Igor Boettcher

Group

• Igor Boettcher (head of group)
   
  
• Sourav Biswas (postdoctoral fellow)
   
  
• Albion Arifi (MSc student)
   
  
• Connor Walsh (MSc student)
   
  
• Hanbang Lu (MSc student)
   
  
• Akashdeep Singh (undergraduate student)
   
  
• Aahan Pahwa (undergraduate student)
   
  
• Current and past group members

    Quantum Horizons Alberta (QHA)

• Jongjun M. Lee (QHA postdoctoral fellow)
   
  
• Alexander Hickey (QHA postdoctoral fellow)
   
  
• David Moser (QHA postdoctoral fellow)
   
  

Teaching

• PHYS 495/595 Quantum Information (Winter 2027)
   
  
• PHYS 524 Classical Electrodynamics (Winter 2027)
   
  
• PHYS 310 Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory (Fall 2026)
   
  
• Lecture notes
   
  
• Current and past teaching

Theoretical Physics Institute Seminar

• Schedule

Condensed Matter Physics Seminar

• Schedule

High School Physics Talk

"Superconductors - Wonder Materials without Resistivity"

• Abstract
• Book here

Publications

1. "Families of planar lattices with arbitrarily high Tc for the ferromagnetic Ising model"
   Joseph, Walsh, Boettcher
   Phys. Rev. E 114, 024133 (2026), [arXiv:2605.10017]
    
   
2. "Coherent-state ansatz for the Holstein polaron in one and two dimensions"
   Walsh, Boettcher, Marsiglio
   [arXiv:2603.07290]
    
   
3. "Universality classes split by strong and weak symmetries"
   Lee, Hwang, Boettcher
   [arXiv:2602.09090]
    
   
4. "Discrete holography and density of states in the crossover from hyperbolic to Euclidean lattices"
   Tolosa-Simeón, Boettcher
   Phys. Rev. B 114, 055405 (2026), [arXiv:2602.00231]
    
   
5. "Exact critical-temperature bounds for two-dimensional Ising models"
   Joseph, Boettcher
   Phys. Rev. E 113, 064113 (2026), [arXiv:2601.02502]
    
   
6. "Walking on Archimedean Lattices: Insights from Bloch Band Theory"
   Joseph, Boettcher
   Phys. Rev. E 112, 044118 (2025), [arXiv:2507.12662]
    
   
7. "Dimensional crossover of superfluid 3He in a magnetic field"
   Saraj, Malhotra, Muhikira, Shook, Davis, Boettcher
   Phys. Rev. B 112, 174509 (2025), [arXiv:2507.10763]
    
   
8. "Simulating Holographic Conformal Field Theories on Hyperbolic Lattices"
   Dey, Chen, Basteiro, Fritzsche, Greiter, Kaminski, Lenggenhager, Meyer, Sorbello, Stegmaier, Thomale, Erdmenger, Boettcher
   Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 061603 (2024), [arXiv:2404.03062]
   Editors' Suggestion
    
   
9. "Surface State Dissipation in Confined 3He-A"
   Shook, Varga, Boettcher, Davis
   Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 156001 (2024), [arXiv:2310.00084]
    
   
10. "Anderson Localization Transition in Disordered Hyperbolic Lattices"
    Chen, Maciejko, Boettcher
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 066101 (2024), [arXiv:2310.07978]
     
    
11. "Superfluid phase transition of nanoscale-confined helium-3"
    Sun, Attar, Boettcher
    Phys. Rev. B 108, 144503 (2023), [arXiv:2307.08808]
     
    
12. "Realizing efficient topological temporal pumping in electrical circuits"
    Stegmaier, Brand, Imhof, Fritzsche, Helbig, Hofmann, Boettcher, Greiter, Lee, Bahl, Szameit, Kiessling, Thomale, Upreti
    Phys. Rev. Research 6, 023010 (2024), [arXiv:2306.15434]
     
    
13. "Symmetry and topology of hyperbolic Haldane models"
    Chen, Guan, Lenggenhager, Maciejko, Boettcher, Bzdušek
    Phys. Rev. B 108, 085114 (2023), [arXiv:2304.03273]
     
    
14. "Hyperbolic matter in electrical circuits with tunable complex phases"
    Chen, Brand, Helbig, Hofmann, Imhof, Fritzsche, Kießling, Stegmaier, Upreti, Neupert, Bzdušek, Greiter, Thomale, Boettcher
    Nature Communications 14, 622 (2023), [arXiv:2205.05106]
     
    
15. "Hyperbolic Topological Band Insulators"
    Urwyler, Lenggenhager, Boettcher, Thomale, Neupert, Bzdušek
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 246402 (2022), [arXiv:2203.07292]
     
    
16. "Selberg trace formula in hyperbolic band theory"
    Attar, Boettcher
    Phys. Rev. E 106, 034114 (2022), [arXiv:2201.06587]
     
    
17. "Universality of Hofstadter butterflies on hyperbolic lattices"
    Stegmaier, Upreti, Thomale, Boettcher
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 166402 (2022), [arXiv:2111.05779]
     
    
18. "Simulating hyperbolic space on a circuit board"
    Lenggenhager, Stegmaier, Upreti, Hofmann, Helbig, Vollhardt, Greiter, Lee, Imhof, Brand, Kießling, Boettcher, Neupert, Thomale, Bzdušek
    Nature Communications 13, 4373 (2022), [arXiv:2109.01148]
     
    
19. "Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics in Hyperbolic Space: From Photon Bound States to Frustrated Spin Models"
    Bienias, Boettcher, Belyansky, Kollár, Gorshkov
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 013601 (2022), [arXiv:2105.06490]
    Press release JQI News
     
    
20. "Crystallography of hyperbolic lattices"
    Boettcher, Gorshkov, Kollár, Maciejko, Rayan, Thomale
    Phys. Rev. B 105, 125118 (2022), [arXiv:2105.01087]
    Editors' Suggestion
     
    
21. "Protocols for estimating multiple functions with quantum sensor networks: geometry and performance"
    Bringewatt, Boettcher, Niroula, Bienias, Gorshkov
    Phys. Rev. Research 3, 033011 (2021), [arXiv:2104.09540]
     
    
22. "Topological defect engineering and PT-symmetry in non-Hermitian electrical circuits"
    Stegmaier, Imhof, Helbig, Hofmann, Lee, Kremer, Fritzsche, Feichtner, Klembt, Hoefling, Boettcher, Fulga, Schmidt, Greiter, Kiessling, Szameit, Thomale
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 215302 (2021), [arXiv:2011.14836]
     
    
23. "Optimal Measurement of Field Properties with Quantum Sensor Networks"
    Qian, Bringewatt, Boettcher, Bienias, Gorshkov
    Phys. Rev. A 103, L030601 (2021), [arXiv:2011.01259]
    Letter
     
    
24. "Infrared fixed points of higher-spin fermions in topological semimetals"
    Boettcher
    Phys. Rev. B 102, 155104 (2020), [arXiv:2007.03740]
     
    
25. "Critical theory for the breakdown of photon blockade"
    Curtis, Boettcher, Young, Maghrebi, Carmichael, Gorshkov, Foss-Feig
    Phys. Rev. Research 3, 023062 (2021), [arXiv:2006.05593]
     
    
26. "d-wave superconductivity and Bogoliubov-Fermi surfaces in Rarita-Schwinger-Weyl semimetals"
    Link, Boettcher, Herbut
    Phys. Rev. B 101, 184503 (2020), [arXiv:2001.09224]
    Editors' Suggestion
     
    
27. "Quantum Simulation of Hyperbolic Space with Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics: From Graphs to Geometry"
    Boettcher, Bienias, Belyanksy, Kollár, Gorshkov
    Phys. Rev. A 102, 032208 (2020), [arXiv:1910.12318]
    Editors' Suggestion
    Featured in Physics, Press release JQI News
     
    
28. "Interplay of topology and electron-electron interactions in Rarita-Schwinger-Weyl semimetals"
    Boettcher
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 127602 (2020), [arXiv:1907.05354]
    On the Cover
    Press release JQI News
     
    
29. "Ground state of the three-dimensional BCS d-wave superconductor"
    Herbut, Boettcher, Mandal
    Phys. Rev. B 100, 104503 (2019), [arXiv:1907.05015]
     
    
30. "Optical response of Luttinger semimetals in the normal and superconducting states"
    Boettcher
    Phys. Rev. B 99, 125146 (2019), [arXiv:1812.07555]
     
    
31. "Critical phenomena at the complex tensor ordering phase transition"
    Boettcher, Herbut
    Phys. Rev. B 97, 064504 (2018), [arXiv:1712.03981]
     
    
32. "Unconventional Superconductivity in Luttinger Semimetals: Theory of Complex Tensor Order and the Emergence of the Uniaxial Nematic State"
    Boettcher, Herbut
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 057002 (2018), [arXiv:1707.03444]
    Press release Simon Fraser University
     
    
33. "High temperature pairing in a strongly interacting two-dimensional Fermi gas"
    Murthy, Neidig, Klemt, Bayha, Boettcher, Enss, Holten, Zürn, Preiss, Jochim
    Science 359, 452 (2018), [arXiv:1705.10577]
    Press release Heidelberg University
     
    
34. "Anisotropy induces non-Fermi-liquid behavior and nematic magnetic order in three-dimensional Luttinger semimetals"
    Boettcher, Herbut
    Phys. Rev. B 95, 075149 (2017), [arXiv:1611.05904]
    Editors' Suggestion
     
    
35. "Quasi-long-range order in trapped two-dimensional Bose gases"
    Boettcher, Holzmann
    Phys. Rev. A 94, 011602(R) (2016), [arXiv:1605.00597]
    Rapid Communication
     
    
36. "Dimensional crossover of nonrelativistic bosons"
    Lammers, Boettcher, Wetterich
    Phys. Rev. A 93, 063631 (2016), [arXiv:1603.02409]
     
    
37. "Superconducting quantum criticality in three-dimensional Luttinger semimetals"
    Boettcher, Herbut
    Phys. Rev. B 93, 205138 (2016), [arXiv:1603.00031]
     
    
38. "Equation of State of Ultracold Fermions in the 2D BEC-BCS Crossover Region"
    Boettcher, Bayha, Kedar, Murthy, Neidig, Ries, Wenz, Zürn, Jochim, Enss
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 045303 (2016), [arXiv:1509.03610]
    Editors' Suggestion
    Featured in Physics, Press release Heidelberg University
     
    
39. "Observation of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Phase Transition in an Ultracold Fermi Gas"
    Murthy, Boettcher, Bayha, Holzmann, Kedar, Neidig, Ries, Wenz, Zürn, Jochim
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 010401 (2015), [arXiv:1505.02123]
    Editors' Suggestion
     
    
40. "Scaling relations and multicritical phenomena from Functional Renormalization"
    Boettcher
    Phys. Rev. E 91, 062112 (2015), [arXiv:1503.07817]
     
    
41. "Observation of Pair Condensation in the Quasi-2D BEC-BCS Crossover"
    Ries, Wenz, Zürn, Bayha, Boettcher, Kedar, Murthy, Neidig, Lompe, Jochim
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 230401 (2015), [arXiv:1409.5373]
    Editors' Suggestion
    Featured in Physics, Press release Heidelberg University
     
    
42. "Sarma phase in relativistic and non-relativistic systems "
    Boettcher, Herbst, Pawlowski, Strodthoff, von Smekal, Wetterich
    Phys. Lett. B 742, 86 (2015), [arXiv:1409.5232]
     
    
43. "Phase structure of spin-imbalanced unitary Fermi gases"
    Boettcher, Braun, Herbst, Pawlowski, Roscher, Wetterich
    Phys. Rev. A 91, 013610 (2015), [arXiv:1409.5070]
     
    
44. "Critical temperature and superfluid gap of the Unitary Fermi Gas from Functional Renormalization"
    Boettcher, Pawlowski, Wetterich
    Phys. Rev. A 89, 053630 (2014), [arXiv:1312.0505]
     
    
45. "Error estimates and specification parameters for functional renormalization"
    Schnoerr, Boettcher, Pawlowski, Wetterich
    Annals Phys. 334 (2013) 83-99, [arXiv:1301.4169]
     
    
46. "Tan contact and universal high momentum behavior of the fermion propagator in the BCS-BEC crossover"
    Boettcher, Diehl, Pawlowski, Wetterich
    Phys. Rev. A 87, 023606 (2013), [arXiv:1209.5641]
     
    
47. "Ultracold atoms and the Functional Renormalization Group"
    Boettcher, Pawlowski, Diehl
    Nucl. Phys. B (Proc. Suppl.) 228 (2012) 63-135, [arXiv:1204.4394]
     
    
48. "Hydrodynamic collective modes for cold trapped gases"
    Boettcher, Floerchinger, Wetterich
    J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 44 (2011) 235301, [arXiv:1103.5342]
     
    

summaries of selected articles for non-scientists

Theses

• Doctoral thesis "Dimensional BCS-BEC crossover in ultracold Fermi gases" (Heidelberg University, 2014) under the supervision of C. Wetterich
   
  
• Diploma thesis "Precision observables for ultracold quantum gases" (Heidelberg University, 2011) under the supervision of C. Wetterich

Honors

• 2024 Audrey and Randy Lomnes Early Career Endowment Award, awarded by the Department of Physics, University of Alberta
   
  
• 2011 Otto-Haxel-Prize for the diploma thesis "Precision observables for ultracold quantum gases", awarded by the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University