We work on solar cells, superconducting materials, environmentally friendly materials, microprocessors and sensors, and the field is growing rapidly. With the new materials we can harvest renewable energy and reduce CO2 emissions and pollution. Can the materials of nature help us put together new materials possessing the properties we would like? The technology of tomorrow is constructed using materials from the bottom and up: from atoms via the nanoscale, up to macroscopic phenomena and properties. This field of study gives you the possibility of specializing within many areas of ”condensed matter physics”, which is the largest branch of physics worldwide, and at UiO.
The research groups you can take part in are leading in different areas. Small structures and components within nanotechnology are important pieces in microprocessors, solar cells, superconducting materials and sensors; the discpline develops fast. In quantum technology you will take a step further, attempting to understand and make use of the fundamental quantum mechanical principles like entanglement and tunnelling in practical applications like for example quantum computers and quantum cryptography. ”Disordered materials” surround us everywhere and influence our everyday: soil, snow, rock, wood, cement, plastic, glass and not least: biological tissue.
We are still in pursuit of sound physics theories regarding everyday phenomena in these materials, like friction, fracture, avalanches and fluid transport in porous media. Your research project will be in the frontier of research and will be adjusted according to your vocational interests. Your project will be either experimental, theoretical or computational, or a combination of these.
As a part of the programme you will gain access to Norway's most advanced laboratories in addition to the largest computing machines. You will be given firm vocational follow-up, and your results will be shared with industry and international academic communities.