physics

Xue Qikun

Xue Qikun is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Xue Qikun rather than just read about it. In short: Xue Qikun (Chinese: 薛其坤; pinyin: Xuē Qíkūn; born December 1963) is a Chinese physicist. He is a professor of Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Key takeaways

Xue Qikun belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Xue Qikun to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Xue Qikun from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Xue Qikun (Chinese: 薛其坤; pinyin: Xuē Qíkūn; born December 1963) is a Chinese physicist. He is a professor of Tsinghua University, Beijing. He has done much work in condensed matter physics, especially on superconductors and topological insulators. In 2013, Xue was the first to achieve the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), an unusual orderly motion of electrons in a conductor, in his laboratory at Tsinghua University. Xue is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, vice president for research of Tsinghua University, and director of State Key Lab of Quantum Physics. In 2016, he was one of the first recipients of the new Chinese Future Science Prize for experimental discovery of high-temperature superconductivity at material interfaces and the QAHE. This award has been described as "China's Nobel Prize".

Career Xue earned his PhD from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1994. From 1994 to 2000, he worked as a research associate at Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Japan, and as a visiting assistant professor at the Physics Department of North Carolina State University, US. He became a professor at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 1999, and since 2005 has worked as a professor in the Physics Department of Tsinghua University. He is a partner investigator in Australia's ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies. In 2020, he became the president of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech).

Research and achievements Xue pioneered high quality thin films of topological insulators and, in 2013, first achieved the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), at Tsinghua University. Nobel Laureate Chen-Ning Yang called this discovery "worthy of a Nobel Prize". Xue's current research aims at preparation of low-dimensional structures exhibiting pronounced quantum phenomena, and understanding of growth dynamics and quantum mechanical effects on solid surfaces and in thin films, including:

atomic-scale probing of surface electronic and magnetic properties by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy molecular beam epitaxial growth of novel quantum materials including low-dimensional and interface-related superconductivity and topological insulators quantum size effects in various low-dimensional structures study of electronic band structures of thin films using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and molecular beam epitaxy. exploration of novel quantum phenomena in materials with transport measurements development of new measurement techniques with high spatial and energy resolutions

Honors 2004, State Natural Science Second Class Award 2005, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences 2010, TWAS Prize in Physics 2011, State Natural Science Second Class Award 2011, Outstanding Scientific Research Team Award 2014, Outstanding Scientist Award 2016, Future Science Prize in physical science 2017, Asian Scientist 100, Asian Scientist 2020, Fritz London Memorial Prize for low-temperature physics 2024, Oliver E. Buckley Prize

Selected papers Experimental Observation of the Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in a Magnetic Topological Insulator Superconductivity in One-Atomic-Layer Metal Films Grown on Si(111) Superconductivity Modulated by Quantum Size Effects

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Xue Qikun

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Xue Qikun claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Xue Qikun before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Xue Qikun ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Xue Qikun

In research: Xue Qikun appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Xue Qikun in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Xue Qikun is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1963 births, Academic staff of Tsinghua University, Educators from Shandong, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Xue Qikun outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Xue Qikun in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Xue Qikun means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Xue Qikun out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Xue Qikun in simple terms?

Xue Qikun (Chinese: 薛其坤; pinyin: Xuē Qíkūn; born December 1963) is a Chinese physicist. He is a professor of Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Why does Xue Qikun matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Xue Qikun?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Xue Qikun.