New DFG Research Group: € 2.4 Million for Theoretical Physics

IFF-News July 22, 2010

Developing a new standard in the computational study of correlated solids - this is what Jülich physicists will work on within the framework of the international research group "Dynamical Mean-Field Approach with Predictive Power for Strongly Correlated Materials". The German Research Foundation (DFG) will initially fund its new research group with € 2.4 million for the next three years. This was decided by the Senate of the DFG in its summer session, which took place during the annual general meeting in Berlin in early July.

Electronically correlated materials have unusual properties due to the strong interactions between the electrons they contain. Changes of temperature, pressure, magnetic field or doping, for example, induce exceptionally strong reactions in correlated materials - for instance, high-temperature superconductors change their electrical resistance. Due to these unique properties, correlated materials are of great interest not only for basic scientific research, but also for future technological applications, such as sensors and switches.

Based on the dynamical mean field theory, the group of researchers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland aims to calculate and predict the properties of complex electronically correlated materials. 16 research institutions are involved in the project. Prof. Eva Pavarini from the Institute of Solid State Research/Institute of Advanced Simulation is the coordinator for activities at Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Mehr zur Jülicher Forschung an korrelierten Festkörpern:

http://iffwww.iff.kfa-juelich.de/~pavarini/research.html
http://www.fz-juelich.de/iff/d_th1_research
http://www.grs-sim.de/research/computational-materials-science/computational-materials-science.html