Collective phenomena in condensed matter systems

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The behavior of electrons in condensed matter systems can be quite complex.  Amusingly, the ingredients giving rise to the physics are quite simple - electrons which interact with each other, with an ionic background potential, and in some cases with imperfections in the system.  However, the phenomena which arise are truly amazing and at times exotic.  This occurs because one electron's dynamics is not independent of another's.  Rather, all of the electrons must coordinate their dynamics and move together collectively.  Such behavior has been eloquently described as a "quantum waltz".            Our work will focus on two distinct, but complementary areas - disordered electronic systems and transport through nanostructures.  Disordered systems are a fact of reality - no systems are immaculate; they all contain some form of imperfection.  These imperfections may seem like a nuisance, and at times they certainly are.  However, it is appreciated that disorder can be the source of remarkable phenomena.  Our investigations intend to identify and classify the phases that can arise due to disorder.  Nanostructures such as quantum dots and carbon nanotubes exhibit a wealth of remarkable properties; they are promising for applications in a variety of areas such as electronics, chemistry, and even medicine.  Our investigations of transport through nanostructures are driven by the desire to understand their properties for electronics applications, and to ultimately design novel electronics devices utilizing these structures.