Condensed Matter Materials Physics

|  | Condensed Matter Materials Physics Research in materials physics is organized around the theme ‘new physics through new materials’. An historical and continuing emphasis is the discovery of new phenomena in strongly correlated electron materials, particularly heavy-fermion systems in which electronic correlations enhance the effective mass of charge carriers to as much as 1000 times the mass of a free electron. New materials are prepared by conventional arc melting and powder metallurgical techniques but most often are grown as single crystals out of excess flux. Discovering new physics requires a breadth of experimental approaches to probe spin, charge and lattice degrees-of-freedom on multiple length and time scales and frequently at extremes of very low temperatures, high magnetic fields and high pressures. Our research also takes advantage of special capabilities within the group, for example, ultrafast optical spectroscopy, within the laboratory, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, the Manuel Lujan Neutron Scattering Center and facilities to prepare transuranic crystals, as well as national and international facilities, including neutron scattering and muon sources, and an extensive set of international collaborators. Broadly, the materials physics effort is composed of three interconnected efforts: materials preparation/crystal growth, thermodynamic and transport measurements and spectroscopies. The principal staff members and their primary techniques are given below.
Materials Preparation Crystal Growth | Thermodynamic & Transport Measurements | Spectroscopies
John Sarrao - Intermetallics, oxides, transuranics. | Michael Hundley - Resistivity, specific heat, thermopower, Hall effect, thermal expansion, and magneto-striction; T > 1.5 K, H < 12 T | Wei Bao - Elastic and inelastic neutron scattering; T>0.05K, H<18T, P>0
Zachary Fisk* | Roman Movshovich - Specific heat, thermal conductivity and resistivity; T > 0.03 K, H < 20 T, P > 0. | Nicholas Curro - Nuclear magnetic and quadrapole resonance; P > 0
| Joe Thompson - DC susceptibility, resistivity; P > 0, T > 0.3 K | Robert Heffner - Muon spin resonance, local structure by neutron scattering; P > 0
|  | John Joyce- Photoemission, Laser Plasma Light Source
*Long term collaborator This activity, like others in the group, benefits from active participation of several postdoctoral fellows, typically one or two per staff member, as well as long term visitors, particularly Zachary Fisk and members of the Institute for High Pressure Physics in Troitsk, Russia. Back to Top

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