Nanophysics: Computation & Modeling
Welcome to our homepage. We are engaged in physics of condensed materials at the nanoscale using a computational approach.
We develop and utilize computational methods to investigate structural and electronic properties of nanostructures. For more details, explore our research page.
What is computational condensed matter?
Compared to theoretical and experimental physics, computational approach is rather new. It has recently gained much interest due to the incredible increased speed and computing power of supercomputers. Computational condensed matter aims at realizing the application of modern theories of condensed matter physics to real-world problems by exploiting state-of-the-art computers and developing elaborate numerical methods. This has been a critical factor in improving our understanding of physics of materials on an atomic scale as required in scientific research and many technological applications.
How nanoscience started? See Feynman's seminal lecture entitled: "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom."
Spotlight
Reliability of quantum mechanical calculations verified
Reliability of quantum mechanical calculations verified
A strong proof of reliability of materials simulations using the density functional theory (DFT) was achieved by a worldwide collaboration of the developers of the solid-state DFT packages. Applying 40 different methods to investigate the influence of the pressure on 70 elemental crystalline solids, the researches found that the agreement between the most accurate tools available nowadays for DFT calculations is comparable to the precision of modern experimental methods. The results were published in Science.
Superlubricity of graphene nanoribbons on gold
A team of physicists showed that graphene nanoribbons can be dragged across the gold surface with an ultralow friction. This promise developing supelubricant surfaces by coating them with graphene layers. The results were published in Science.