My research group focuses on the experimental investigation of the electronic structure and properties of quantum matter and emergent quantum materials. Our aim is to understand the surprising behaviour of low dimensional and strongly interacting electronic systems, via direct, spectroscopic interrogation of the energy, momentum and spatial distributions of the electronic system. Our current focus includes:

• unconventional superconductors such as the HTSC cuprates (strange metal state)
• topological materials such as (magnetic) topological insulators, Dirac and Weyl semimetals
• transition metal oxides and their heterointerfaces
• 2D materials, also at the single monolayer limit.

We study these using angle-resolved photoemission, soft X-ray absorption and dichroism, hard x-ray photoemission and coherent soft X-ray lensless imaging. To enable these studies, we use high-quality single-crystals of these materials grown in our institute and those of collaborators, fabricate our own 1D and 2D nanostructures in ultrahigh vacuum and collaborate with leading thin film growth laboratories, both in the Netherlands and abroad. We also collaborate with theoretical physicists in and outside the Netherlands to unlock the secrets of quantum materials using the combination of experimental data and theoretical simulations.

We are frequent users of synchrotron radiation sources in Europe (BESSY II, Diamond Light Source, SOLEIL, MAX-IV, PETRA-III, Swiss Light Source, SOLARIS, ELETTRA) and further afield (Canadian Light Source).

Publications

I am co-author of over 150 publications in international, refereed journals and have given more than 135 invited talks at international conferences, workshops and at scientific colloquia.
For an up to date listing of my publications and their impact, see the following researcherID link or Google Scholar profile.

Mission: working on tomorrow's materials today

The systems my group works on are at the forefront of fundamental solid state physics research, but also possess potential for eventual application in future technologies connected to energy (superconductors), low energy information processing (topological insulators, Dirac and Weyl systems) and nanoscience (1D & 2D systems, oxide heterointerfaces).

Group members

Sergio Barquero Pierantoni

PhD researcher with focus on magnetic topological insulators, hired on a joint project with Anna Isaeva. Irene Aguilera's theory group is also colsely connected to this research. 

Chrystalla Knekna

PhD researcher with focus on Dirac materials. Crystal is a shared PhD between the University of Groningen (Antonija Grubisic-Cabo) and my group, within the Dutch QuMat Gravitation consortium

This could be you

new PhD project starting soon as part of the NWA Consortium 'Emergence at all scales' - focus of this work will be ARPES and other experiments on cuprate strange metals and connection of these data to theories making use of holographic apprroaches (groups of Koenraad Schalm [Leiden] and Henk Stoof [Utrecht])

Ferran Aliagas Puigdomenech

MSc project student (MPhys track AMEP = Advanced Matter & Eenergy Physics) working on gold assisted exfoliation in UHV of 2D materials for ARPES studies. This is a collaboration with Jorik van de Groep's lab

Levi Oudejans    

MSc project student  (MPhys track AMEP = Advanced Matter & Eenergy Physics) working on chiral and alternmagnetic materials. This is a collaboration with the groups of Alexander Brinkman & Chaun Li in the University of Twente, within the Dutch QuMat gravitation consortium

Akvilė Paskačimaitė    

BSc student from the Amsterdam Univdersity College, doing her final year 'capstone' project with PhD-er Crystal Knekna

Janneke van Dijk    

BSc project student from the Physics & Astronomy degree programme doing her thesis project with MSc-er Ferran Aliagas

Alumni

...working on it 

Quantum Materials Amsterdam

The AMSTEL (Amsterdam Momentum Space TeLescope) ARPES lab my group runs is part of the QMat research group which clusters 7 principle investigators' experimental research into various types of Quantum and 2D Materials. 
QMat's research spans from the electronic and magnetic properties of new materials, to their synthesis and crystal structure, as well as their optical, photonic and optoelectronic properties.   
Current research staff doing experiments besides myself are:

• Anna Isaeva (synthesis of quantum materials including magnetic topological insulators, solid state chemistry and crystal structure determination) 
• Erik van Heumen (optical spectroscopy of quantum materials)
• Jorik van de Groep (2D nanophotonics) 
• Sander Mann (fundamental problems in photonics and optics related to thermal radiation, time-reversal symmetry breaking, and nonlinearities)
• Peter Schall (quantum dots, 2D materials for optielectronics)
• Roland Bliem from the Advanced Research Center for Nano-Lithography  (materials & surface science for EUV lithography) 
• In addition, our close colleagues from Condensed Matter Theory Jasper van Wezel and Irene Aguilera are reguilar collaborators.

We are working on a new QMat webpage: I'll post the address here as soon as it is online.