Condensed matter and material physics explore the make-up, interactions and physical properties of solid, crystalline, soft and liquid materials and structures. Condensed matter physics has played a key role in technological advances that have dramatically changed our lives. In addition to presenting rich and fascinating questions about the physical world, it is an area of physics with many real-world applications.
Our ability to create new materials and structures—at smaller scales and large quantities—is linked to the advanced understanding of the magnetic, optical and electronic properties of condensed matter materials. The invention of transistors and semiconductor chips has led to the use of data storage, telecommunication and multi-media devices. Superconducting magnets are used in MRI tomography for medical diagnostics and solid-state sensors and detectors are used for space exploration.
Our research is directed at characterising and understanding the fundamental properties and behaviour of natural and advanced materials to improve sustainability and manufacturing outcomes. Using an array of bulk, atomic, optical, and nuclear techniques, our research has application in a wide range of areas including:
Specialist, in-house expertise in low-temperature techniques includes:
A Preliminary Investigation of Maintenance Contributions to Commercial Air Transport Accidents
Visual Flight into Instrument Meteorological Condition: A Post Accident Analysis
Which cognitive training intervention can improve young drivers’ speed management on the road?
The Effect of Cognitive-Based Training on Young Drivers’ Speed Management Behavior: An On-Road Study
T. Kobayashi, J. Salfi, C. Chua, J. v der Heijden, M.G. House, D. Culcer, W.D. Hutchison, B.C. Johnson, J.C. McCallum, H. Riemann, N.V. Abrosimov, P. Becker, H-J. Pohl, M.Y. Simmons & S. Rogge, Engineering long spin coherence times of spin-orbit qubits in silicon, Nature Materials (2020) [in press].
M. Ghafari, X. Mu, J. Bednarcik, W.D. Hutchison, H. Gleiter & S.J. Campbell, Magnetic properties of iron clusters in Sc75Fe25 nanoglass, J. Magn. Magn. Mater 494 (2020) 165819.
M. Hendrickx, Y. Tang, E.C. Hunter, P.D. Battle, J.M. Cadogan and J. Hadermann, CaLaFeCoSbO and ALaFeNiSbO (A = Ca, Sr, Ba): cation-ordered, inhomogeneous, ferrimagnetic perovskites, J. Solid State Chem. 285 (2020) 121226.
N. Riesen, M. Lockrey, K. Badek & H. Riesen, On the origins of the green luminescence in the "zero-dimensional perovskite Cs4PbBr6: conclusive results from cathodoluminescence imaging, Nanoscale 11 (2019) 4001- 4007.
Q. Ren, W.D. Hutchison, J. Wang, A. Studer, G. Wang, H. Zhou, J. Ma & S.J. Campbell, Negative thermal expansion of Ni-doped MnCoGe at room temperature magnetic tuning, Appl. Mater. Interfaces 11 (2019) 17531-17538.
R.A. Susilo, X. Rocquefelte, J.M. Cadogan, E. Bruyer, W. Lafargue-Dit-Hauret, W.D. Hutchison, M. Avdeev, D.H. Ryan, T. Namiki and S.J. Campbell, Magnetic structures of R2Fe2Si2C intermetallic compounds: Evolution to Er2Fe2Si2C and Tm2Fe2Si2C , Phys Rev B 99, 184426-1 to 182446-12 (2019).
C. Jansing, H. Wahab, H. Timmers, A. Gaupp & H.C. Mertins, Soft X-ray refractive index by reconciling total electron yield with specular reflection: experimental determination of the optical constants of graphite, Journal of Synchrotron Radiation 25 (2018) 1433.
A.J. Berry, G.A. Stewart, H.St, C. O’Neill, G. Mallmann & J.F.W. Mosselmans, A reassessment of the oxidation state of iron in mid ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glasses, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 483 (2018) 114-123.
F.X. Xiang, A. Srinivasan, Z.Z. Du, O. Klochan, S.X. Dou, A.R. Hamilton & X.L. Wang, Thickness-dependent electronic structure in WTe2 thin films, Phys. Rev. B 98 (2018) 035115.
Q.Y. Ren, W.D. Hutchison, J.L. Wang, A.J. Studer and S.J. Campbell, Magnetic and Structural transitions tuned through valence electron concentration in magnetocaloric Mn(Co1-xNix)Ge, Chemistry of Materials 30 (2018), 1324-1334
J.P. Evans, G.A. Stewart, J.M. Cadogan, W.D. Hutchison, J.E. Downes & E. Mitchell, Magnetic structure of DyN: A 161Dy-Mössbauer study, Phys. Rev. B 95 (2017) 054431.
H. Riesen, A. Rebane, R.P. Rajan, W.D. Hutchison, S. Ganschow, A. Szabo, Ultra-slow light propagation by self-induced transparency in ruby in the superhyperfine limit, Optics Letters 42 (2017) 1871-1874.
H. Wahab, R. Haverkamp, J.H. Kim, J.M. Cadogan, H. Mertins, S.H. Choi and H. Timmers, The structural response of graphene on copper to surface- and interfacial-oxygen, Carbon 110 (2016) 414 – 425.
Courses in Condensed Matter and Materials Physics are offered at levels 2, 3 and 4 (honours) as components of the Physics major.