Theory of Condensed Matter
Theoretical Condensed Matter physics is about building models of physical processes, often driven by experimental data, generalising the solutions of those models to make experimental predictions, and transferring the concepts gained into other areas of research. Theory plays an important role in understanding known phenomena and in predicting new ones.
With over seventy members, the TCM Group is one of the largest research Groups in the Cavendish Laboratory, and the largest university Condensed Matter Theory group in the country. Able to trace its history back for over sixty years, it has been home to many leading theoreticians.
Starting at the first principles microscopic level - with the Schrödinger equation - many properties of materials can now be calculated with a high degree of accuracy. We work on refining and developing new calculational tools and applying them to problems in physics, chemistry, materials science and biology.
Solids often show unusual collective behaviour resulting from cooperative quantum or classical phenomena. For this type of physics a more model-based approach is appropriate, and we are using such methods to attack problems in magnetism, superconductivity, nonlinear optics, mesoscopic systems, polymers, and colloids.
Collective behaviour comes even more to the fore in systems on a larger scale. As examples, we work on self-organising structures in "soft" condensed matter systems, non-linear dynamics of interacting systems, the observer in quantum mechanics, and models of biophysical processes, from the molecular scale up to neural systems.

TCM was the cradle in which I cut my teeth in science, under the guidance of Mike Payne, Peter Littlewood, Richard Needs, and also Alessandro De Vita, a frequent visitor. The collaborative atmosphere combined with a level of seriousness, the desire of aiming high, and taking the long term view, shaped my culture of research, and it is what I continue to try to emulate and foster elsewhere.
Prof Gábor Csányi, newly elected Fellow of the Royal Society. News archive
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More seminarsResonating valence bond spin liquid induced by kinetic energy frustration
Cecilie Glittum, Antonio Štrkalj, Dharmalingam Prabhakaran, Paul A. Goddard, Cristian D. Batista, Claudio Castelnovo
Excitonic topology and quantum geometry in organic semiconductors
Wojciech Jankowski, Joshua J.P. Thompson, Bartomeu Monserrat, Robert-Jan Slager
Adaptive locomotion of active solids
Jonas Veenstra, Colin Scheibner, Martin Brandenbourger, Jack Binysh, Anton Souslov, Vincenzo Vitelli, and Corentin Coulais.
Buckle-Barrel Correspondence Based on Topological Polarization Conversion in Mechanical Metamaterials
Jingyi Zhang, Jingran Liu, Anton Souslov, María Teresa Pérez Prado, Javier Segurado, Maciej Haranczyk, Johan Christensen
Optical manifestations and bounds of topological Euler class
Wojciech J. Jankowski, Arthur S. Morris , Adrien Bouhon, F. Nur Ünal and Robert-Jan Slager
All publications
Theoretical Condensed Matter physics is about building models of physical processes, often driven by experimental data, generalising the solutions of those models to make experimental predictions, and transferring the concepts gained into other areas of research. Theory plays an important role in understanding known phenomena and in predicting new ones.
With over seventy members, the TCM Group is one of the largest research Groups in the Cavendish Laboratory, and the largest university Condensed Matter Theory group in the country. Able to trace its history back for over sixty years, it has been home to many leading theoreticians.
Starting at the first principles microscopic level - with the Schrödinger equation - many properties of materials can now be calculated with a high degree of accuracy. We work on refining and developing new calculational tools and applying them to problems in physics, chemistry, materials science and biology.
Solids often show unusual collective behaviour resulting from cooperative quantum or classical phenomena. For this type of physics a more model-based approach is appropriate, and we are using such methods to attack problems in magnetism, superconductivity, nonlinear optics, mesoscopic systems, polymers, and colloids.
Collective behaviour comes even more to the fore in systems on a larger scale. As examples, we work on self-organising structures in "soft" condensed matter systems, non-linear dynamics of interacting systems, the observer in quantum mechanics, and models of biophysical processes, from the molecular scale up to neural systems.
News

TCM was the cradle in which I cut my teeth in science, under the guidance of Mike Payne, Peter Littlewood, Richard Needs, and also Alessandro De Vita, a frequent visitor. The collaborative atmosphere combined with a level of seriousness, the desire of aiming high, and taking the long term view, shaped my culture of research, and it is what I continue to try to emulate and foster elsewhere.
Prof Gábor Csányi, newly elected Fellow of the Royal Society.
Seminars
Upcoming Talks
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Combined list of TCM seminar series, and TCM blackboard seminar series, which are held on alternate weeks on Thursdays during term, also including irregular and extra seminars.
If you have a question about this list, please contact: Ben Simons; Gareth Conduit; Edgar Engel; Bartomeu Monserrat. If you have a question about a specific talk, click on that talk to find its organiser.
4 upcoming talks and 855 talks in the archive: show first 500.
Approaching precise device scale all-atom simulations of crystallisation of halide perovskites
Paramvir Ahlawat (Cambridge).
Friday 04 July 2025, 14:00-15:15
Electronic response to ion projectiles traversing matter from first principles
Prof. Emilio Artacho (Cambridge & Nanogune).
Thursday 30 October 2025, 14:00-15:30
Please see above for contact details for this list.
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Recent Talks
'); -->Combined TCM Seminars and TCM blackboard seminar listing
Add to your list(s) Send you e-mail reminders Further detail
Subscribe using ical/vcal (Help)
Combined list of TCM seminar series, and TCM blackboard seminar series, which are held on alternate weeks on Thursdays during term, also including irregular and extra seminars.
If you have a question about this list, please contact: Ben Simons; Gareth Conduit; Edgar Engel; Bartomeu Monserrat. If you have a question about a specific talk, click on that talk to find its organiser.
4 upcoming talks and 855 talks in the archive: show first 500.
Entrepreneurship as a Career Option for Physicists
Benat Mencia.
Wednesday 25 June 2025, 11:00-12:00
Four Generations of High-Dimensional Neural Network Potentials
Prof. Jörg Behler (Ruhr-Universität Bochum).
Thursday 19 June 2025, 14:00-15:30
Exciton (De)Localization and Dissociation in Heterogeneous Semiconductors from First Principles Computational Modeling
Prof. Marina Filip (Oxford).
Thursday 12 June 2025, 14:00-15:30
Time-Resolved Collapse and Revival of the Heavy-Fermion State by Pulsed Light
Michael Turaev, University of Bonn.
Wednesday 11 June 2025, 11:00-12:00
Please see above for contact details for this list.
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More seminarsRecent Publications
Resonating valence bond spin liquid induced by kinetic energy frustration
Cecilie Glittum, Antonio Štrkalj, Dharmalingam Prabhakaran, Paul A. Goddard, Cristian D. Batista, Claudio Castelnovo
Excitonic topology and quantum geometry in organic semiconductors
Wojciech Jankowski, Joshua J.P. Thompson, Bartomeu Monserrat, Robert-Jan Slager
Adaptive locomotion of active solids
Jonas Veenstra, Colin Scheibner, Martin Brandenbourger, Jack Binysh, Anton Souslov, Vincenzo Vitelli, and Corentin Coulais.
Buckle-Barrel Correspondence Based on Topological Polarization Conversion in Mechanical Metamaterials
Jingyi Zhang, Jingran Liu, Anton Souslov, María Teresa Pérez Prado, Javier Segurado, Maciej Haranczyk, Johan Christensen
Optical manifestations and bounds of topological Euler class
Wojciech J. Jankowski, Arthur S. Morris , Adrien Bouhon, F. Nur Ünal and Robert-Jan Slager
All publications