CMSP

Europe/Rome 2021-04-20 11:00:00 2021-04-20 12:00:00 CMSP Seminar (Joint ICTP/SISSA Statistical Physics): Low temperature chaos and the quantum effects of curvature ABSTRACT: Recently, the study of chaos in quantum systems has been revitalized due to what is now known as the bound to chaos. This result limits the rate of growth of chaos at low temperatures due to quantum effects. In this talk, I will present ongoing work with Jorge Kurchan concerning the bound in the context of classical and quantum free dynamics on curved manifolds. Thanks to the curvature, such models display chaotic dynamics up to low temperatures, due to the absence of any localizing potentia Remarkably, this chaotic behaviour is limited by the quantum effects of the curvature itself. The talk aims to discuss the different ways in which such quantum effects arise. As an illustrative example, I will consider the simple case of a free particle on a two-dimensional manifold, constructed by joining the surface of constant negative curvature --- a paradigmatic model of quantum chaos --- to a cylinder. The resulting phenomenology can be generalized to the case of several (constant) curvatures. The presence of a hierarchy of length scales enforces the bound to chaos up to zero temperature. Our goal is to extend this study to macroscopic models, that may be studied as free propagation on a rugged manifold in n-dimensions. Virtual ICTP pio@ictp.it 20 Apr 2021

Europe/Rome 2021-04-22 16:00:00 2021-04-22 17:00:00 CMSP Seminar (News and Views): Semiconductor and Catalyst Systems for Solar Water Oxidation Abstract:   This seminar will describe some of our efforts to understand and control the processes determining the efficiency of energy conversion systems. Specifically, the behavior of metal oxide thin films for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation will be discussed. Under PEC water oxidation conditions, many metal oxides have been shown to accumulate holes in surface states which can recombine with conduction band electrons and thus limit the performance. The nature of such surface states will be elucidated and its role in controlling water oxidation discussed. Surface state recombination can generally be mitigated through introduction of electrocatalysts on metal oxide semiconductor surfaces which generally leads to improved performance. We have found that some semiconductor/catalyst combinations result in similar or worse performance compared to the bare electrode, however. Through rigorous comparison of cyclic voltammetry, current transient and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS), and dual-working electrode experiments measurements, we have been able to gain significant insight into the role of the catalyst and the electron-transfer reactions at the interface on the performance of PEC water oxidation. Registration details will be announced closer to the seminar date.   Virtual ICTP pio@ictp.it 22 Apr 2021

Europe/Rome 2021-04-27 11:00:00 2021-04-27 12:00:00 CMSP Seminar (Joint ICTP/SISSA Statistical Physics): TBA Virtual ICTP pio@ictp.it 27 Apr 2021

Europe/Rome 2021-04-29 17:00:00 2021-04-29 18:00:00 CMSP Seminar (News and Views): Active Topology Topology plays a key role in condensed matter physics, underlying much of our understanding of equilibrium matter in terms of defects in ordered media and topologically protected states. In active systems – collections of entities that consume energy to generate their own motion and forces – topological phenomena can take on new and surprising roles. I will describe some of these behaviors focusing on liquid-crystalline active matter in two dimensions, specifically active nematic liquid crystals, where defects become motile particles, drive spatio-temporally chaotic flows, and can themselves organize in emergent ordered states. Registration details will be announced closer to the seminar date. Virtual ICTP pio@ictp.it 29 Apr 2021

Europe/Rome 2021-05-03 08:00:00 2021-05-05 22:00:00 2D Materials for Spin-Orbitronics | (smr 3608) An ICTP virtual meeting The emerging field of spin-orbitronics utilizes the relativistic spin-orbit interactions and is opening fascinating new directions for basic research and exciting potential applications in spintronics. This mini workshop will cover selected spin-orbit phenomena in low-dimensional materials, comprising their potential and concrete realizations for spin-orbitronics, mostly from the computational-materials perspective, but including also experimental view and results. Low-dimensional materials provide a fertile ground for generating interesting spin-orbit phenomena and are also ideal for incorporation in devices. The presentations will span the range from basic features to the forefront results in the field and are targeting final-year graduate students and early-career researchers in general. The talks will include the speakers’ views of the current trends, challenges and future directions in their fields. Topics: Properties and potential of 2D materials for spin-orbitronics Skyrmions and exotic magnetism Spin-orbit torque Speakers: P. BARONE, CNR-SPIN, Italy S. BLÜGEL, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany J. FABIAN, University of Regensburg, Germnay P. GAMBARDELLA, ETH Zürich, Switzerland B. NIKOLIC, University of Delaware, USA O. YAZYEV, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland   Registration: There is no registration fee.   Online - ICTP pio@ictp.it 3 May 2021 - 5 May 2021

Europe/Rome 2021-05-06 08:00:00 2021-06-03 22:00:00 The Hitchhiker's Guide to Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics: Topological Phenomena in Condensed Matter | (smr 3625) An ICTP Virtual School, 2nd edition The aim of this online school is to sketch a roadmap of current exciting research directions in condensed matter and statistical physics. It will lead the students from basic notions to the open problems in each topic. The lectures will be held once a week, 4 weeks in a row in May and June 2021, each week a new subject. Given the success of the first Hitchhiker's School in January 2021 (smr3589), we continue with the same format. The first series of lectures was dedicated to machine learning and had covered several different aspects of the application of machine learning in condensed matter physics. In this second series, we focus on topological phenomena in condensed matter. What is topology? Does it explain the properties of some unconventional materials? Why is it important for future technologies? The format of the lectures will be the following: - 1h of basic notions relevant for the subject, including Questions and Answers session. - 15 min break - 1h of colloquia style lecture, that will start with the basics and bring the student to the set of open problems in the topic. Speakers: B.A. BERNEVIG, Princeton, USA C. CASTELNOVO, Cambridge, UK C. CHAMON, Boston, USA Y. GEFEN, Weizmann, Israel Registration: There is no registration fee. Online - ICTP pio@ictp.it 6 May 2021 - 3 Jun 2021

Europe/Rome 2021-05-24 08:00:00 2021-05-28 22:00:00 Workshop on Physics and Chemistry of Solid/Liquid Interfaces for Energy Conversion and Storage | (smr 3577) An ICTP virtual meeting The purpose of the online workshop is to bring together scientists working on the characterization of electrochemical interfaces at the atomistic level, and developing characterization methods, to discuss developments, current challenges, and perspectives. The workshop is dedicated to the characterization of electrochemical interfaces by means of advanced experimental and theoretical techniques.   The focus will be on the understanding at atomic level of interface structure and stability, charge dynamics and charge transfer, chemical adsorption and reactivity. Space will be devoted to advances in interface-sensitive characterization techniques. Consequences of the progress in the field will be discussed in the context of applications to catalysis, energy conversion and storage, and environmental remediation.  Topics: Atomic structure of electrochemical interfaces  Charge dynamics and charge transfer Electrochemical reactions at interfaces Interface-sensitive experimental techniques  Computer simulations of electrochemical interfaces  Speakers: ​A. BIEBERLE-HÜTTER, DIFFER, the Netherlands K. CAMPEN, Fritz Haber Institute, Germany K. CHAN, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark J. CHENG, Xiamen University, China  T. CUK, University of Colorado Boulder, USA   J.R. DURRANT, Imperial College London, UK   A. GROSS, University of Ulm, Germany   J. LIBUDA, University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany   D. PRENDERGAST, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA   R. SCHLÖGL, Fritz Haber Institute, Germany M. SPRIK, University of Cambridge, UK  P. STRASSER, TU Berlin, Germany   M. TODOROVA, MPI for Iron Research, Germany   F.M. TOMA, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA R. VAN DE KROL, Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Germany Registration: There is no registration fee.   Online - ICTP pio@ictp.it 24 May 2021 - 28 May 2021

Europe/Rome 2021-05-31 08:00:00 2021-06-11 22:00:00 6th African School on Electronic Structure Methods and Applications (ASESMA-2021) | (smr 3578)   * * * The African School series on Electronic Structure Methods and Applications (ASESMA) is planned on a biennial basis since 2010. Previous schools were held in Cape Town, South Africa (2010), Eldoret, Kenya (2012), Johannesburg, South Africa (2015), Accra, Ghana (2016), and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2018). In 2021, ASESMA will be held as an ICTP Virtual school. The aim of the School is to introduce young African researchers and students to the theory of electronic structure and other atomistic simulation methods, with an emphasis on the computational methods for practical calculations. The School will cover introductory concepts such as: electronic structure theory, density functional theory and functionals, phonons, magnetism, enhanced sampling methods in molecular dynamics, ab-initio molecular dynamics, etc. It will also cover more advanced topics and applications of these methods to the structural, mechanical and optical properties of materials, and to the properties of biological systems. The School will include hands-on tutorial sessions based on public license codes (including, but not limited to, the "Quantum Espresso" package). During the second week students will be asked to split up in teams and work on specific projects under the guidance of the lecturers and mentors.   * * * Further details about the school and online application will be made available in the near future.   Online - ICTP pio@ictp.it 31 May 2021 - 11 Jun 2021