- estimating the quality of physical quantum systems for use
ducting quantum information and simulation, involving many as information processors. This session will cover the three
harmonic modes of a multimode cavity. This multimode components of QCVV: Characterizing the effect of control oper-
circuit-QED system has the potential to leverage the long ations on a quantum system, and the nature of external noise
coherence times and restricted decoherence channels of acting on the quantum system; verifying that a control opera-
superconducting microwave cavities. In particular, multi-mode tion implements a desired ideal operation to within a specified
quantum circuits can allow error-protected subspaces, nonlin- precision and validating that the quantum information pro-
ear coupling for multi-qubit operations, and additional mech- cessor can solve specific problems. As quantum information
anisms for state readout or control. This session will address processors scale up and improve, these three tasks become
all issues of cavity coupling, design, characterisation operation, increasingly important and we shall cover how these tasks are
modes, and control. being addressed.
Rob Schoelkopf (Yale University), Yvonne Gao (National University Robin Blume-Kohout (Sandia), Steve Flamia (University of Sydney),
of Singapore) Josh Combes (University of Colorado-Boulder)
17.01.16 Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum Computers 17.01.19 Noise reduction and error mitigation in quantum
(DQI, DCOMP) [same as 16.01.26] computing
It is anticipated that in the near-term future, Noisy Interme- As quantum information processors scale up, from 1 to 2 to 5
diate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) technologies will be available to to (now) 20 or more qubits, noise and errors remain a ma-
quantum information scientists. This session explores the jor challenge. Unfortunately, many of the standard tools for
potential applications of such quantum computers with ~100 characterizing these errors become impractical beyond two or
noisy qubits, and how they may serve as a stepping-stone three qubits. Further progress towards computationally useful
toward larger scale, fault-tolerant devices of the future. quantum devices therefore demands new approaches to mod-
eling, measuring, and mitigating both familiar error processes
John Preskill (Caltech), Mark Ritter (IBM), Ivan Deutsch (University (decoherence of individual qubits) as well as emergent ones
of New Mexico), Hari Krovi (Raytheon) that threaten standard approaches to fault-tolerant error cor-
rection (crosstalk, leakage, correlated errors, etc.). This focus
session highlights progress on characterizing this diverse spec-
17.01.17 Quantum Machine Learning (DQI, GDS) trum of physical errors, modeling their impact, and mitigating
their effects in near-term, noisy, intermediate-scale quantum
Machine learning has become a household term due to
devices.
rapid advances in massively parallel processing units and the
equally fast expansion in available data. More recently, we Irfan Siddiqi (Berkeley), Matthew Ware (Raytheon BBN Technolo-
have witnessed an increased interest in applying early quan- gies), Kevin Young (Sandia), Seth Merkel (IBM)
tum technologies to machine learning as an addition to the
heterogeneous architectures that learning algorithms already
exploit. As noise levels remain high in near-term intermedi-
ate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices and scalability is also limited,

17.01.20 Quantum Control This focus session is intended to bring together research-
ers working on all aspects of the quantum software stack:
The maturation of quantum information technologies high- quantum programming languages, compilers and optimizers,
lights an opportunity for quantum control solutions to accel- software for characterizing errors and finding error correc-
erate pathways to useful quantum systems. Quantum control tion codes, classical simulation of quantum computation, and
as a focused discipline provides means for improving system libraries for quantum algorithms and applications. Topics
performance in the presence of noise and imperfections, as may also take the form of identifying gaps in existing software
well as engineering and accessing complex quantum states stacks or possible interoperability among them. Of particular
and dynamics of interest. The confluence of emerging capabil- interest is identifying ways that better software can accelerate
ities in controlled coherent dynamics and dissipative reservoir the pace towards practical quantum computation by offering
engineering with advances in machine learning is positioning greater efficiency.
quantum control as an enabler of a new class of exploratory
physics investigations. This session will bring together theorists Raphael Pooser (University of Tennessee), Ali Javadi (IBM), Krysta
and experimentalists working across different areas in quan- Svore (Microsoft)
tum control, assess recent progress and outstanding challeng-
es, and identify directions where control can enable further
advances in fundamental quantum physics. 17.01.23 Quantum Error Correction Experiment and
Theory
Lorenza Viola (Dartmouth), Ken Brown (Duke University), Andrew
Cross (IBM) Quantum error correction is an algorithmic way to reduce the
effect of physical errors on a quantum computation by encod-
ing quantum information into a subspace of the entire system.
17.01.21 Advances in Qubit Measurement This focus session will highlight recent experimental advances
towards quantum error correction and novel theoretical meth-
Measurements on quantum systems are at the heart of every ods for developing and implementing quantum error correct-
quantum physics course and absolutely key for either pro- ing codes. Topics will vary from topological codes to bosonic
cessing quantum information (error correction) or controlling codes and from fault-tolerant stabilizer measurements to
quantum systems (feedback). The advent of experiments on symmetry protected subspaces.
quantum computing systems has triggered a new wave of
research on the topic of measuring the state of qubits with in- Ken Brown (Duke University), Andrew Cross (IBM), Lorenza Viola
creasing speed and fidelity, while retaining an ideally non-dem- (Dartmouth College)
olition measurement process; for example, one that does not
change the state of the qubit. Understanding the tradeoffs
surrounding control and measurement, along with maintaining 17.01.24 Continuous variable quantum computing and
high coherence, can be drivers for developing new methods simulation
that make for good quantum computing systems. This session
will address the experimental and theoretical progress made The science of quantum information over the last two decades
in measurements of qubits, focusing on systems of quantum has centered on the manipulation of individual quanta of
dot qubits, superconducting qubits, and other hybrid systems. information, known as qubits. Quantum computers, quan-
tum cryptography and quantum teleportation are among the
Patrick Harvey-Collard (Delft University of Technology), Ray Sim- most celebrated ideas that have emerged from this field. It
monds (NIST) was realized later on that using continuous-variable quantum
information carriers, instead of qubits, constitutes an extreme-
ly powerful alternative approach to quantum information
17.01.22 Quantum software and compilers processing. This focus session focuses on continuous-variable
quantum information systems that includes quantized modes
Two important developments in quantum computing in recent
of bosonic systems such as the different degrees of freedom
years have made this a privileged time in the history of the
of the electromagnetic field, vibrational modes of solids,
field: first is computers being built with 50-100 qubits and high
atomic ensembles, nuclear spins in a quantum dot, Josephson
fidelity gates (so called NISQ computers), and the second is
junctions, and Bose-Einstein condensates.
public access to such machines. These milestones have made
quantum software more important than ever. Steve Girvin (Yale), Nick Menicucci (RMIT University), Akira Furusa-
wa (Univ of Tokyo), Barbara Terhal (Delft/Juelich)
Good software is at the heart of putting these machines to
work. It allows the computation to efficiently exploit the limited
resources of NISQ computers, accelerates finding useful ap- 17.01.25 Quantum computing architectures
plications, enables developing algorithms and tools for scaled
quantum computers, allows users to explore techniques for The increasing importance of quantum hardware design and
error mitigation and correction, and can reduce user error development underpins how quantum computers will scale
through better programming constructs and feedback. Finally, into the fault-tolerant, error-corrected regime. Quantum archi-
software is the entry point for cloud access quantum comput- tecture design brings together expertise in quantum algorithm
ers, opening up the field to thousands of new users who bring design and optimisation, error-correction and fault-tolerance
new insights and expertise. with detailed knowledge of device physics and quantum
system fabrication and control. This session will examine

current blueprints for quantum computing architectures and Ruichao Ma (Purdue University), Mohammad Ansari (Jülich/Delft),
what these designs can tell us about effective system design Sebasatian Deffmer (UMBC)
for scalable quantum computing. What challenges lie ahead
for mass manufacturing, infrastructure, automated operations
and what insights we can gain now about the design of the 17.01.28 Quantum thermodynamics
fundamental building blocks of computational systems that
will prevent roadblocks and dead ends as these systems scale This is an exciting time for quantum metrology and measure-
to larger numbers of physical qubits. ments of individual quantum systems. Theorists are challeng-
ing long-held beliefs and assumptions, ranging from the true
Jungsang Kim (Duke University), Simon Devitt (UTS), Simon Benja- limits of resolution (e.g. the Rayleigh criterion), to the proper
min (Oxford), Rod Van Meter (Keio University) Tsai Jaw-Shen (Tokyo counting of resources and ultimate achievability of bounds.
University) Inspired by error suppression techniques in quantum comput-
ing, they are also finding new avenues to achieve these bounds
despite the presence of loss and noise. Experimental work has
17.01.26 Quantum computing algorithms been no less exciting: quantum-limited measurements are
now being made on larger and larger systems, including su-
The field of quantum algorithms is experiencing rapid growth. perconducting circuits and quantum optomechanical systems.
Areas in which quantum algorithms may be applied include Experiments have investigated spin squeezed magnetometry,
cryptography, search and optimization and simulation of quan- adaptive phase measurements in qubits and the possibility of
tum systems. This focus session will highlight recent develop- quantum-enhanced dark matter searches. Additionally, exper-
ments and near-term applications of quantum algorithms with iments based on single solid state defects are pushing the lim-
an emphasis on new ideas and emerging themes rather than its of resolution down to the scale of single atoms. This session
technical details. will provide a forum for discussing the most recent theoretical
and experimental results related to quantum measurement,
Aram Harrow (MIT), Ashley Montanaro (University of Bristol), David metrology and sensing, as well as provide a venue for discuss-
Gosset (University of Waterloo), Michael Bremner (UTS) ing future research directions.
Ruichao Ma (Purdue University), Mohammad Ansari (Jülich/Delft),

17.01.27 Quantum Annealing and Optimization Sebasatian Deffmer (UMBC)
Adiabatic quantum computing and quantum annealing are
computational methods that have been proposed to solve 17.01.29 Distributed Quantum Computation, Networking
combinatorial optimization and sampling problems. They have
recently been successfully extended to include quantum sim-
and Information Security
ulation. Several efforts are underway to manufacture proces- Quantum networks form an integral part of quantum technol-
sors that implement these strategies, representing the largest ogies, posing significant challenges to science and engineering.
integrated quantum information processing available to date. On the one hand, quantum networks at short distances prom-
This session will expose the Physics community to some of the ise a path towards scalability of quantum computing systems
latest results in this exciting and rapidly developing field. in which multiple smaller quantum computers are connected
into one larger quantum computing cluster. On the other
Daniel Lidar (Uni of Southern California), Elanor Rieffel (NASA),
hand, quantum networks at large distances, i.e. a quantum
Richard Harris (D-Wave Systems Inc)
internet, offer a host of new applications such as for example
quantum secure communication. The objective of this session
17.01.28 Quantum metrology and sensing is to discuss advancements and challenges in the realization
and application of networked quantum technologies. This
This is an exciting time for quantum metrology and measure- includes all aspects involved in networked quantum computing
ments of individual quantum systems. Theorists are challeng- and communication systems, ranging from theoretical designs
ing long-held beliefs and assumptions, ranging from the true and experimental implementations, all the way to the devel-
limits of resolution (e.g. the Rayleigh criterion), to the proper opment of quantum algorithms and protocols for quantum
counting of resources and ultimate achievability of bounds. networks.
Inspired by error suppression techniques in quantum comput-
ing, they are also finding new avenues to achieve these bounds Mikhail Lukin (Harvard), Artur Ekert (Oxford University), Hoi-Kwong
despite the presence of loss and noise. Experimental work has (University of Toronto), Fabio Scarani (Sapienza University of
been no less exciting: quantum-limited measurements are Rome)
now being made on larger and larger systems, including su-
perconducting circuits and quantum optomechanical systems.
Experiments have investigated spin squeezed magnetometry,
17.01.30 Quantum Metrology and Sensing
adaptive phase measurements in qubits and the possibility of This is an exciting time for quantum metrology and measure-
quantum-enhanced dark matter searches. Additionally, exper- ments of individual quantum systems. Theorists are challeng-
iments based on single solid state defects are pushing the lim- ing long-held beliefs and assumptions, ranging from the true
its of resolution down to the scale of single atoms. This session limits of resolution (e.g. the Rayleigh criterion), to the proper
will provide a forum for discussing the most recent theoretical counting of resources and ultimate achievability of bounds.
and experimental results related to quantum measurement, Inspired by error suppression techniques in quantum comput-
metrology and sensing, as well as provide a venue for discuss-
ing future research directions.

ing, they are also finding new avenues to achieve these bounds scientific importance. Geophysical processes in the core of the
despite the presence of loss and noise. Experimental work has Earth and other planets, matter withstanding hypervelocity
been no less exciting: quantum-limited measurements are impacts of comets, shock wave compression of materials,
now being made on larger and larger systems, including su- detonation of explosives, high pressure and high temperature
perconducting circuits and quantum optomechanical systems. synthesis of novel materials, failure of materials reaching their
Experiments have investigated spin squeezed magnetometry, intrinsic limit of performance, all require an understanding
adaptive phase measurements in qubits and the possibility of the fundamental mechanisms of materials response at the
of quantum-enhanced dark matter searches. This session will atomic, microstructural, and continuum levels. The advent of
provide a forum for discussing the most recent theoretical and x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs), 3rd-4th generation synchro-
experimental results related to quantum measurement, me- tron sources, and static and dynamic compression facilities in
trology and sensing, as well as provide a venue for discussing the US (NIF, APS/ANL, LCLS/SLAC) and elsewhere (European
future research directions. XFEL, SACLA, ESRF) as well as recent advances in theory and
modeling open up new exciting opportunities for successful
Aashish Clerk (University of Chicago), Natalie De Leon (Princeton), collaborations between experiment and theory/simulations.
Rafał Demkowicz-Dobrzański (University of Warszawski)
This focus session, consisting of several invited and contrib-
uted talks, will assess recent experimental and computational
17.01.31 Quantum Foundations efforts towards exploring the fundamental properties of mate-
rials at extreme conditions, including:
The field of quantum information has sometimes been called
“applied quantum foundations”. This is why work in the 1. high-pressure and high temperature synthesis and charac-
foundations of quantum mechanics finds its natural home terization of materials;
in the Division of Quantum Information. Quantum founda-
tions research includes all fundamental aspects of quantum 2. static high pressure and shock-induced materials behav-
entanglement, Bell inequalities, contextuality results like the ior, including plasticity, phase transitions, and chemical
Kochen-Specker theorem, complementarity, quantum mea- reactions;
surement theory, various conundrums like Wigner’s friend,
delayed choice experiments, and the like, as well as conceptual 3. high strain rate phenomena occurring upon ultrafast ener-
work in quantum interpretations such as Everett’s many-world gy deposition;
interpretation and QBism.
4. static and dynamic properties of energetic materials,
Matthew Leifer (Chapman University), Rob Spekkens (Perimeter including structural stability at high P-T conditions, P-T
Institute for Theoretical Physics) phase diagrams, and detonation phenomena;
5. properties of matter in the warm dense regime;

17.01.32 Teaching Quantum Information at all Levels (FEd,
6. new computational methods including development of
DQI) [same as 27.01.01]) interatomic potentials, multi-scale simulations, techniques
for reaching longer timescales, and novel applications of
The APS March Meeting brings together the world’s experts in
data science and exascale computations to simulate mat-
quantum information science and technology, many of whom
ter at extreme conditions.
are also leading the way in education efforts related to QIS. In
this session, we want to give an opportunity to exchange cre- Ivan Oleynik, University of South Florida, Email: [email protected];
ative ideas about QIS education. This could include how partic- John Borg Marquette University, Email: [email protected];
ular QIS topics are being taught, descriptions of QIS courses or Cindy Bolme, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Email: cbolme@
resources that are appropriate for a range of levels (e.g., high lanl.gov; Nenad Velisavljevic, Advanced Photon Source at Argonne
school, undergraduate, or graduate), lab education in QIS, QIS National Laboratory, Email: [email protected]
degree programs, and informal science education and out-
reach. Please share what you are doing to help our community
excite and educate the next generation of quantum scientists
and engineers. This is a general interest session, so March
DCP
Meeting attendees can contribute a talk to this focus session in
addition to their technical/scientific contributed talk.
Predicting Rare-Event Kinetics in Complex Systems with
Benjamin Zwickl (Rochester Institute of Technology), Peter Turner Theory, Simulations, and Machine Learning
(Macquarie University and Sydney Quantum Academy)
Development of efficient techniques to model long time
dynamics in molecular systems plagued by rare events and
compute reaction rates require ideas from reaction dynamics,
GSCCM intramolecular energy transfer, enhanced sampling, equilib-
rium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics and of late even
machine learning and artificial intelligence. In this session we
18.01.01 Materials in Extremes: Bridging Simulation and
aim at gathering the international community of researchers
Experiment interested in developing and applying in modelling methods
to compute kinetics of rare events in complex systems. We will
The behavior of matter under extreme conditions of high
pressure, temperature, strain and strain rate is of fundamental

promote an open discussion on the status of the field and on Nonadiabatic dynamics in cold and ultracold collisions and
the applicability of the state-of-the-art methods to challenging reactions
problems such as the calculation of reaction kinetics in liquids,
kinetics in biomolecular systems, and the kinetics of collective The breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer adiabatic approxi-
assembly processes. mation is typically associated with reactions involving excited
state molecules, but it has emerged recently as an important
Pratyush Tiwary and Matteo Salvalagio issue in cold and ultracold processes. This symposium will dis-
cuss the latest work on the role of electronic nonadiabaticity in
cold and ultracold collisions.
05.01.06 The Chemical Physics of Molecular Polaritons (DCP,
DCMP, DPOLY) [same as 01.01.47] Hua Guo, Brian Kendrick, and Balakrishnan Naduvalath
The physical conditions of the universe at large stretch beyond

those typically found on Earth. Hence, the behavior of mole- Low-Dimensional Materials and Tools for Quantum
cules in astrophysical contexts can provide novel insights into Information Science
the origin and evolution of the universe at large and the indi-
vidual bodies that make it up. This symposium is a celebration Quantum Information Science (QIS) represents an historic op-
of the creativity allotted to the study of chemical physics not portunity to revolutionize science and technology by utilizing
constrained by terrestrial limitations. Theoretical and exper- the entanglement and superposition principles to transform
imental results are welcomed with applications to molecular disciplines ranging from computing, to communication, and
astrophysics ranging from chemical reaction kinetics, to astro- sensing. Creating the optimal core unit (qubit) for QIS systems
chemical simulations, to novel observations, and beyond. necessitates an approach guided by fundamental chemical
and physical design rules that inform how a material can be
Leah G. Dodson and Ryan C. Fortenberry tailored for a desired application. This session will focus on the
design and realization of qubits within low-dimensional materi-
als platforms. Talks discussing strategies for satisfying exclu-
Behavior of liquids confined on the nanometer scale sive sensitivity and spatial addressability in a broad spectrum
It has long been recognized that liquids that are confined on a of qubit candidates are encouraged.
scale of 10 nanometers or less exhibit extraordinary behavior,
Thomas Kempa and Danna Freedman
such as substantial changes in phase-transition temperatures
and selective permeability. Historically, experiments in these
systems were generally performed on disordered media with 2020 Awards Session
a range of pore diameters and geometries. Recent advances in
precision nanomaterials, as well as the development of highly Albert Stolow
sensitive experimental techniques and powerful theory and
simulations, are powering a revolution in our understanding
of liquids confined on the nanometer scale. This Focus Ses- 2021 Awards Session
sion will be dedicated to cutting-edge basic research in this
field, and the ways in which a deeper understanding of liquids Amy Mullin
confined on the nanometer scale is opening up exciting new
applications.
FEd
John Fourkas and Mark Reed
Teaching Quantum Information At All Levels

Assigning Structures to Spectra using Density Functional
Theory: Methods and Applications The APS March Meeting brings together the world’s experts in
quantum information science and technology, many of whom
Density functional theory (DFT), arguably the most widely-ad- are also leading the way in education efforts related to QIS. In
opted electronic structure approximation across chemistry this session, we want to give an opportunity to exchange cre-
and physics, is increasingly used as a structural tool. DFT ative ideas about QIS education. This could include how partic-
simulations help assign the structures of gas-phase cluster ular QIS topics are being taught, descriptions of QIS courses or
ions, semiconductor defects, short-lived intermediates, chiral resources appropriate for a range of levels (e.g., high school,
molecules in solution, and other situations where high-res- undergraduate, or graduate), lab education in QIS, QIS degree
olution X-ray crystal structures are unavailable. This session programs, and informal science education and outreach.
focuses on the methodological improvements that make this Please share what you are doing to help our community excite
possible, as well as a variety of applications focusing on hybrid and educate the next generation of quantum scientists and
organic-inorganic halide perovskite nanostructures. engineers. This is a general interest session, so March Meeting
attendees can contribute a talk to this focus session in addition
Benjamin Janesko and Giovanni Scalmani to their technical/scientific contributed talk.
Co-sponsors: Forum on Education, Division of Quantum Informa-

tion; Co-organizers: Michelle Simmons (DQI); Benjamin M. Zwickl
(FEd)

DSOFT Physics of bioinspired load-bearing and energy-dissipative
materials
02.01.14 Rheology of Gels (DSOFT, DBIO, GSNP, DPOLY, DFD) Ling Li, [email protected], Virginia Tech
[same as 04.01.43, 01.01.53, 03.01.47, 20.01.20]
02.01.10 Soft mechanics via geometry (DSOFT, DPOLY) [same
Gels, nonfluid networks of particles or polymers that are
pervaded by fluid, appear ubiquitously within soft matter as 01.01.37]
systems in practical applications as well as in living biological
A broad variety of soft structures of current and perennial
systems. The mechanical properties of gels are intermediate
interest derive their mechanical response from properties that
between those of fluids and solids, and depend sensitively
are less material than geometric. Symmetries, structural thin-
on the strucure of the gel constituents across multiple length
ness, metric constraints such as curvature or twist, fractal di-
scales. This focus session invites experimental, theoretical, and
mension, complex patterning and structural correlations statis-
computational studies of the rheological properties of gels,
tics are all geometrical quantities that can determine patterns
including chemical and physical gels, hydrogels, colloidal gels,
of stress, strain and nonlinear deformations across a system.
and biological gels, with particular interest and emphasis on
Such considerations are widespread in the soft, nonlinear,
connecting structural properties to flow properties. Contribu-
polymer and bio communities at APS. This session focuses on
tions examining the effect of non-equilibrium activity (driven
a variety of problems in soft mechanics where geometry plays
by molecular motors or by active particles) on gel mechanics
a critical role, and showcase common themes in the emergent
are strongly encouraged.
properties of these systems.
Emanuela Del Gado, Georgetown University ed610@georgetown.
Zeb Rocklin, Georgia Institute of Technology, zebrocklin@gatech.
edu,
edu
02.01.15 Physics of Bio-inspired Materials (DSOFT, DBIO, 02.01.07 Programmable Matter (DSOFT, GSNP, DPOLY) [same
DPOLY) [same as 04.01.42, 01.01.54] as 03.01.15, 01.01.55]
Material scientists have long been inspired by nature seeking
Mechanical, biological and chemical systems have recently
to use bioinspired design principles to engineer materials with
demonstrated the ability to realize, process and relay infor-
superior properties. The goal of this session is to create a plat-
mation in ways and at scales superior to that of traditional
form for experts working on bioinspired materials, to discuss
electronic computing. This focus session on programmable
the underlying novel material physics across different length
matter addresses how logical operations, pattern recognition,
and time scales and its role in determining functional material
optimization and other computing tasks may be realized in di-
properties. We expect this session will become a unique forum
verse material systems, and how these logical operations may
that not only provides the physical understanding of bioin-
be used to generate novel structures. The proposed session
spired materials, but also offers physical insights to advance
will address similar work from a different novel perspective,
the design of future bioinspired systems for broad applications
integrating the work of existing communities.
by addressing the current scientific and technological challeng-
es. Zeb Rocklin, Georgia Institute of Technology, zebrocklin@gatech.
edu
Topics will include:
Physics of self-assembly or self-organization approaches for

bioinspired materials
02.01.13 Quantitative stress imaging: from elastomers to
biological tissues to image-based modeling (DSOFT, GMED)
Physics of top-down and/or bottom-up approaches for making [same as 25.01.03]
hierarchical structures
Medical physics has developed a variety of approaches to
Physics of 3D printing of biomaterials or bioinspired structures quantify stress in tissue: MRI, (micro)CT, X-ray, Ultrasound, me-
chanical measurements and optical modalities. These imaging
Structure-function relationships in bioinspired materials/struc- techniques present a broad research field, spanning multiple
tures scales (from nanometers to meters) and different applications
(in-vivo, ex-vivo, and in-situ). The soft matter community has
Bridging extreme mechanics in the lab to biological systems in
simultaneously developed similar quantitative stress imaging
nature
methods, additionally including mechanochemical sensors, flu-
Physics of bioinspired sensing and actuation orescence, photo-elasticity, rheo-optics and DIC. This session
intends to provide a platform for exchange of perspectives be-
Physics of bioinspired surfaces and interfaces tween medical and soft matter physicists on quantitative stress
imaging. One particular goal is to better combine quantitative
Physics of bioinspired optical materials/structures stress measurements with computer simulations of deforma-
tions in tissue and other soft materials.
Physics of stimuli-responsive behaviors of bioinspired materi-
als/structures Joshua Dijksman [email protected], Wageningen University

02.01.08 Emergent mechanics of active, robotic, and living Andrea Cairoli, [email protected], Imperial College;
materials (DSOFT, GSNP) [same as 03.01.37] Kanazawa Kiyoshi ([email protected]) The University of
Tsukuba; Sano Tomohiko ([email protected]) Ecole Polytech-
The physical properties of nonequilibrium matter can differ nique Fédérale de Lausanne
fundamentally from those of equilibrium systems, and me-
chanics is no exception. Recently, several groups have demon-
strated that assemblies of active, dynamic, or driven elements 02.01.09 Active matter in complex environments 03.01.23,
can harbor unique large-scale mechanical and acoustic 04.01.01, 20.01.14, 02.01.09
properties such as one-way transport, nonreciprocity, self-lo-
comotion, and controlled amplification. While the specific Active matter is a prominent area of research in soft matter
realizations range from metamaterials to robotic assemblies and biological physics: it gives us the opportunity to learn
to biological networks, they share the unifying theme that the new physics (active materials are out of equilibrium), engineer
novel mechanical behavior emerges from interactions among new materials (e.g. “intelligent” responsive materials), and
active building blocks. Progress in this area will involve both learn more about biology (e.g. cells, migratory animals, and
theoretical and computational advances to describe the elastic even subcellular motor proteins are active materials). While
properties of dynamic assemblies, as well as experimental a tremendous amount of work has focused on the physics of
developments to fabricate and characterize candidate materi- active matter in bulk/unconfined environments, recent work is
als with nonequilibrium elements. This focus session aims to starting to demonstrate the rich physics associated with active
showcase new and future developments in this burgeoning matter in complex environments characterized by tortuosity,
field, and to bring together researchers from diverse disci- confinement, and complex interactions. In these cases, envi-
plines to work towards a common physical framework and ronmental interactions can strongly impact motility behaviors
inspire new collaborations. and collective phenomena like flocking, clustering, and phase
separation. This session will focus on this new direction in
Jayson Paulose University of Oregon, Anton Souslov University of active matter research.
Bath Corentin Coulais, Univ of Amsterdam
Sujit Datta, [email protected], Princeton
02.01.06 Machine Learning in Nonlinear Physics and

Mechanics (DSOFT, GSNP, DCOMP) [same as 03.01.42, 02.01.11 Origin of rigidity and the nature of the yielding
16.01.27] transition in solids (DSOFT)
Bulbul Chakraborty ([email protected]) Brandeis; Ramaswamy
Machine learning has generated much recent excitement
Sriram ([email protected]) Indian Institute of Sci-
within the physics community, and provides a powerful new
ence
tool to analyze and understand many physical systems. Usage
of machine learning is still in its infancy, and many interesting
challenges remain unexplored. What machine learning meth- 02.01.03 Electrostatic Manipulation of Fluids and Soft Matter
ods are most appropriate? How do we use these tools most
effectively? Should experimental procedures be redesigned to (DSOFT, DPOLY, DBIO, DFD) [same as 01.01.34, 04.01.30,
take advantage of machine learning? 20.01.16]
Chris Rycroft, [email protected], Harvard University This session aims to bring together researchers from various
electrostatic communities from DSOFT, DPOLY, DBIO, and
DFD including, liquid crystal and block copolymer orientation,
02.01.12 Kinetic theory and its applications in the physical, electrospinning, electrospray, ionic propulsion, electrophoresis
biological and social sciences of active matter, electroporation, electrowetting, electrohydro-
dynamics, and soft robotics.
Kinetic theory is a powerful technique in theoretical physics
that allows to derive an effective macroscopic description of a Jonathan Singer, [email protected], Rutgers University
physical system by integrating out formally its underlying mi-
croscopic degrees of freedom. First formulated in the context
of dilute gases, it is still widely used throughout the sciences 02.01.04 Morphing matter: from soft robotics to 4D printing
nowadays. The aim of this proposed Focus Session is twofold: (DSOFT, GSNP) [same as 03.01.38]
On the one hand, it will provide a pedagogical introduction to t
is important technique accessible also to non-experts. On the From soft robotics to 4D printing research labs are abound
other hand, it will present an overview of the state-of-the-art with examples of smart morphable matter capable of interact-
research employing this methodology not only in physics, but ing with their environment solely on the basis of their material
also in biology, finance and the social sciences. Therefore, we properties. These responsive, malleable and programmable
believe that the outline of this session can be of exceptional materials often derive their remarkable functional properties
interest for the membership of GSOFT and related units, as it from their structure rather than their chemistry alone. We are
can potentially novel applications of this fundamental tech- seeking contributions studying the fundamental and practical
nique. aspects of such morphing materials. Particularly, we are inter-

ested in (1) the mechanisms of amplification of an input via the 02.01.01 Wetting and Adhesion of Soft Materials: Dynamics
architecture of the materials and (2) the programmability of a and Instability (DSOFT, DPOLY, GSNP) [same as 01.01.35,
complex response using a simple mode of actuation.
03.01.39]
Andrej Kosmrlj [email protected], Princeton University
The wetting and adhesion properties of soft materials are
relevant for a wide range of applications including hydro/om-
02.01.16 Soft matter physics in a geophysical context (DSOFT, niphobic coatings, medical dressing, and MEMS/NEMS devic-
es. In many situations, the macroscopic properties crucially
DFD) [same as 20.01.22] depend on the physical processes localized near a contact-line
Planetary surfaces present a wealth of soft matter physics where the two materials and a liquid/gas phase meet. When
phenomena, with striking patterns often forming through dealing with Hookean solids and Newtonian fluids, models
the deformation and flow of geomaterials that are “soft” on have been developed to successfully bridge macroscopic linear
geological timescales. This session aims to bring together the behavior with contact line dynamics. Yet, many open questions
geophysical and soft matter communities to understand how arise concerning the local dissipative processes operating in
such phenomena arise, whether through remote sensing, lab- dynamical regimes for more complex materials and interfaces.
oratory experiments, field studies, or numerical simulations.
Julien Chopin, [email protected], UFBA
Karen Daniels, [email protected], NC State University
Fluid--structure interaction
02.01.18 Memory Formation in Matter: Encoding, Reading, “Fluid--structure interaction” (FSI) has a number of different
and Design (DSOFT, GSNP, DCMP) [same as 03.01.46] meanings to fluid mechanicians and soft matter physicists:
from hydrodynamics of swimming, flying and flocking (in
Memory is an emerging perspective on non-equilibrium matter
which a solid or elastic body with prescribed kinematics moves
that brings history-dependence, dynamics, disorder, and
through a fluid), to small scale (viscosity-dominated) flows in
diversity together with information, adaptation, and design.
deformable conduits such as blood vessels or microchannels
Examples range from suspensions, foams, and gels that
in lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices, to the motion of polymers in
recall past deformations, to dynamical systems that gradually
suspension, the dynamics of liquid crystals and the redistribu-
adapt to repeated driving, to self-assembling particles that
tion of fluid in porous gels. These problems have in common
encode desired structures. This session will bring together
the slow flow of a viscous fluid interacting with a compliant
current research into the wide array of memory phenomena in
object or boundary. The justification of the proposed focus
non-equilibrium systems, with the aim of highlighting common
session is that the variety and complexity of such problems
principles, patterns, and distinctions.
at the interface of fluid mechanics and soft matter physics
Nathan Keim, [email protected] [email protected], Pennsylvania requires an interdisciplinary approach harnessing the skills of
State University solid mechanicians, fluid mechanicians and soft matter physi-
cists (including nonlinear and condensed matter physicists) to
make progress on predictive models anchored on fundamen-
02.01.02 Active Matter and liquid crystals in biological and tal physics. Therefore, we propose to bring together at the APS
March 2021 meeting such an audience, in order to share their
bio-inspired systems (DSOFT, DBIO, DPOLY, GSNP) [same as latest research, interact, and ideally spawn future interdisci-
04.01.29, 01.01.36, 03.01.40] plinary collaboration. This focus session will be of significant
interest to DSOFT (the proposed sponsoring unit) as well as
Fascinating soft materials, often with intricate organiza-
DFD and even GSNP. The focus session will be anchored by
tions and unusual properties that derive from shape and
two key invited talks, one by Prof. Cummings potentially on
out-of-equilibrium mechanics, are ubiquitous in many biolog-
small scale fluids flows of complex fluids, and another by Prof.
ical and bio-inspired systems. Recent research investigates
Vella on the interaction of thin elastic objects with flows.
these biological soft materials at the interface of liquid crystals
and active matter, in 2D and more recently, in 3D, uncover- Ivan Christov, [email protected] Purdue; Pejman Sanaei
ing new physical phenomena in biology and soft materials. [email protected] New York Institute of Technology
Examples include research in dense collections of biopoly-
mers, bacterial suspensions, cellular tissues, and composite
systems created from biological materials or cells coexisting 02.01.19 Programmable Self-assembly: Particle, Interaction
with biocompatible liquid crystals. This focus session will bring and Pathway Design (DSOFT)
together experimentalists and theorists to share their recent
progress on understanding the physics of these biological and Programmable self-assembly has been a long-standing goal for
bio-inspired systems in the perspective of active matter and physics, material science, and biology. Many efforts towards
liquid crystals. The session will promote further developments this goal use different kinds of building blocks, such as col-
and invoke interdisciplinary efforts in unifying different frame- loids, DNA, and proteins. Completing the full cycle of efficiently
works to elucidate the intriguing physics of soft, biological synthesizing these building blocks, designing their interactions,
materials from semi-dilute to dense limit. and constructing the optimal pathway is getting much atten-
tion from people working in soft matter. For this focus session,
Kimberly Weirich, [email protected], University of Chicago we want to bring together people working on programmable

self-assembly from all sides to share their approaches and fa- include Berry phase contributions to transport properties,
cilitate discussion. Topics ranging from building block synthe- chiral anomaly, quantized nonlinear transport under circularly
sis to theoretical design frameworks are all welcome. polarized light, protected Fermi arc surface states, suppressed
scattering, optical control of topology, landau level spectrosco-
Itai Cohen, Cornell; Michael Brenner, Harvard py, superconductivity, and non-local transport. While promis-
ing candidate materials exist for many but certainly not all of
the topological semimetals, many phenomena have yet to be
DMP clearly resolved.
This focus topic aims to explore Dirac, Weyl and other new
07.01.01 Topological materials: synthesis, characterization semimetals and the novel phenomena associated with them.
and modeling (DMP) We solicit contributions on predictions, new materials synthe-
sis and characterization, new phenomena in topological semi-
There has been explosive growth in the study of topological metals, as well as studies on both conventional and uncon-
insulators in which the combined effects of the spin-orbit cou- ventional semimetals, both in the bulk and on the surfaces of
pling and time-reversal symmetry yield a bulk energy gap with samples that accentuate the non-trivial topological character
novel gapless surface states that are robust against scattering. of the new semimetals.
Moreover, the field has expanded in scope to include topolog-
ical phases more complex materials such as Kondo systems, Zhiqiang Mao (Penn State) [email protected]; Dima Pesin (Virginia) -
magnetic materials, and complex heterostructures capable [email protected]
of harboring exotic topologically nontrivial state of quantum
matter. The observation of theoretical predictions depends
greatly on sample quality and there remain significant chal-
07.01.03 Topological superconductivity: materials and
lenges in identifying and synthesizing the underlying mate- modeling (DMP)
rials that have properties amenable to the study of the bulk,
surface and interface states of interest. This topic will focus on Topological superconductors are superconductors charac-
fundamental advances in the synthesis, characterization and terized by topological invariants associated with the band
modeling of candidate topological materials in various forms structure of the Bogoliubov quasiparticles. They have been a
including single crystals, exfoliated and epitaxial thin films and focus of significant experimental and theoretical efforts in view
heterostructures, and nanowires and nanoribbons, in addi- of their relevance to fundamental physical and mathematical
tion to theoretical studies that illuminate the synthesis effort concepts, and potential for quantum computation. Along with
and identify new candidate materials. Of equal interest is the the search for bulk materials candidates, there has been much
characterization of these samples using structural, transport, recent progress in studies of atomically thin films, artificially
magnetic, optical, scanning probe, photoemission and oth- engineered structures, and the surfaces of bulk materials.
er spectroscopic techniques, and related theoretical efforts This Focus Topic will cover topological superconductivity and
aimed at modeling various properties both in the surface/in- the closely related non-centrosymmetric superconductivity in
terface and in the bulk. new experimental settings involving transition metal dichalco-
genides, topological insulators, Weyl semi-metals, FeSe-based
Sean Oh (Rutgers) [email protected]; Peter Armitage systems, graphene, engineered heterostructures, semicon-
(Johns Hopkins) [email protected] ducting nanowires, atomic chains and Shiba states, junctions
with ferromagnets, quantum Hall states, and driven systems
and Floquet states. This Focus Topic will also cover the new un-
07.01.02 Dirac and Weyl semimetals: materials and modeling derstanding of bulk materials candidates such as Sr2RuO4 and
(DMP) the emerging opportunities in platforms such as twisted bilay-
ers of 2D materials, and advances in strategies for quantum
The field of topological semimetals has developed dramati- information processing using topological superconductivity.
cally over the past few years. After the initial prediction and
discovery of Dirac and Weyl semimetals – materials whose low Peng Wei (UC Riverside) [email protected]; Ulrich Welp (Argonne)
energy excitations can be described by the Dirac or Weyl equa- [email protected]; Daniel Agterberg (U. Wisc. Milwaukee) agterber@
tion of high-energy physics – the field has now expanded to uwm.edu
include new low-energy excitations not possible in a high-en-
ergy setting. Semimetals with different degeneracy at crossing
points or lines have been predicted. Transport theories and
07.01.04 Magnetic topological materials (DMP, GMAG) [same
effects have been predicted and proposed in order to measure as 10.01.09]
a small subset of the topological characteristics of the semime-
tals (such as Chern numbers). Furthermore, semimetals whose The intersection of long-range magnetic order with topolog-
existence is guaranteed by filling constraints derived from the ical electronic states is developing into an exciting area in
presence of certain orbitals at certain points in specific lattices condensed matter physics. A variety of exotic quantum states
have also been mentioned in the literature. have been predicted to emerge, such as the quantum anoma-
lous Hall effect, Weyl semimetals, and axion insulators. There
Distinct from conventional low carrier density systems, Dirac, are many open questions that in these materials that have
Weyl and other semimetals are expected to possess exotic inspired rapid theoretical and experimental developments.
properties due to the nontrivial topologies of their electronic For example, although the exciting phenomena listed above
wave functions. A subset of the novel properties predicted have been predicted, only a few experimental realizations

have been found to date. However, there are several candi- Metal-organic frameworks, organometallics, molecule-based
date materials that have been proposed or synthesized very materials, organic thin films and other soft materials that can
recently, some in just the last year. This will be a focus session exhibit magnetoelectric properties
on theoretical predictions, experimental methods that are sen-
sitive to the topological nature of magnetic materials, and the Spin-electric coupling in single molecule magnets
discovery of magnetic topological materials in both single-crys-
tal, thin film, and heterostructure morphologies. Coupling of spin crossovers and spin state ordering to electric
and strain properties of materials
Claudia Felser (MPI Dresden) [email protected];
Sangwook Cheong (Rutgers U) [email protected]; James Magnetoelectric domains and domain walls
Analytis (UC Berkeley) [email protected]
Magnetoelectric coupling at surfaces
Band-filling and bandwidth control in complex oxides (a pre-

08.01.02 Dopants and defects in semiconductors (DMP, requisite to harnessing charge/orbital order, magnetic transi-
DCOMP, FIAP) [same as 16.01.30] tions and metal insulator transitions)
Defects profoundly affect the electronic and optical properties Other novel theoretical and experimental routes to multifunc-
of semiconductors. They control charge carrier concentra- tional cross coupling of magnetic, electric and strain proper-
tion, transport, and recombination rates. They also regulate ties.
mass-transport processes involved in migration, diffusion,
and precipitation. The success of microelectronic and opto- Jan Musfeldt, (U. Tennessee), [email protected]; Turan Birol, (U.
electronic semiconductor devices has relied on the engineer- Minnesota) [email protected]; Mark Pederson, (U. Texas El Paso)
ing of beneficial defects while mitigating unwanted defects. [email protected].
Understanding, characterizing, and controlling dopants and
defects is essential for technologies such as lighting and power
electronics, quantum information sciences, memory, and thin 08.01.04 Organometal halide perovskites: photovoltaics and
film solar cells. This focus topic is the physics of dopants and beyond (DMP, FIAP)
defects in existing and emerging semiconductors, from the
bulk to the atomic scale, encompassing point, line, and planar Organometallic halide perovskites have recently caused a
defects, including surfaces and interfaces. We solicit abstracts surge of interest in their optoelectronic properties and applica-
on experimental, computational, and theoretical investigations tions due to their remarkable performance as semiconductor
of the electronic, structural, optical, and magnetic properties light absorbers in solar cells. As a new class of semiconductors,
of dopants and defects in elemental and compound semi- these materials are interesting not only because of the hybrid
conductors, nanostructured materials such as nanowires and organic-inorganic structure, but also for their superior proper-
quantum dots, photodetectors, and light emitters. We espe- ties such as high defect tolerance, strong optical absorption,
cially encourage submissions on (1) defect management in low recombination rate, ambipolar charge transport, and
wide-band-gap electronic materials such as diamond, group-III tunable physical properties. Rapid progress has been made
nitrides, and gallium oxide, (2) defects in inorganic semicon- in the demonstration of photoelectronic perovskite devices
ductors for photovoltaics, and (3) defects in two-dimensional for photovoltaics, light emission, lasing and photodetection.
materials for single photon emission and quantum sensing. In Possible structural asymmetry, due to lattice distortion by
addition, we welcome abstracts on relevant techniques such as organic cations, gives rise to ferroelectricity and large Rashba
materials processing and advanced characterization. spin-orbit coupling in the hybrid perovskites, which provides
more functionality to devices with electric field control and/
Matthew McCluskey (Washington State University); mattmcc@wsu. or utilization of spin. However, the underlying physics of many
edu; Zakaria Al Balushi (UC Berkeley) [email protected] unusual properties remains elusive, such as the hysteretic
current-voltage relationships, low recombination rate, long
spin lifetime and ferroelectric behavior. The practical use of
08.01.03 Multiferroics, magnetoelectrics, spin-electric these hybrid perovskite calls for more in-depth understanding
coupling, and ferroelectrics (DMP, DCOMP, FIAP) [same as of their fundamental properties and versatile strategies to
16.01.29] tune and optimize the materials properties. In this Focus Topic
we expect contributions on broadly-defined experimental
This focus topic covers the challenge of coupling magnetic and and modeling studies of the optical, electronic, structural and
electric properties in diverse insulating materials as well as defect properties of the organometallic halide perovskites.
ferroelectricity in different materials classes. Advancements in materials engineering and the development
of practical applications are also encouraged.
Topics include:
Hemamala Karunadasa (Stanford) [email protected];
Ferroelectricity in inorganic and organic materials Naomi Ginsberg (UC Berkeley) [email protected]
Bulk multiferroic and magnetoelectric oxides
Heterostructured magnetoelectrics such as thin film, pillar and

nanostructured materials.

09.01.01 Fe-based Superconductors (DMP, DCOMP) [same as State University/National High Magnetic Field Lab) schikara@mag-
16.01.31] net.fsu.edu; Haidong Zhou (University of Tennessee) hzhou10@utk.
edu
More than a decade after their discovery, Fe-based super-
conductors (FeSCs) continue to fascinate the materials and
condensed matter physics communities, not only due to 12.01.01 2D Materials: Synthesis, Defects, Structure and
their potential to lead to higher superconducting transition Properties (DMP)
temperatures, but also as a platform to investigate correlat-
ed quantum matter. Considerable synthesis, experimental, The interest in two dimensional (2D) materials is rapidly
and theoretical progress has been made in elucidating the spreading across all scientific and engineering disciplines due
defining properties of these materials, including the role of to their exceptional chemical, mechanical, magnetic, optical
electron-electron interactions in shaping their normal state and electrical properties, which provide not only a platform to
properties; the intertwining between different ordered states investigate fundamental physical phenomena but also prom-
involving spin, orbital, charge, and lattice degrees of freedom; ise solutions to the most relevant technological challenges.
the relevance of nematicity, magnetism, and quantum criticali- 2D materials find their immediate applications in field effect
ty to the pairing interaction; and the unique effects associated transistors, gas sensors, bio-detectors, mechanical resona-
with the multi-orbital nature of these systems. At the same tors, optical modulators and energy harvesting devices with
time, there is progress in understanding the unifying principles superior performances that have already been demonstrated
that may optimize the superconductivity of the FeSCs and con- in prototype devices. Furthermore, recent progress has also
nect them with other unconventional superconductors such shown that heterostructuring, doping, intercalation and phase
as cuprates, heavy fermions and organic charge-transfer salts. engineering in these 2D materials will enable unprecedented
More recently, FeSCs have become promising materials to ex- structures and functionalities with new opportunities and
plore topological phenomena both inside and outside the su- great potentials. However, the true impact will only be made
perconducting phase. In addition to advancing our fundamen- if the initial breakthroughs are transformed into commercial
tal understanding of superconductivity and correlated electron technologies. A major challenge towards the commercializa-
systems, the unique material parameters of FeSCs (relatively tion of 2D materials is the scalable and controllable production
high Tc, low anisotropy, high critical fields) offer new approach- of high- quality layers in a cost-effective way. So far, the best
es to the design of applications such as superconducting wires, quality samples of 2D materials have been obtained through
magnets and thin-film devices. This focus topic will cover micromechanical exfoliation of naturally occurring single crys-
the pertinent recent developments in the materials growth, tals. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is the most widely used
experimental measurements, and theoretical approaches, and bottom-up technique to grow large area 2D-materials. Several
survey the potential for discovering new applications and new top-down approaches have also been adopted based on bulk
superconducting systems with still higher transition tempera- liquid phase chemical and electrochemical exfoliation. Each
tures. type of method possesses its unique strength to enable mate-
rials for specific research or application needs, whereas on the
Rafael Fernandes (University of Minnesota) [email protected]; other hand has its own challenge to be addressed.
Donghui Lu (Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource) dhlu@
slac.stanford.edu; Ming Yi (Rice University) [email protected] This focus topic will cover:
Experimental, theoretical, and computational studies illuminat-

11.01.01 5d/4d transition metal systems (DMP) ing various aspects of the CVD growth process including, e. g.,
layer number and stacking geometry control, the formation of
Materials with 5d and 4d orbitals occupy a unique niche due to topological and structural defects, grain size and grain bound-
the competition between the crystal-field, spin-orbit coupling ary control, and the effect of substrate chemistry, crystallogra-
and Coulomb repulsion energy scales, as well as exchange in- phy and strain mMethods of doping, epitaxy, intercalation or
teractions. These materials pose a challenge for observing and phase engineering
calculating behavior in the strongly spin-orbit coupled regime
due to competing spin, charge and lattice degrees of freedom. Templated or bottom-up growth or top-down synthesis of
As a consequence of the intricate interplay between various nanostructures and integration with other materials
interactions, 5d and 4d materials exhibit intriguing properties
Characterization and modeling of the structural, mechanical,
that have been observed in experiment and theory, including
electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of the synthesized
unexpected insulating behavior, topological spin liquids and
2D materials
unconventional superconductivity.
Design and discovery of van der Waals magnets toward room
This focus topic covers experimental and theoretical work on
temperature devices.
compounds containing 5d/4d elements, e.g. iridium, osmi-
um, rhodium or ruthenium and others. These materials can Liuyan Zhao (U. Michigan) [email protected]; Robert Hovden (U.
be found for a variety of two- and three-dimensional lattices Michigan) [email protected]
with varying degree of frustration and correlations. Emergent
phases include magnetism, topological behavior, spin liquids,
superconductivity and metal-to-insulator transitions. The topic
is not limited to oxides.
Bing Lv, UT-Dallas ([email protected]); Shalinee Chikara (Florida

12.01.02 2D Materials: Semiconductors (DMP, DCOMP) [same We invite contributions on topics including: (i) the functional-
as 16.01.32] ization, fabrication, measurements, and modeling of devices
based on the unique properties of 2D materials in the single-
Research exploring 2D semiconductors is rapidly expanding or multi-layered forms as well as their heterostructures; (ii)
to include a wide variety of layered materials and their hetero- alternative non-2D materials that form van der Waals interfac-
structures with diverse properties such as strong many-body es with 2D materials; (iii) proof-of-principle studies focusing
interactions, strong spin-orbit coupling effects, spin-, polariza- on the electronic, magnetic, dielectric, optical, mechanical,
tion-, and valley-dependent physics, and topological physics. thermal, and chemical behaviors of 2D materials relevant for
This Focus Topic will cover experimental and theoretical/ device applications; (iv) performance statistics, device-to-de-
computational work related to 2D semiconductors and their vice variability and yield of 2D materials based electronic
heterostructures, including large bandgap materials such devices; and (v) interfacial, environmental, and system-based
as the chalcogenides (e.g. MoS2, WSe2, GaSe, and ReSe2), properties and behaviors inherent to the application of 2D
phosphorene and h-BN, small bandgap materials with possible materials in future devices.
topological properties (such as silicene, germanene, stanine,
and WTe2), magnetic semiconductors (e.g. CrGeTe3, CrI3, Deji Akinwande (UT Austin) [email protected]; Henri Happy (U.
and Mn:MoS2), ferroelectric semiconductors (e.g., In2Se3 and Lille) [email protected]; Mario Lanza (Suzhou U) mlanza@
CuInP2S6), and other emerging new semiconductors. We en- suda.edu.cn
courage abstracts discussing results on monolayers, few-lay-
ers, and heterostructures, including twisted bilayers and their
nanostructures. Topics of interest include quantum transport,
12.01.04 2D Materials: Metals, Superconductors, and
mobility engineering, the understanding and engineering of Correlated Materials (DMP)
the dielectric environment and defects on optical, electronic
In the last few years, there has been an explosion of activities
and many-body phenomena, piezoelectric and ferroelectric
in the field of two-dimensional materials beyond graphene.
effects, spin-, polarization-, and valley-dependent phenom-
Much of the initial effort focused on the rich optoelectronic
ena, exciton physics including Moire excitons, properties of
properties of semiconducting compounds like the transition
domain walls, as well as magnetic, multiferroic, thermal and
metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and black phosphorus. Some of
mechanical properties of 2D semiconductors. Processing and
the TMDs display an insulator-to-metal transition upon gating
measurement techniques developed to probe van der Waals
which seems to be driven by electronic correlations. Others are
semiconductors are also welcome.
metallic (or semi-metallic) over the entire temperature range
Nicholas Borys (Montana State University) nicholas.borys@mon- while presenting gapped electronic ground states, such as su-
tana.edu; Xia Hong (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) xia.hong@unl. perconductivity or charge-density waves. Semi-metallic WTe2
edu; Patrick Vora (George Mason University) [email protected] and orthorhombic MoTe2 (or ZrTe5) are claimed to possess
unique topological features in their electronic band structures
apparently leading to anomalous transport properties and per-
12.01.03 Devices from 2D Materials: Function, Fabrication haps also to an unconventional superconducting state. Both
and Characterization (DMP, GMAG) [same as 10.01.11] superconducting and charge density wave properties seem
to acquire new twist in these systems: in monolayer NbSe2
With the rapid progress in the research on 2D materials, superconductivity was shown to survive up to extremely high
including graphene and other layered material systems, a magnetic fields when field is applied along its planar direction.
wide variety of properties and functionalities have emerged Similarly, electronic correlations are likely to be important for
that have broad scientific and technological significance. The the high superconducting transition temperature observed
rational design of devices consisting of 2D materials calls for in monolayer FeSe. On the other hand, charge density wave
improved understanding of their intrinsic and extrinsic proper- exhibits chiral electronic order was found recently in TiSe2 and
ties that are critical to the device functionality, as well as their this could provide significant impetus for studies of opto-
integration with other device components. The development electronic properties of TMDs. Ground states with different
of these 2D materials based devices also requires solutions to coexisting correlated electronic phases have been identified
problems associated with material functionalization, structural in several of these materials, which opens new opportunities
fabrication, and device characterization. This Focus Topic will for probing interactions between different ordered states with
cover experimental and theoretical/computational work relat- high resolution temporal and spatial probes.
ed to devices based on the growing array of 2D materials that
exhibit a wide variety of behaviors – such as metallic, semicon- This focus topic will concentrate on two-dimensional materials
ducting, insulating, magnetic, ferroelectric, superconducting, displaying gate or strain induced phase-transitions or ground
and various strongly correlated electronic phenomena. These states with either non-trivial topologies or broken-symmetries
2D materials include (but are not limited to) graphene, transi- for which new and relevant physical phenomena are likely to
tion-metal chalcogenides (e.g., MoS2, WSe2, NbSe2, TaS2, FeSe emerge.
etc.), silicene, germanane, stanene, phosphorene, magnets
Goran Karapetrov (Drexel Univ.) [email protected]; Kenneth Burch
(e.g. CrI3, Fe3GeTe2, Cr2Ge2Te6, etc.), ferroelectrics (e.g. SnTe,
(Boston College) [email protected]; Katja Nowack (Cornell Univ.)
In2Se3, etc.), topological insulators (e.g., Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, etc.),
[email protected]
layered oxides (e.g., BSCCO), and large band gap materials
such as h-BN. Alternative non-2D materials that form clean
van der Waals interfaces with 2D materials, such as CaF2, may
be also covered in this Focus Topic.

12.01.05 Computational Design and Discovery of Novel 13.01.02: Electron, Exciton, and Phonon Transport in
Materials (DMP, DCOMP) [same as 16.01.10] Nanostructures (DMP)
The development of predictive computational simulation for Understanding and controlling how heat, charge, and ener-
accelerating the discovery and rational design of functional gy flow at the nanoscale is critical for realizing the potential
materials is a challenge of great contemporary interest. Ad- of nanomaterials in next generation device technologies. Of
vances in algorithms and predictive power of computational particular challenge, and opportunity, is understanding how
techniques are playing a fundamental role in the discovery of elementary excitations such as phonons, electrons, holes,
novel functional materials, with successful examples in catal- excitons, and plasmons interact with each other and are
ysis, batteries, and photoelectrochemistry. High-throughput influenced by interfaces, confinement, and quantum effects
computation and materials databases have recently enabled in nanostructures. This is particularly true for heterogeneous
rapid screening of both molecules and solid-state compounds nanoscale materials and interfaces with varying degrees of
with multiple properties and functionalities. This focus topic electronic and phononic couplings, and distinct thermal and
will cover research efforts to accelerate materials discovery electrical impedances. Structural components used in hybrid
and/or development by building the fundamental knowledge nanostructures can be made of semiconductors, metals, mole-
base and applying novel data driven approaches to design cules, liquids, etc.
materials with specific and targeted functional properties from
first principles. Abstracts are solicited in the areas of interest Contributions are solicited in areas that reflect recent advanc-
that include computational materials design and discovery; es in experimental measurement, theory, and modeling of
development of accessible and sustainable data infrastruc- transport mechanisms in nanoscale materials and interfaces.
ture; development of new data analytic tools and statistical Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
algorithms; advanced simulations of material properties in
conjunction with new device functionality; data uncertainty Electron-phonon coupling and heat generation by hot charge
quantification; advances in predictive modeling that leverage carriers
machine learning and data mining; algorithms for global struc-
Dynamics of energy and charge flow in nanostructured hybrid
ture and property optimizations; and computational modeling
materials
of materials synthesis. The technical applications include but
are not limited to electronic and optoelectronic materials, Ultrafast dynamics of charge carriers, excitons, and phonons in
magnetic materials and spintronics, energy conversion and nanostructures and across nanoscale interfaces
storage materials (thermoelectrics, batteries, fuel cells, pho-
tocatalysts, photovoltaics, ferroelectrics), metallic alloys, and Charge, heat, and exciton transport through metal-semicon-
two-dimensional materials. Contributions that feature strong ductor interfaces, inorganic-organic interfaces, and molecular
connection to experiments are of special interest. junctions
Sinead M. Griffin (LBNL) : [email protected]; Geoffroy Hautier, U-Lou- Correlating nanoscale interface structure & chemistry with
vain (Dartmouth College) [email protected] charge, heat, and exciton transport
Non-equilibrium heat transport and phonon-bottlenecks

13.01.01: Nanostructures and Metamaterials (DMP) effects
Recent experimental, theoretical and computational advances Influence of dimensionality, nanostructuring, and surface
have enabled the design and realization of micro-/nano-struc- states on charge, heat, and exciton transport
tured materials with novel, complex and often unusual electro-
magnetic properties unattainable from natural materials. Such Energy transfer in hybrid nanomaterials including dots, wires,
nanostructures and metamaterials provide unique opportu- plates, polymers, etc
nities to manipulate electromagnetic radiation over a broad
range of frequencies, from ultraviolet and visible to terahertz Excitonic nanomaterials with light-harvesting and lighting
and microwave. These concepts have also been extended to properties utilizing both solid-state and molecular components
enable acoustic/mechanical metamaterials and metasurfaces.
The transition from three-dimensional nanostructures and Plasmonic nano- and meta-structures for light harvesting and
metamaterials to planar two-dimensional metasurfaces fur- concentration
ther facilitates structure fabrication, material integration, novel
Near-field heat transfer and energy conversion in nanogaps
functionality, and system miniaturization, thereby finding a
and nanodevices
wide range of potential applications. This focus topic will high-
light recent progress in the physical understanding, design, Hybrid structures with interacting exciton and plasmon reso-
fabrication, and applications of these artificial materials. Topics nances
of interest include, but are not limited to: nanophotonics, plas-
monics, near-field and quantum optics, optofluidics, energy Hybrid nanomaterials for photo-catalytic applications utilizing
harvesting, and the emerging interface of condensed matter excitons and plasmons
and materials physics with biological, chemical and neural
sciences. C. Tom Harris (Sandia National Lab) [email protected]; Bill Rice
(University of Wyoming) [email protected]; Tzu-Ming Lu (Sandia
Houtong Chen (Los Alamos National Lab) [email protected]; Amit National Labs) [email protected]
Agrawal (NIST) [email protected]; Wenshan Cai (Georgia
Tech) [email protected]

13.01.03: Complex Oxide Interfaces and Heterostructures Solid-state quantum defects (point-defects in wide-gap semi-
(DMP) conductors, rare-earth ions)
Emergent electronic and magnetic states at complex oxide in- 2D materials and defects in 2D materials
terfaces raise exciting prospects for new fundamental physics
Topological materials
and technological applications. These novel properties arise
as a result of interfacial charge transfer, exchange coupling, Hybrid quantum systems
orbital reconstructions, proximity effects, dimensionality,
and mechanical and electric boundary conditions. This Focus Magnetic systems including molecular magnets and molecular
Topic is dedicated to progress in the fabrication, methodolo- spin qubits
gies, and knowledge in the field of complex oxide thin films,
heterostructures, superlattices, and nanostructures. Synthesis, Optical quantum computing devices
characterization, theory, and novel device physics are empha-
sized. Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited Biological, polymer, or inorganic materials for QIP
to: the growth of novel oxide thin films and heterostructures;
the control of magnetic, electronic, ordering, ionic conduction, First principles theory/simulations of QIP materials.
phase transitions, interfacial superconductivity, multiferro-
Other ideas that may be exploratory and less well defined at
icity, magnetotransport, spin-orbit coupling properties; and
this time are also encouraged; however, suitable talks for this
developments in theoretical prediction and materials-by-de-
focus topic should focus on the (quantum) materials and phys-
sign approaches. Advances in techniques to probe and image
ics germane to QIP.
electronic, structural, and magnetic states at heterostructure
interfaces are also emphasized. Note that overlap exists with Joe Heremans (Argonne) [email protected]; Xuedan Ma (Argonne)
other DMP and GMAG focus sessions. As a rule of thumb, if [email protected]; Jinkyoung Yoo (Los Alamos) [email protected]
complex oxides and their heterostructures are at the core of
the investigation, then the talk is appropriate for this focus
topic. 14.01.01: Surface and Interface Science of Organic Molecular
Shyam Dwaraknath (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) shyamd@
Solids, Films, and Nanostructures (DMP)
lbl.gov ; Darrell G. Schlom (Cornell University) [email protected] Organic molecular solids are a challenging materials class since
; Yuri Suzuki (Stanford University) [email protected] numerous “weak” interactions, all of comparable strength,
control structures and functional properties. The promise of
high-performance optoelectronics, designer sensors, electrode
13.01.04: Materials for Quantum Information Science (DMP,
work function control, and bioelectronic devices make the
DQI) [same as 17.01.26] payoff for addressing this challenge high. In these applications
surfaces and interface are decisive in their impact on carrier
Technologies for processing of information are at a cross-
injection and transport, and on structure and morphology con-
road. Until now, advances in information processing have
trol. This Focus Topic will convene to discuss new experimental
been mainly achieved by miniaturization and integration, such
and theoretical/computational results aimed at the both basic
as scaling down transistor-based semiconductor technolo-
and applied physics underpinning surfaces, interfaces, and
gies and heterogeneous integration in an architecture, the
thin films of organic solids. Research of interest includes the
traditional methodology is rapidly approaching its physical
structure, properties, charge dynamics, and applications of
limits. A new class of information processing that explores
organic adsorbates, monolayer assemblies, thin films, crystals,
possibilities beyond classical computing architectures is now
and nanostructures.
underway with particular emphasis on quantum phenomena
that complement existing computing architectures. Quan- Emily Bittle (NIST) [email protected]; Daniel Dougherty (NC
tum information processing, revolutionizing ways of gener- State Univ) [email protected]
ation, transmission, and computation of information, must
be physically implemented by appropriate materials. To that
end, new materials and physical properties are needed along 19.01.07: Tools for Exploring Materials Physics at the Frontier
with close collaborations among physicists, materials scien- of Time and Length Scales (DMP)
tists, and electrical engineers. This Focus Topic intersects the
materials discovery, devices physics, and nanoscale structure The exploration of materials properties and the discovery of
communities for quantum information processing (QIP) within new materials is intimately connected with advances in tools
the common theme of understanding the underlying physical that allow to synthesize, characterize, and model materials
interactions in materials for quantum information processing. at fundamental length, time, and energy scales. Those scales
Given the exploratory nature of this field, contributions are have reached the level of atomic control, i.e. the constituents
solicited broadly among the following topics: of any materials on the nanoscale, but recently, approaches to
explore materials with atomic precision across multiple length,
Superconducting materials and devices time and energy scales have gained increased interest. This
includes the synthesis of multidimensional artificial materials
Trapped ion systems
that don’t exist in nature, materials far from equilibrium that
Solid-state artificial atoms (quantum dots, quantum wells) only exist for ultrashort time scales and novel ways to charac-
terize properties of quantum and nanosystems using unprec-

edented techniques. Computational efforts using high-perfor- 10.01.06 Spin-Dependent Phenomena in Semiconductors,
mance tools are starting to provide essential support in this including 2D Materials and Topological Insulators (GMAG,
endeavor. State-of-the-art techniques using neutrons, fully co-
herent wave fronts at diffraction limits with electrons and pho- DMP, FIAP, DCOMP) [same as 08.01.01, 16.01.36]
tons, and novel advances with scanning probes are currently
being developed and utilized by a growing community working
10.01.07 Frustrated Magnetism (GMAG, DMP)
in materials physics. This focus topic on recent advances in this
important field that will provide a coherent view onto current
capabilities and future perspective that are of interest to the 10.01.08 Low-Dimensional and Molecular Magnetism
broad materials physics community.
(GMAG, DMP)
DMP Co-Sponsored Focus Topics led by other APS Units (sub-
mit invited talk nominations through primary sponsoring Unit)
16.01.01 Matter in extreme environments (DCOMP, DMP)
Ben McMorran (U Oregon) [email protected]; Hermann
Durr (U Uppsala) [email protected]
16.01.02 Building the bridge to exascale: applications and
opportunities for materials, chemistry, and biology (DCOMP,
01.01.02 Organic Electronics (DPOLY, FIAP, DMP) [same as DBIO, DCP, DPOLY, DMP, DAMOP) [same as 04.01.33,
08.01.06] 05.01.14, 01.01.48, 06.01.08]
01.01.16 Molecular Glasses (DPOLY, DSOFT, DCP, DMP) [same 16.01.03 Electrons, phonons, electron-phonon scattering,
as 02.01.34, 05.01.10] and phononics (DCOMP, DMP)
01.01.18 Polymers and Soft Solids at Interfaces: Tribology, 16.01.04 First-principles modeling of excited-state
Wear, Rheology and Interactions (DPOLY, DSOFT, GSNP, DFD, phenomena in materials (DCOMP, DCP, DMP) [same as
DMP) [same as 02.01.36, 03.01.39, 20.01.13] 05.01.15]
01.01.27 Polymer Crystals and Crystallization (DPOLY, DSOFT, 16.01.05 Machine learning for quantum matter (DCOMP,
DMP) [same as 02.01.42] GDS, DMP) [same as 23.01.02]
04.01.08 Biomaterials: Structure, function, design (DBIO, 16.01.13 Physics and effects on transport of ion-ion
DMP, DSOFT, DPOLY) [same as 02.01.47, 01.01.41] correlation in electrolyte materials (DCOMP, DCP, DMP)
[same as 05.01.17]
08.01.07 Optical Spectroscopic Measurements of 2D
Materials (FIAP, DMP, GIMS) [same as 19.01.06]
10.01.01 Magnetic Nanostructures: Materials and

phenomena (GMAG, DMP)
10.01.02 Emergent Properties of Bulk Complex Oxides

(GMAG, DMP, DCOMP) [same as 16.01.32]
10.01.03 Magnetic Oxide Thin Films and Heterostructures

(GMAG, DMP, DCOMP) [same as 16.01.33]
10.01.04 Chiral Spin Textures and Dynamics, Including

Skyrmions (GMAG, DMP)
10.01.05 Spin transport and Magnetization Dynamics

in Metals-Based Systems (GMAG, DMP, FIAP) [same as
22.01.04]

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FOCUS TOPIC SESSIONS

DPOLY but are significantly more stable. In addition to device fabrica-

Daniel Sunday (NIST); [email protected]

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 1

01.01.22 Polymers in extreme environments (DPOLY, DSOFT)

01.01.21 Polymers and block copolymers at interfaces

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 2

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 3

Ion-containing polymers are rapidly emerging options for

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 4

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 5

01.01.06 Advanced Morphological Characterization of 01.01.05 Hierarchical Structural Emergence in Elastomer

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 6

1. Moumita Das, Rochester Institute of Technology, modsps@rit.

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 7

Pupa Gilbert, University of Wisconsin-Madison

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 8

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 9

Hume A. Feldman, University of Kansas, CSWP representative.

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 10

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 11

Maria Longobardi, BAQIS

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 12

Maria Longobardi, BAQIS

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 13

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 14

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 15

The field of spin-dependent phenomena in semiconductors

26.01.02 Statistical and nonlinear physics of Earth and its

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 16

Justin C. Burton, Emory University and Mary Silber, University of

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 17

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 18

Trapped ions are promising systems for practical quantum

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 19

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 20

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 21

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 22

Ruichao Ma (Purdue University), Mohammad Ansari (Jülich/Delft),

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 23

5. properties of matter in the warm dense regime;

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 24

The physical conditions of the universe at large stretch beyond

Teaching Quantum Information At All Levels

Co-sponsors: Forum on Education, Division of Quantum Informa-

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 25

Physics of self-assembly or self-organization approaches for

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 26

02.01.06 Machine Learning in Nonlinear Physics and

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 27

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 28

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 29

Band-filling and bandwidth control in complex oxides (a pre-

Bulk multiferroic and magnetoelectric oxides

Heterostructured magnetoelectrics such as thin film, pillar and

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 30

Experimental, theoretical, and computational studies illuminat-

Bing Lv, UT-Dallas ([email protected]); Shalinee Chikara (Florida

APS March Meeting 2021 Focus Topic Sessions | 31