German-Ukrainian Seminar on Quantum Materials

Lecture #5: February 9, 2023 at 15:00 Kyiv time (14:00 Dresden time, IFW Dresden - D2E.27)

Speaker: Prof. Dmytro Inosov, TU Dresden

Title: Natural minerals as an inspiration for magnetic quantum materials

Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/99281703595?pwd=QnVqN09BRGZKYlBhSk4wakpHd2trUT09

Meeting ID: 992 8170 3595 // Passcode: 963908

Abstract:

The rapidly developing field of quantum magnetism relies heavily on the existence of real materials that serve as platforms for the experimental observation of various emergent phenomena predicted by theoretical models. These models usually assume a certain level of complexity and are very sensitive to a delicate balance of many tunable parameters. Therefore, the choice of an appropriate model system requires careful consideration of many candidate compounds. Using several examples from the forefront of research in magnetic frustration, I will show that natural copper minerals offer a rich pool of compounds for finding such model systems, and can inspire and guide both theorists in the development of interesting new spin models, and chemists in the synthesis of suitable materials to realize them. When it comes to crystal structures of high complexity, natural minerals are an inexhaustible source of new magnetic materials, and understanding their low-temperature properties represents a rapidly emerging interdisciplinary field, bridging mineralogy with low-temperature condensed-matter physics and quantum chemistry.