Petre-Cosmin Teacu
Research project
Theory for detection of induced spin and orbital densities
Project supervisor
Prof. Peter Oppeneer, Prof. Jan Rusz
Recruitment date
01/09/2026
Hi, my name is Cosmin and I come from a village in northeast Romania.
I have discovered my passion for science from an early age, participating in many science competitions and eventually Physics Olympiads. This led me to decide to move to the UK to study Theoretical Physics at the University of Manchester under an integrated master's programme. During my studies, I developed a strong interest in condensed matter physics which ultimately led to my dissertation on spin systems using linear response theory.
When I saw the advertised IRP12 position it immediately felt like a perfect match with my master’s research, both in topic and methodology. I am especially drawn to the opportunity to work in such an emergent and dynamic field as orbitronics. Not only that but the opportunity to join a highly collaborative environment with exposure not only to academia, but also to industry, is a much appreciated bonus which I believe will open valuable new doors.
I am excited at the prospect of beginning my doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. Peter Oppeneer and Prof. Jan Rusz, and I hope this will only be the start of a long research career in theoretical condensed matter physics.
Project Description
The main objective of this IRP is to pave the way for detection of current- and light-induced orbital densities in selected materials, by developing theory for generation of orbital and spin densities by the OHE and OREE [1] and predicting their specific signatures in typical detection measurements, such as magneto-optical detection, using MOKE [2] or XMCD, or, alternatively, electron magnetic circular dichroism (EMCD) [3] to detect orbital densities with nanometre resolution.
The successful candidate will compute light- and current- induced spin and orbital densities using ab-initio codes and develop and employ microscopic modelling for spin and orbital diffusion, to predict spin and orbital accumulation. The anticipated MOKE, XMCD or EMCD signal will be predicted using ab-initio methods, aiming to achieve consistency between ab-initio predicted spin and orbital densities and dedicated measurements.
A further task is to understand and model transport properties. To this end, the orbital diffusion length, a quantity for which there is currently only a limited understanding, will be studied and the decay of OAM due to scattering (e.g., defects, phonons) will be investigated to understand how this influences the orbital decay.
[1] L. Salemi et al, Nature Commun. 10, 5381 (2019).
[2] I. Lyalin et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 156702 (2023).
[2] J. Rusz et al, Phys. Rev. B- Rapid Commun. 76, 060408 (2007).
Host institution
Uppsala Universitet is one of the oldest universities in Scandinavia with historically a strong tradition in high-level education and research. The Department of Physics and Astronomy is a strong research environment in several areas of physics, particularly, x-ray spectroscopy and advanced computational modelling. It is ranked among the top 100 physics institutions in the world.
The theory group (Peter Oppeneer, Jan Rusz) has a strong expertise in ab-initio theory of ultrafast spin dynamics, theory of magneto-optics, theory of electron microscopy, electronic structure theory, theory of orbitronics, and theory development for out-of-equilibrium ultrafast processes.
Planned Secondments
Academic Secondment
Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz
Mainz, Germany
Industrial Secondment
SIMUNE
Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain
Mónica García Mota
Registering University
Uppsala Universitet
Sweden