Professor Andreas Hermann Inaugural Lecture: Quantum mechanics on a computer: making sense of our material world

About this Lecture

Why is gold shiny, and water transparent; why is the Earth’s inner core solid; why is silicon used for solar cells and computer chips? Many properties of materials that shape the natural world around us and drive our technological age are determined at an atomistic scale, by the interactions of their constituent nuclei and electrons. Those interactions are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics and while we know those laws, the resulting equations are too complex to solve for any realistic application. In this lecture, I will give an overview of modern approaches to solve the quantum many-electron problem, which can involve the largest scientific computing facilities in the world. I will trace the methodological developments that enable fast yet accurate calculations to help explain, guide, and (occasionally) correct experiments, and discuss applications that range from materials to planetary sciences. I will conclude with a personal perspective on future directions of the field.

Biography

Andreas Hermann holds a Personal Chair in Computational Physics at the University of Edinburgh. His main research interest is in the field of computational materials science, using first-principles, parameter-free computing methods to predict and understand properties of materials. He received his undergraduate education in physics and mathematics at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany. In 2009, he was awarded a PhD in Sciences by Massey University, New Zealand. Following postdoctoral fellowships at Auckland University and Cornell University, he joined Edinburgh as Lecturer in 2013, where he was promoted to Reader in 2017, and to a Personal Chair in 2022.

Refreshments

The lecture will be followed by a reception in the foyer, Nucleus Building.

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