Michel Gingras

Professor and Canada Research Chair in Condensed Matter Physics & Statistical Mechanics

Research interests: quantum magnetism, frustrated classical and quantum magnetism, spin ice, random disordered condensed matter systems

Biography

Professor Gingras’ main interests are in the field of theoretical condensed matter physics, with a focus on systems with random disorder. He is also interested in strongly correlated classical and quantum condensed matter systems subject to strongly competing, or frustrated, interactions. Gingras’ lab frequently collaborates with experimentalists to test theoretical ideas developed in the group. They use a variety of analytical and computational methods, including large-scale numerical simulations, to address these areas of research.

Education

  • 1990 PhD Physics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • 1985 MSc Physics, Université Laval, Laval, Québec, Canada
  • 1983 BSc Physics, Université Laval, Laval, Québec, Canada

Michel Gingras

Research

Professor Gingras' main research interests are in the field of theoretical condensed matter physics, with a focus on systems with random disorder, as well as strongly correlated classical and quantum condensed matter systems subject to strongly competing, or frustrated, interactions.

He often collaborates with experimentalists both in Canada and internationally, either trying to understand their results or to conceive new experiments to test theoretical ideas developed in his group. More generally, he is intrigued by problems that exhibit interesting and perplexing collective behaviour. To pursue this research, his students and post-docs employ a range of analytical methods as well as a wide variety of computational techniques, often performing large-scale numerical simulations using programs that we develop, test and run on various platforms.

The number of students and post-docs in his group varies with time between 3-4 graduate students and a couple of post-docs.
Professor Gingras always entertains the interest of potential graduate students and undergraduate students to join the group.

Details on specific research projects can be found on Professor Gingras' site.

Publications

Gingras, M.J.P. and McClarty, P.A., “Quantum Spin Ice: A Search for Gapless Quantum Spin Liquids in Pyrochlore Magnets”; Reports Progress in Physics (2014) volume 77, pp. 056501(1)-056501(26) .

Gardner, J.S., Gingras, M.J.P. and Greedan, J.E., “Magnetic Pyrochlore Oxides”; Rev. Mod. Phys. (2010) volume 82, pp. 53-10.

Gingras, M.J.P., “Observing Monopoles in a Magnetic Analog of Ice”, Science (2009) volume 326, pp. 375-376.

Molavian, H.R., Gingras, M.J.P. and Canals, B., “Dynamically-Induced Frustration as a Route to a Quantum Spin Ice State in Tb2Ti2O7 via Virtual Crystal Field Excitations and Quantum Many-Body Effects”; Phys. Rev. Lett. (2007) volume 98, pp. 157204(1)-157204(4).

Bramwell, S.T. and Gingras, M.J.P., “Spin Ice State in Frustrated Magnetic Pyrochlore Materials''; Science (2001) volume 294, pp. 1495-1501.

Please see Michel Gingras's Google Scholar profile for a current list of his peer-revieviewed articles.

Contact