Physical Society Colloquium
Exploring Materials Universes
Department of Physics
University of Cambridge
Materials comprise trillions of electrons that interact with each other to
create a diversity of physical behaviours. We owe much of modern technology -
from powerful computing to the marvels of communication - to discoveries of
new types of collective electron behaviours in materials. Such discoveries,
however, are often serendipitous, given that materials can be thought of
as complex universes teeming with vast numbers of electrons, making their
behaviours challenging to understand or predict. A question we are often
confronted with is how to make progress in discovering novel collective
electron behaviours akin to new universes. I will discuss possible approaches
to increasing the odds of making discoveries, with examples from cases such
as new superconductors and new types of dual metal-insulating materials.
Friday, October 26th 2018, 15:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, Keys Auditorium (room 112)
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