​​​Welcome to the EAAS workpackage 3! Here you will find short accessible descriptions of the scientific papers that have been published in the context of this EAAS workpackage. If something catches your interest, feel free to click the links to explore further!

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What is this workpackage about?

Modern technologies, like computers and renewable energy devices, rely on materials such as semiconductors and metals, whose properties we can usually predict and control very well. However, when we look at quantum materials, things become more complex and interesting. In these materials, the behaviour of electrons is strongly influenced by the tiny structure of the material and the way its atoms are arranged. Interactions between electrons can also become very strong, leading to unexpected and sometimes surprising effects.

These “emergent” behaviours can give rise to entirely new properties, which could be useful for future technologies, such as more energy-efficient computing or new ways of processing information. At the same time, these materials remind us that complex systems are not always easy to predict. As physicist Philip Anderson famously put it, “More is Different”: when many components interact, completely new behaviour can appear that cannot be understood just by looking at the individual parts. In this workpackage, we explore both the exciting possibilities and the challenges of understanding and controlling these complex quantum materials.