We study materials with strong quantum correlations, with emphasis on unconventional superconductors. We employ a broad range of experimental techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance, neutron and X-ray scattering and low-frequency optical spectroscopy.
The group is primarily funded by the Croatian Science Foundation through grant no. UIP-2020-02-9494.
R. Osborn et al., Diffuse scattering from correlated electron systems. Sci. Adv. 11, eadt7770 (2025)
A. Najev et al., Electronic spin susceptibility in metallic strontium titanate. npj Quant. Mater. 10, 4 (2025)
Z. W. Anderson et al., Nanoscale structural correlations in a model cuprate superconductor. Phys. Rev. B 110, 214519 (2024) (Editor's suggestion)
I. Khayr et al., Structural properties of plastically deformed SrTiO3 and KTaO3. Phys. Rev. Materials 8, 124404 (2024)
X. Wang et al., Multiferroicity in plastically deformed SrTiO3. Nat. Commun. 15, 7442 (2024)
A. Najev et al., Magnetic resonance study of rare-earth titanates. Phys. Rev. B 109, 174406 (2024) (Editor's suggestion)
S. Griffitt et al., Local inversion-symmetry breaking in a bismuthate high-Tc superconductor. Nat. Commun. 14, 845 (2023)
D. Pelc et al., Unconventional short-range structural fluctuations in cuprate superconductors. Sci. Rep. 12, 20483 (2022)
A. Najev et al., Uniaxial strain control of bulk ferromagnetism in rare-earth titanates, Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 167201 (2022)
S. Hameed et al., Enhanced superconductivity and ferroelectric quantum criticality in plastically deformed strontium titanate, Nat. Mater. 21, 54 (2022)
Associated Nature Portfolio Devices & Engineering Community blog post
________________________________________
University of Minnesota Center for Quantum Materials
________________________________________
________________________________________
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Neutron Sciences
________________________________________
With collaborators in Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Minnesota, USA, Damjan Pelc has published a review on recent advances in diffuse scattering investigations of materials with strong electronic correlations. The paper describes state-of-the-art instrumentation and numerical approaches that have enabled unprecedented insight into nanoscale inhomogeneity in a diverse range of materials, from high-temperature superconductors to quantum spin liquids. The paper is available here.
With collaborators at Bar Ilan University and Ariel University (Israel), University of Minnesota and University of Connecticut (USA), Luka Rogić and Damjan Pelc have published a paper in Nature Communications on emergent magnetism and multiferroicity in plastically deformed strontium titanate. The work uses scanning micro-SQUID as the primary technique to explore novel magnetism related to deformation-induced dislocation structures. The paper is available here.
With collaborators at the University of Minnesota and Argonne National Laboratory, USA, Marin Spaić and Damjan Pelc have published a paper on the local structure of bismuthate superconductors in Nature Communications. The work uses diffuse x-ray scattering and Monte Carlo modeling to uncover unexpected local structural distortions that break inversion symmetry, with far-reaching implications for the physics of bismuthates. The paper is available here.
The work published in our recent Nature Materials paper was listed as one of the top ten scientific results achieved in 2022 using the neutron scattering facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. See full list and descriptions here.
The work described in the recent Nature Materials paper on plastically deformed strontium titanate was featured in a Science Highlight of the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. The full text is available here.
Sylvia Griffitt from the University of Minnesota, USA, visits the group for a tree-month research stay. Sylvia is working on NMR of superconducting bismuthates, infrared spectroscopy and high-temperature plastic deformation.
With colaborators at the University of Minnesota, Ariel University (Israel), Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Peking University, Damjan Pelc has published a paper in Nature Materials on the effects of irreversible, plastic deformation on the electronic properties of the model quantum material strontium titanate. The paper is available here, along with an associated News & Views