Featured News
Stabilizing polarons opens up new physics
Physicists at EPFL have developed a formulation to solve the longstanding problem of electron self-interaction when studying polarons – quasiparticles produced by electron-phonon interactions in materials. The work can lead to unprecedented calculations of polarons in large systems, systematic studies of large sets of materials, and molecular dynamics evolving over long time periods.
Polarons free from many-body self-interaction
Polarons can affect numerous phenomena in a material but have been difficult to model correctly. In the paper “Many-Body Self-Interaction and Polarons,” recently published jointly in Physical Review Letters and in Physical Review B as an Editor’s Suggestion, researchers Stefano Falletta and Professor Alfredo Pasquarello of the Chair of Atomic Scale Simulation at EPFL advance the conceptual understanding of the self-interaction problem in density functional theory, paving the way to efficient calculations of polarons in large systems, in systematic studies involving large sets of materials, and in molecular dynamics evolving over long time periods.
Organized Workshops & Schools
Advanced Electronic Structure Methods in Condensed Matter Physics
This 3-day Summer School provided an overview of advanced methodologies in computational condensed matter physics, including density functional theory, many-body perturbation theory, molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning approaches. The event consisted of lectures given by internationally renowned speakers, and took place at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, from 8th to 10th July, 2019.
First-Principles Modelling of Defects in Solids
This three-day workshop offered an overview of the latest advances in the theory and simulation of defects in materials. The event consists of a set of invited lectures given by internationally renowned speakers, contributed talks, poster sessions, as well as social events designed to foster interactions between participants. The workshop focuses on the computational methodologies developed and deployed for the description of defects in the condensed phases, together with their application to technologically relevant systems. The workshop took place on June 13-15, 2022 at ETH Zurich.