Condensed Matter Physics at Simon Fraser University

This interdisciplinary field touches on many aspects of physics and has strong overlap with chemistry and engineering science. Physicists have always been at the forefront of the study of new materials and this has led both to a fundamental understanding of their properties as well as revolutionary applications. Examples of materials studied at SFU include novel superconductors, topological insulators, topological metals, topological superconductors, high temperature superconductors, heavy fermion metals, frustrated quantum magnets, graphene, semiconductor nanostructures, electronic liquid crystalline materials, ultra-cold atom systems, thermoelectric materials, and transition metal oxide superlattices, as well as soft materials.  Materials research in the physics department includes both fundamental theory studies, as well as strong efforts in the growth and characterization of new materials or novel methods for fabrication and analyzing their electrical, structural  and optical properties. Materials researchers make heavy use of the interdisciplinary materials fabrication facilities at 4D LABS, which includes a wide range of tools for the formation of new materials, as well as their fabrication into devices, and a suite of electron microscopy probes to assess structural and electrical properties.