Liang Fu

Professor of Physics
Concerned with the application of topology in solid state physics to predict new phases of matter and topological materials.
Research Areas
(617) 253-7132
Office: 6C-305
Affiliated Center(s): Condensed Matter Theory Group
Assistant: Denise Wahkor

Research Interests

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Quantum Science and Technology

Professor Liang Fu is interested in novel topological phases of matter and their experimental realizations. He works on the theory of topological insulators and topological superconductors, with a focus on predicting and proposing their material realizations and experimental signatures. He is also interested in potential applications of topological materials, ranging from tunable electronics and spintronics, to quantum computation. The APS Division of Condensed Matter Physics elected Fu “for pioneering contributions to the theory of topological quantum materials.”

Topological crystalline insulators by Liang Fu
Courtesy of Course on topology in condensed matter | YouTube

Biographical Sketch

Liang Fu joined the MIT Physics Department as an Assistant Professor in January 2012. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2004 and PhD in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. Before coming to MIT, he was a Junior Fellow at Harvard University.

Awards & Honors

  • 2022 // American Physical Society (APS) Fellow "For pioneering contributions to the theory of topological quantum materials."
  • 2022 // Anatoly Larkin Junion Research Award in Theoretical Physics "for seminal works on 3D topological insulators and odd parity topological superconductors, crystalline topological insulators, Majorana zero modes, and for being an intellectual leader of his generation."
  • 2016 // New Horizons in Physics Prize "for outstanding contributions to condensed matter physics, especially involving the use of topology to understand new states of matter."
  • 2014 // Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in Physics "for his contribution to generalization of the concept of topological insulators from two to three dimensions."
  • 2014 // Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering
  • 2013 // US Department of Energy Early Career Award

Key Publications

  • Liang Fu and C. L. Kane, “Topological Insulators with Inversion Symmetry”, Phys. Rev. B 76, 045302 (2007).

  • Liang Fu and C. L. Kane, “Superconducting Proximity Effect and Majorana Fermions at the Surface of a Topological Insulator”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 096407 (2008).

  • Liang Fu, “Electron Teleportation via Majorana Bound States in a Mesoscopic Superconductor”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 056402 (2010).