Probing electronic structure and many-body interactions in thin-film correlated oxides

As part of a generously-funded Leverhulme research project, we seek an ambitious and motivated PhD student to join a research initiative aimed at investigating how the electronic structure and collective states of thin-film correlated oxides evolve with direct control over their material composition.

This is motivated by the recent discovery of superconductivity in thin-film nickel-based oxides when their structure is transformed from the perovskite to the so-called infinite layer form,¹ upon removal of some of their oxygen atoms. This points to an enormous potential for tuning the electronic properties of thin-film oxides by active control of their oxygen stoichiometry, and utilising this to stabilise new collective phases. You will develop routes to enable direct electronic structure measurements of such samples using our state-of-the-art laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and integrated molecular-beam epitaxy growth setup in St Andrews, as well as utilising measurements at leading synchrotron facilities in Europe and internationally. You will join a highly collaborative research group (https://www.quantummatter.co.uk/king) with broad interests across strongly correlated and spin-orbit coupled electronic materials.^2-7 The position is available immediately, funded at the standard UK rate. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. For further information, or to discuss specific research possibilities, please contact [email protected]. 

¹ D. Li et al., Nature 572, 624 (2019)

² V. Sunko et al., Nature 549, 492 (2017) 

³ J. Riley et al. Nature Physics 10, 835 (2014)

⁴ M.S. Bahramy et al., Nature Materials 17, 21 (2018)

⁵ V. Sunko et al., Science Adv. 6, eaaz0611 (2020)

⁶ E. Abarca Morales et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 096401(2023)

⁷ B. Edwards et al., Nature Mater. 22, 459 (2023)