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| Cavendish Laboratory > Research > Quantum Matter > |
Quantum Matter Group Links
Quantum Matter Home |
Contact DetailsPostal AddressDr. Michael SutherlandCavendish Laboratory JJ Thomson Ave. Cambridge CB3 0HE Phone & FaxPhone: +44 1223 337389Fax: +44 1223 337351 About MeI am currently a Royal Society University Research Fellow studying correlated electron physics in the Quantum Matter group. Recently, I was elected as a fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.My research interests lie mainly in the study of transport properties and electronic structure of superconductors and novel correlated electron systems. |
Dr. Michael Sutherland 
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Research InterestsLow Temperature Heat and Charge TransportMeasuring the ability of a material to transport heat at very low temperatures has emerged as a useful probe of correlated electron systems, as heat transport offers direct access to the low-energy electronic excitations which are characteristic of the quantum ground state.
In the important case of superconductors, performing such measurements in strong magnetic fields (up to 15 Tesla) and at temperatures as low as 0.04K allows us to distinguish between a superconducting gap that remains finite around the Fermi surface, and one that vanishes along some special directions (ie. has nodes). I have recently used such measurements to study the new superconductor C6Yb, a compound consisting of Yb atoms sandwiched between planes of graphite, as depicted at left. Our findings are consistent with a so-called 's'-wave conventional superconductor, with a single, finite gap. Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 067003 (2007) [PDF format] Other systems I have been involved in studying are the high Tc cuprates such as YBa2Cu3O7 and La2SrCuO4, the quantum critical metamagnet Sr3Ru2O7 and the heavy Fermion superconductor CeCoIn5. Electronic Structure
The electronic structure of a material is the fundmental starting place for understanding its physics. The Fermi surface, which divides filled and unfilled electron states in reciprocal space can be probed by measuring the de-Haas van-Alphen (dHvA) effect. In a strong magnetic field, the magnetization is observed to oscillate as the field is varied, and the frequency of these oscillations allow us to reconstruct the Fermi surface. We have recently measured dHvA oscillations in the layered silver oxide superconductor Ag5Pb2O6 (right) and have found that the Fermi surface closely resembles that of the nearly free electrons metals such as silver and gold. This is the first example of a material with this kind of electronic structure which is also a superconductor. Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 097008 (2006)[PDF format] PhD projectsIf you are a prospective graduate student who is interested in this type of research and would like to know more, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'm always available to discuss potential projects and research ideas. Research in condensed matter physics tends to be very challenging, yet rewarding, so students who are both dedicated and highly motivated tend to excel.List of PublicationsPlease visit my publications page for a list of published manuscripts. |
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