Condensed Matter Theory
CONTACT:
Antonia Sarchi
311 Jadwin Hall
609-258-5650
The theoretical condensed matter group is involved in research in four main areas:
- quantum many-body theory of systems involving strong correlations and/or disorder
- statistical mechanics
- biological systems
- systems far from equilibrium
The first area includes such phenomena as high-temperature superconductivity, the quantum Hall effect, quantum magnetism, mesoscopics, localization, and quantum chaos.
Statistical mechanical problems include the behavior of spin glasses, glasses and other complex systems, magnetism, and the vortex state of superconductors.
Work on biological systems addresses phenomena at the molecular level, such as the dynamics of protein self-assembly and molecular motors, as well as at the cellular scale and beyond, concerning chemotaxis and pattern formation.
Finally, the study of highly nonequilibrium systems embraces phenomena such as chemical networks, neural networks, morphogenesis, and evolution. In all of these endeavors the theory group enjoys close contact with experimental condensed matter and biophysics efforts within the Physics Department and in related departments on campus.
Faculty
- Philip W. Anderson: High Tc superconductivity and other many-body quantum theory problems. Random systems: glass, spin glass, localization. Complex system theory: neural nets, evolution, etc.
- B. Andrei Bernevig: Interested in several areas of theoretical condensed matter physics.
- F. Duncan M. Haldane: Fractional statistics, quantum Hall effect, integrable systems, Luttinger liquids, quantizing the Fermi surface.
- David Huse: Statistical physics, phase transitions, magnetic ordering in materials and in spin models, quantum many-body physics of ultracold atoms, many-body localization.
- Shivaji Sondhi: Correlated electron systems, quantum critical phenomena.
Associated Faculty
- Ravindra Bhatt: Condensed-matter theory; in particular, disordered and correlated electronic systems, doped semiconductors, diluted magnetic semiconductors, metal-insulator transitions, quantum Hall effect, spin glasses, and random magnets.
- Roberto Car: Electronic and atomistic properties of matter in condensed and molecular phases.
- Sal Torquato: Statistical mechanics and soft condensed matter theory. Disordered heterogeneous materials, colloids, liquids, and glasses. Optimization in materials science and modeling tumor growth. Joint Appointment with Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM).