Facilities and expertise
The MFM group is an experimental physics group focusing on solid-state vibrational spectroscopies carried out in the lab or at large facilities. Phase transitions and coupling phenomena are studied as a function of varying parameters such as temperature, high hydrostatic pressure and electric field.
Raman and vibrational spectroscopies
The main expertise of the group lies in solid state vibrational spectroscopies, and Raman spectroscopy in particular. Raman spectroscopy is performed in the lab with a Renishaw inVia micro-Raman spectrometer equiped with 5 different wavelengths (UV: 325 nm, Visible: 442, 532 and 633 nm, IR: 785nm).
Experiments can be performed:
- as a function of electric field
- as a function of temperature between 4K and 1200K
- as a function of pressure in diamond-anvil cells up to 25 GPa
Combination of high pressures and low temperature are also possible.
The group also makes use of the possibilities offered at large facilities:
- for inelastic X-ray scattering (ESRF)
- for inelastic neutron scattering (ILL, SINQ)
- for infrared spectroscopy (SOLEIL)
A close collaboration with LIST
The MFM group works in a close collaboration with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). Specifically, the collaboration with the research group “Ferroic Materials for transducers” at the Materials Research and Technology department is formalized in an inter-instutitional research group on ferroic materials. The MFM group also benefits from the facilities available at the characterization platform of the MRT department. This gives access to a wide range of characterization techniques such as: dielectric spectroscopy, UV-Visible spectrometry, x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry etc.