The Division has undertaken in recent times three important five year planpojcet covering the period as 2002-07 (Xth Plan) project as “ Advanced Magnetic Materials at Low Temperatures and High Field”, 2007-12 (XIth Plan project as “Physics of Complex System Under Extreme Conditions”, 2012-17 (XIIth Plan) project as Condensed Matter Physics: Interaction & Dynamics.A state of art of major advanced researchexperimental facilities have been set up to focus on the new materials development and Physics of materials.
The objective is to carry out research in experimental condensed matter physics with special emphasis in (i) the design and development of advanced experimental systems suitable for measurements using high pressure, low temperature and high magnetic field, and (ii) to process new materials and study their macroscopic and microscopic properties.
The main focus are in the general areas of conducting nano-composites, rare-earth based intermetallics, perovskites, double perovskites, quasi low-dimensional system, quantum spin chains, strongly correlated systems and nano- crystalline materials.
1. Experimental investigations of super-hard materials, composite magnets, negative TCR & negative thermal expansion materials at high pressure with a focus on isotropic cubic materials. Experimental investigations of exchange coupling between grains and dipoles in composite magnets consisting of soft and hard phases for high energy product, (BH)max, material.
2. Microwave absorption properties of one-dimensional materials and their composites and subsequent development of electromagnetic interference shields
3. Time dependent universal conductance fluctuation for interacting electronic systems.
4. Magnetism in linear chain spin trimers/group IV clathrates.
5. Physics of transition metals focusing on rare earth containing systems for giant magnetostriction, spin relaxation at the ferrmagnetor-superconductor interface Magnetostriction, thermal expansion and thermal conductivity.
6. Magnetoresistive and Magnetocaloric materials focusing on rare earth compounds.
7. Theroretical studies in relevance to above focusing on Polaron Physics and Manganites, Bose Einstein Condensation (BEC) and Organic Superconductivity, Nanoscopic and Mesoscopic Systems, Tools for Many-body Problems.
Ongoing - 12th plan (2012-17):
The Proposed New Research Program/facilities to be covered during XIIth Plan-period 20012-17 under the project “Condensed Matter Physics: Interaction and Dynamics”are