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Research interestsMy research centres on the strongly correlated problem (SCEP) with particular emphasis on transition metal oxide materials. The SCEP is a facet of a more general scientific problem, that of many-body interactions in solids. Research so far has demonstrated that the more complex a system or the more competing interactions, the less able we are to model it using current theoretical tools. An area that has risen to prominence in solid state physics in the last twenty years is quantum criticality. This is because, in its widest sense, it is a holistic attempt to describe many-body physics. Quantum critical points (QCP) are zero temperature phase transitions where the system is dominated by quantum as opposed to thermal fluctuations. They can be described by universal scaling laws taking into account quantum dynamics, even though they are found in microscopically diverse systems. They have an important role, therefore, in the development of new and general approaches to the quantum many-body problem. They are also particularly interesting to materials scientists because the quantum fluctuations are known to affect large areas of phase space (even up to high temperatures) and provide the opportunity to observe new ordered states of matter. My general research aim is to design, produce and study systems that are close to QCPs with the goal of characterising the quantum criticality and searching for novel quantum phenomena. My current interests are: |
