College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities
It is well-known that crystal structure is a pivotal factor in determining the electronic properties of materials. Both experimental and theoretical work has generally focused on the average crystal structure, neglecting the effects of local deviations from the average structure due to short-range structural distortions and defects. In quantum materials, where strong electronic correlations at the nanoscale result in electronic order over much longer length scales, the local structure can significantly modify the long-range electronic order. These researchers are studying quantum materials, especially the cuprate superconductors and related unconventional superconductors, using diffuse X-ray and neutron scattering, powerful techniques for studying the local electronic and nuclear structure of materials. In some cases, they are using reverse Monte Carlo techniques to model the structure to better understand the scattering results. This work involves computationally intensive data processing and analysis, including basic data processing, e.g. transforming large datasets between coordinate systems, and Monte-Carlo-based structure simulations.