Hard Condensed Matter Physics Faculty

  • Prof. Peter Armitage leads research in using terahertz spectroscopy to probe complex materials. He is studying superconductors, critical phenomena, magnetism and low-frequency electrodynamics of solids.
  • Prof. Collin Broholm is one of the world leaders in using scattering of neutrons to study magnetic and super-conducting systems, using facilities at NIST (located nearby in Gaithersburg, MD) and Oak Ridge National Lab. He is the director of Institute for Quantum Matter.
  • Prof. Chia-Ling Chien works in experimental hard condensed matter physics, on magnetic nanostructures and thin magnetic films with an eye toward spintronics applications.
  • Prof. Natalia Drichko is an experimental physicist interested in “exotic” quantum states of matter as spin liquids, superconductors, and charge and spin ordered states in organic and inorganic materials.  She uses primarily Raman scattering spectroscopy to investigate them.  She also manages the Raman Scattering Users Center for the characterization of materials, which is used by wider JHU community, from the Material Science Department to the JHU Medical Center.
  • Prof. S.M. Koohpayeh is a materials scientist investigating the synthesis, development, crystal growth and characterization of different classes of novel materials, e.g., electronic, magnetic, semiconducting, and topological materials. His current main interests include, 3D growth and development of quantum materials, thermodynamics, and physical metallurgy, understanding the nature of defects in crystals, and the structure-physical property relationships.
  • Prof. Yi Li is a theoretical physicist interested in topological phases in condensed matter and ultra-cold atom systems, itinerant ferromagnetism, and non-perturbative approaches to strongly correlated systems.
  • Prof. Tyrel McQueen holds a joint appointment in Chemistry and in Physics, with the lab in our building. His research is focused on the discovery of new phenomena through the design and synthesis of new materials.
  • Prof. Oleg Tchernyshyov is a theoretical physicist working in hard condensed matter using techniques of quantum field theory. He is particularly interested in magnetic materials, from the familiar iron ferromagnets to spin ice to quantum and classical spin liquids.

Our department is one of the founding members of the Institute for Quantum Matter  where all stages of hard condensed matter research are conducted, from the synthesis of new materials, to their experimental testing and theoretical modeling.