About

The concept of the research school is based on the premise that PhD students can benefit from a forum that brings together the entire condensed matter community in Stuttgart. In addition to broadening the students' scientific horizon, specific synergies can develop by sharing and exploring concepts and techniques together. In the following, we highlight selected areas where such synergies are apparent. Collective Phenomena Collective phenomena in condensed matter are being studied by many IMPRS Principal Investigators (PI) with expertise in complex fluids, semiconductor heterostructures, complex materials including transition metal oxides, and cold atoms. The concepts and techniques that are being applied to describe collective phenomena in these physically diverse systems share many common features. Recent examples are liquid-crystal phases and their quantum analogues, and phase transitions out of equilibrium. Complex Materials Our ability to design complex materials is rapidly evolving. Solid-state chemists in Stuttgart synthesise a large variety of organic and inorganic materials as well as hybrid compounds with novel lattice architectures and electronic structures. The IMPRS-CMS brings together students and PIs working on synthetic chemistry of new materials, experimentalists interested in characterising the physical properties of such materials using transport, thermodynamic, and spectroscopic probes, and theorists developing new analytical and numerical methods to describe their electronic structure and phase behaviour. Interfaces Interfaces determine the functional properties of many materials in a decisive way. For instance, transport along and across interfaces is of key importance for energy conversion and storage. Control of interfacial phenomena is a major focus of research in the IMPRS-CMS. The synthesis of high-quality semiconductor devices in state-of-the-art clean room facilities has enabled major progress in research on quantum phenomena in dilute electron systems, including the quantum Hall effects, excitonic Bose condensation, and microwave-induced zero-resistance states. Nanoscience Entirely new phenomena appear in solids as their characteristic dimensions reach the nanometre scale. The experimental characterisation and theoretical description of these phenomena are currently pursued worldwide. PIs of the IMPRS-CMS are among the leaders of research on nano-electronics, molecular magnetism, magnetic nanostructures, diamond-based quantum computation and magnetometry, nano-optics and plasmonics, nano-chemistry, nanoionics, nanofluidics, and application of solid-state nanostructures in biology. Methods Experimental groups in Stuttgart are pushing the limits of measurement technology in many domains of condensed matter science. Spectroscopic methods pioneered in Stuttgart include Fourier-limited and phase-stable ultrafast laser sources, neutron spectroscopy with ÂµeV energy resolution, high-resolution polarised x-ray spectro-microscopy, and phase-sensitive optical spectroscopy ranging from THz to UV. Theoretical methods developed in Stuttgart include novel numerical and field-theoretical schemes for correlated-electron systems, and density functional methods for soft matter.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Students holding a Master's degree in chemistry, physics, or materials science can apply for admission. Exceptional students holding a four year Honours Bachelor can also apply for admission. A first selection of candidates will be based on their CV, transcripts, etc. After this, selected applicants will be invited for on-site interviews. PLEASE NOTE: Admission to the programme is highly competitive. Less than 2.5% of all applicants receive an offer to join us.

Fee Information

How to Apply

Please submit applications only via our website (see application):http://www.imprs-cms.mpg.de

PhD Programme of the International Max Planck Research School for Condensed Matter Science