High Pressure Synthesis of New Superconductors (Minu Kim)

The field of condensed matter physics has made a great leap forward with the discovery of high transition temperature (Tc) superconductivity in the layered cuprates, iron pnictides, and more recently, pressurized metal hydrides and infinite-layer nickelates. While physical properties of superconductors have offered text-book examples of quantum mechanics, the microscopic underlying mechanism of superconductivity in some recently discovered compounds has still remained to be clarified. Development of new superconductors is a key quest to understand complex quantum phenomena intertwined with superconductivity and eventually make a breakthrough in the current understanding of superconductivity.

In this project, a candidate will make new superconductors using a high-pressure high-temperature synthesis technique. A candidate will learn basic concepts in materials design, crystal growth, as well as characterization of a crystal. In particular, high-pressure apparatus provide a unique opportunity for us to artificially stabilize new materials under extreme conditions, which do not exist at atmospheric pressure [1,2]. A new compound made by a candidate will be subject to further investigation within the MPI-UBC-UTokyo collaborations using state-of-art measurement techniques, providing possible options of graduate studies in the institutes.

[1] M. Kim, S. Klenner, G. M. McNally, J. Nuss, A. Yaresko, U. Wedig, R. K. Kremer, R. Poettgen, and H. Takagi, Chem. Mater. 33, 6787 (2021).
[2] M. Kim, G. M. McNally, H.-H. Kim, M. Oudah, A. Gibbs, P. Manuel, R. Green, T. Takayama, A. Yaresko, U. Wedig, M. Isobe, R. K. Kremer, D. A. Bonn, B. Keimer, and H. Takagi, under review in Nature Materials, arXiv:2107.06596 (2021).