In the Department of Condensed Matter Physics, our staff members conduct cutting-edge research on the physical properties of materials and provide quality physics education. Our department branches into the fields of theoretical physics (2 laboratories), experimental physics (5 laboratories), advanced functional materials and physics (4 laboratories), and material science (2 laboratories). Research in the department covers a wide range of areas, including complex liquids, semi-conductors, high-Tc superconductors, organic molecular crystals and organic polymers, nano-materials, multiferroic materials, complex networks, electron correlations in quantum materials, thermally-, pressure-, and photo-induced phase transitions, glass transitions, magnetism, spin electronics, nonlinear optics and photovoltaic devices as well as many other topics. These studies not only provide us with a greater understanding of natural phenomena but can also lead to a discovery of novel functional materials. Condensed matter physics is thus one of the most important research fields for the progress in science and technology in our society.
Part of our department belongs to the cooperative graduate school with “National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)” and “RIKEN”, which are the leading research institutions in Japan. The laboratories in the field of “advanced functional materials and physics” and those in the field of “material science” are operated by researchers from NIMS and RIKEN, respectively. These laboratories accept doctoral students from our department. The students can study physics and take part in research projects within the excellent environment at NIMS and RIKEN. Our department is further participating in an interdisciplinary education and research program provided by the “Center of Education & Research for Topological Science & Technology”. This program covers the fields of mathematics, condensed matter physics, astrophysics, material science, life science, information engineering and economics. Graduate students as well as young researchers from our department will find an opportunity to interact with the different fields and gain a new insight into their own projects.
Based on this closer connection among the various fields, we aim to cross-fertilize research and education, and foster world-class human resources with creative talent. Students can expand their knowledge of modern physics through the curriculum and can improve their logical thinking skills and capabilities for problem-finding and problem-solving through their research activities. Our graduates will open up a new frontier in natural science and will be bearers of the future of science and technology.