Condensed Matter Theory

Peter Nordlander's group investigates the electronic structure of nanoparticles and non-equilibrium processes in mesoscopic systems and on surfaces. The focus of the research is on the influence of many-electron effects on physical observables. Recent projects include the investigation of transient transport phenomena in the single electron transistor, the dynamics of the Kondo state formed in a quantum dot interacting with metallic leads, the dynamics of electron relaxation in nanoparticles, the polarizibility and optical properties of metallic nanoshells, and the dynamics of charge transfer in atom-surface scattering.

Qimiao Si specializes in the theory of strongly correlated electron systems, with a particular emphasis on non-Fermi liquid behavior. On-going projects include experimental manifestations of spin-charge separation in high temperature superconductors, quantum phase transitions in Kondo systems, and metal-insulator transitions in disordered solids and spin transport in low-dimensional systems.