Condensed Matter Physics

By Justin Ball, Timothy Moffett, Sam Smiley, and Kyle White (1,417 words) Introduction Dr. Gang Cao is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Kentucky. His research is in Condensed Matter Physics with an emphasis on low temperature, high-pressure material properties, and the physics of transition metal oxides. Dr. Gang Cao and his team are the leaders in this field with more than 150 publications. Although research in this subject has been carried out for over 220 years, it is still a vibrant field today. Condensed Matter Physics has real world applications. These applications vary from your cell phone and laptop to the satellites in space. Dr. Gang Cao was interviewed, so the inside scoop on this information could be found. History of Condensed Matter Physics Some of the earliest observations in condensed matter physics date back to the 1790s, when English chemist Humphrey Davy began studying the properties of the forty chemical elements known to science at the time. He noticed that twenty-six of these elements were metals and that they shared remarkably similar physical and chemical properties. His research led him to believe that these metallic properties were derived from the internal structure and composition of atoms. The idea that atoms were composed of smaller parts went against the conventions of atomic theory at the time. Davy also suggested that non-metallic elements, such as gasses, could be liquefied and made to act as metals under certain conditions. This theory was proven correct

in 1823 when Michael Faraday, a former assistant to Davy, successfully liquefied chlorine. Faraday eventually liquefied nearly all of the known gaseous elements at the time1. The next major development in the study of condensed matter came in 1869, when Irish chemist Thomas Andrews began studying elements as they transitioned between phases, particularly from the liquid phase to the gaseous phase. He concluded that during this phase change there was a point where gases and liquids were indistinguishable. He called this point the critical point2. For the first time the previously well-defined boundaries between states of matter appeared less clear. As these properties of matter were further studied and better understood, Dutch physicist Johannes van der Waals was able to predict the critical point of many elements and predict how they would behave at that critical point3. In 1908, H. Kamerlingh Onnes and James Dewar were able to liquefy several gaseous elements that many had previously been unable to liquefy, including the recently discovered helium gas1. Onnes went on to conduct significant studies about condensed matter physics in 1911. He observed that as the temperature of mercury was decreased, its electrical conductivity increased4. He concluded that below a certain temperature, the electrical resistivity of mercury would disappear completely. With this discovery, Onnes accidentally developed the first theory on superconductivity. In 1912, Max von Laue and Paul Knipping began using x-ray diffraction to study solids. They concluded that solids were composed of crystalline lattices at an atomic level5. Because of this discovery, physicists were able to understand how and why electrons moved through solids as they did. One of the first institutions to devote research specifically to the field of condensed matter physics was Bell Labs, a research and development lab owned by the American

Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T). In 1947, while working for Bell Labs, physicists John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley invented the first semiconductor-based transistor6. This was a revolutionary discovery that led to a boom in the emerging electronics industry7. Condensed matter continues to play a significant role in the development of smaller, more efficient electronic devices.

Dr. Gang Caos Current Research Dr. Gang Cao is the director at the University of Kentuckys Center for Advanced Materials. As an Experimental Condensed Matter Physicists he and his graduate students are using their knowledge to build upon what is already known about various materials to improve them and to create and synthesize new, more efficient materials. In this process, Dr. Cao combines novel materials synthesis, high-field low-temperature procedures, high-pressure material properties, as well as the formation of 5D transition metal oxides that previously have never been tested in the field8. While other universities are, and have been, conducting research in advanced materials, UK is different in the respect that the materials being studied here are being newly synthesized. UKs research is not simply building on material knowledge that have been previously known and used for years, but is cutting edge. 5D transition metals are rarely used in typical experimental situations due to a variety of factors such as cost and availability. These elements include: gold, platinum, iridium, osmium, titanium, tungsten, and rhenium. These elements are rare and the price tag reflects this: iridium is $1100 per ounce, platinum is $1590 per ounce, and gold $1660 an ounce9. However, the benefits that can be gained from their use offset the cost.

Why these materials are used is rooted in their uniqueness surrounding their inner-atomic structures and the way in which their electrons react to various stimuli. As 5D orbitals are spatially more extended than 3D or 4D orbitals, it has been widely accepted that correlation effects are minimal in 5D compounds. As a result of this, the electron correlation should play a much smaller role and in many cases this is true. However some 5D transition metal oxides such as Sr2IrO4, Sr3Ir2O7, and Ba2NaOsO6 have insulating ground states and this can alter their behavior in new and interesting ways that are just now being discovered and recorded10. With the discovery of variations in theoretical predictions of these 5D transition metal oxides new innovations in technological advancements are arising, such as smaller cell phones and cameras or more efficient, longer lasting batteries. Thermal expansion, however, is one of the main topics that Dr. Cao was particularly interested in sharing. In Dr. Caos labs he is attempting to develop new 5D transition metal oxides with the capability of producing a thermal expansivity of zero. Meaning that regardless of the change in temperature the material subject to the conditions will not change in volume. This is extremely important to devices that undergo extreme condition changes such as telescopes, or even something as simple as watches worn on the wrist. If devices with multiple components like a watch or a telescope are developed in a warmer climate and then moved to colder conditions this change will cause the parts to contract and work inaccurately. With a reduction in thermal expansion this effect can be minimized or avoided completely. These are all things that can be contributed to the advancements made in the field of Advance Materials and more specifically Condensed Particle Physics. Conclusions Although condensed matter physics research began in the late 1700s, it is still a vibrant and booming field today. This is evidenced by Dr. Gang Caos of the University of Kentucky

research. His research is leading the way in this subset of the field, and therefore he has many other universities and countries trying to collaborate with him and his peers at UK. These include: MIT, Princeton, England, Germany, and China. The main reason that this particular field is so highly studied is because of the ramifications it can have in the real world. Todays electronic devices are all about size, speed and applications, and with the new research being done in condensed matter physics, all three of these areas are constantly improving. In fact it is because of discoveries in this field of physics that smart phones, camcorders, computers, etc. are so prevalent and even exist at all. Looking forward toward new innovations in this field, Dr. Cao was very enthusiastic over the idea of engineering devices with no thermal expansion. If this was able to be proven capable not only would such devices listed above be improved here on earth by advancing the functionality in all climates, but, as Dr. Cao pointed out, this would have large ramifications in space. Dr. Cao used the telescope as an example of this space exploration, and how because of this field telescopes can be made on earth and used in space, but the possibilities exceed this. This principle can be used in many aspects and could lead to advances in space travel. As one can tell this is a vibrant field with many current projects that are affecting the world. This field is getting stronger and stronger every day, and as Dr. Cao said, that although discovery is a gradual process, each day they are getting closer.

Works Cited
1

Goodstein, D. and Goodstein, J. (2000). Richard Feynman and the History of Superconductivity. Physics in Perspective, 2, 30-47.
2

Rowlinson, J.S. (1969). Thomas Andrews and the Critical Point. Nature, 224, 541-543.

Atkins, P. and de Paula, J. (2009). Elements of Physical Chemistry. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
4

Van Delft, D. and Kes, P. (2010). The Discovery of Superconductivity. Physics Today, 63, 38-43.
5

Eckert, M. (2011). Disputed Discovery: The Beginnings of X-ray Diffraction in Crystals in 1912 and its Repercussions. Acta Crystallographics, 68. <http://journals.iucr.org/a/issues/2012/01/00/wx0005/index.html>
6

Kohn, W. (1999). An essay on condensed matter physics in the twentieth century. Reviews of Modern Physics, 71 59-76.
7

Cohen, M. (2008). Fifty Years of Condensed Matter Physics. Physical Review Letters, 101. <http://prl.aps.org/edannounce/PhysRevLett.101.250001>

"Gang Cao." University of Kentucky Department of Arts and Sciences. University of Kentucky, 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <https://pa.as.uky.edu/users/cao>.
9

Blinn, Peter. "World's Rarest Metals (Or, What's $1 Billion per Troy Ounce?)." Peter Blinn's Curious Notions. Curious Notions, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. <http://www.curiousnotions.com/home/metals.asp>.
10

S. J. Moon, H. Jin, K.W. Kim, W. S. Choi, Y. S. Lee, J. Yu, G. Cao, A. Sumi. "DimensionalityControlled Insulator-Metal Transition and Correlated Metallic State." Physical Review Letters 101(22): 226402, 2008, 2008. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.
Additional Sources

Cao, Gang. "By - Powell's Books." Used, New, and Out of Print Books. University of Kentucky. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9789814374859-1> V. S. Stepanyuk, W. Hergert,K. Wildberger, R. Zeller, and P. H. Dederichs. Magnetism of 3d, 4d, and 5d Transition-metal Impurities on Pd001 and Pt001 Surfaces. 4th ed. Vol. 53. MaxPlanck-Institut Fur Mikrostrukturphysik. 15 Jan. 1996. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://www.mpihalle.de/mpi/publi/pdf/1768_96.pdf>.