Condensed Matter Physics Theory

The condensed matter theory group is large, vigorous, and diverse, including 11 faculty, eight postdocs, and about 15 students. The group is especially strong in statistical mechanics of equilibrium and nonequilibrium systems.

The members of the theory group work closely together, with collaborations occur ring frequently. A typical effort consists of one or more faculty members, perhaps a postdoc, and a graduate student. Thus, each student receives frequent individual attention. Research support comes from the NSF, industry, the university, or other sources.

The research environment for theory is quite comfortable. Faculty, postdocs, and students are nearly all located near each other on the fourth floor of the physics building. A spacious room with computer terminals and a preprint library rooin are located in the same area.

Computer facilities are excellent, with a VAX 8650 boused in the physics department. A network of SUN workstations, available to theorists, is established. Direct access is also available to the university's supercomputer center housing a Cray YMP/864.

Projects underway reflect some of the most recent and interesting topics in theoretical condensed matter physics. These include:

Affiliated FacuIty

Charles A. Ebner

 

Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana, 1967

  • Kinetics and equilibrium structure of Si(001) surfaces
  • Molecular dynamics of non-uniform fluids
  • Heat transfer at liquid-solid interfaces

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Fernand A. Hayot

    Senior Research Scientist, Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1970

     

  • Hydrodynamics of lattice gas automata; turbulence, interfacial properties, and instabilities
  • Nonlinear amplitude equations of pattern formation
  • Stochastic models for scaling and multifractality of turbulent systems

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Tin-Lun Ho

    Associate Professor, Ph.D., Cornell University, 1977

     

  • Quantum fluids
  • Quantum Hall effect
  • Bose-Einstein condensation of atomic gases

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Ciriyam Jayaprakash

    Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana, 1979

     

  • Spatially extended systems and turbulence
  • Earthquake models and self-organized criticality
  • Highly correlated fermion and boson systems

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Bruce R. Patton

    Professor, Ph.D., Cornell University, 1971

     

  • High temperature superconductivity
  • Magnetic ordering in frustrated crystals
  • Liquid crystals

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    William Putikka

    Assistant Professor (Mansfield campus), Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1988

     

  • High temperature superconductivity
  • Two dimensional strongly correlated electrons
  • Heavy fermion superconductivity

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    William F. Saam

    Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana, 1968

     

  • Phase transistion at interfaces, including wetting and roughening transitions
  • Equilibrium crystal shapes
  • Dynamics and instabilities of liquid-solid interfaces

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Robert Stamps

    Assistnat Professor (Lima campus), Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1988

     

  • Magnetic thin films and multilayers: anisotropy and interlayer coupling
  • Spin waves in low dimensional magnetic structures
  • Optical properties of high frequency materials

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    David G. Stroud

    Professor, Ph.D., Harvard University, 1969

     

  • High temperature superconductors: Josephson junction coupled arrays, disorder, magnetic fields
  • Physics of granular and distorted media: optical, dielectric and nonlinear properties
  • Diffusion and Interfacial properties of liquid semiconductors

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    John W. Wilkins

    Professor, Ohio Eminent Scholar, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana, 1963

     

  • Ultrafast optical response in atoms and quantum dots and wells
  • Novel effects in semiconductor heterostructures
  • Strongly correlated fermions

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Chen-Ping Yang

    Professor, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1961

     

  • Lattice Gas
  • Computer simulation of problems in statistical physics

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

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