Yin-Kai Yu

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Member of the Communist Party of China

Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Ph.D. student, 2024 Cohort

Sun Yat-sen University Alumni Association - Class of 2024 trustee

Email: yuyinkai@iphy.ac.cn

or newtonyyk@gmail.com

Study & Research Interests

Foundations of physics, nonequilibrium statistical physics, condensed-matter theory, strongly correlated quantum many-body theory, and numerical simulations

First to unveil the nonequilibrium criticality of fermions (critical relaxation and driven dynamics), discovering finite-time scaling beyond the Kibble-Zurek mechanism

Proposed a theoretical framework that overcomes fermion sign problems through nonequilibrium methods

Currently focuses on nonequilibrium critical dynamics with emergent supersymmetry and on sign problems in frustrated bosonic/spin systems

Publications

Zhi-Xuan Li, Yin-Kai Yu, Zi-Xiang Li, Shuai Yin. Symmetric Mass Generation Transition and its Nonequilibrium Critical Dynamics in a Bilayer Honeycomb Lattice Model. 2026., arXiv:2603.22736

Cong Zhang, Yin-Kai Yu, Shao-Hang Shi, Zi-Xiang Li. Magnetic order and novel quantum criticality in the strongly interacting quasicrystals. 2025., arXiv:2512.13546

Yin-Kai Yu, Zhi-Xuan Li, Shuai Yin, Zi-Xiang Li. Preempting fermion sign problem: Unveiling quantum criticality through nonequilibrium dynamics in imaginary time. Science Advances 12, eadz4856 (2026). [arXiv:2410.18854, PDF, Supplementary Materials]

Zhi Zeng, Yin-Kai Yu, Zi-Xiang Li, Shuai Yin. Nonequilibrium critical dynamics with emergent supersymmetry. Physical Review B 112, L060301 (2025, Letter). [arXiv:2408.06138, PDF]

Zhi Zeng^#, Yin-Kai Yu^#, Zhi-Xuan Li^#, Zi-Xiang Li, Shuai Yin. Finite-time scaling beyond the Kibble-Zurek prerequisite in Dirac systems. Nature Communications 16, 6181 (2025). [arXiv:2403.19258, PDF]

Yin-Kai Yu, Zhi Zeng, Yu-Rong Shu, Zi-Xiang Li, Shuai Yin, Nonequilibrium dynamics of Dirac quantum criticality in imaginary time. Physical Review Letters, 136, 086502 (2026). [arXiv:2310.10601, PDF, Supplementary Materials]

Education Experience

Sep 2024 - present: Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Theoretical Physics, Ph.D. student (advisor: Zi-Xiang Li)

Sep 2020 - Jul 2024: Sun Yat-sen University, School of Physics, B.S. in Physics (advisor: Shuai Yin)

Sep 2017 - Jul 2020: Zhanjiang No. 1 High School, Physics Olympiad team member / president of the Chunlei Literature Society

Sep 2014 - Jun 2017: Peicai School, Zhanjiang No. 1 Middle School, bilingual program

Sep 2008 - Jun 2014: Haidong Primary School affiliated with Zhanjiang No. 2 Middle School

Honors

2025, UCAS Merit Student

2025, UCAS Outstanding Communist Youth League Cadre

2023, National Scholarship

2023, Sun Yat-sen University First-class Outstanding Student Scholarship

2022, National Encouragement Scholarship

2022, Sun Yat-sen University First-class Outstanding Student Scholarship

2022, Third Prize, 8th National College Physics Experiment Competition

2021, National Encouragement Scholarship

2021, Sun Yat-sen University First-class Outstanding Student Scholarship

2019, Second Prize, 36th Chinese Physics Olympiad (semifinal)

2018, Silver Medal, IAP Comprehensive Competition (Mathematics National Final)

2018, Zhanjiang Merit Student

Coursework

Quantum Field Theory, Topological Physics, General Relativity, Superconductivity, Ultracold Atomic Physics, Conformal Field Theory, Superstring Theory

Theoretical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Physics, Solid-State Physics

Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena, Condensed-Matter Field Theory (selected topics)

Group Theory, Lie Groups

Studies of the Book of Changes, readings in classics of philosophy and aesthetics (Plato, Schiller), studies in Kant's philosophy of history

Some Skills

Numerical methods: determinant quantum Monte Carlo (DQMC), time-evolving block decimation (TEBD), machine learning

Programming languages: MATLAB, Python, Fortran, C, Mathematica, bash

Graphic design: LaTeX, Adobe Illustrator

Arts: pipa performance, classical Chinese poetry writing, pop-music creation (lyrics, composition, arrangement)