Paul M. Goldbart

Professor of Physics

Professor Paul M. Goldbart received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of London's Imperial College in 1985. He joined the Department of Physics as an assistant professor in 1987, advanced to associate professor in 1993, and to professor in 1998.

A theoretical condensed matter physicist, Professor Goldbart has made remarkably diverse contributions to his field. He has made deep and pioneering contributions to the theory of random solids, such vulcanized rubber and certain gels, formed when the motion of the constituents (atoms, molecules or polymers) is constrained by random permament chemical bonds. In addition to laying the conceptual foundations of the subject, Professor Goldbart has also gone on to develop many related theoretical avenues, including establishing connections with glassy systems.

He has explored novel implications of quantal geometric phases in a range of condensed matter settings, including mesoscopic quantum systems, superfluid helium, and magnetic media, for example, discovering that such phases can cause a variety of strange and unanticipated currents. He has also introduced and investigated the subject of Andreev billiards, in which the motion of quasiparticles confined by superconducting "walls" and its connection with the shape of the confined region are examined, thus weaving together physics of superconductivity and quantum chaology with the mathematics of spectral geometry.

In the area of liquid crystals, Professor Goldbart has made fundamental contributions to the understanding of phase transitions under shear flow and to the kinetics of phase ordering in uniaxial and biaxial systems, addressing issues that lie at the heart of nonequilibrium physics, such as critical phenomena, state selection, and the approach to equilibrium.

Professor Goldbart contributes regularly to the University's outreach activites, giving popular lectures to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. He is one of the department's most enthusiastic and gifted teachers, and his name regularly appears on the University's list of "Teachers Rated as Excellent by their Students."

Research Area: theoretical condensed matter physics; random systems (polymer networks and glasses), mesoscopic physics, superconductivity and superfluidity

Personal Home Page

Recent Reprints and Preprints

Selected Recent Publications

Squeezing superfluid from a stone: Coupling superfluidity and elasticity in a supersolid by Alan T. Dorsey, Paul M. Goldbart and John Toner; Physical Review Letters 96, 055301/1-4 (2006); cond-mat/0508271, 4 pages

Fate of the Josephson effect in thin-film superconductors by Michael Hermele, Gil Refael, Matthew P. A. Fisher and Paul M. Goldbart; Nature Physics 1, 117-121 (2005); see the Nature Physics News and Views article by Steven M. Girvin entitled Quantum coherence: Just what is superconductivity?

Cavity approach to the random solid state by Xiaoming Mao, Paul M. Goldbart, Marc Mézard and Martin Weigt; Physical Review Letters 95, 148302/1-4 (2005); cond-mat/0506194, 4 pages

Double-exchange model for noninteracting electron spins coupled to a lattice of classical spins: Phase diagram at zero temperature by David Pekker, Swagatam Mukhopadhyay, Nandini Trivedi and Paul M. Goldbart; Physical Review B 72, 075118/1-9 (2005); cond-mat/0502621, 9 pages

Quantum interference device made by DNA templating of superconducting nanowires by David S. Hopkins, David Pekker, Paul M. Goldbart and Alexey Bezryadin; Science 308, 1762-65 (2005)

Stealing the Gold: A Celebration of the Pioneering Physics of Sam Edwards
A selection of reprints accompanied by chapters by various authors; edited by Paul M. Goldbart, Nigel Goldenfeld and David Sherrington (published by Oxford University Press, 2004; see the cover)

Scaling of entropic shear rigidity by Xiangjun Xing, Swagatam Mukhopadhyay and Paul M. Goldbart; Physical Review Letters 93, 225701/1-4 (2004); cond-mat/0406411, 5 pages

h/e magnetic flux modulation of the energy gap in nanotube quantum dots by Ulas C. Coskun, Tzu-Chieh Wei, Smitha Vishveshwara, Paul M. Goldbart and Alexey Bezryadin; Science 304, 1132-34 (2004)

Measures of entanglement in multipartite bound entangled states by Tzu-Chieh Wei, Joseph B. Altepeter, Paul M. Goldbart and William J. Munro; Physical Review A 70, 022322/1-5 (2004)

Honors and Awards

• Presidential Young Investigator Award, September 1991
• Junior Xerox Award for Faculty Research, February 1992
• Beckman Associate, Center for Advanced Study, UIUC, 1996
• University Scholar, 1996
• Fellow, American Physical Society, 2001
  For fundamental contributions to the theory of disordered solids and to the elucidation of the role of geometric phases in mesoscopic systems
• Arnold T. Nordsieck Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2005
  For exemplary classroom teaching, superb graduate mentoring, and for leadership in advancing the graduate curriculum
• Fellow, Institute of Physics (UK), 2008
  For personal contributions to the advancement of physics as a discipline and a profession