Announcements
Open PhD Project: Effective Models for Topological Excitations
Project Outline. Interacting many-body systems host a rich variety of emergent phases of matter, historically categorised by spontaneously broken symmetries. In quantum regimes, strongly correlated systems can further realise topological phases characterised by long-range entanglement and fractionalised excitations. These collective quasiparticles known as anyons have properties unlike those the system is built from, and different from standard fermions and bosons. Due to their intrinsic robustness against local perturbations, anyonic excitations represent both a fundamental frontier in condensed matter theory and a promising architecture for fault-tolerant quantum technologies.
While microscopic models hosting topological order are widely studied, their complexity often obscures the collective physics governing the excitations themselves. This project will investigate effective Hamiltonians and field-theoretic models that capture the dynamics, interactions, and many-body collective behaviour of anyons while neglecting non-essential microscopic degrees of freedom. By shifting perspective from the parent lattice system to the effective behaviour of the excitations, the project aims to uncover the novel equilibrium and non-equilibrium states that emerge.
The research will employ a complementary suite of analytical techniques (such as effective field theories, exact solutions, and bosonization-type mappings) alongside modern numerical methods (e.g., tensor networks, or exact diagonalization). Broad avenues of exploration include mapping low-energy ground-state phase diagrams, out-of-equilibrium dynamical signatures, and, where appropriate, exploring implementations or validation via synthetic quantum platforms and digital quantum simulators.
For further details on the project or the application process, please contact the project supervisors, Dr Adam Gammon-Smith and Dr Stephen Powell.
Requirements. Suitable candidates should have relevant expertise at the required level (e.g., a 2.1 or above undergraduate degree in physics or mathematics), the willingness and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively across different areas, and a strong commitment to inclusivity, responsible research, and innovation.
Funding. This PhD is eligible for EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award funding. Once a suitable PhD candidate is identified, they will be put forward for consideration for funding at a Faculty of Science-level. Please note that funding is not guaranteed and is subject to a competitive review. Funding outcomes will be communicated in March 2027.
The award covers Home fees and provides an annual stipend (£21,805 for 26/27). International candidates may apply and, if successful, would receive a 糖心原创 Fee Difference scholarship to cover the difference between Home and International fee rates.
How to apply. Applications should be submitted by 7 Jan 2027 following the steps outlined on the relevant page of the School of Physics and Astronomy, see the link below. In the Research Proposal Section of the online application simply state that you would like to work on the project Effective Models for Topological Excitations with Dr Adam Gammon-Smith and Dr Stephen Powell as supervisors.
Apply
Open PhD Project: Memory-Assisted Engineering of Quantum Matter
Project outline. Collective quantum many-body states are characterised by long-range order and can exhibit remarkable properties. Familiar examples include conventional Bose-Einstein condensates, superconductors, and superfluids, which naturally arise in thermal equilibrium at low temperatures. At the same time, modern experimental techniques increasingly make it possible to engineer artificial forms of quantum matter whose properties can be tailored through external driving to meet the requirements of emerging quantum technologies. Time crystals, for example, i.e., systems with spontaneously broken time-translation symmetry, which can be realized with Bose-Einstein condensates or Rydberg atoms, offer a promising platform for ultra-precise sensors, clocks, and optical technologies.
However, such non-equilibrium collective states are often metastable and decay after a finite lifetime. Developing effective methods to stabilise their exceptional properties has therefore become a key challenge in quantum many-body physics. This project approaches this problem from the perspective of memory-assisted quantum state engineering, which has recently emerged as a powerful strategy to generate otherwise inaccessible states and dynamical processes in few-body systems. At its core, this approach combines driving and dissipation with non-locality in time, which can arise naturally through interactions with slowly relaxing environments or be engineered artificially through feedback control. Building on recent advances in the theory of open quantum systems, we investigate how this concept can be applied to stabilise and control artificial quantum matter.
To this end, we combine analytical methods with conventional numerical simulations and, where possible, simulations on digital quantum computers. Our aims are to develop a comprehensive theoretical framework for memory-assisted state engineering in quantum many-body systems, to further uncover the fundamental principles governing the emergence and stability of long-range order far from equilibrium, and to explore how these forms of matter can be exploited for technological applications.
For further details on the project or the application process, please contact the project supervisors, Kay Brandner, Adam-Gammon Smith, and Juan P. Garrahan.
Requirements. Suitable candidates should have relevant expertise at the required level (e.g., a 2.1 or above undergraduate degree in physics or mathematics), the willingness and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively across different areas, and a strong commitment to inclusivity, responsible research, and innovation.
Funding. This PhD is eligible for EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award funding. Once a suitable PhD candidate is identified, they will be put forward for consideration for funding at a Faculty of Science-level. Please note that funding is not guaranteed and is subject to a competitive review. Funding outcomes will be communicated in March 2027.
The award covers Home fees and provides an annual stipend (£21,805 for 26/27). International candidates may apply and, if successful, would receive a 糖心原创 Fee Difference scholarship to cover the difference between Home and International fee rates.
How to apply. Applications should be submitted by 7 Jan 2027 following the steps outlined on the relevant page of the School of Physics and Astronomy, see the link below. In the Research Proposal Section of the online application simply state that you would like to work on the project Memory-Assisted Engineering of Collective Quantum Matter with Kay Brandner, Adam-Gammon Smith, and Juan P. Garrahan as supervisors.
Apply