Work in the Winter group often involves trying to model real materials and processes using a combination of computational tools and analytical (pen + paper) calculations. Our main focus is quantum materials, which are materials where the quantum nature of the electrons in the solids are crucial to understand their properties (e.g. superconductors, quantum magnets for use in quantum computers, …)  For computational work, this will sometimes involve writing your own code (in python, for example), but in many cases we can use commercial pre-built software or codes written by current/previous students. Most of our calculations are run on the DEAC supercomputing cluster.

Example Activities: 

• Interacting with and submitting jobs to supercomputing clusters.
• Use of one or more common computational methods in materials physics, such as Density Functional Theory, Density Matrix Embedding Theory, or Molecular Dynamics simulations.
• Working with graduate students and Dr. Winter to interpret theoretical results.
• Helping graduate students to write codes to simulate the properties of quantum materials. 

No prior coding experience is required!

Helpful Courses:
Most projects will involve a variety of concepts from statistical mechanics, quantum physics, and solid state physics. For this reason, PHY 341 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics and PHY 343 Quantum Physics should be considered pre-requisites or co-requisites for starting a research project in the group. Other courses that would be a significant asset: PHY 335. Computational Physics, PHY 354. Introduction to Solid State Physics, and PHY 340. Electricity and Magnetism.