Philippe Corboz

Postal address:
University of Amsterdam
Institute for Theoretical Physics
Science Park 904
Postbus 94485
1090 GL Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Email:
p.r.corboz(at)uva.nl
Phone:
+31205258695
Office:
C4.275
Portrait of Philippe Corboz

about me

I am Associate Professor in Condensed Matter Theory at the Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITFA), which is part of the Institute of Physics (IOP) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Delta Institute of Theoretical Physics (D-ITP). I am also a member of the European Tensor Network and an affiliated member of QuSoft.

My research is centered around the development and application of computational methods for the simulation of strongly correlated quantum many-body systems, with a particular focus on 2D tensor network algorithms. These methods can be seen as a 2D generalization of the well-known density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method, which is the state-of-the-art method to simulate (quasi) 1-D systems. Recent applications of these methods include 2D fermionic systems (e.g. t-J and Hubbard models) related to high-Tc superconductivity, as well as frustrated spin systems (e.g. the Shastry-Sutherland model, SU(N) Heisenberg models, and more).

For a list of my publications, see the list on arXiv, Google Scholar, or my CV.

Current group members

PI

  • Philippe Corboz

Postdocs

  • Qi Yang
  • Naushad Kamar

PhD students

  • Yining Zhang
  • Stijn Kleijweg
  • Emilio Cortes Estay

Master students

  • Mikky Langenakker
  • Sven van Zijl
  • Willem Herter

Former group members

Postdocs

  • Sangwoo Chung
  • Natalia Chepiga
  • Boris Ponsioen
  • Matthias Peschke
  • Juraj Hasik
  • Wout Merbis

PhD students

  • Juan Osorio Iregui
  • Ido Niesen
  • Schelto Crone
  • Boris Ponsioen
  • Patrick Vlaar
  • Juan Diego Arias Espinoza

Long-term visitors

  • Piotr Czarnik
  • Laurens Vanderstraeten
  • Samuel Nyckees

Master students

  • Etienne van Walsem
  • Leon Schoonderwoerd
  • Geert Kapteijns
  • Karel Temmink
  • Raymond van der Werff
  • Maurits Tepaske
  • Ruben Timmermanns
  • Kim William Torre
  • Stijn Kleijweg
  • Marco Bout
  • Nick Giovanoudis
  • Oscar van Alphen
  • Derk Niessink

Main research fields

Strongly correlated systems (with focus on 2D):

  • Fermionic lattice models: Hubbard / t-J models relevant for high-Tc superconductivity, strongly correlated materials, and ultra-cold atoms
  • Frustrated spin systems: frustrated Heisenberg models, Shastry-Sutherland model, SU(N) Heisenberg models, spin liquids, spin-orbital systems
  • Bosonic systems (Helium-4 films, supersolids)

Development of computational methods:

  • Tensor network methods (PEPS, MERA, MPS) with focus on 2D/3D
  • Quantum Monte Carlo methods

For a list of my publications, see the list on arXiv, Google Scholar, or my CV.

My research is supported by the European Research Council (ERC) and the IoP (UvA).

Research funding and institutional support logos

Advanced numerical methods in many-body physics

About

This is a course about modern computational methods for the simulation of many-body systems in condensed matter physics, including systems from classical statistical physics and quantum many-body problems. Besides the theoretical understanding of these algorithms and the physics of many-body systems, an important part of the course is to gain practical experience in computational physics by implementing algorithms (programming) and performing simulations.

Recommended for people who:

  • would like to dive into the fascinating field of computational physics
  • would like to learn about state-of-the-art methods relevant in many areas in science (also in non-academic areas)
  • intend to do a computationally oriented project in future (e.g. Master or PhD thesis)
  • would like to strengthen their understanding of many-body physics
  • enjoy programming and would like to get more practice in programming (we use Python in the exercises)

Topics

  • Monte Carlo methods for classical spin systems (Metropolis algorithm, cluster algorithms and flat-histogram methods)
  • Numerical study of first and second order phase transitions in magnetic systems
  • Numerical methods for the quantum one-body problem
  • Quantum many-body problems (electronic structure problem) and effective lattice models (e.g. spin chains and Hubbard model)
  • Hartree-Fock and Density Functional Theory
  • Exact diagonalization of quantum lattice models
  • Quantum Monte Carlo and the negative sign problem
  • The density matrix renormalization group and tensor network methods

Programming language

  • As programming language we will use Python
  • We will do a short introduction/warm-up in the first week

This course (6EC) takes place in block 5 (semester 2), see the course catalogue or DataNose.

Open positions

If you are interested in joining the group as a Master student, PhD, or Postdoc, please contact me by email (p.r.corboz(at)uva.nl) to ask about open positions and possible projects.