Investigation of thermal transport in low-dimensional complex oxides

• Grant number: 21/00989-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2021
• End date: September 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Agreement: Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science
• Principal Investigator: Valentina Martelli
• Grantee: Alexandre Henriques da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/19420-3 - Thermoelectricity and heat transport in topological materials, AP.JP

Abstract

In this Master project, we propose to study heat transport in thin films of selected complex oxides with the aim to experimentally investigate collective regimes of transport (as hydrodynamic flow of phonons) in systems with low dimensionality. SrTiO_3 and BaBiO_3 have been selected as test-bed compounds. Bulk SrTiO_3 has be shown to display Poiseuille flow of phonons, opening new questions on the role of phase and structural transitions in determining this efficient transport regime. In this project, heat transport in SrTiO_3 thin films grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy will be investigated implementing the 3$\omega$ technique for the experimental determination of heat transport in thin films, at the Laboratory for Quantum Matter under Extreme Conditions (IFUSP). The investigation will be extended to BaBiO_3, a compound that has recently attracted attention to possibly host non-trivial topology band structure when appropriately doped. (AU)