Mehmet Özgür Oktel
Professor of Physics
Bilkent University
Ankara, TURKEY
I am a condensed matter theorist, currently working on problems related to quasicrystals and cold atoms.
Please contact me by e-mail if you have questions about my research.
I currently do not have open positions in my group.
Employment
Education
Selected Awards 
- Bilkent Distinguished Teaching Award (2018)
- TUBITAK Encouragement Award (2009)
- Mustafa N. Parlar Foundation Research Encouragement Award (2008)
- TUBA GEBIP Turkish Academy of Sciences Young Investigator Award (2005-2008)
- TUBITAK Kariyer Grant (2005-2010)
- Ohio State Fellowship (2001-2003)
- MIT Research Assistantship (1997-2001)
- Valedictorian, Middle East Technical University, Graduation GPA: 3.99/4.00 (1996)
- Zeytinoglu Undergraduate Scholarship (1992-1996)
- Bronze Medal, International Physics Olympiad, Helsinki, Finland (1992)
- First Place, University Entrance Examination (OSS) (1992)
Research Themes
Quasicrystals
Quasicrystals are solids in which atoms are arranged in an ordered but not periodic pattern. They can be described as projections of higher dimensional periodic crystals. I am mostly interested in understanding electron and wave motion in these structures. Our recent work showed how one can count localized electronic states in these structures.
Artificial Gauge Fields
Cold atom experiments are carried out with electrically neutral atoms. However, clever ways of generating effective electric and magnetic fields, as well as more complicated gauge fields, have emerged. I am mostly interested in experimentally realizable novel quantum phases of Bosons and Fermions coupled to such Gauge Fields.
Ultradilute Droplets
In a typical ultracold atom experiment, the atoms behave like a gas that has to be trapped to keep it from expanding. Recently, two-component BECs and dipolar BECs were shown to have a ‘droplet’ phase, which behaves like a liquid. Such a cloud retains its shape even without external trapping, much like a drop of water, although it is ten orders of magnitude more dilute. The stability of such droplets requires quantum and thermal fluctuations, and they may act as a gateway to correlated phases of Bosons.
Publications
Almost everything I write is on the arxiv. ORCID keeps good track of published work.
Also, check out the Google Scholar page.
Selected publications:
- “Theory of Moiré Magnetism and Multidomain Spin Textures in Twisted Mott Insulator–Semimetal Heterobilayers,” Mehmet Akif Keskiner, Pouyan Ghaemi, Mehmet Özgür Oktel, and Onur Erten, Nano Letters 24 (28), 8575-8579 (2024)
- “Kitaev-type spin liquid on a quasicrystal,” M. A. Keskiner, O. Erten, and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. B 108, 104208 (2023)
- “Vortex lattices in strongly confined quantum droplets”, T. A. Yoğurt, U. Tanyeri, A. Keleş, and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. A 108, 033315 (2023)
- “Strictly localized states in the octagonal Ammann-Beenker quasicrystal,” M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. B 104, 014204 (2021)
- “Perpendicular space accounting of localized states in a quasicrystal”, Murod Mirzhalilov and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. B 102, 064213 (2020)
- “Temperature-dependent density profiles of dipolar droplets”, E. Aybar and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. A 99, 013620 (2019)
- “Nonequilibrium fractional Hall response after a topological quench”, F. Nur Ünal, Erich J. Mueller, and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. A 94, 053604 (2016)
- “Pairing of Fermions with Unequal Effective Charges in an Artificial Magnetic Field”, F. Nur Ünal and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 045305 (2016)
- “Mott transition in a two-leg Bose-Hubbard ladder under an artificial magnetic field”, Ahmet Keleş and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. A 91, 013629 (2015)
- “Pairing and Vortex Lattices for Interacting Fermions in Optical Lattices with a Large Magnetic Field”, Hui Zhai, R. O. Umucalılar, and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 145301 (2010)
- “Trapped Fermi Gases in Rotating Optical Lattices: Realization and Detection of the Topological Hofstadter Insulator”, R. O. Umucalılar, Hui Zhai, and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 070402 (2008)
- “Phase boundary of the boson Mott insulator in a rotating optical lattice”, R. O. Umucalılar and M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. A 76, 055601 (2007)
- “Electromagnetically induced left-handedness in a dense gas of three-level atoms”, M. Ö. Oktel and Ö. E. Müstecaplıoğlu, Phys. Rev. A 70, 053806 (2004)
- “Vortex lattice of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a rotating anisotropic trap”, M. Ö. Oktel, Phys. Rev. A 69, 023618 (2004)
- “Internal Waves and Synchronized Precession in a Cold Vapor”, M. Ö. Oktel and L. S. Levitov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 230403 (2002)
- “Optical Excitations in a Nonideal Bose Gas”, M. Ö. Oktel and L. S. Levitov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 6 (1999)
Ph.D. Students
| Ph.D. Student | Co-advisor | Graduation Year | Next Stop | Currently (2024) |
| M. Akif Keskiner | Ongoing | |||
| T. Alper Yoğurt | Ahmet Keleş (METU) | 2023 | Max Planck PKS (Dresden, Germany) | Max Planck PKS (Dresden, Germany) |
| Fırat Yılmaz | 2018 | Academia Sinica (Taiwan) | Industry | |
| F. Nur Ünal | 2016 | Max Planck PKS (Dresden, Germany) | U. of Cambridge (UK) | |
| Nader Ghazanfari | Altuğ Özpineci(METU) | 2011 | Koç University | İstinye Üniversitesi |
| R. Onur Umucalılar | 2010 | BEC Center (Trento, Italy) | Mimar Sinan G.S. Üniversitesi | |
| Barış Öztop | A. Shumovsky | 2009 | Princeton U. (NJ, USA) | Finance |
| Mehmet Emre Taşgın | 2009 | Koç University | Hacettepe Üniversitesi |
M.S. Students
| M.S. Student | Co-advisor | Graduation Year | Next Stop | Currently (2024) |
| Omar Almonajed | Ongoing | |||
| Efe Yelesti | Ongoing | |||
| Kadir Çeven | Ahmet Keleş (METU) | 2023 | U. of Göttingen (Germany) | U. of Göttingen (Germany) |
| Enes Aybar | 2019 | ICFO (Barcelona, Spain) | ICFO (Barcelona, Spain) | |
| Ahmed Ouf | S. Wüster | 2018 | J. Gutenberg U. (Germany) | J. Gutenberg U. (Germany) |
| Kübra Işık Yıldız | 2016 | Bilkent U. | Industry | |
| Habib Gültekin | 2016 | Koç University | Industry | |
| Fırat Yılmaz | 2015 | Bilkent U. | Industry | |
| Semih Kaya | 2013 | Industry | Industry | |
| F. Nur Ünal | 2012 | Bilkent U. | U. Of Cambridge (U.K) | |
| Ahmet Keleş | 2009 | U. of Washington (WA, USA) | METU | |
| Murat Keçeli | 2006 | U. of Florida (FL, USA) | Argonne National Lab (USA) |
Undergraduate Student-Coauthors
| M.S. Student | Graduation Year | Next Stop | Currently (2024) |
| Murod Mirzhalilov | 2020 | Ohio State U. (Columbus, OH, USA) | Ohio State U. (Columbus, OH, USA) |
| Ş. Furkan Öztürk | 2018 | Harvard U. (Cambridge, MA, USA) | Harvard U. (Cambridge, MA, USA) |
| Hakan Atakişi | 2013 | Cornell U. (Ithaca, NY, USA) | Industry |