Joseph Checkelsky
· Professor of PhysicsVerifiedMassachusetts Institute of Technology · Physics
Active 2004–2026
About
Professor Joseph Checkelsky is a faculty member in the Department of Physics at MIT, where he joined as an assistant professor in January 2014. He received his B.S. in Physics from Harvey Mudd College in 2004 and his Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University in 2010. His research focuses on the study of exotic electronic states of matter through the synthesis, measurement, and control of quantum materials. His laboratory investigates correlated behavior in topologically non-trivial materials, the role of geometrical phases in electronic systems, and novel types of geometric frustration. The experimental approach combines techniques from solid state physics, chemistry, and nanoscience, including transport and thermodynamic measurements, crystal growth, and nanoscale device fabrication, aiming to uncover new physical phenomena and potential technological applications. Professor Checkelsky has contributed to the understanding of quantum mechanical condensed matter systems and has been recognized with several awards, including the 2024 American Physical Society Fellowship and the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
Research topics
- Physics
- Condensed matter physics
- Materials science
- Quantum mechanics
- Ecology
- Optoelectronics
- Business
- Nanotechnology
Selected publications
Higher-dimensional Fermiology in bulk moiré metals
Nature · 2026-02-18
articleOpen accessSenior authorLight-induced reorientation transition in an antiferromagnetic semiconductor
ArXiv.org · 2025-02-02
preprintOpen accessDue to the lack of a net magnetic moment, antiferromagnets possess a unique robustness to external magnetic fields and are thus predicted to play an important role in future magnetic technologies. However, this robustness also makes them quite difficult to control, and the development of novel methods to manipulate these systems with external stimuli is a fundamental goal of antiferromagnetic spintronics. In this work, we report evidence for a metastable reorientation of the order parameter in an antiferromagnetic semiconductor triggered by an ultrafast quench of the equilibrium order via photoexcitation above the band gap. The metastable state forms less than 10 ps after the excitation pulse, and persists for longer than 150 ps before decaying to the ground state via thermal fluctuations. Importantly, this transition cannot be induced thermodynamically, and requires the system to be driven out of equilibrium. Broadly speaking, this phenomenology is ultimately the result of large magnetoelastic coupling in combination with a relatively low symmetry of the magnetic ground state. Since neither of these properties are particularly uncommon in magnetic materials, the observations presented here imply a generic path toward novel device technology enabled by ultrafast dynamics in antiferromagnets.
ArXiv.org · 2025-11-16
preprintOpen accessThree important driving forces for creating qualitatively new phases in quantum materials are the topology of the materials' electronic band structures, frustration in the electrons' motion or magnetic interactions, and strong correlations between their charge, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom. In very few material systems do all of these aspects come together to contribute on an equal footing to stabilize new electronic states with unprecedented properties; however the search for such systems can be guided by models of configurational motifs or key sublattices that can host such physics. One of the most fascinating structural motifs for realizing this rich interplay of frustration, electronic topology, and electron correlation effects is the kagome lattice. In this review, we provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings driving the physics of kagome lattices, and we then discuss experimental progress in realizing novel states enabled by kagome networks in crystalline materials. Different material classes are discussed with an emphasis on the phenomenologies of their electronic states and how they map to interactions arising from their kagome lattices.
Resolving the Kagome Origin of the Strange Metallicity in Ni$_3$In
ArXiv.org · 2025-03-12
preprintOpen accessStrong correlations promote singular properties such as strange metallicity, which shows considerable commonality across quantum materials platforms. Understanding the mechanism for such emerging universality is an outstanding challenge, given that the underlying degrees of freedom can be complex and varied. Progress may be made in flat band systems, especially kagome and other frustrated-lattice metals with active flat bands. These systems show strange metal behavior that bears a striking resemblance to what happens in heavy-fermion metals. Here, in scanning tunneling spectroscopy of kagome metal Ni$_3$In, we find a zero-bias peak-dip structure whose variation with magnetic field and temperature tracks the evolution of the strange metal properties. We identify the origin of the peak as compact molecular orbitals formed by destructive interference over the kagome sites, resulting in emergent $f$-shell-like localized moments. Using quasi-particle interference, we visualize their interaction with the Dirac light bands. We thus unveil the essential microscopic ingredients of the $d$-electron-based kagome metals that, while distinct from the atomic orbitals of the $f$-electron-based heavy fermion materials, are responsible for a shared phenomenology between the two types of systems. Our findings provide a new window to uncover and interconnect the essential and yet diverse microscopic building blocks in disparate families of quantum materials that drive a convergence towards a universal understanding in the regime of amplified quantum fluctuations.
Electronic commensuration of a spin moiré superlattice in a layered magnetic semimetal
Science Advances · 2025-02-05 · 6 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorSpin moiré superlattices (SMSs) have been proposed as a magnetic analog of crystallographic moiré systems and a source of electron minibands offering vector-field moiré tunability and Berry curvature effects. However, it has proven challenging to realize an SMS in which a large exchange coupling J is transmitted between conduction electrons and localized spins. Furthermore, most systems have carrier mean free paths l mfp shorter than their spin moiré lattice constant a spin , inhibiting miniband formation. Here, we discover that the layered magnetic semimetal EuAg 4 Sb 2 overcomes these challenges by forming an interface with J ~ 100 milli–electron volts transferred between a Eu triangular lattice and anionic Ag 2 Sb bilayers hosting a two-dimensional electron band in the ballistic regime ( l mfp >> a spin ). The system realizes an SMS with a spin commensurate with the Fermi momentum, leading to a marked quenching of the transport response from miniband formation. Our findings demonstrate an approach to magnetically engineering moiré superlattices and a potential route to an emergent spin-driven quantum Hall state.
Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2025-11-25
articleSenior authorWe report the synthesis of single crystals of ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{2}{\mathrm{SnS}}_{5}$ through a two-stage chemical vapor transport method. The ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{2}{\mathrm{SnS}}_{5}$ system is a member of the orthorhombic Pbam (No. 55) space group and realizes a distorted trigonal tricapped prism (TTP) crystal field around each cerium site. We characterized the sample through orientation-dependent magnetization and heat capacity measurements to probe the magnetic anisotropy in the system characteristic of XY-like anisotropic Heisenberg model behavior. ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{2}{\mathrm{SnS}}_{5}$ furthermore enters a zero-field ordered phase under ${T}_{N}=2.4\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\text{K}$; powder neutron diffraction measurements reveal incommensurate magnetic order near ${T}_{N}$. The system then locks into a commensurate, two-$q$ magnetic structure below approximately $1.2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\text{K}$. This commensurate structure belongs to the Shubnikov group $P{b}^{\ensuremath{'}}{a}^{\ensuremath{'}}{m}^{\ensuremath{'}}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}(\mathrm{MSG}\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}55.359)$ and realizes the propagation vectors $\stackrel{P\vec}{q}=(1/3,0,0)$ and $\stackrel{P\vec}{q}=(0,0,0)$.
Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2025-04-01
articleSenior authorWe report the synthesis of single crystals of the ${R}_{3}{\mathrm{Ni}}_{30}{\mathrm{B}}_{10}$ $(R=\mathrm{La},\mathrm{Ce})$ system which realizes the tetragonal $P4/nmm$ (No. 129) space group. We performed single crystal, transmission x-ray diffraction measurements to determine the crystal structure. Additionally, we characterized the samples through magnetization, resistivity, and heat capacity measurements. The $R=\mathrm{Ce}$ system exhibits mixed-valence states and we observe maxima in the heat capacity at ${T}_{1}^{*}=6\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{K}$ and ${T}_{2}^{*}=2\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{K}$ (both absent for $R=\mathrm{La}$) with no corresponding features in the resistivity or magnetization. We discuss the potential roles of multipolar and short-ranged/partial order in connection to the ${T}_{1}^{*}$ anomalous order.
Cascade of Spin Moiré Superlattices with In-Plane Field in Triangle Lattice Semimetal EuAg$_4$Sb$_2$
arXiv (Cornell University) · 2025-12-18
preprintOpen accessSenior authorEuAg$_4$Sb$_2$ is a rhombohedral europium triangle lattice material that exhibits a rich phase diagram of spin moiré superlattices (SMS) and single-$q$ magnetic phases. In this paper, we characterize the incommensurate phases accessible with field applied in the plane with small angle neutron scattering (SANS). A variety of phases with unusual SANS patterns are accessible with magnetic field applied along the $a$ and $a^*$ directions. Many of these phases can be understood to be multi-$q$ phases. One phase in particular, ICM2b (ICM=incommensurate magnetic phase), is rather unconventional in that it is an anisotropic multi-$q$ phase that can rotate freely within the $ab$-plane, dependent on magnetic field direction and history. The stabilization of tunable multi-$q$ incommensurate spin textures \textit{via} in-plane field sets this class of materials apart from conventional skyrmion materials. We further identify that the propagation vectors of the in-plane phases have a significant commensuration with the diameter of the smallest pocket of the Fermi surface ($2k_{\text{F}}$). The multi/single-$q$ nature is also correlated with the enhancement of resistivity, suggesting that a gap opens in the electron bands at $q=2k_{\text{F}}$. We also compare with a phenomenological model of the phase diagram. The richness of phases revealed in this study hint at the frustrated nature of the incommensurate magnetism present in EuAg$_4$Sb$_2$ and motivate further probes of these phases and the origin of the stability of spin moiré superlattices. Finally, the coupling of the multi-$q$ nature and $q=2k_{\text{F}}$ commensuration condition reveals the key requirements for a strong SMS transport response.
Single-$q$ Cycloid and Double-$q$ Vortex Lattices in Layered Magnetic Semimetal EuAg$_4$Sb$_2$
arXiv (Cornell University) · 2025-12-18
preprintOpen accessSenior authorRecently, a host of exotic magnetic textures such as topologically protected skyrmion lattices has been discovered in several bulk metallic lanthanide compounds. In addition to hosting skyrmion phases, a hallmark of this class of materials is the appearance of numerous spin textures characterized by a superposition of multi-$q$ magnetic modulations: spin moiré superlattices. The nuanced energy landscape thus motivates detailed studies to understand the underlying interactions. Here, we comprehensively characterize and model the three zero-field magnetic textures present in one such material, EuAg$_4$Sb$_2$. Systematic symmetry breaking experiments using magnetic field and strain determine that the ground state incommensurate magnetic phase (ICM1) is single-$q$. In contrast, ICM2 and ICM3 are both double-$q$, \textit{i.e.}, spin moiré superlattices. Further, through application of polarized small angle neutron scattering and spherical neutron polarimetry, we demonstrate that ICM1 is a single-$q$ cycloid and ICM2 and ICM3 are double-$q$ vortex lattices, with Eu moments lying in the $ab$-plane in zero field and with a ferromagnetic component at finite field. Despite the quasi-2D nature of EuAg$_4$Sb$_2$, the modulations propagate out of the \textit{ab}-plane, leading to a shift of the spin texture between triangle lattice planes. Further, the ICM3 to ICM2 transition includes an unusual 45$^\circ$ rotation of the magnetic vortex lattice. Motivated by the coexistence of such drastically different phases in this compound, we conclude by developing a phenomenological model to understand the stability of these states. Our experimental probes and theoretical modeling definitively characterize three different and tunable phases in one material, and provide insight for the design of new topological spin-texture materials.
Light-Induced Reorientation Transition in an Antiferromagnetic Semiconductor
Physical Review X · 2025-02-26 · 3 citations
articleOpen accessBecause of the lack of a net magnetic moment, antiferromagnets possess a unique robustness to external magnetic fields and are thus predicted to play an important role in future magnetic technologies. However, this robustness also makes them quite difficult to control, and the development of novel methods to manipulate these systems with external stimuli is a fundamental goal of antiferromagnetic spintronics. In this work, we report evidence for a metastable reorientation of the order parameter in an antiferromagnetic semiconductor triggered by an ultrafast quench of the equilibrium order via photoexcitation above the band gap. The metastable state forms less than 10 ps after the excitation pulse, and persists for longer than 150 ps before decaying to the ground state via thermal fluctuations. Importantly, this transition cannot be induced thermodynamically, and requires the system to be driven out of equilibrium. Broadly speaking, this phenomenology is ultimately the result of large magnetoelastic coupling in combination with a relatively low symmetry of the magnetic ground state. Since neither of these properties are particularly uncommon in magnetic materials, the observations presented here imply a generic path toward novel device technology enabled by ultrafast dynamics in antiferromagnets.
Recent grants
NSF-BSF: Development and Study of Lattice-Derived Flat Band States
NSF · $720k · 2021–2026
CAREER: Geometrical Frustration in Spin Orbit Systems
NSF · $550k · 2016–2022
Frequent coauthors
- 142 shared
T. Suzuki
- 134 shared
L. Savary
University of California, Santa Barbara
- 132 shared
Jianpeng Liu
ShanghaiTech University
- 130 shared
Leon Balents
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
- 129 shared
J. W. Lynn
- 99 shared
Efthimios Kaxiras
Harvard University
- 99 shared
David C. Bell
Harvard University
- 98 shared
Shiang Fang
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Awards & honors
- 2024 // American Physical Society Fellowship
- 2020-23 // Appointed MItsui Career Development Associate Pro…
- 2019 // Gordon and Betty Moore EPiQS Materials Synthesis Inv…
- 2019 // Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and E…
- 2019 // Army Early Career Award for Science and Engineering…
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