Penn Physicist, Cardinal O’Hara Grad Wins $3 Million Award Sponsored by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg

By

Eugene Mele

University of Pennsylvania physicist and Cardinal O’Hara graduate Eugene Mele and his colleague Charles Kane have won a $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, writes Tom Avril for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

In 2005, the two physics professors at Penn predicted the existence of an unusual new type of electronic material, a two-dimensional topological insulator. This could be used in future generations of ultra-fast computers.

Topological insulators envisioned by Kane and Mele immediately sparked interest in the world of physics and electronics due to its highway-like behavior. It uses an insulator on one side and a conductor on the other to force electrons to travel in an orderly fashion.

“Think of a crowded train station where people are bumping into each other. What these things do is like providing a conveyor belt on the edge,” said Mele.

The award is sponsored by an elite group of tech entrepreneurs, including Google’s Sergey Brin, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, and physician-philanthropist Priscilla Chan.

It will be presented on Nov. 4 in Silicon Valley.

Read more about Eugene Mele in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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