Pressure-tuning strongly correlated unconventional superconductors and frustrated metallic systems
New quantum states of condensed matter are a fascinating research area. Unconventional phases, such as unconventional superconductivity and non-Fermi liquid phases, are typically observed in regions of competing energy scales, e.g., between the Kondo and RKKY interactions in f-electron systems. In these regions, only small changes of an appropriate external control parameter, such as pressure, can change the properties of a material fundamentally. In addition to the Kondo and RKKY interactions, magnetic frustration between the local f-moments can give rise to strong quantum fluctuations, which may lead to the observation of novel unconventional phases, such as unconventional superconductivity.
In the present project, we will deploy electrical transport, thermodynamic and magnetic probes and, in collaboration with external groups, magnetic resonance and scattering techniques at very low temperatures, in high magnetic fields and under high pressures in order to study quantum criticality in unconventional superconductors and frustrated metallic systems.
From the successful candidate, we expect a solid background in solid-state physics and the motivation to advance our existing experimental capabilities.
