The "ESS Lighthouse" Q-MAT is a Danish-based scientific collaboration that will set in place the scientific foundation for future technology based on quantum materials - from sustainability and energy to IT and health.
We aim to design the advanced quantum materials that will lay the foundation for future quantum technology. Having the world leading neutron facility, ESS, in our vicinity, will enable us to understand and thereby control the microscopic mechanisms that govern the properties of quantum materials.
The Lighthouse Q-MAT is a research project, covering the topic of quantum materials, including magnetic and superconducting materials.
Q-MAT is one of (at present) three "ESS Lighthouses" funded by NUFI and is a collaboration between 10 institutes at 6 Danish universities. Q-MAT was inaugurated on 1st December 2020 and runs until the 30th October 2025, with an expected second 5-year period until 2030.
Q-MAT will create the scientific network that will lay the foundation for the materials technology of the future, to be used within sustainability and energy to IT and health technology. We will design and understand the advanced quantum materials that will lay the foundation for the quantum technology of the future. With the world leading materials research facilities, MAX-IV and ESS, at our doorstep, we have a unique opportunity to understand, and thereby control, the microscopic mechanisms that govern the properties of quantum materials.
Future discoveries at these facilities could lead to major scientific breakthroughs, and it is our ambition that Q-MAT will play a leading part herein. We are a strong interdisciplinary team of leading scientists with strong experience in neutron techniques, including people from materials chemistry, theoretical materials science, and the team that designed and is constructing BIFROST (one of the first instruments to be taken in use at the ESS).
As a part of the Lighthouse activities, we will expand the use of neutron scattering in the Danish community of materials research.
Universities and Institutes
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University of Copenhagen (KU)
Niels Bohr Institute (lead)
Department of Chemistry
Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Department of Physics (deputy)
Department of Chemistry
Department of Energy Conversion and Storage
- University of Southern Denmark (SDU)
Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Pharmacy
- University of Aarhus (AU)
Department of Chemistry
- University of Aalborg (AAU)
Department of Materials and Production
- Roskilde University
Department of Science and Environment
Other interested partners and observers
- Danish Technological Institute
- Microsoft Station-Q
- Haldor Topsøe A/S
- ABB AG (CH)
- Linak A/S
- Sintex A/S
- Dovitech A/S
- Dansk Magnetisk Forening
ESS Lighthouse Staff & Students
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| Name | Title | |
| Bo Brummerstedt Iversen | Professor | bo@chem.au.dk |
| Mogens Christensen | Professor | mch@chem.au.dk |
| Mathias Mørch | Postdoc | mmorch@chem.au.dk |
| Vijay Singh Parmar | Postdoc | vsp@chem.au.dk |
| Amalie Povlsen | PhD | amalie.ling.povlsen@clin.au.dk |
| Hannah Hedegaard Nielsen | PhD | hannah@chem.au.dk |
| Jack Thomas-Hunt | PhD | jth@chem.au.dk |
| Jacob Løwe Valentin | PhD | jval@inano.au.dk |
| Jens Plum Frandsen | PhD | jensplum@inano.au.dk |
| Sofie Stampe Leiszner | PhD | sofiesl@chem.au.dk |
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| Lars Diekhöner | Ass. Professor | ld@mp.aau.dk |
| Francesco Zamboni | PhD | frza@mp.aau.dk |
DTI (Danish Technological Institute) |
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| Jacob Overgaard | Acting Director | jaov@teknologisk.dk |
| Nikolaj Zangenberg | Director | nzg@teknologisk.dk |
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| Niels Bech Christensen | Senior Scientist | nbch@fysik.dtu.dk |
| Jean-Claude Grivel | Senior Researcher | jean@dtu.dk |
| Rasmus Toft-Petersen | Senior Researcher | rasp@fysik.dtu.dk |
| Cathrine Frandsen | Professor | fraca@fysik.dtu.dk |
| Kasper Steen Pedersen | Professor | kastp@kemi.dtu.dk |
| Nini Pryds | Professor | nipr@dtu.dk |
| Thomas Olsen | Ass. Professor | tolsen@fysik.dtu.dk |
| Naoki Eguchi | PhD | naoeg@kemi.dtu.dk |
| Lise Grüner Hanson | PhD | lisegr@dtu.dk |
| Miriam Varon | Research Engineer | mirva@fysik.dtu.dk |
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| Dorthe Posselt | Ass. Professor | dorthe@ruc.dk |
| Christian Kjeldbjerg Kristensen | PhD | chriskr@ruc.dk |
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| Hans Jørgen Aagaard Jensen | Professor | hjj@sdu.dk |
| Mickey Sejerup Pedersen | PhD | msep@sdu.dk |
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| Jesper Bendix | Professor | bendix@chem.ku.dk |
| Kim Lefmann | Professor | lefmann@nbi.ku.dk |
| Stergios Piligkos | Professor | piligkos@chem.ku.dk |
| Brian Møller Andersen | Associate Professor | bma@nbi.ku.dk |
| Høgni Weihe | Associate Professor | weihe@chem.ku.dk |
| Andreas Kreisel | Ass. Professor | kreisel@nbi.ku.dk |
| Jens Paaske | Ass. Professor | paaske@nbi.ku.dk |
| Kirsten M. Ø. Jensen | Ass. Professor | kirsten@chem.ku.dk |
| Kristoffer Szilas | Ass. Professor | krsz@ign.ku.dk |
| Sara Lopez Paz | Ass. Professor | salp@chem.ku.dk |
| Morten Holm Christensen | Postdoc | mchriste@nbi.ku.dk |
| Sonja Holm-Dahlin | Postdoc | sonja@nbi.ku.dk |
| Emma Ynil Lenander | PhD | emma.lenander@nbi.ku.dk |
| Kamaldeep Dalal | PhD | kamaldeep.phy@gmail.com |
| Kristine Krighaar | PhD | rqw129@alumni.ku.dk |
| Keld Theodor | Ass. Engineer | theodor@nbi.ku.dk |
| Maria Batista | Secretary | batista@nbi.ku.dk |
EPFL |
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| Henrik Rønnow | Professor | henrik.ronnow@epfl.ch |
| Ellen Fogh | Postdoc | ellen.fogh@epfl.ch |
ESS (European Spallation Source) |
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| Helmut Schober | Director General | helmut.schober@ess.eu |
| Dan Mannix | Instrument Scientist | dan.mannix@esss.se |
| Gregory Tucker | Instrument Data Scientist | gregory.tucker@esss.se |
| Pascale Deen | Instrument Scientist | pascale.deen@esss.se |
| Simon Ward | Scientific Software Developer | Simon.Ward@ess.eu |
PSI and DanScatt |
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| Jakob Lass | Postdoc | jakob.lass@psi.ch |
The Lighthouse Q-MAT focuses on studies of magnetism and quantum materials, which is relevant for sustainability, energy, health, and IT. Q-MAT will perform research within four closely related types of materials.
Permanent magnets and nanoparticles
Strong permanent magnets are essential e.g. for generators for wind mills. Modern permanent magnets are based on rare earth elements, mainly mined in China, and are among the highest on the EU list of critical raw materials. It is therefore essential to develop inexpensive and environmental friendly alternatives.
The Danish private sector has a large interest in these materials for the purpose of motors, generators, magnetic ball bearings, and for magnetic heating/cooling. Also projects on recycling of rare earth materials are of large interest.
Nanomagnets may soon become relevant for controlling of drug doses in medical treatment, which is a topic that is of high interest in medical technology. Furthermore, Q-MAT partners have projects within environmental technology based upon functional magnetic nanoparticles.
Also the possibility that low-temperature magnetic cooling can be based upon molecular magnets, replacing the traditional helium cooling for e.g. medical MR scanners. In Q-MAT we have 2 PhD positions within magnetic nanoparticles (RUC, DTU)
Multifunctional magnetic materials
In multiferroic and magneto-electric materials, the structural, electrical, and magnetic properties are connected. These materials can soon become highly relevant for IT for sensors and information storage.
For example, it will become possible to store information with an electrical device and read it with a magnetic one - which is an easier technical solution than the present possibilities.
In Q-MAT we have 1 PhD position within the field of multifunctional magnets (AU).
Permanent magnets and nanoparticles
There is presently a strong research push within technologies related to quantum computing and related quantum technologies, with interests from the largest private and public actors. Within this large research programme, materials to store and process quantum information will be of high relevance.
As one example, molecular and single-ion magnets are candidates as information storage for future quantum computers. In the lighthouse there are 2 PhD positions within this topic (AAU and AU).
As another example, magnetic materials can show strong quantum correlations between the individual atomic magnetic moments. This is a potential means of processing quantum information. In Q-MAT we have 3 PhD positions within this field (SDU, DTU, KU).
Superconductors
If electrical energy could be transported without losses, large societal challenges could be overcome within energy and sustainability. Superconducting materials can do exactly this, but does not function at room temperature, unless under extremely high pressures.
The big challenge here is that the detailed mechanism behind superconductivity an many materials is barely understood, and more experimental evidence is needed to establish a proper theory.
In the Q-MAT, theoreticians and experimentalists are collaborating on improving the description of superconducting materials, as well as discovering new superconductors.
In Q-MAT we have 3 PhD projects within the topic of superconductivity (DTU, KU, and KU)
Q-MAT will take advantage of the Danish investment in the European Spallation Source (ESS) by building internationally leading competences and research capacity, to the benefit of basic and applied research.
Q-MAT has a strong scientific and strategic coupling to the design, construction, and operation of ESS and has a wide participation from the Danish community as well as many international connections.
- Q-MAT contains activities and competences for the study of magnetism and quantum materials fra theoretical predictions, materials discovery, utilization of X-ray and neutron facilities, to interpretation and modeling of results.
- Q-MAT will employ 3 young research talents to build up new research and competence areas within theory, discovery, and investigations of novel quantum materials.
- Q-MAT will have participation of the world leading neutron scientism Henrik M. Rønnow, based at EPFL (CH).
- Q-MAT collaborates with leading Danish and international companies, as well as the Danish Technological Institute.
- Q-MAT leads the construction and commissioning of BIFROST, one of the first instrument to operate at ESS. BIFROST will be unique for the study of magnetic and quantum materials.
- Q-MAT will have a close collaboration with the ESS Data Management og Software Center within software for neutron simulation and data analysis.
- Annual Report 2022
- Annual Report 2023
We recommend that publications supported by QMAT will contain the sentence "The work was supported by the Danish national Committee for Research Infrastructure (NUFI) through the ESS-Lighthouse Q-MAT"
Ørsted, S.V. Salling and L. Diekhöner, Unraveling the electronic structure of cobalt oxide nanoislands on Au(111), Physical Review B, 108, 165424 (Published 26 October 2023)
Pin Lyu, Joachim Sødequist, Xiaoyu Sheng, Zhizhan Qiu, Anton Tadich, Qile Li, Mark T Edmonds, Meng Zhao, Jesús Redondo, Martin Švec, Peng Song, Thomas Olsen, Jiong Lu, Gate-Tunable Renormalization of Spin-Correlated Flat-Band States and Bandgap in a 2D Magnetic Insulator, ACS nano, 17, 15441-15448 (Published 8 August 2023)
Joachim Sødequist, Thomas Olsen, Type II multiferroic order in two-dimensional transition metal halides from first principles spin-spiral calculations, 2D Materials, 10, 035016 (Published 19 May 2023)
Ana-Elena Ţuţueanu, Machteld E. Kamminga, Tim B. Tejsner, Henrik Jacobsen, Henriette W. Hansen, Monica-Elisabeta Lăcătuşu, Jacob Baas, Kira L. Eliasen, Jean-Claude Grivel, Yasmine Sassa, Niels Bech Christensen, Paul Steffens, Martin Boehm, Andrea Piovano, Kim Lefmann, and Astrid T. Rømer, Gradual emergence of superconductivity in underdoped La2−xSrxCuO4, Phys. Rev. B 107, 174514 (Published 15 May 2023)
Clara N. Breiø and Brian M. Andersen, Chern-insulator phases and spontaneous spin and valley order in a moiré lattice model for magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, Phys. Rev. B 107, 165114 (Published 7 April 2023)
Diekhöner, C.S. Meyer and S. Eiskjær, The magnetic field strength and the force distance dependency of the magnetically controlled growing rods used for early onset scoliosis, Scientific Reports, 13, 3045 (21 February 2023)
Frederik L Durhuus, Thorbjørn Skovhus, Thomas Olsen, Plane wave implementation of the magnetic force theorem for magnetic exchange constants: application to bulk Fe, Co and Ni, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 35, 105802 (Published 4 January2023)
B. A. Andersen, R. Tang Christiansen, S. Holm-Janas, A. S. Manvell, K. S. Pedersen, D. Sheptyakov, J. P. Embs, H. Jacobsen, E. Dachs, J. Vaara, K. Lefmann, U. G. Nielsen, Understanding the Magnetic Properties of MAl4(OH)12SO4·3H2O with M = Co2+, Ni2+, and Cu2+ by a Combined Experimental and Computational Approach, PCCP 25, 3309-3322 (Published - 3. January 2023)
N. P.L. Magnard, A.S. Anker, O. Aalling-Frederiksen, A.Kirsch, K.M.Ø. Jensen. Characterisation of intergrowth in metal oxide materials using structure-mining: the case of γ-MnO2. Dalton Trans. 2022, 51, 17150 (Published 20 Sep 2022)
U. B. Hansen, O. F. Syljuåsen, J. Jensen, T. K. Schäffer, C. R. Andersen, M. Boehm, J. A. Rodriguez-Rivera, N. B. Christensen & K. Lefmann. Magnetic Bloch oscillations and domain wall dynamics in a near-Ising ferromagnetic chain. Nature Communications,13, 2547 (Published 10 May 2022)
C. N. Breiø, P. J. Hirschfeld, and B. M. Andersen Supercurrents and spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking by nonmagnetic disorder in unconventional superconductors. Phys. Rev. B 105, 014504 (Published 4 January 2022)
L. Ø. Sandberg, R. Edberg, I.-M. B. Bakke, K. S. Pedersen, G. Balaskrishna, M. C. Hatnean, L. Mangin-Thro, A. Wildes, B. Fåk, G. Ehlers, G. Sala, P. Henelius, K. Lefmann, and P. P. Deen, Quantum spin liquid behaviour in the frustrated magnet YbGa garnet, accepted for Physical Review B; arXiv:2005.10605
P. K. Willendrup and K. Lefmann, McStas (ii): An overview of components, their use, and advice for user contributions, Review, Journal of Neutron Research 23, 7-27 (Published 23 April 2021)
J. Lass, M. E. Bøggild, P. Hedegård, and K. Lefmann, Multinomial, Poisson, and Gaussian statistics in count data analysis, Journal of Neutron Research 23, 69-92 (Published 23 April 2021)
S. Janas, J. Lass, A-E. Tutueanu, M. L. Haubro, C. Niedermayer, U. Stuhr, G. Xu, D. Prabhakaran, P. P. Deen, S. Holm-Dahlin, and K. Lefmann, Classical spin liquid or extended critical range in h-YMnO3 ?,Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 107203 (Published 11 March 2021)
K. Björnson, A. Kreisel, A. T. Rømer, & B. M. Andersen. Orbital-dependent self-energy effects and consequences for the superconducting gap structure in multiorbital correlated electron systems, Phys. Rev. B 103, 024508 (Published 12 January 2021)
D. Chatzopoulos, D. Cho, K. M. Bastiaans, G. O. Steffensen, D. Bouwmeester, A. Akbari, G. Gu, J. Paaske, B. M. Andersen & M. P. Allan. Spatially dispersing Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states in the unconventional superconductor FeTe0.55Se0.45, Nature Communications 12, 298 (Published 12 January 2021)
Last updated 30 April 2024
Maria Batista, Administrative coordinator, KU, NBI
Phone: +45 35 33 21 92
E-mail: batista@nbi.ku.dk
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Niels Bech Christensen, Associate professor, Physics, DTU (deputy),
Email: nbch@fysik.dtu.dk
Phone: +45 45 25 32 06 -
Jesper Bendix, Professor, Chemistry, KU
Email: bendix@kiku.dk -
Brian Møller Andersen, Associate Professor, NBI, KU
Email: bma@nbi.ku.dk -
Henrik Rønnow, Physics, EPFL (Schweiz) - and adjoint professor NBI, KU
Email: henrik.ronnow@epfl.ch