Condensed Matter Physics

We're acknowledged as an international centre of excellence for magnetism and spintronics. Many of our research projects study the behaviour of particle-like excitations in novel materials, including magnons, vibrons, Majorana fermions, skyrmions and pure spin currents.

<p>The <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/physics-research-groups/doc/condensed-matter">Condensed Matter Physics group’s</a> research involves the growth of exotic materials, nanoscale fabrication of devices, structural and electronic characterisation, and computational theory.</p> <p>We have an international reputation and is identified by EPSRC in the Shaping Capability Landscape document as leading in both mgnetism and spintronics. The group comprises seven academics (Barker, Burnell, Cespedes, Hickey, Marrows, Moore and Sasaki), and more than 30 postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows.</p> <p>Our international reputation is built upon our abilities in the growth of nanoscale materials, characterisation, transport measurements, and computational physics. We specialise in growing and studying exotic materials that often don’t exist in nature.  We aim to understand and harness their functional properties that may lead to future technology. Our reputation is built upon our publications in world leading physics journals, such as Physical Review Letters and the Nature family of publications.</p> <p>We’ve been very successful in fabricating high quality materials for the nucleation and study of skyrmions. These include new materials with topologically protected surface states that offer routes to high spin polarisation, understanding the transport of pure spin currents that may lead to lower energy consuming circuits, new forms of matter (such as magnetic Cu!) that emerge from the hybridisation between molecules like C60 and metals and oxides, the exploitation of interface interactions to utilise aspects of magnetism in neuromorphic computing, as well as the modelling of magnetic materials, transport in spintronics and spincaloritronics and sub-ps magnetization dynamics. </p> <p>We have extensive international collaborations funded through:</p> <ul> <li>research consortia that we have led (Spin@RT, SpinCurrent, Ultrasmooth, and Spinicur)</li> <li>participating in others (Questech, Q-Net and WALL)</li> <li>collaborations with industry (IBM Zurich, Hitachi Cambridge, Intel, NPL, and Seagate)</li> <li>EPSRC initiatives: EPSRC-NSF (USA), EPSRC-NSFC (China) and EPSRC-JST (Japan)</li> <li>we have major collaborations with 26 universities and seven international research institutes. </li> </ul> <p>The CM laboratories are among the best equipped in the world with six deposition systems, magnetometers, transport cryostats, x-ray diffractometers, Raman and Kerr microscopes, and a state of the art scanning probe microscope operating at temperatures from 300mK to room temperature in a vector magnetic field.  </p> <p>In addition, the CM group will run the Royce-funded multi-chamber deposition system. This bespoke facility is designed to be the state-of-the-art in the growth of thin-film materials in dedicated chambers that can then be assembled under UHV conditions in any combination. Increasingly, it has become appreciated that novel functionality can be realised by the development of heterogeneous thin film materials and to manufacture these, a combination of growth techniques is required. The work is under-pinned by a healthy track record in funded projects.</p> <h5>Why do your PhD at Leeds? </h5> <p><strong>96% of our research is world-leading (REF 2021) </strong><br /> At Leeds, our research addresses the most prevalent real-world challenges – providing solutions that have had both a national and global impact. <br /> <strong>Study in an active research environment </strong><br /> Studying your PhD with us means you’ll be working in a professional research environment, using UK-leading facilities to bring your project to life – alongside active researchers who are at the forefront of their area. <br /> <strong>A strong network of support  </strong><br /> The Leeds Doctoral College connects our community of researchers and can offer you the guidance, services and opportunities you’ll need to get the most out of your PhD. <br /> <strong>Close industry links </strong><br /> Our partnerships and links to companies and academic institutions give you the opportunity to network at industry talks, seminars and conferences, building connections that'll benefit your next steps after you complete your PhD. <br /> <strong>Professional skills development  </strong><br /> We think of the whole picture at Leeds. That’s why we offer a range of workshops and courses that'll enhance your skillset further and transfer into your professional career. <br /> <strong>Personal and wellbeing services </strong><br /> Mental health and wellbeing support are integral to who we are at Leeds and you’ll have access to the full range of services we offer to ensure you’re feeling your best – and reaching your potential in your studies. <br /> <strong>Join our global community </strong><br /> We welcome students, researchers, academics, partners and alumni from more than 140 countries, all over the world. This means, as a university, we’re bringing together different cultures and perspectives which helps strengthen our research – and societal impact.</p> <h3>Useful links and further reading:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/physics-research-degrees">Research degrees in the School of Physics and Astronomy</a></li> <li><a href="https://physicalsciences.leeds.ac.uk/info/56/our_research/76/condensed_matter">Condensed Matter</a><a href="http://physicalsciences.leeds.ac.uk/info/56/our_research/76/condensed_matter"> group </a></li> <li><a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/physics-research-innovation">School of Physics and Astronomy, Research and Innovation</a> </li> </ul> <h3>Leeds Doctoral College</h3> <p>Our <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/info/130558/leeds_doctoral_college">Doctoral College</a> supports you throughout your postgraduate research journey. It brings together all the support services and opportunities to enhance your research, your development, and your overall experience.</p>

<p>Formal applications for research degree study should be made online through the <a href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/info/130206/applying/91/applying_for_research_degrees">University's website</a>.</p>

<p>For general enquiries and details regarding the application process, please contact the Graduate School Office:<br /> e: <a href="mailto:maps.pgr.admissions@leeds.ac.uk">maps.pgr.admissions@leeds.ac.uk</a>, t: 44 (0)113 343 5057.</p>