Andrew D. Huxley
Encyclopedia
Andrew D. Huxley is a chair of the physics department of Edinburgh University. Of no relation to Sir Andrew F. Huxley
(the English
physiologist
and biophysicist
), Prof. Andrew D. Huxley is of renown in the field of condensed matter physics
. While at the CEA
laboratory in Grenoble
, Huxley was involved in the revolutionary discovery of superconductivity
in the ferromagnet
UGe2 under applied pressure, in collaboration with a team at Cambridge University [2]. This was followed up by a series of breakthroughs in another ferromagnetic material, URhGe [3-5], which was found to turn superconducting under the application of an external magnetic field. This emergence of an unconventional superconducting state by the application of an external tuning parameter such as magnetic field or pressure is hypothesised to be closely related to a 'Quantum critical point
' (QCP) - a special phase transition
that occurs at temperatures approaching zero kelvins
. Quantum fluctuation
s are enhanced at the QCP, destabilising the conventional phase that dominates under ambient conditions, making conditions propitious for the emergence of a novel unconventional phase such as superconductivity
, or possibly even more exotic states.
Huxley earned a BA
from Churchill College
, Cambridge University, an MS
from the University of Pennsylvania
, and a PhD
from Cambridge University. He was subsequently a postdoctorate fellow and then a scientist at CEA, Grenoble before joining Edinburgh University as a Professor of Physics in 2006. Huxley is yet another of the prestigious alumnae of the Quantum Matter (formerly the Low Temperature Physics) group in the Cavendish Laboratory
, Cambridge University that have gone on to become leading physicists. The current leader of the group, Prof. Gilbert (Gil) Lonzarich, is considered by many to be the visionary behind the burgeoning field within experimental condensed matter research that involves the discovery of novel phases in the vicinity of quantum critical points.
Andrew Huxley
Sir Andrew Fielding Huxley, OM, FRS is an English physiologist and biophysicist, who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his experimental and mathematical work with Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin on the basis of nerve action potentials, the electrical impulses that enable the activity...
(the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
physiologist
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
and biophysicist
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
), Prof. Andrew D. Huxley is of renown in the field of condensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics deals with the physical properties of condensed phases of matter. These properties appear when a number of atoms at the supramolecular and macromolecular scale interact strongly and adhere to each other or are otherwise highly concentrated in a system. The most familiar...
. While at the CEA
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique
The Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
laboratory in Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, Huxley was involved in the revolutionary discovery of superconductivity
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
in the ferromagnet
Ferromagnetism
Ferromagnetism is the basic mechanism by which certain materials form permanent magnets, or are attracted to magnets. In physics, several different types of magnetism are distinguished...
UGe2 under applied pressure, in collaboration with a team at Cambridge University [2]. This was followed up by a series of breakthroughs in another ferromagnetic material, URhGe [3-5], which was found to turn superconducting under the application of an external magnetic field. This emergence of an unconventional superconducting state by the application of an external tuning parameter such as magnetic field or pressure is hypothesised to be closely related to a 'Quantum critical point
Quantum Critical Point
A quantum critical point is a special class of continuous phase transition that takes place at the absolute zero of temperature, typically in a material where the phase transition temperature has been driven to zero by the application of a pressure, field or through doping.Conventional phase...
' (QCP) - a special phase transition
Phase transition
A phase transition is the transformation of a thermodynamic system from one phase or state of matter to another.A phase of a thermodynamic system and the states of matter have uniform physical properties....
that occurs at temperatures approaching zero kelvins
Absolute zero
Absolute zero is the theoretical temperature at which entropy reaches its minimum value. The laws of thermodynamics state that absolute zero cannot be reached using only thermodynamic means....
. Quantum fluctuation
Quantum fluctuation
In quantum physics, a quantum fluctuation is the temporary change in the amount of energy in a point in space, arising from Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.According to one formulation of the principle,energy and time can be related by the relation...
s are enhanced at the QCP, destabilising the conventional phase that dominates under ambient conditions, making conditions propitious for the emergence of a novel unconventional phase such as superconductivity
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
, or possibly even more exotic states.
Huxley earned a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Churchill College
Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.In 1958, a Trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its Chairman of Trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 Students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its...
, Cambridge University, an MS
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Cambridge University. He was subsequently a postdoctorate fellow and then a scientist at CEA, Grenoble before joining Edinburgh University as a Professor of Physics in 2006. Huxley is yet another of the prestigious alumnae of the Quantum Matter (formerly the Low Temperature Physics) group in the Cavendish Laboratory
Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the university's School of Physical Sciences. It was opened in 1874 as a teaching laboratory....
, Cambridge University that have gone on to become leading physicists. The current leader of the group, Prof. Gilbert (Gil) Lonzarich, is considered by many to be the visionary behind the burgeoning field within experimental condensed matter research that involves the discovery of novel phases in the vicinity of quantum critical points.
Selected publications
- 1. Realignment of the flux-line lattice by a change in the symmetry of superconductivity in UPt3. Andrew Huxley, Pierre Rodière, Donald McK. Paul, Niels van Dijk, Robert Cubitt and Jacques Flouquet. Nature 406, pp. 160 – 164 (13 Jul 2000)
- 2. Superconductivity on the border of itinerant-electron ferromagnetism in UGe2. S. S. Saxena, P. Agarwal, K. Ahilan, F. M. Grosche, R. K. W. Haselwimmer, M. J. Steiner, E. Pugh, I. R. Walker, S. R. Julian, P. Monthoux, G. G. Lonzarich, A. Huxley, I. Sheikin, D. Braithwaite and J. Flouquet. Nature 406, pp. 587 – 592 (10 Aug 2000)
- 3. Coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism in URhGe. Dai Aoki, Andrew Huxley, Eric Ressouche, Daniel Braithwaite, Jacques Flouquet, Jean-Pascal Brison, Elsa Lhotel and Carley Paulsen. Nature 413, pp. 613 – 616 (11 Oct 2001)
- 4. Magnetic Field-Induced Superconductivity in the Ferromagnet URhGe. F. Lévy, I. Sheikin, B. Grenier and A. D. Huxley. Science 309, pp. 1343–1346 (26 August 2005)
- 5. Acute enhancement of the upper critical field for superconductivity approaching a quantum critical point in URhGe. F. Lévy, I. Sheikin and A. Huxley. Nature Physics 3, pp. 460 – 463 (01 Jul 2007)