Many-Body Physics

Physicists use theoretical and experimental techniques to develop explanations of the goings-on in nature. Somewhat surprisingly, many phenomena such as electrical conduction can be explained through relatively simplified mathematical pictures— models that were constructed well before the advent of modern computation. And then there are things in nature that push even the limits of high performance computing and sophisticated experimental tools. Computers particularly struggle at simulating systems made of numerous particles—or many-bodies—interacting with each other through multiple competing pathways (e.g. charge and motion). Yet, some of the most intriguing physics happens when the individual particle behaviors give way to emergent collective properties. In the quest to better explain and even harness the strange and amazing behaviors of interacting quantum systems, JQI physicists use experimental and theoretical tools to study the complexities of many-body physics, with an emphasis on topics such as entanglement and topology.