💡 Research Topics

This group, which consists of two subgroups: (1) particle physics phenomenology and (2) formal physics, focuses on elementary particles and their interactions. The first subgroup analyzes the elementary particles in the frameworks of the standard model and its extensions, such as neutrino physics, dark matter, B-Physics, quantum field theory, and grand unified theory. The second subgroup studies mathematical physics and general relativity, including mathematical modeling for explaining soliton phenomena, hydrodynamics of the quark-gluon plasma, string theory, and quantum gravity.

We research experimental high-energy physics and, recently, we have also branched out into applications of high-energy particle detection technology, known as muography. At an extremely high temperature, close to the temperature an instant after the big bang, protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei will break into their constituents of quarks and gluons. Our group use experimental facilities at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, and computing facilities at BRIN to probe and study the behavior of quarks and gluons at this extremely high temperature. Our particular interest is the physics of heavy quarks (b and charm) probed by producing corresponding b- and charmed mesons. In muography, we are exploring potential muography applications in geoscience and non-destructive testing.

We study fundamental excitations such as electrons, spins, photons, phonons, magnons, plasmons, etc., and their interactions with each other in condensed matter. By understanding the interactions, we can propose the materials for many applications, especially for future electronic devices. We employ a wide range of theoretical methods as well as develop our own software to calculate the physical properties of materials. We also explore quantum foundations, quantum computation, and even sociophysics, mostly on the basis of atomic and condensed matter physics.

We design and predict the properties of quantum materials through computational studies. We use various simulation methods from classical to quantum approaches, e.g., classical molecular dynamics, semi-empirical tight-binding methods, and first-principles methods (ab-initio molecular dynamics, density functional theory, or Green function theory). The applications encompass a broad range of systems, ranging from catalysts, ion batteries, thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, fuel cells, anti-corrosion, gas sensors, and hydrogen storage. We also study quantum computing for various applications, in particular for materials simulation.

Recent advances in materials engineering, nanofabrication techniques, and characterization tools allow us to explore novel (quantum) phenomena driven by interactions between constituent particles or quasi-particles in condensed matter. Our primary interest is to probe the signature and mechanism of such interactions under various conditions, which help us better design functional materials and quantum devices, hence advancing our current technologies. We are concerned with both materials and devices in emerging fields such as spintronics, superconductivity, photocatalysis, and quantum sensing.