NCCR Guide 2013 - Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (SNF)

Materials with Novel Electronic Properties –
Basic Science and Applications
NCCR MaNEP
• Condensed Matter Theory Group
Department of Physics, Boston
University, Boston, US
• Departament de Fisica,
Universitat de les Illes Balears,
Palma de Mallorca, ES
• Département de Génie Électrique,
Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal, CA
• Department of Physics,
University of Aachen, DE
• Département de Physique
Thèorique des Matériaux,
Université de Liège, BE
• Department of Applied Physics
and Physics,Yale University,
New Haven, US
• Department of Condensed
Matter Physics,Weizmann
Institute of Science, Rehovot, IL
• Department of Physic, European
Laboratory for Non-Linear
Spectroscopy, Firenze, IT
• Department of Physics and
Astronomy, University of
Rochester, US
• Department of Physics and
Institute for Pure and Applied
Physical
Sciences, University of California
Los Angeles, San Diego, US
• Department of Physics Solid State
Theory, Lund University, SE
• Department of Physics, Louisiana
State University, Baton Rouge, US
• Department of Physics,
Stanford University, Stanford, US
• Department of Physics,
University La Sapienza, Rome, IT
• Department of Physics,
University of Michigan, US
• Dept. of Applied Physics and
Physics, Yale University, New
Haven, US
• Dipartimento di Fisica,
Università di Genova, IT
• Ecole Superieure d’Ingénieurs
d’Annecy, Laboratoire
d’instrumentation et des Matériaux,
Université de Savoie, FR
• Elettra Synchrotron Light
Laboratory, AREA Science
Park,Trieste, IT
• Faculty of Chemistry, Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology, DE
• Horology, TIMELAB, Geneva, CH
• Institut Franche Comté
Electronique Mécanique
Thermique et
Optique - Sciences et Technologies
(FEMTO), Laboratoire de
Physique et de Métrologie de,
Besançon, FR
• Institut für Festkörperphysik,
Technische Universität Wien, AT
• Institut für physikalische Chemie,
Universität Wien,AT
• Institut für Theoretische Physik
III, Universität Stuttgart, DE
• Institut Néel, CNRS, Grenoble, FR
• Institute for Physics,
University of Augsburg, DE
• Institute for Planetary Research,
German Aerospace Center,
Berlin, DE
• Institute of Inorganic Chemistry,
University of Kiel, DE
• Institute of Micro and Nano
Electronic Systems,
University of Karlsruhe, DE
Achievements of the previous years
Science
The scientific activities of
MaNEP phase III are organized
around eight projects.
The idea is to centre our efforts
on the key questions in
the area of MaNEP. Project
1, “Novel phenomena at interfaces
and in superlattices”
wants to demonstrate novel
functionalities at oxide and organic
interfaces. The specific
aim is the discovery, understanding,
and control of novel
properties at artificially engineered
interfaces. In Project
2, “Materials for future electronics”,
electronic devices
and nanostructures for the
investigation of materials with
novel electronic prop-erties
will be used. The two main
classes of materials addressed
are heterostructures of transition
metal oxides and carbonbased
materials. New collaborations
with the industry have
started in the frame of Project
3, “Electronic materials for
energy systems and other applications”.
They are based
on technologies developed in
MaNEP phases I and II. Project
4, “Electronic properties
of oxide superconductors and
related materials”, focuses
on the microscopic origin of
superconductivity and other
states of matter with which it
competes. Project 5, “Novel
electronic phases in strongly
correlated electron systems”,
complements Project 4 with
work on the wide class of
materials exhibiting special
properties due to the presence
of strong local correlation
between the position and
the motion of electrons. The
goal of Project 6, “Magnetism
and competing interactions in
bulk materials”, is to investigate
a panoply of remarkable
phenomena due to conflicts
and competition between
various degrees of freedom of
the electrons. The leitmotif for
Project 7, “Electronic materials
with reduced dimensionality”
is based on the fact that lowdimensional
systems have
features which are absent or
less expressed in 3D materials,
such as spin-charge separation
or strong fluctuations.
The aim of Project 8, “Cold
atomic gases as novel quantum
simulators for condensed
matter”, is to use cold atoms to
realize model systems with an
unprecedented level of control
and tunability, allowing
many issues pertinent to the
field of strong correlations to
be tested.
Know-how and
technology transfer
MaNEP has set-up several
collaborations with industry
and the HES-Geneva in different
domains where its skills
and knowledge are needed.
They are carried out within
project 3 described above. A
first spin-off company “PHA-
SIS” is active in the field of
thin film fabrication and built
on know-how developed in
MaNEP. MaNEP is also the
originator of a project of reinforced
collaboration between
the Office de Promotion des
Industries et des Technologies
(OPI), the HES-Geneva
and the University of Geneva.
Education and
advancement of women
Having co-organised a summer
school with PSI in 2002 in
Zuoz, MaNEP organized two
successful summer schools
(2004, 2006) and three winter
schools (2009, 2011, 2013) at
Saas-Fee. About 70 students
attended lectures given by international
experts. Many students
were MaNEP doctoral
students, but the school also
enrolled students from other
countries.
The MaNEP doctoral program
was launched at the University
of Geneva and the first
courses began in autumn 2008.
Since 2004, MaNEP has organized
summer internships
for female students, giving
the opportunity to integrate
research groups at the different
universities and federal
institutes in MaNEP. These
internships are highly rated
by the participants. A survey
prepared together with the
Equality Office of UniGE was
sent to all women researchers
in MaNEP in order to evaluate
the current work and promote
activities devoted to the advancement
of women.
Communication and
outreach
MaNEP has initiated many
ambitious communications
and outreach projects. The SupraFête
is a very special event
when 1500 people were able
to discover superconductivity
and which provided many new
PR tools, namely a movie, a
fun exhibition and a brochure
illustrated by the well-known
Swiss cartoonist Mix&Remix.
The PhysiScope, created by
MaNEP and with the collaboration
of the Physics Section
UniGE was launched in the
autumn of 2008. There were
also fruitful collaborations
with CERN. In 2011, the centennial
of the discovery of superconductivity
has been celebrated.
MaNEP has launched
a large programme of collaboration
with different partners
such as UniGE and the PhysiScope,
PSI, SPS, CERN, or
EuroPhysicsFun. In April, in
Geneva, MaNEP, UniGE and
the PhysiScope have organised
daily one hour shows
on superconductivity for the
general public welcoming
500 visitors. In autumn, the exhibition
SUPRA100 about superconductivity
presenting an
artwork by the artist Etienne
Krähenbühl, was shown at
UniMail in Geneva, as well
as an artistic performance by
the company Exos, a family
day with experiments, demonstrations,
laboratory visits,
shows, which welcomed
more than 1200 visitors, and
a grand conference for the
general public by Prof. Koichi
Kitazawa. Superconductivity
was also one theme of those
presented at the PSI Open
Doors in October. In 2013, the
exhibition SUPRA100 takes
place from 19 January to 20
May at the Muséum d’Histoire
Naturelle in Neuchâtel.
Further information see
www.manep.ch
52 | Guide 2013