Condensed Matter Physics
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Modern Condensed Matter Physics is an interdisciplinary endeavor. The field now encompasses both hard and soft matter systems. A particularly exciting, and relatively new development, has been the use of quantum many body techniques and other condensed matter approaches to address key questions in biology. Interesting examples include charge transport in single DNA molecules, and coherence in photosynthetic arrays.
The CMP program at UQ is BIG QUESTION focused. We operate at the boundary between physics, chemistry and biology. We address key questions in specific systems such as organic superconductors and biological macromolecules, and also work on more general problems such as those associated with conducting organics, quantum phase transitions in random systems and single molecule electron transport. Our approach is based upon combining theory with experiment across a range of disciplines such as quantum many body theory, quantum chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, molecular biophysics, spectroscopy and experimental solid state physics. Even though our program was only started in 2000, we believe that we are the most expansive and innovative CMP group in Australia. Our vision is to project this local success onto the world stage, and to be regarded as leading international players in modern condensed matter physics.
Faculty
Prof. Ross McKenzie (started 2000)
Dr. Paul Meredith (started 2001)
Dr. Ben Powell(started 2003)
Group
4 Postdoctoral Fellows,
8 PhD students,
2 Honours Students
Collaborations at UQ
Lu (Chem Eng), Rubinstein-Dunlop (Physics), Milburn (Physics), Nielsen (Physics), Bernhardt (Chemistry), McGeary (Chemistry), McEwan (Micro & Para), Smith (Chemistry), Gould (Maths), Links (Maths), Zhou (Maths)
Collaborations outside UQ
Cambridge, Jagiellonian, QUT, UNSW , Newcastle, ANSTO , RAL, Oxford, London, Davies, Florida, NRL Washington, Brown, UCL
Selected recent publications
(2000) Merino & McKenzie, Phys. Rev.B. 61, 7996.
(2002) Cepas, M cKenzie & Marino, Phys. Rev. B (Rapid Com m .) 65, 100502.
(2004) Meredith & Riesz, Photochem.Photobiol. 79(2), 211.
(2004) Powell, Meredith, McKenzie, et al., J. Chem . Phys., 120(18), 8608.
(2004) Powell & McKenzie, Phys. Rev.B. 69, 024519.
Other Activities
Conference papers (including invited papers): >30 since 2002.
Contributed book chapters: 2.
Patents since 1999:7.
Other commercialization: PM is director of XeroCoat Pty. Ltd., a technology start-up company.
Visiting Scholarships, etc. (visiting positions): Oxford, ISIS RAL, Washington, Tallahassee, Boston.