Computational Condensed Matter Theory

The interplay of  symmetry, symmetry breaking and the Coulomb interaction can bring about an incredibly rich variety of fascinating and intellectually intriguing phenomena in systems of condensed matter. Often nature discloses its possibilities and options to the experimentalists first and it is only in hindside that a theory can be developed which relates the emergent phenomenon to what we have learned in other contexts. The two very prominent examples of this kind are the discoveries of Superconductivity and of the Quantum Hall Effects.

In the process of understanding emergent phenomena in condensed matter physics,  computational methods have established themselves as an extremely useful and often indispensable tool of theoretical investigations. The range of applicability of numerical approaches is very wide. Where they overlap in parameter space with analytical methods, both benefit from the possiblity of testing and verifying one approach against the other. Where they overlap with experimental regimes, computer simulations allow to study and predict effects that are very difficult or impossible to observe in a laboratory. And last but not least  there are also large regions in parameter space where computational methods provide the only means to explore our ideas about novel physical phenomena.