In the Quantum Matter specialisation, you will gain a bottom-up understanding of the properties and interactions of matter, from individual atoms and molecules to complex solids. At the beginning, compulsory advanced courses on molecular physics and solid state physics prepare the ground for a wide variety of elective courses that will permit you to choose your own focus, theoretical or experimental, molecular or condensed matter – or to remain broad.
In the elective courses, you will learn about collective and emergent phenomena in quantum matter as we go from single atoms to many-body systems. In quantum matter, there is no unified theory to explain everything, so you will learn different approaches that enable to understand and predict a quantum system – may it be complex molecules or complex solids.
A key approach of the specialisation is to teach you how such systems can be investigated by both theoretical and experimental state-of-the-art methods. In Nijmegen, some of the worldwide most advanced spectroscopy and microscopy tools are available. Many of them have been developed on campus, and we are proud to continue pushing the limits of what can be measured. The same is true for theoretical method developments. Many of our electives include methodology, some even fully focus on this aspect of modern physics research.
While we strive for a fundamental understanding of quantum matter, many courses also provide insight into how newly discovered phenomena may serve as stepping stones toward enabling technologies and “tomorrow’s” applications (e.g. in quantum or neuromorphic computing, spintronics, energy-efficient materials, green IT,…).
