Condensed Matter Physics

Researchers in this group explore the collective behaviour of electrons, atoms, and molecules. Experimental laboratories are in the New Horizons Centre and include unique capabilities such as low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy capable of imaging individual atoms on surfaces.

The Condensed Matter group makes use of: the Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy (MCEM) - including the double aberration corrected Titan TEM, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN), and the Australian Synchrotron .

The group has strong overlap with the Monash Centre for Atomically Thin Materials (MCATM) which explores the properties of novel 2D materials such as graphene and the topological insulator surface states.

A wide range of theoretical and experimental research projects are available for students to pursue.

Condensed matter physics
Scanning tunneling microscopy image of a metal-organic nano-chain on a noble metal surface. Dr. Agustin Schiffrin is developing techniques to probe and control the structural and electronic properties of supramolecular nano-architectures on surfaces at the atomic scale.
Photo of Semonti Bhattacharyya Dr Semonti Bhattacharyya
  • Quantum transport in topological materials
  • Experimental realization and electrical transport of 2D heterostructures by mechanical stacking
Photo of Mark Edmonds Dr Mark Edmonds
  • Growth of novel two-dimensional topological materials including topological insulators and Dirac semimetals.
  • Experiments utilizing synchrotron-based photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunnelling microscopy and electrical devices.
  • Surface science
Photo of Scott Findlay Dr Scott Findlay
  • Developing new methods to determine the arrangement of atoms within materials using atom-sized electron beams
  • Making better use of diffraction pattern information via novel detector geometries
  • Imaging electromagnetic fields inside materials
Photo of Michael Fuhrer Professor Michael Fuhrer
  • Experiments on electronic devices made from novel two-dimensional materials such as graphene, layered transition metal dichalcogenides, topological insulators.
  • Scanning tunnelling microscopy.
  • Surface science
Photo of Jesper Levinsen Dr Jesper Levinsen
  • Many-body theory of Fermi gases
  • Impurities in Fermi/Bose gases
  • Quantum gases in confined geometries
  • Few-body physics
  • High temperature virial expansion
Photo of Amelia LiuDr Amelia Liu
  • Glasses and amorphous materials
  • Development of new diffraction-based methods for determining the structure of disordered materials
  • Electron diffraction using sub-nanometre probes in the scanning/transmission electron microscope and small-angle x-ray diffraction using synchrotron sources
Photo of Meera Parish Associate Professor Meera Parish
  • Theory of strongly correlated phenomena in ultracold atomic gases and electron systems
  • Superconductivity and superfluidity
  • Low-dimensional systems
  • Magnetotransport
Photo of Agustin Schiffrin Dr Agustin Schiffrin
  • Low-dimensional organic and metal-organic nanostructures on surfaces
  • Probing electronic, optoelectronic, chemical and magnetic properties of interfaces at the atomic scale
  • Low-temperature scanning probe microscopy
  • Photoelectron and optical absorption spectroscopies
  • Time-resolved studies of ultrafast electron dynamics