RESEARCH

Understanding the collective behavior of many-particle systems is a major intellectual challenge in modern physics. Even when the  interactions between particles are well understood, as is the case in condensed matter, the correlated motion of large numbers of particles leads to emergent phenomena that  require new tools and new modes of thinking.   

The  collective behavior  is dictated by a delicate  balance between interactions and fluctuations. The former tend to favor long-range coherece whereas  the latter tend to disrupt it. 

When interactions are dominant the resulting macroscopic coherence gives rise to new states of matter with broken global or gauge symmetries that often exhibit unexpected behavior such as Superconductivity, Superfluidity,  Magnetism and Charge Density Waves.

Fluctuation of thermal or quantal origin tend to restore the  symmetry of the interaction and to destroy long-range coherence resulting in homogeneous states such as   paramagnetic, liquid or gaseous phases. Fluctuations arising from quenched disorder (usually caused by  material defects), give rise  to Glassy or Disordered phases.  These disordered media exhibit  behavior that physicists are only beginning to come to grips with: metastability, hysteresis, non-linear dynamics, and memory.

In this context the object of our research is to explore:

• Electronic Properties of Graphite and Graphene

• Superconductivity and  Vortex Phases

• 2D Electron Systems and Charge Density Waves

•  Low Temperature Behavior of Polymers