In our group, we employ state-of-the-art computational methods to describe physical phenomena in materials, in particular superconductivity and lattice dynamics, completely from first principles. I further utilize the predictive power of this approach to model and design new materials with certain desired properties. Broken down into bullet points, the main topics of my current research are:

  • Investigating superconductivity, charge-density waves, and their competition in reduced dimensions, in particular for transition metal chalcogenides.
  • Searching for new superconducting carbon-based materials in the nano-regime, i.e., nanoribbons, nanosheets, etc.
  • Understanding the superconducting phase in high-pressure hydrides and predicting new highest-Tc materials.


For currently running projects, please consult the Research Topics section and if you want to know more or are looking for Bachelor and Master projects, don't hesitate to contact Christoph Heil.


Latest Publications
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Probing magnetic exchange interactions with helium
C. Trainer, C.M. Yim, C. Heil, L.S. Farrar, V. Tsurkan, A. Loidl, and P. Wahl
Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 166803

LaBH8: the first high-Tc low-pressure superhydride
S. di Cataldo, C. Heil, W. von der Linden, and L. Boeri
Phys. Rev. B 104, L020511 (2021), doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.104.L020511

Strain-Stabilized (π,π) Order at the Surface of Fe1+xTe
C.M. Yim, S.N. Panja, C. Trainer, C. Topping, C. Heil, A.S. Gibbs, O.V. Magdysyuk, V. Tsurkan, A. Loidl, A.W. Rost, and P. Wahl
Nano Lett., doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c04821

Superconductivity and strong anharmonicity in novel Nb-S phases
R. Lucrezi and C. Heil
J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 33, 174001 (2021), doi: 10.1088/1361-648X/abda7a

Magnetic surface reconstruction in the van-der-Waals antiferromagnet Fe_{1+x}Te
C. Trainer, M. Songvilay, N. Qureshi, A. Stunault, C. M. Yim, E. E. Rodriguez, C. Heil, V. Tsurkan, A. Loidl, P. Wahl, and C. Stock
Phys. Rev. B 103, 024406 (2021), doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.103.024406

Electronic, vibrational, and electron-phonon coupling properties in SnSe2 and SnS2 under pressure
G. P. Kafle, C. Heil, H. Paudyal, and E. R. Margine
J. Mater. Chem. C 8 (46), 16404, 2020, doi: 10.1039/D0TC04356G