Condensed Matter and Material Physics

Condensed matter physics, with its inexhaustible wealth of theoretical concepts and experimental applications, forms the largest branch of physics research today. Our experimentalists probe the most novel properties of fluids, crystals, gels, macromolecules, semiconductors, and metals, in order to determine the collective behaviour of matter under as broad a range of circumstances as possible. Our theorists work closely with their experimental colleagues to understand phenomena as diverse as high-temperature superconductivity, spin-glasses, glass transitions, chemisorption, vortices, surface and interfacial phenomena, structure of polymers and proteins, and critical phenomena. With numerous applications in lubrication, batteries, logic circuits and plasmas, our investigations into condensed matter present students with perhaps the broadest range of career alternatives in physics.

Theorists

Elisabeth J. Nicol
Robert Wickham

Experimentalists

Iain Campbell
John R. Dutcher
Ralf Gellert
De-Tong Jiang
Stefan W. Kycia
Mike Massa
Joanne O'Meara
Xiaorong Qin