We offer you an opportunity to join our research to discover exotic quantum phases in transition metal oxides, and to uncover the physics behind their phase formation, in the department of quantum materials at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. Among the variety of attractive quantum phases, our group is focusing particularly on quantum spin liquids, multipolar ordered states, excitonic magnets, excitonic insulators and topological superconductors.

The electric and magnetic properties of transition metal oxides (TMO) are often dominated by electrons in d-orbitals. Large Coulomb repulsion between electrons accommodated in the spatially constrained d-orbitals tends to block the motion of electrons from one atom to another, and the electrons are highly entangled. Just like interacting atoms and molecules, the entangled electrons, called correlated electrons, form solid (insulator), liquid (metal), and superfluid (superconductor) states inside the solid. The interplay of the three degrees of freedom attached to electrons – charge, spin and orbital, together with the presence of quantum fluctuations, enrich these electronic phases further. We are hunting such exotic phases and the rich physics associated with their phase formation by the combined effort of design, synthesis and fabrication, structural characterization, spectroscopies and measurements of electric, magnetic and thermal properties at low temperatures.

In FY2018-FY2019, you can join one of the following projects for your internship.

  1. Design, synthesis and characterization of spin-orbital entangled systems, with emphasis on quantum spin liquids, excitonic magnets and multipolar ordering. (Tomo Takayama)
  2. Thin film and hetero-structure growth of topological semimetals.(Hiro Nakamura)
  3. Search for high performance thermoelectrics, design and control of electronic entropy and thermal transport (Juergen Nuss)
  4. Spectroscopic imaging of possible topological superconductors and related materials using STM/STS (Lihui Zhou and Hide Takagi)
  5. Elementary excitations of quantum spin liquids probed by thermal transport and specific heat measurements down to an ultra-low temperature (~ 50 mK) and up to high magnetic field (~ 16 T).  (Yosuke Matsumoto, Jan Bruin and Hide Takagi).
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