Jianghan Xiao is currently a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the Department of Applied Science and Technology, where he is advised by Professor Feng Wang. Jianghan received a B.S. in Physics from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he conducted research on applying piezoresponse force microscopy on characterizing the moiré structures.
Jianghan’s doctoral research focuses on emergent quantum phases in low-dimensional condensed matter systems. Using non-invasive scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and nanoscale device techniques, he studies how strong electron interactions, reduced dimensionality, and symmetry breaking give rise to novel correlated electronic states in two-dimensional materials and Van der Waals heterostructures. His work aims to understand the microscopic behavior of interacting quantum systems and the phase transitions between insulating, liquid-crystalline, and metallic electronic phases.
As a Kavli ENSI fellow, Jianghan will investigate anisotropic quantum phases in ReSe₂ heterostructures using STM imaging. Due to the strong effective mass anisotropy in ReSe₂, electrons are expected to form anisotropic Wigner crystals and potentially exhibit exotic intermediate phases such as quantum smectic and nematic liquid crystals during melting transitions. By continuously tuning carrier density with electrostatic gating, he aims to directly visualize the microscopic evolution between insulating and metallic quantum phases. In addition, he plans to develop STM-compatible transport devices to study correlated electron phases under current driving, enabling in-situ imaging of nonequilibrium electronic states for the first time.