- About
- Research
- People
- Events
- Join us
- Impact
- Intranet
Theory of Condensed Matter
Theoretical Condensed Matter physics is about building models of physical processes, often driven by experimental data, generalising the solutions of those models to make experimental predictions, and transferring the concepts gained into other areas of research. Theory plays an important role in understanding known phenomena and in predicting new ones.
With over seventy members, the TCM Group is one of the largest research Groups in the Cavendish Laboratory, and the largest university Condensed Matter Theory group in the country. Able to trace its history back for over sixty years, it has been home to many leading theoreticians.
Starting at the first principles microscopic level - with the Schrödinger equation - many properties of materials can now be calculated with a high degree of accuracy. We work on refining and developing new calculational tools and applying them to problems in physics, chemistry, materials science and biology.
Solids often show unusual collective behaviour resulting from cooperative quantum or classical phenomena. For this type of physics a more model-based approach is appropriate, and we are using such methods to attack problems in magnetism, superconductivity, nonlinear optics, mesoscopic systems, polymers, and colloids.
Collective behaviour comes even more to the fore in systems on a larger scale. As examples, we work on self-organising structures in "soft" condensed matter systems, non-linear dynamics of interacting systems, the observer in quantum mechanics, and models of biophysical processes, from the molecular scale up to neural systems.
Dr Knolle's work as part of an international team including experimentalists from Oak Ridge National Lab has led to the observation of magnetic Majorana fermion quasiparticles. Neutron scattering experiments at very low temperatures in RuCl3 showed close agreement to the theoretical quantum spin liquid predictions.
TCM congratulates Joseph Nelson on passing his PhD viva. He remains in TCM as a PostDoc in Dr Morris's group.
News archive(Click the above tab to reload the Seminars list.)
More seminars- Stopping power beyond the adiabatic approximation Scientific Reports 7 2618 (2017)
- Quantum Synchronization Blockade: Energy Quantization Hinders Synchronization of Identical Oscillators Phys. Rev. Lett. 118 243602 (2017)
- Experimental and Theoretical Evaluation of the Stability of True MOF Polymorphs Explains Their Mechanochemical Interconversions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 139 7952 - 7957 (2017)
- Neutron scattering in the proximate quantum spin liquid alpha-RuCl3 Science 356 1055 - 1058 (2017)
- Neutron scattering in the proximate quantum spin liquid α-RuCl3. Science 356 1055 - 1059 (2017)
- Majorana Landau-level Raman spectroscopy Phys. Rev. B 95 184429 (2017)
- Shape and Energy Consistent Pseudopotentials for Correlated Electron systems The Journal of Chemical Physics 146 204107 (2017)
- Synchronization of an optomechanical system to an external drive Phys. Rev. A 95 053858 (2017)
- On the accuracy of one- and two-particle solvation entropies. J Chem Phys 146 194111 (2017)
- Evidence of Correlated Static Disorder in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson Complex. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 8 2350 - 2356 (2017)
- A dissipative quantum reservoir for microwave light using a mechanical oscillator Nat. Phys. (2017)
- Single-Atom Scale Structural Selectivity in Te Nanowires Encapsulated Inside Ultranarrow, Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. ACS Nano (2017)
- Investigating Sodium Storage Mechanisms in Tin Anodes: A Combined Pair Distribution Function Analysis, Density Functional Theory and Solid-State NMR Approach. J Am Chem Soc (2017)
- The Plateau-Rayleigh instability in solids is a simple phase separation Phys. Rev. E 95 053106 (2017)
- Anomalous de Haas-van Alphen Effect in InAs/GaSb Quantum Wells. Phys. Rev. Lett. 118 176801 (2017)
- Multi-site Neurogenin3 Phosphorylation Controls Pancreatic Endocrine Differentiation. Dev. Cell (2017)
- Semiclassical approach to quantum spin ice Phys. Rev. B 95 (2017)
- Nonradiative Step Facets in Semiconductor Nanowires. Nano Lett. 17 2454 - 2459 (2017)
-
Local Structure Evolution and Modes of Charge Storage in Secondary Li-FeS
2 Cells Chem. Mater. 29 3070 - 3082 (2017) - Long-term, hormone-responsive organoid cultures of human endometrium in a chemically defined medium. Nat. Cell Biol. (2017)
Theoretical Condensed Matter physics is about building models of physical processes, often driven by experimental data, generalising the solutions of those models to make experimental predictions, and transferring the concepts gained into other areas of research. Theory plays an important role in understanding known phenomena and in predicting new ones.
With over seventy members, the TCM Group is one of the largest research Groups in the Cavendish Laboratory, and the largest university Condensed Matter Theory group in the country. Able to trace its history back for over sixty years, it has been home to many leading theoreticians.
Starting at the first principles microscopic level - with the Schrödinger equation - many properties of materials can now be calculated with a high degree of accuracy. We work on refining and developing new calculational tools and applying them to problems in physics, chemistry, materials science and biology.
Solids often show unusual collective behaviour resulting from cooperative quantum or classical phenomena. For this type of physics a more model-based approach is appropriate, and we are using such methods to attack problems in magnetism, superconductivity, nonlinear optics, mesoscopic systems, polymers, and colloids.
Collective behaviour comes even more to the fore in systems on a larger scale. As examples, we work on self-organising structures in "soft" condensed matter systems, non-linear dynamics of interacting systems, the observer in quantum mechanics, and models of biophysical processes, from the molecular scale up to neural systems.
News
Dr Knolle's work as part of an international team including experimentalists from Oak Ridge National Lab has led to the observation of magnetic Majorana fermion quasiparticles. Neutron scattering experiments at very low temperatures in RuCl3 showed close agreement to the theoretical quantum spin liquid predictions.
TCM congratulates Joseph Nelson on passing his PhD viva. He remains in TCM as a PostDoc in Dr Morris's group.
Recent Publications
- Stopping power beyond the adiabatic approximation Scientific Reports 7 2618 (2017)
- Quantum Synchronization Blockade: Energy Quantization Hinders Synchronization of Identical Oscillators Phys. Rev. Lett. 118 243602 (2017)
- Experimental and Theoretical Evaluation of the Stability of True MOF Polymorphs Explains Their Mechanochemical Interconversions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 139 7952 - 7957 (2017)
- Neutron scattering in the proximate quantum spin liquid alpha-RuCl3 Science 356 1055 - 1058 (2017)
- Neutron scattering in the proximate quantum spin liquid α-RuCl3. Science 356 1055 - 1059 (2017)
- Majorana Landau-level Raman spectroscopy Phys. Rev. B 95 184429 (2017)
- Shape and Energy Consistent Pseudopotentials for Correlated Electron systems The Journal of Chemical Physics 146 204107 (2017)
- Synchronization of an optomechanical system to an external drive Phys. Rev. A 95 053858 (2017)
- On the accuracy of one- and two-particle solvation entropies. J Chem Phys 146 194111 (2017)
- Evidence of Correlated Static Disorder in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson Complex. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 8 2350 - 2356 (2017)
- A dissipative quantum reservoir for microwave light using a mechanical oscillator Nat. Phys. (2017)
- Single-Atom Scale Structural Selectivity in Te Nanowires Encapsulated Inside Ultranarrow, Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. ACS Nano (2017)
- Investigating Sodium Storage Mechanisms in Tin Anodes: A Combined Pair Distribution Function Analysis, Density Functional Theory and Solid-State NMR Approach. J Am Chem Soc (2017)
- The Plateau-Rayleigh instability in solids is a simple phase separation Phys. Rev. E 95 053106 (2017)
- Anomalous de Haas-van Alphen Effect in InAs/GaSb Quantum Wells. Phys. Rev. Lett. 118 176801 (2017)
- Multi-site Neurogenin3 Phosphorylation Controls Pancreatic Endocrine Differentiation. Dev. Cell (2017)
- Semiclassical approach to quantum spin ice Phys. Rev. B 95 (2017)
- Nonradiative Step Facets in Semiconductor Nanowires. Nano Lett. 17 2454 - 2459 (2017)
-
Local Structure Evolution and Modes of Charge Storage in Secondary Li-FeS
2 Cells Chem. Mater. 29 3070 - 3082 (2017) - Long-term, hormone-responsive organoid cultures of human endometrium in a chemically defined medium. Nat. Cell Biol. (2017)