Research Areas
A common question across various research groups is how electrons organize themselves in different materials giving rise to a host of interesting physical phenomena.
Strongly correlated electrons are responsible for many phenomena in solid-state physics,.....you were here
especially in the areas of magnetism and superconductivity, and physics at ultra-low temperatures.
In semiconductors, confining electrons to very tiny nanometer-sized regions in thin sheets, narrow wires or small boxes results in quantum wells, wires and dots, where their properties
are modified by quantum mechanical effects in dramatic and potentially useful ways. The interaction between an electromagnetic field and free electrons in a metal can result in
coherent electron oscillations at the interface – “plasmonics” tries to study and make use of these oscillations by patterning materials at the nanoscale. Superconductors can be
used to build electrical circuits engineered to behave like quantum two level systems for applications in quantum computing. On the materials science side, we study the electronic,
physical, mechanical, optical, and chemical properties of materials, most often in relation to their structure, and use this knowledge to understand and optimize their properties
and create new, improved materials and devices. Increasingly, the functionality of modern materials depends on control of their structure at the atomic scale. “Soft” condensed
matter research explores areas like adhesion, friction, wetting, and the movement of fluids in porous media etc.
World of Opportunities
From superconductors and magnetic materials, to semiconductors and nanostructured metals, research in CMPMS covers a diverse range of “matter that matters” in today’s world. The diversity of systems and phenomena available for study makes condensed matter physics the most active field of contemporary physics today. Not surprisingly, it is also the area of physics with the widest choice of job prospects.Our graduate students have gone on to exciting careers in academia and industry across the world. This website provides a snapshot of some of the work being done in our department. Feel free to contact individual faculty members and find out more about their research. We hope you will have fun exploring CMPMS@TIFR!
