Biography
Nicola Spaldin is the Professor of Materials Theory at ETH Zurich, best known for her development of the class of materials known as multiferroics. She is a passionate science educator, coordinator of her department’s curriculum reform, The Materials Scientist 2030 Who is She?, and holder of the ETH Golden Owl Award for excellence in teaching. When not trying to make a room-temperature superconductor, she can be found playing her clarinet, or skiing or climbing in the Alps.
Title: Hunting for Hidden Order
Most magnetic materials, phenomena and devices are well described in terms of the magnetic dipoles arising from the spin of their constituent electrons. There is mounting evidence, however, of intriguing magnetic behaviors that can't be explained in terms of electron spin dipole moments; these behaviors are often attributed to "hidden order" since their origin is difficult to decipher with conventional experimental probes. I will show how computer simulations can help us to hunt for hidden magnetic order and to explain or predict weird magnetic properties, and describe some examples that combine fascinating basic physics with possible technological relevance.
