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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.
Congratulations to Will Grant on passing his PhD viva. Will is moving to California to pursue his career.
Earlier this month, scientists from around the world gathered at Pembroke College to celebrate Mike Payne's 60th Birthday. A day-long symposium was held, covering Mike's wide contribution to physics, of course including Castep and Onetep.
News archive
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More seminars- Tracing the Dynamics of Stem Cell Fate. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol a036202 (2020)
- Development of a Novel Cell-Permeable Protein-Protein Interaction Inhibitor for the Polo-box Domain of Polo-like Kinase 1 ACS Omega acsomega.9b03626 (2020)
- Decoration of plasmonic Mg nanoparticles by partial galvanic replacement. J. Chem. Phys. 151 244708 (2019)
- Critical Response of a Quantum van der Pol Oscillator. Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 250401 (2019)
- Comparison of dispersion-corrected exchange-correlation functionals using atomic orbitals Phys. Rev. B 100 235439 (2019)
- Fractional topological insulator precursors in spin-orbit fermion ladders Phys. Rev. B 100 235122 (2019)
- P-Band Induced Self-Organization and Dynamics with Repulsively Driven Ultracold Atoms in an Optical Cavity Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 233601 (2019)
- Predicting physical properties of alkanes with neural networks Fluid Phase Equilibria 501 112259 (2019)
- Electrostatic force driven helium insertion into ammonia and water crystals under pressure Commun. Chem. 2 102 (2019)
- Interacting Symmetry-Protected Topological Phases Out of Equilibrium Phys. Rev. Research 1 033204 (2019)
- Assessment of Approximate Methods for Anharmonic Free Energies J. Chem. Theory Comput. 15 5845 - 5857 (2019)
- A cryptic hydrophobic pocket in the polo-box domain of the polo-like kinase PLK1 regulates substrate recognition and mitotic chromosome segregation. Scientific Reports 9 15930 (2019)
- Floquet dynamics in quantum measurement of mechanical motion Phys. Rev. A 100 053852 (2019)
- Long-range Coulomb interactions and non-hydrodynamic behaviour in thermal quenches in spin ice Phys. Rev. B 100 184411 (2019)
- Electronic heat transport versus atomic heating in irradiated short metallic nanowires Phys. Rev. B 100 155434 (2019)
- Mutations in thyroid hormone receptor α1 cause premature neurogenesis and progenitor cell depletion in human cortical development. P. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 201908762 (2019)
- Ionic and Electronic Conduction in TiNb2O7. J. Am. Chem. Soc. jacs.9b06669 (2019)
- Optimization of Protein-Ligand Electrostatic Interactions Using An Alchemical Free-Energy Method. J. Chem. Theory Comput. acs.jctc.9b00976 (2019)
- Two-tone optomechanical instability in backaction-evading measurements Phys. Rev. X 9 041022 (2019)
- Period-$n$ discrete time crystals and quasicrystals with ultracold bosons Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 150601 (2019)
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
Congratulations to Will Grant on passing his PhD viva. Will is moving to California to pursue his career.
Earlier this month, scientists from around the world gathered at Pembroke College to celebrate Mike Payne's 60th Birthday. A day-long symposium was held, covering Mike's wide contribution to physics, of course including Castep and Onetep.
Recent Publications
- Tracing the Dynamics of Stem Cell Fate. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol a036202 (2020)
- Development of a Novel Cell-Permeable Protein-Protein Interaction Inhibitor for the Polo-box Domain of Polo-like Kinase 1 ACS Omega acsomega.9b03626 (2020)
- Decoration of plasmonic Mg nanoparticles by partial galvanic replacement. J. Chem. Phys. 151 244708 (2019)
- Critical Response of a Quantum van der Pol Oscillator. Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 250401 (2019)
- Comparison of dispersion-corrected exchange-correlation functionals using atomic orbitals Phys. Rev. B 100 235439 (2019)
- Fractional topological insulator precursors in spin-orbit fermion ladders Phys. Rev. B 100 235122 (2019)
- P-Band Induced Self-Organization and Dynamics with Repulsively Driven Ultracold Atoms in an Optical Cavity Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 233601 (2019)
- Predicting physical properties of alkanes with neural networks Fluid Phase Equilibria 501 112259 (2019)
- Electrostatic force driven helium insertion into ammonia and water crystals under pressure Commun. Chem. 2 102 (2019)
- Interacting Symmetry-Protected Topological Phases Out of Equilibrium Phys. Rev. Research 1 033204 (2019)
- Assessment of Approximate Methods for Anharmonic Free Energies J. Chem. Theory Comput. 15 5845 - 5857 (2019)
- A cryptic hydrophobic pocket in the polo-box domain of the polo-like kinase PLK1 regulates substrate recognition and mitotic chromosome segregation. Scientific Reports 9 15930 (2019)
- Floquet dynamics in quantum measurement of mechanical motion Phys. Rev. A 100 053852 (2019)
- Long-range Coulomb interactions and non-hydrodynamic behaviour in thermal quenches in spin ice Phys. Rev. B 100 184411 (2019)
- Electronic heat transport versus atomic heating in irradiated short metallic nanowires Phys. Rev. B 100 155434 (2019)
- Mutations in thyroid hormone receptor α1 cause premature neurogenesis and progenitor cell depletion in human cortical development. P. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 201908762 (2019)
- Ionic and Electronic Conduction in TiNb2O7. J. Am. Chem. Soc. jacs.9b06669 (2019)
- Optimization of Protein-Ligand Electrostatic Interactions Using An Alchemical Free-Energy Method. J. Chem. Theory Comput. acs.jctc.9b00976 (2019)
- Two-tone optomechanical instability in backaction-evading measurements Phys. Rev. X 9 041022 (2019)
- Period-$n$ discrete time crystals and quasicrystals with ultracold bosons Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 150601 (2019)