GWFP seminar - Diffractian studies of quantum materials

Friday 12 Sept 2025, 11:00 → 12:30 Europe/Amsterdam

Invited speaker: Dr. Igor Plokhikh 

 

About the speaker: Dr. Igor Plokhikh is a Postdoctoral Researcher at TU Dortmund and the Research Center Future Energy Materials and Systems, where he focuses on the synthesis and crystallography of quantum materials. After a Chemistry degree from Lomonosov Moscow State University (2017) and a doctorate at the University of Regensburg (2020) exploring structure–property relations in Eu²⁺-based materials, he worked at the Paul Scherrer Institute on magnetism in topological materials and the development of dosimetric materials using neutron and synchrotron techniques, before continuing his research at Forschungszentrum Jülich and eventually in Dortmund.

 

11:00 → 12:30 Diffraction studies of quantum materials

Diffraction techniques are indispensable tools for resolving crystal and magnetic structures, providing the foundation for understanding the physical properties of functional quantum materials. In this seminar, I will present three case studies from my recent research. The first concerns the kagome superconductor LaRu₃Si₂, which exhibits a cascade of structural phase transitions in addition to superconductivity; variable-temperature X-ray diffraction and (3+N)D crystallography reveal the evolution of its superstructure orders. The second example focuses on the Dirac nodal-line semimetals LnSbTe (Ln = lanthanide), where neutron powder diffraction uncovers multiple competing magnetic phases below the Néel temperature, suggesting complex multi-k ordering not evident from bulk properties. Finally, I will discuss layered nickelates such as La₃Ni₂O₇, recently rediscovered as high-temperature superconductors under pressure, where high-flux neutron diffraction reveals long-range spin-density-wave order and unusual effect of magnetic polymorphism. Together, these studies demonstrate how diffraction approaches can disentangle the intricate interplay of structure, magnetism, and superconductivity in emerging quantum materials.

Speaker: Dr Igor Plokhikh