Martin Greven
Director, CQM
Distinguished McKnight University Professor
Professor, School of Physics and Astronomy
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (612) 624-7542
Research interests:
Martin Greven’s research focus is on the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of select quantum materials, especially complex oxides. This materials class embodies many of the most profound contemporary questions pertaining to the collective quantum behavior of interacting electrons. His research involves bulk single crystal growth, neutron and X-ray scattering, as well as transport and magnetometry experiments. Greven’s current projects in the CQM include rare-earth titanates (with Chubukov, Fernandes, Jalan, Leighton), both in their Mott-insulating state and across the insulator- metal transition, perovskite cobaltites (with Leighton), and the cuprate superconductors. Neutron and X-ray scattering are powerful probes that provide essential structural and magnetic information about new phases of matter and the transitions between them. Greven pursues such experiments at leading facilities in the US (especially Oak Ridge National Lab and Argonne National Lab) and abroad. He furthermore collaborates with experts in the use of complementary experimental techniques (e.g, Brookhaven National Lab, Caltech, Iowa State University/Ames Lab, Kyoto University, Peking University, UC Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, UC Davis, University of Geneva, University of Leipzig and Zagreb University).
Turan Birol
Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (612) 301-1348
Research interests:
Turan Birol's research focuses on understanding the electronic and magnetic properties of crystalline materials and their connection with the crystal structure. In order to achieve this, he employs a combination of first-principles theoretical tools, including density functional theory and dynamic mean-field theory, as well as analytical approaches, such as group theory. Over the years, Birol has worked on materials such as ferroelectrics, multiferroics, topological materials, superconductors and various magnetic systems, with an emphasis on transition metal oxides. He has forged strong collaborative ties with experimentalists to help with the understanding of data generated by neutron and X-ray scattering as well as infrared, Raman and optical spectroscopy experiments.
Rafael Fernandes
Professor, School of Physics and Astronomy
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (612) 625-9283
Research interests:
My main research activities are in strongly correlated electronic many-body systems. I am interested in clean and disordered systems in which the collective behavior of the electrons gives rise to ordered states that break different symmetries of the system, such as superconductivity, magnetism, nematic ordering, and orbital ordering. My aim is to understand not only the impact of these individual phases on the electronic structure and macroscopic properties of the system, but also how they interact with each other. To achieve this goal, I rely not only on the theoretical methods from quantum statistical mechanics and many-body theory, but also on the invaluable empirical information obtained from a variety of experimental techniques, such as x-ray diffraction, neutron scattering, optical spectroscopy, thermodynamic measurements, and angle-resolved photo-emission spectroscopy. Within the CQM, I have been working specifically on the unusual normal state and superconducting properties of SrTiO3 and other diluted superconductors, as well as on the puzzling magnetic properties of Mott insulators such as rare-earth titanates.
Chris Leighton
Distinguished McKnight University Professor
Professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (612) 625-4018
Research interests:
Chris Leighton's research generally focuses on electronic and magnetic properties of materials, spanning from bulk single crystals to thin films and heterostructures. In the context of the CQM, his work is focused on complex oxide materials, mostly delafossites, cobaltites, and titanates, including synthesis, structural/chemical characterization, and a wide range of physical property measurements. The latter include neutron scattering (particularly small-angle neutron scattering, neutron reflectometry, and neutron powder diffraction), as well as transport, magnetometry, heat capacity, and synchrotron X-ray scattering. His current projects in the CQM feature metallic delafossites (with Birol, Fernandes, Greven), strain-tuned cobaltite films (with Birol, Fernandes, Greven), doped Mott-insulating NiS2, and various additional collaborative directions. Collaborations are ongoing with Oak Ridge National Lab, Argonne National Lab, the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and various other institutions, nationally and internationally. Recurring research themes include the understanding of competing forms of magnetic and electronic ordering in complex systems, and the interaction with defects and their control.
Funded by the Department of Energy under DE-SC0016371
