Skip to main content
School of Physical and Chemical Sciences

Breadcrumb

  1. School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  2. Centre for Condensed Matter Physics
  3. PhD at CCMP
  4. PhD Projects in CCMP
  5. Designing tests for the identification of Quantum Spin Liquids

Designing tests for the identification of Quantum Spin Liquids

Research Group: Center for Condensed Matter Physics
Number of Students: 1
Length of Study in Years: 3 years
Full-time Project: yes

Funding

PhD Research Studentship Details

  • Available to Home and international applicants.
  • Applicant required to start in September 2024.
  • The studentship arrangement will cover home tuition fees and provide an annual stipend for up to three years (Currently set for 2023/24 as £20,622).
  • International students note that this studentship only covers home tuition fees and students will need to cover the difference in fees between the home and overseas basic rate from external sources. 

 

Project Description

Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) are highly entangled low temperature states of magnetic systems. They are of fundamental importance as quantum states of matter firmly outside of conventional paradigms, having excitations with fractional quantum numbers and being described by emergent gauge theories.

There has been a concerted effort to identify materials which realize quantum spin liquid states in the laboratory, and many candidates have been suggested. A recurring issue is the question of how, given a candidate material, one can provide experimental verification of its spin liquid character. And, relatedly, amongst the many kinds of QSL, how can we distinguish which is realized in a particular material?

The goal of this project is to design experimental tests, tailored to specific candidate materials, which experimentalists can use to verify the realization of QSLs. It will require learning and implementing both analytical (lattice gauge theory, perturbation theory) and computational (exact diagonalisation, linked cluster expansion) methods.

Requirements

  • The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good Honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) or MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline.
  • If English is not your first language you will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in all sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking).

Supervisor Contact Details:

For informal enquiries about this position, please contact Dr. Owen Benton

E-mail: j.o.benton@qmul.ac.uk

Application Method:

To apply for this studentship and for entry on to the PhD Physics programme (Full Time) please visit:

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/subjects/physics.html

Deadline for application - 31st of January 2024

SPCS Academics: Dr. Owen Benton

Back to top