Research interests

My present research focuses on the experimental investigation of the electronic structure and properties of quantum electron matter and emergent 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, topological superconductors, transition oxides and their heterointerfaces, as well as topological insulators and other Dirac materials. These are being studied 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 grow our own high-quality single-crystals of these materials, fabricate our own 1D nanostructures in ultrahigh vacuum and collaborate with leading thin film growth laboratories, both in the Netherlands and abroad.

Working on tomorrow's materials today

The systems we work 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), spintronics (topological insulators, magnetoresistive systems) and nanoscience (1D systems, oxide heterointerfaces).

Quantum Materials Amsterdam

The QMat group, clusters 5 principle investigators' experimental research into various types of Quantum Materials and their differeing physical properties. 
Research staff are Anne de Visser, Anna Isaeva, Erik van Heumen, Jorik van de Groep and myself doing experiments, and Jasper van Wezel doing theory.

At present the group in Amsterdam comprises eleven PhD researchers and five postdoctoral researchers, as well as numerous final-year MSc students. Our research is supported by the physics part of the Dutch NSF organisation (called NWO, the physics part formerly being FOM). Research support comes in the form of national research programmes:

• Driving quantum phase transitions in topological correlated matter "TopCore" (co-ordinated by Erik van Heumen) - still active
• Strange Metals (co-ordinated by Nigel Hussey, Radboud University Nijmegen) - still active
• Topological Insulators (co-ordinated by Golden) - completed
• Tailoring 2-dimensional electron systems in complex oxides (co-ordinated by Hans Hilgenkamp, UTwente) - completed

and single-PI grants ('projectruimte') on:

• nematic superconductivity  (de Visser)

In the past Erik van Heumen held his own NWO-veni grant on the iron pnictide superconductors. The EU also partially funds our frequent beamtimes at 3rd generation synchrotron sources such as HZB/BESSY in Berlin and the SLS at the PSI in Villigen, Switzerland, SOLEIL near Paris and Diamond Lights Source close to Oxford.

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: