Xue Qikun (R) takes photos with Wang Chunfa, curator of the National Museum of China, at the museum in Beijing, China, Dec. 23, 2019. A total of 8 key scientific research apparatus in the field of quantum anomalous Hall effect, developed and donated by a research team of Tsinghua University, was included in the collection of the National Museum of China. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)
BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientist Xue Qikun has recently won the 2024 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Physics Prize, an international award that recognizes outstanding contributions to condensed matter physics, according to the American Physical Society.
"I was very excited when I heard the news. As a physicist, I'm very proud to be recognized by the international physics community and to play a role in raising the level of China's physics in the world," said Xue in a recent interview with Xinhua.
He and his team were the first to experimentally observe the quantum anomalous Hall effect in 2012, and they published their findings in the journal Science in 2013. The journal's reviewer described the findings as "a landmark work in condensed matter physics."
Yang Zhenning, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, called it "the first physics paper of Nobel Prize level published by a Chinese lab."
Xue was born in 1962 and grew up in a mountainous area in east China's Shandong Province. He obtained a master's degree and a doctorate in condensed matter physics from the Institute of Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
After studying and working in Japan and the United States for eight years, he returned to China in 1999 and worked at CAS and Tsinghua University. He was the vice president of Tsinghua University and is currently serving as the president of China's Southern University of Science and Technology.
During his time at Tsinghua University, Xue earned the nickname "7-11 professor" due to his daily routine, which involved entering the laboratory at 7 a.m. and leaving at 11 p.m. He maintained this dedicated work schedule for many years, and almost never took a weekend off.
"As far as I know, researchers of experimental physics who have made important achievements are all hard-working," he said.
His unwavering persistence is rooted in his early experiences as a scientist. It took him three attempts to gain admission to graduate school, and he devoted seven years to earn his doctoral degree. When studying in Japan and the United States, he got used to working from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.
He persevered through those years, cultivating a diligent work ethic for his research. Upon returning to China, he consistently worked for over 330 days a year, dedicating approximately 15 hours a day, totaling around 5,000 hours annually.
"If you can complete an experiment under a specific condition every 50 hours, you can do it under 100 different conditions every year. Over time, you must be at the forefront of this field," he said.
While working at Tsinghua University, Xue started to focus on the quantum anomalous Hall effect, an important quantum effect in condensed matter physics theory that can change the trajectory of electrons and reduce energy loss in their movement.
This discovery will contribute to developing low-power consumption electronics. However, at that time, no one had observed it in the laboratory. Numerous research teams worldwide were striving to make a breakthrough in this high-potential area of study.
Supported by the country and Tsinghua University, Xue and his team set up an experiment platform to join the race for discovery.
When the team started the experiment, they were uncertain about the outcome and whether they could observe the effect, much like racing on an unmarked course without any clear guidance.
In theory, the quantum anomalous Hall effect can be realized in topological insulators, but it is quite difficult to produce topological insulator materials that meet the experimental requirements in labs.
At first, the team tried the technical routes used by international peers but consistently failed. The team then explored the different elements and structures to prepare materials. In four years, Xue and his team had prepared and measured about 1,000 samples.
In October 2012, one night, Xue received a text message from his team members. They had successfully observed the trace of the quantum anomalous Hall effect in the lab.
After days of tests and verification, the team confirmed the discovery. Xue brought two bottles of champagne to the lab and posed for a group photo with his team to celebrate the significant breakthrough.
He attributed the findings to researchers' basic knowledge, academic capability, experimental skills, the intuition of scientists, long-term hard work and persistence, as well as the increasing support for basic research from the country.
This discovery marks only the midpoint of his career. His team is now focusing on further research related to quantum anomalous Hall effect and topological insulators, which will beef up the development of the basic theory of physics and related disciplines.
According to Xue, to do a good job in scientific research, we need to have a spirit of seeking truth from facts, and to solve a major scientific problem, we must be prepared to work hard for a long time. ■
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