Modelling & Simulation

Poster

Understanding interacting degrees of freedom in solids


Götz S. Uhrig, TU Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany

The essential degrees of freedom of solids are the electronic charges, the electronic magnetic moments and the lattice vibrations, i.e., the phonons. The field of research of the Chair T1 in the Physics Department of the TU Dortmund studies the interplay of these degrees of freedom among the solids themselves and among one another. The interactions and the correlations play an important role for the macroscopic properties:

Does the solid display magnetism and if yes, which form of it?
What are its electronic and thermal transport properties?
Does the compound conduct electrical current or is it insulating?
Does it display superconducting properties?
How do these properties depend on temperature or on omnipresent disorder?

We develop models and algorithms to investigate the above questions. Quantum effects are the main focus, but classical issues matter as well. Some examples will be discussed for illustration so that potential common interests can be identified.

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