3rd funding period for Dresden Collaborative Research Center on Correlated Magnetism

Overview

The Dresden-based Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1143: "Correlated Magnetism: From Frustration to Topology" has been successfully conducting fundamental research in solid state physics for the past eight years. During this time, it has made many groundbreaking contributions, establishing Dresden as a top location for topological physics. As confirmed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) on Nov 25, 2022, the CRC will now be granted a third funding period, starting in 2023. Spokesperson Prof. Matthias Vojta is already looking forward to the possible scientific discoveries of the next four years.

Since 2015, the CRC 1143: "Correlated Magnetism: From Frustration to Topology" has been studying classes of magnets in which competing, i.e., frustrated, interactions prevent the formation of conventional magnetic order. Instead, these interactions cause a variety of alternative phenomena that are often topological in nature. The goal of the CRC is to identify, fabricate, and understand materials in which such phenomena can be observed. Topology itself is a mathematical concept, the application of which has revolutionized the field of physics over the past 20 years.

The CRC 1143 consists of 21 sub-projects in areas of research ranging from experimental and theoretical physics to inorganic chemistry and employs over 130 scientists who have made numerous groundbreaking contributions to the cutting-edge field of quantum magnetism in the recent years. This has allowed Dresden to establish itself as a prime location for topological solid state physics and forged many new cooperations between Dresden-based research groups and institutions.

CRC spokesperson Matthias Vojta, Professor of Theoretical Solid State Physics at TU Dresden and joint spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter, is exceptionally pleased with the German Research Foundation’s decision. "The extremely positive reviewer vote is an enormous recognition for our successful work over the past eight years,” he comments. Today, the CRC 1143 is shaping the research landscape of topological quantum magnetism on an international level. The field is so new that it has many surprises and unexpected discoveries in store for the scientists, adds Vojta. One of the goals for the next four years of research is the realization of a specific quantum spin liquid – a promising candidate for new applications in quantum information technology. “In that sense, basic research and functionality in the area of magnetism have always gone hand in hand. The CRC aims to carry on with this tradition. In this third funding period, we will thus continue to conduct exciting basic research, we will discover new sub-branches of science, we will make use of the infrastructure we have created and expertise we have accumulated to reap the fruits of our scientific labors, and we will set the course for the next CRC in physics.”

The Dresden-based Collaborative Research Center 1143: "Correlated Magnetism: From Frustration to Topology" as well as the Würzburg-based CRC 1170: “Topological and Correlated Electronics at Surfaces and Interfaces” have laid an important foundation for the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, established in 2019 to carry out research on topological quantum materials.