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

Topology is an organising principle in condensed matter
physics, allowing us to understand a variety of states of matter and
their excitations. In magnetism, topology describes defects such as domain
walls, vortices and skyrmions and a variety of exotic ground
states and bandstructures.

This project involves the application of electronic structure
methods to understand the underlying electronic configuration of
topological systems, their energy levels and magnetism. These methods will be
combined with measurements using implanted muons to sensitively probe the magnetic
properties of the materials. Muons are subatomic particles which can
be used as microscopic magnetometers, capable of measuring the
ordered 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 be
tuned by chemical means to stabilize topological states;
skyrmion-hosting systems where the dynamics caused by magnetic
fluctuations are key to understanding their properties; and magnetic Weyl
semimetals, where bandstructure considerations determine the systems'
exotic physical features. Our approach will also allow us to asses the
nature of the muon's stopping state in these systems and evaluate
quantum effects driven by zero-point motion, that are usually ignored
in these sorts of investigations.