When quantum mechanics is mentioned at a dinner party, one thinks first of concepts such as wave-particle duality and interference effects of a single electron travelling through a double-slit, or perhaps the notion of entanglement of a small number of electrons.  But what if there were billions of billions of these quantum electrons all interacting with each other, such as happens inside any material? 

In this talk, we will first look at the discovery and basic physics underlying many body quantum systems (the technical name for ‘a lump of stuff’): 1. The Pauli exclusion principle which is also celebrating its 100th birthday this year; and 2. Bloch’s theorem that shows the importance of the wave properties of electrons as they move through a crystal lattice which followed a couple of years later.  From these basics we will examine which properties of materials are inherently quantum in nature, and how this applies to some of the most important technological advances of the 20th century: transistors, magnets and superconductors.  We will finish with a brief overview of more recent developments such as graphene, unconventional superconductors and topological states of matter, with an outlook on what this means for 21st century technology. 

About the Speaker

Dr Carr is a lecturer in physics at the University of Kent, and a founding member of the Physics of Quantum and Materials research group.  His research concentrates on applying quantum field theory to quantum materials, with a recent focus on topological states of matter.  He runs the Kent Physics Centre series of public talks, sponsored by the IOP, and is an organiser for the long running conference ‘Condensed Matter in the City’ and also the graduate summer school in theoretical condensed matter physics, ‘Physics by the Lake’.