The research group has developed two internationally leading nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement technologies: one combining 30,000 atmospheres of pressure with dilution refrigeration, and the other combining 80,000 atmospheres of pressure with liquid helium refrigeration. In recent years, leveraging the advantages of NMR in position selectivity and low-energy magnetic detection, research has been conducted on the magnetic properties, superconducting mechanisms, and quantum phase transitions of correlated electron materials such as iron-based superconductors and spin-frustrated materials. The main focus is on the NMR-based physical property research of unconventional superconductors and quantum magnetic materials. To date, more than 70 SCI papers have been published, including 15 papers in Science, Physical Review Letters (PRL), Physical Review X (PRX), and Nature Communications (NC). 12 papers have received more than 100 citations each, and the H-index is 34. In 2012, the group was funded by the National Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scientists Project.
Representative Works in Recent Years
1) Low-Dimensional and Frustrated Quantum Magnetism and Quantum Critical Phenomena
(1) An experimental discovery of a quantum critical phenomenon that transcends the Landau theory paradigm: the deconfined quantum critical phenomenon (Science, 2023, Representative Paper 1. Click to view related introduction, as well as the recommended article by Prof. Frederic Mila in Journal of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (JCCM)).
(2) At the transverse-field quantum critical point of the one-dimensional antiferromagnetic Ising material BaCo₂V₂O₈, quantum states with E₈ algebraic states were discovered (Physical Review Letters, 2021, Representative Paper 2. View the recommended article by Prof. Masaki Oshikawa in JCCM).
(3) Through research on triangular-lattice Ising antiferromagnetic materials, the first experimental evidence of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase transition in magnetic materials was found (Nature Communications, 2020, Representative Paper 3).
(4) In the one-dimensional antiferromagnetic material SrCo₂V₂O₈, a one-dimensional Ising-type quantum critical point was achieved at low fields for the first time (Physical Review Letters, 2019, Representative Paper 4), opening up new avenues for further studies on its physical properties.
(5) For the spin-frustrated material α-RuCl₃, a phase diagram under magnetic fields was established for the first time, revealing that the magnetic field suppresses magnetic order and induces a quantum spin liquid state, and that this spin liquid state exhibits gapless Dirac-type fermionic excitations (Physical Review Letters, 2017, Representative Paper 6).
(6) Ba₈CoNb₆O₂₄ was studied first, and it was proposed that this material could be used as the first ideal two-dimensional triangular-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnetic material for research. It was proposed that this material may have a quantum spin liquid state at zero field, and a quantum phase transition from magnetic order is induced under high magnetic fields [Physical Review Materials, 2018].
2) Superconducting Materials
(1) Through high-pressure nuclear magnetic resonance studies at dilution refrigeration temperatures, the striped magnetic structure of the FeSe superconducting material under high pressure was solved for the first time (Physical Review Letters, 2016, Representative Paper 7), promoting the establishment of a microscopic interaction model for this material and the understanding of its superconducting mechanism.
(2) The technique of ionic liquid hydrogenation was introduced into the research of iron-based superconductors. The electron-doping effect caused by hydrogenation increased the superconducting transition temperature of FeSe-based materials from 8.5 K to 42.5 K. High-sensitive hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance measurements revealed unconventional superconducting properties, providing new ideas for electron doping and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance research (Science Bulletin, 2018, ESI highly cited, Representative Paper 5. View the recommended article by Prof. Hideo Hosono in Science Bulletin).
(3) Experimental results such as unconventional spin-singlet pairing (Physical Review Letters, 2011, Representative Paper 13), microscopic coexistence of superconductivity and magnetic order (Physical Review Letters, 2012, Representative Paper 9), and the correlation between spin fluctuations and the superconducting transition temperature (Physical Review Letters, 2013, Representative Paper 8) were observed in iron-based superconducting materials
Representative Papers
1. Proximate deconfined quantum critical point in SrCu2(BO3)2, Yi Cui#, Lu Liu#, Huihang Lin#, Kai-Hsin Wu, Wenshan Hong, Xuefei Liu, Cong Li, Ze Hu, Ning Xi, Shiliang Li, Rong Yu*, Anders W. Sandvik*, Weiqiang Yu*, Science 380, 1179 (2023). (Citations 48)
2. E8 Spectra of Quasi-One-Dimensional Antiferromagnet BaCo2V2O8 under Transverse Field, H. Zou , Y. Cui, X. Wang , Z. Zhang, J. Yang, G. Xu, A. Okutani, M. Hagiwara, M. Matsuda, G. Wang, Giuseppe Mussardo, K. Hódsági, M. Kormos, Z. He, S. Kimura,R. Yu, W. Yu*, Jie Ma*, and Jianda Wu*, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 127, 077201 (2021). (Citations 32)
3. Evidence of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Phase in a Frustrated Magnet, Z. Hu#, Z. Ma#, Y.-D. Liao#, H. Li#, C. Ma, Y. Cui, Y. Shangguan, Z. Huang, Y. Qi*, W. Li*, Z. Y. Meng*, J. Wen*, and Weiqiang Yu*, Nature Communications 11, 5631 (2020).(Citations 65)
4. Quantum Criticality of the Ising-like Screw Chain Antiferromagnet SrCo2V2O8 in a Transverse Magnetic Field, Y. Cui, H. Zou, N. Xi, Zhangzhen He*, Y. X. Yang, L. Shu, G. H. Zhang, Z. Hu, T. Chen, Rong Yu, Jianda Wu* and Weiqiang Yu*, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 123, 067203 (2019). (Citations 40)
5. Protonation induced high-T-c phases in iron-based superconductors evidenced by NMR and magnetization measurements, Cui Yi#, Zhang Gehui, Li Haobo, Lin Hai, Zhu Xiyu, Wen Hai-Hu, Wang Guoqing, Sun Jinzhao, Ma Mingwei, Li Yuan, Gong Dongliang, Xie Tao, Gu Yanhong, Li Shiliang, Luo Huiqian, Yu Pu*, Yu Weiqiang*, Science Bulletin 63 ,11-16 (2018) (Citations 56).
6. Gapless Spin Excitations in the Field-Induced Quantum Spin Liquid Phase of α−RuCl3, Jiacheng Zheng#, Kejing Ran#, Tianrun Li, Jinghui Wang, Pengshuai Wang, Bin Liu, Zheng-Xin Liu, B. Normand, Jinsheng Wen*, and Weiqiang Yu*, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 119, 227208 (2017) .(Citations 239).
7. Pressure Induced Stripe-Order Antiferromagnetism and First-Order Phase Transition in FeSe, P. S. Wang, S. S. Sun, Y. Cui, W. H. Song, T. R. Li, Rong Yu, Hechang Lei, and Weiqiang Yu*, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 117, 237001 (2016)(Citations 82).
8. Simultaneous Optimization of Spin Fluctuations and Superconductivity under Pressure in an Iron-Based Superconductor, G. F. Ji, J. S. Zhang, Long Ma, P. Fan, P. S. Wang, J. Dai, G. T. Tan, Y. Song, C. L. Zhang, Pengcheng Dai, B. Normand, and W. Yu*, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 111, 107004 (2013). (Citations 24)
9. Microscopic coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in underdoped Ba(Fe1-xRux)2As2, L. Ma, G. F. Ji, Jia Dai, X. R. Lu, M. J. Eom, J. S. Kim, B. Normand, W. Yu*, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 109, 197002 (2012).(Citations 27)
10. 77Se NMR study of pairing symmetry and spin dynamics in KyFe2-xSe2, W. Yu*, L. Ma, J. B. He, D. M. Wang, T.-L. Xia, G. F. Chen, and W. Bao, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 106, 197001 (2011).(Citations 78)
11. Absence of superconductivity in single-phase CaFe2As2 under hydrostatic pressure, W. Yu, A. A. Aczel, T. J. Williams, S. L. Bud’ko, N. Ni, P. C. Canfield, and G. M. Luke, Phys. Rev. B 79, 020511 (R) (2009). (Citations 210)
12. Electron-lattice coupling and broken symmetries of the molecular salt (TMTTF)2SbF6, W. Yu, F. Zhang, F. Zamborszky, B. Alavi, A. Baur, C. A. Merlic, and S. E. Brown, Phys. Rev. B. 70, 121101(R) (2004).(Citations 103)
13.Phase Inhomogeneity of the Itinerant Ferromagnet MnSi at High Pressures, W. Yu, F. Zamborszky, J. D. Thompson, J. L. Sarrao, M. E. Torelli, Z. Fisk, and S. E. Brown, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 92, 086403 (2004).(Citations 75)