Les Houches - WE Heraeus school of Physics: The Green’s function approach to multiple scattering theory in electronic structure and spectroscopies

The purpose of this school is to provide the attendees an overall view of Green’s function multiple scattering methods in electronic structure and spectroscopies. This fundamental and very fast growing emergent technique is actively used in various fields of physics. During the school, leading experts in the field will present the mathematical foundations of scattering theory, the basics of multiple scattering in the Green’s function and T-matrix approach, and applications. Recent applications will focus on electronic structure and modelling of spectroscopies. This school will allow early stage researchers to gain overview on multiple scattering techniques and its possible application in their particular field of interest in condensed matter.

Scientific rationale /international context

Multiple scattering is the extension of scattering theory to multiple obstacles. Within the Green’s function approach, it can be seen as the reformulation of a wave equation – typically a differential equation – in terms of a propagator. This propagator, or Green’s operator, describes the interaction of the wave with a collection of obstacles. Although in principle this framework can be applied to any wave equation, we will restrict in this school to time-independent wave equations that follow the Schrödinger equation. Nevertheless, this already encompasses a very large range of physical effects:

• Electronic structure of materials
• Transport and non-equilibrium phenomena in materials
• Magnetic properties
• Modelling of numerous spectroscopies (at advanced sources and in academic/R&D laboratories)

Intended audience

The number of attendees will not exceed 70. This school is addressed to PhD students and post-docs in priority, but junior and senior academics will also be welcome, provided all early stage researchers (ESR) demands are satisfied. During the school, all ESR will have the opportunity to present their current research in form of posters. Some of posters will be selected by the organization committee as contributed talks. All speakers will be asked by the organizers to stay at least one week at the school in order to answer questions and comments from students and researchers which will arise during and after her/his lecture. The environment at École de Physique des Houches is an ideal place for this active discussions between lecturers and students.