Prof. Dr. Peter Michael Derlet

Short description
Senior scientist
Peter Derlet
Telephone
Paul Scherrer Institute PSI
Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland

Peter Derlet is a senior staff scientist within the Condensed Matter Theory group at the Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland. He specializes in the atomistic modeling of materials science related issues using semi-empirical methods. His fields of interest are:
  • The mechanical properties of materials with complex defect structures.
  • The dynamical properties of local and extended defects.
  • The development of simulation tools to model the experimental measurement of structural disorder using neutrons, photons and electrons.
  • Classical magnetization dynamics in micro- and meso-scopic magnetic systems.
  • The vibrational and configurational dynamics of structural glasses well below the glass transition temperature.
  • Avalanche statistics using simplified dislocation dynamics geometries.
  • The use of potential energy landscape exploration algorithms for use in the study of structural and magnetic excitations.
  • Adjunct professor, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich
  • Visiting scientist, Department of Materials Engineering, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
  • Masters Project, Reto Krueger, 2024, (Sub-nano-second structural decorrelation processes in metallic glasses; Thesis director, Prof. P. M. Derlet, ETHZ)
  • Bachelor Project, Tobias Goldenberger, 2022, (Melting of 2D Skyrmion Crystals using Molecular Dynamics; Thesis director, Prof. P. M. Derlet, ETHZ)
  • PhD, Hugo Bocquet 2021-, (Microscopic modelling of strongly disordered metals: emergent mechanical and magnetic properties; Thesis director, Prof. P. M. Derlet, ETHZ)
  • Masters Thesis, Hugo Bocquet 2020-2021, (Thermally driven structural fluctuations and viscosity in a metallic glass; Thesis director, Prof. Francios Galliare, EPFL), awarded the 2021 Gilbert Hausmann prize
  • PhD, Dominik Schildknecht 2016-2019, (Two dimensional dipolar XY systems with disorder; Thesis director, Prof. L. J. Heyderman, ETHZ/PSI)
  • PhD, Soumya Swayamjyoti 2012-2016, (Atomistic Modelling of Structural Glasses; Thesis director, Prof. J. Loeffler, ETHZ)
  • PhD, Araceli Valles Sales 2010-2013, (Vibrational Properties of Amorphous Solids; Thesis directors, Profs. D. Crespo and E. Pineda, UPC-BarcelonaTech)

In collaboration with Tom Fennell (LNS, Center for Neutron and Muon Science, PSI), three SNF funded PhDs in Physics/Materials science experiment and theory on the topic of "Magnetism in Correlated Disorder" will begin next year. The individual projects are:

  1. Experimental PhD: New charge ices in the AMM’F6 family: grow and characterize crystals of such materials to give access to different aspects of the structural disorder, and to contrasting quantum and classical spin systems and electronic materials with strongly correlated bond disorder.
  2. Theory/Simulation PhD: Spin nematic order in magnetic charge ices:  investigate how internal heterogeneous strains within CsNiCrF6 and relatives affect magnetism and the recently discovered first order nematic phase transition.
  3. Experimental/Theory/Simulation PhD: Anomalous thermal transport in charge ice:  use DFT to determine the thermal conductivity for model systems large enough to capture correlated disorder. Inelastic neutron scattering measurements will be used to substantiate the results of the theoretical investigation.

If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please contact me if you are interested in undertaking a materials modelling based D-MATL/ETHZ Bachelor or Masters Project.

  • Spring semester 2024, ETHZ, Zurich, Thermodynamics and Phase Transformations
  • Spring semester 2024, ETHZ, Zurich, Computational multi-scale modeling of solids

Ordered in terms of most recent (click to go to DOI link, most papers available via my PSI DORA page)

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

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2003

2002-1991