Investigations of magnetic and topological systems using electronic structure and muon-spin spectroscopy

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Topology is an organising principle in condensed matterphysics, allowing us to understand a variety of states of matter andtheir excitations. In magnetism, topology describes defects such as domainwalls, vortices and skyrmions and a variety of exotic groundstates and bandstructures.This project involves the application of electronic structuremethods to understand the underlying electronic configuration oftopological systems, their energy levels and magnetism. These methods will becombined with measurements using implanted muons to sensitively probe the magneticproperties of the materials. Muons are subatomic particles which canbe used as microscopic magnetometers, capable of measuring theordered magnetism and dynamics in magnetic systems. We plan to investigate a range of systems using this approach,including low-dimensional molecular materials, where interactions can betuned by chemical means to stabilize topological states;skyrmion-hosting systems where the dynamics caused by magneticfluctuations are key to understanding their properties; and magnetic Weylsemimetals, where bandstructure considerations determine the systems'exotic physical features. Our approach will also allow us to asses thenature of the muon's stopping state in these systems and evaluatequantum effects driven by zero-point motion, that are usually ignoredin these sorts of investigations.