Condensed Matter Physics Warwick

[Sherley]

Softmatter physics is concerned with the behaviour and properties of polymers, rubbers, liquid crystals, colloidal suspensions, emulsions, gels, membranes, proteins, textiles and all other materials that are neither crystalline solids nor essentially electronic. These are materials that we encounter in our daily lives in plastics, soaps and shampoos, and our ever-present electronic devices. Their study brings together concepts from statistical mechanics to microfluidics and from chemical synthesis to algebraic topology.

In recent years, the physics of life, i.e. biological systems and materials, which are usually soft, has become a leading area of research. This includes cellular processes, tissue mechanics and growth, as well as motility of algae, bacteria, flocks and swarms. Living systems are highly complex and are usually kept far from equilibrium by the natural activities of life. Living organisms respond and adapt to their environment and regulate their motion, size, shape and even topology. All of these pose fascinating challenges for research at the interface of physics with the life sciences.

Soft matter physics came to prominence as a subject in its own right due largely to the influence of Pierre Gilles de Gennes (Nobel Prize 1991) and Sir Sam Edwards, starting (loosely) in the late 1960s. It is a relatively young field and one that is vibrant and inherently interdisciplinary, connecting physics with biology, chemistry, and both pure and applied mathematics. We believe it is the most exciting frontier of modern physics!

Condensed matter is matter in which particles have come together to form solids or fluids or (in nuclei and some stars) nuclear matter. These are systems with large numbers of particles interacting with each other. Of course we can't solve the full equations of motion for all these particles. Instead we construct and solve quantum and statistical mechanical models of their behaviour and test the predictions they make against experiment. In other words, we do physics.

The module covers models of the energy levels of the electrons and ions in crystals, how these explain some of the materials' properties and how we measure them. One interesting aspect we will touch on is the role of collective excitations (where large numbers of the particles act in "unison"). These are behind such phenomena as magnetic ordering, superconductivity and the quantized Hall resistance observed in 2D semiconductors.

Many phenomena observed in condensed matter, like magnetism and superconductivity, are the result of interactions between electrons. This module looks at some of these phenomena, how to observe them and how to use them. An important concept in the modelling of these many-electron systems is Landau's idea of the quasiparticle. Excitations of a system of interacting particles can be put into one-to-one correspondence with excitations of non-interacting particles but with a finite lifetime. It's a brilliant idea and helps us understand many (almost all) measurable properties of interest. Landau also set up the most important models of the free energy of the magnets and superconductors in applied fields, which the module studies.

To offer an account of important functional aspects of modern materials. Topics covered will be magnetism, electronic transport, optical properties of matter and superconductivity. There should be a strong connection between theory and experiment, and emerging ideas such as quantum criticality and topology may be discussed.

The successful candidate will contribute to the formation of cross-departmental cluster of excellence led by Professor Satyajit Mayor, a world-leading researcher who has used a combination of soft condensed matter physics, computational simulation, organic chemistry, advanced cell imaging, in vitro reconstitution, and cell engineering to uncover how thecell membrane is organised at a nanometer scale-resolution (nanoscale).

This work will make a unique contribution to the UK and global research landscapes. Whilst there are already some excellent research centres in membrane biology in the UK, this work will consider the cell surface as a composite of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and the underlying cytoskeleton and seek to understand the cell surface in its entirety. It will also draw substantially on principles from soft condensed matter and experimental physics, organic chemistry, and computational simulation to understand the cell surface as a chemical composite.

Further, the focus in many UK-based centres is to understand important molecular mechanisms of medically focused questions that lead to drug discovery and protein-based therapies. By contrast, we aim to understand cell surface organisation (fromnano to mesoscales) that leads to cell and tissue scale morphogenesis. This integrated approach to the science of the cell surface, which is so fundamentally important for all aspects of life on our planet, has the strong potential to lead to innovative solutions that will benefit the wide public.

CMCB researchers have expertise in measuring forces generated by individual molecules (in the order of piconewtons). This, and similar transferable technologies, can be implemented to address cell surface level questions. The expansion of this team will drive the sharing of expertise and equipment and will build a vigorous research culture focused on making new discoveries that may not be readily possible elsewhere.

The wider University also brings long-standing strengths in mathematics and a 400M STEM Grand Challenge that will provide physical sciences infrastructure for the next century and an ambition to drive medical technology, artificial intelligence and digital health.

WMS is a young medical school with big ambitions and a track record of success across research, innovation, and education. Translational research is at the heart of our strategic ambition. We are committed to leveraging cutting-edge interdisciplinary research that seeks to intercept human disease and health challenges before symptoms manifest and to develop/test/evaluate interventions that can curtail disease progression and limit impact on human populations. We strive to be innovative, bold, interdisciplinary, and inspiring, while ensuring a positive research culture and an advocacy for open science.

You'll be joining a diverse, innovative and globally connected community committed to igniting real world progress. Here at Warwick, we offer you opportunities to follow your ambitions as long as you bring the energy and determination to succeed.

The A. D. Wright Lab is based in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick. We are an experimental condensed matter physics group, using spectroscopy to explore light-matter interactions.

Pamela Anne Thomas is a British condensed matter physicist, and former Pro Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Warwick,[1] where she leads the Ferroelectrics & Crystallography group.[2] Her work focuses on the structure and related properties of ferroelectric, piezoelectric and nonlinear optical crystals, ceramics and thin-films.[3] In September 2020, she was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Faraday Institution, an organisation which advances energy storage science and technology.[4]

In 2011, Thomas was appointed the Chair of the Faculty of Science at the University of Warwick.[11] Thomas was the Pro Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Warwick,[12] and served as a Pro Vice Chancellor from 2014 to 2021.[13] She served as a trustee of the Faraday Institution before being appointed its chief executive in September 2020,[14] and was previously on the board of the Alan Turing Institute where she represented the University of Warwick.[15] Thomas chaired the UK's Open Research Data Task Force,[16][17] which was established by Jo Johnson in 2016.[18]

A full theoretical description of light-matter interaction and plasmon-induced ultrafast non-equilibrium dynamics is a formidable challenge that demands an intrinsically multidisciplinary and multiscale approach. A variety of different approaches based on time-dependent Density Functional Theory, many-body perturbation theory, molecular dynamics, Mie theory, continuum electrodynamics, and combinations thereof have emerged in recent years to address many of the open questions in plasmonics. Further improvements in theoretical descriptions are crucial to optimize SPP generation and amplification in materials, to tailor losses and plasmonic lifetimes, as well as to integrate plasmonic effects into semiconductor technology to create new quantum materials. Due to the diverse aspects of this problem, a coherent research community around theoretical plasmonics is only slowly emerging.

The aim of this workshop was to assess the state of computational methods in this field, to identify major challenges, as well as to provide engagement between disparate communities to create space for cross-community collaboration.

The workshop brought attention to the diversity of materials, physical phenomena, and theoretical and experimental methods that are relevant for plasmonics and for its application to the field of photocatalysis. Several presenters emphasised the opportunities to discover new ultrafast physics when strong plasmonic resonances at interfaces are triggered such as optical nonlinearity and plasmon-induced photoemission. An emerging research stream is the use of polarised light and chiral structures to engineer unique materials properties. Exciting new experimental techniques are emerging and their capability to harness strong near-field effects was among the discussion topics of this workshop. These include tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, EELS-STEM, as well as photon-induced near-field electron microscopy. Theoretical investigations need to be able to predict the non-linear response that these measurements observe.

The common understanding of plasmon-assisted chemical reactions typically relies on the energy exchange among hot-electrons (photo or plasmonically excited on plasmonic nanoparticles) and molecular adsorbates. An important issue that still remains to be addressed in this field consists in revealing the influence of more complex many-body excitations and quasiparticles for chemical reactions in plasmonic compounds. The question of whether plasmons directly couple to phonons or only act a source of hot electrons still remains to be addressed.

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