The physics of many-electron systems remains one of the great
challenges in modern physics. Experimental progress in condensed
matter and with ultracold atoms offer exciting new opportunities.
Recently, rapid progress has also been achieved with computational
approaches. This brings new synergy for advancing our understanding of
correlated electron systems. I will describe our work to develop one
of the computational frameworks, the auxiliary-field quantum Monte
Carlo (AFQMC), and to determine the ground-state properties of two
fundamental two-dimensional systems: the Fermi gas and the repulsive
Hubbard model. In the Fermi gas, where the interaction is attractive,
exact computations are performed under experimental conditions with
ultracold atoms, and the interplay between superfluidity and Rashba
spin-orbit coupling is investigated. In the repulsive Hubbard model,
the magnetic and charge orders upon doping are examined and several
key questions are answered in the context of high-termerature
superconductivity. We will conclude with brief comments on the general
prospect of ab initio quantum many-body computations in molecules and
materials.

Bio：

Shiwei Zhang received a B.S. in Physics from the University of Science
and Technology of China in 1988. He then attended Cornell University
via the CUSPEA program and received a Ph.D. in Physics in 1993.  After
two years at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a Postdoctoral Research
Associate and then briefly at Ohio State University as an NSF
Postdoctoral Fellow and University Postdoctoral Fellow, he joined the
faculty at William and Mary in 1996, where he is now Professor of
Physics. 

Dr. Zhang is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has
received a number of awards, including the NSF Faculty CAREER Award,
the Cottrell Scholar Award, and the Plumeri Award for Faculty
Excellence. He is principal investigator of multiple research
collaboration teams of leading US institutions. He has made many
fundamental contributions in the computational studies of quantum
systems. Methods he pioneered have been applied in condensed matter
physics, quantum chemistry, ultra-cold atoms, and nuclear physics.