Prof. Dr. Peter Michael Derlet

Peter Derlet

Senior scientist
Condensed Matter Theory Group >>
Building/Room: WHGA/134

Paul Scherrer Institut
Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland

Peter Derlet is a senior staff scientist within the Condensed Matter Theory group at the Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland. He specializes in the atomistic modeling of materials science related issues using semi-empirical methods. His fields of interest are:
  • The mechanical properties of materials with complex defect structures.
  • The dynamical properties of local and extended defects.
  • The development of simulation tools to model the experimental measurement of structural disorder using neutrons, photons and electrons.
  • Classical magnetization dynamics in micro- and meso-scopic magnetic systems.
  • The vibrational and configurational dynamics of structural glasses well below the glass transition temperature.
  • Avalanche statistics using simplified dislocation dynamics geometries.
  • The use of potential energy landscape exploration algorithms for use in the study of structural and magnetic excitations.
  • Adjunct professor, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich
  • Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering, EPFL Lausanne
  • Visiting scientist, Department of Materials Engineering, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
  • Bachelor, Tobias Goldenberger, 2022, (Melting of 2D Skyrmion Crystals using Molecular Dynamics; Thesis director, Prof. P. M. Derlet, ETHZ)
  • PhD, Hugo Bocquet 2021-, (Microscopic modelling of strongly disordered metals: emergent mechanical and magnetic properties; Thesis director, Prof. P. M. Derlet, ETHZ)
  • Masters Project, Hugo Bocquet 2020-2021, (Thermally driven structural fluctuations and viscosity in a metallic glass; Thesis director, Prof. Francios Galliare, EPFL), awarded the 2021 Gilbert Hausmann prize
  • PhD, Dominik Schildknecht 2016-2019, (Two dimensional dipolar XY systems with disorder; Thesis director, Prof. L. J. Heyderman, ETHZ/PSI)
  • PhD, Soumya Swayamjyoti 2012-2016, (Atomistic Modelling of Structural Glasses; Thesis director, Prof. J. Loeffler, ETHZ)
  • PhD, Araceli Valles Sales 2010-2013, (Vibrational Properties of Amorphous Solids; Thesis directors, Profs. D. Crespo and E. Pineda, UPC-BarcelonaTech)

There are currently no open positions. Please contact me if you are interested in undertaking a materials modelling based D-MATL/ETHZ Bachelor or Masters Project.

  • Spring semester 2024, ETHZ, Zurich, Thermodynamics and Phase Transformations
  • Spring semester 2024, ETHZ, Zurich, Computational multi-scale modeling of solids
  • Invited Talk, 9th International Discussion Meeting on Relaxations in Complex Systems (9 IDMRCS) , August 12-18, 2023, Chiba, Japan "Local and emergent structural length scales and how it can affect transport and micro-plasticity in metallic glasses"
  • Seminar Talk, EPFL Materials Science and Engineering (IMX) Seminar Series, October 3rd, 2022, "Emergent structural length scales and micro-plasticity in metallic glasses - an atomistic simulation perspective"
  • Seminar Talk, Solid Mechanics & Materials Engineering Group, Dep. of Materials, Oxford University, June 6th, 2022, "Emergent structural length scales in metallic glasses - an atomistic simulation perspective"
  • Invited talks, Virtual TMS - Bulk Metallic Glasses XVI, "Correlated disorder order in a model binary glass" and "Structural relaxation and mechanical properties of model glass systems at the micro-second timescale", March 15-18, 2021
  • Invited talk, TMS - Bulk Metallic Glasses XVI, San Antonio, USA, March 11-15, 2019
  • Invited talk, Multiscale Materials Modeling Conference: Structure, Statistics and Mechanics in Crystal Dislocation Plasticity, Osaka, Japan, October 28 to November 2, 2018
  • Seminar talk, Dep. of Physics, EPFL, July 13th, 2017, "Thermally active two dimensional artificial spin-ice systems: experiment and simulation"
  • Seminar talk, Interdisciplinary Centre of Advanced Materials Simulation (ICAMS), University of Bochum, Germany, June 22, 2017, "Low energy structural excitations in amorphous solids, and their role in relaxation and plasticity”
  • CECAM workshop, Challenges in crystal plasticity: from discrete dislocations to continuum models, CECAM-Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland, February 27 to March 1, 2017
  • CCMX Summer School, Multiscale Modelling of Materials, EPFL Lausanne, August 29-31, 2016, "Introduction to molecular dynamics"
  • Seminar talk, Technische Universität Darmstadt, June 22nd, 2016, "Thermally activated structural excitations in a model amorphous solid"
  • Seminar talk, Institut für Materialphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, June 7th, 2016, "Thermally activated structural excitations in a model amorphous solid"
  • Invited talk, DPG Spring Meeting, Regensburg, Germany, March 21st-26th 2016, "Critical stresses in intermittent plasticity and the transition to macroscopic yield"
  • Seminar talk, Civil Engineering Department, EPFL Lausanne, September 4th, 2014, "A probabilistic explanation for the size-effect in crystal plasticity"
  • CCMX Summer School, Atomistic Scale Modelling of Materials, EPFL Lausanne, September 1-3, 2014, "What are the biggest challenges for modelling metals?"
  • CCMX Summer School, Atomistic Scale Modelling of Materials, EPFL Lausanne, September 1-3, 2014, "Potential based methods"
  • 13th PSI Summer School on Condensed Matter Research, Exploring time, energy and length scales in condensed matter, Institut Montana, Zug, Switzerland, August 9-15 2014, "Two dimensional artificial spin ice: experiment and simulation"
  • March APS Meeting, Denver, Colorado, US, "Thermally active two dimensional artificial spin-ice systems: experiment and simulation."
  • Seminar Talk, Institute of Materials, University of Goettingen, Germany, 2013, "Simplified dislocation dynamics modelling of micro-plasticity"
  • Seminar Talk, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylavania, Philedelphia, USA, 2012, "Thermally active structural glasses: extreme value statistics, freezing and low temperature deformation."
  • Seminar Talk, Joint User's Meeting at PSI, Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland, September 11th, 2011, "Langevin Dynamics and probing the atomic scale"
  • Seminar Talk, Department of Physics, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway, April 11th 2011, "Understanding disorder and how metallic glasses yield"
  • Invited Talk, Spring Meeting, Swiss Association of Computational Chemistry, Bern, Switzerland, February 18th 2011, "Semi-empirical atomistic modelling of itinerant magnetic systems"
  • 2021-, TMS Spring meeting, Symposium organiser, Bulk Metallic Glasses XIX, USA.
  • 2018-, Swiss DPG representative for the work group “Metals and Materials Physics.
  • MRS Spring 2018 symposium organiser for "Strain localization, avalanches and intermittent deformation mechanisms", Phoenix, USA, 2018.
  • MRS Fall 2012 symposium TT organiser for "Defects and Microstructure Complexity in Materials", Boston, USA, 2012.
  • Organizer for a CECAM workshop entitled "Interatomic potentials for transition metals and their compounds", Zurich, Switzerland, 2010.
  • MRS Fall 2009 lead symposium GG organiser for "Plasticity in confined volumes: simulations and experiments", Boston, USA, 2009
  • Member of international advisory committee for "EMMM09: Electron microscopy and multi-scale modelling", Zurich, Switzerland, 2009
  • Contributor to the GENSYS (Grand European Initiative on Nanoscience and Technology at Neutron and Synchrotron Radiation Sources) White paper detailing the role of simulation in the analysis and interpretation of leading edge elastic and in-elastic scattering experiments, 2008
  • Fluctuation-induced spin nematic order in magnetic charge-ice, A. Hemmatzade, K. Essafi, M. Taillefumier, M. Mueller, T. Fennell and P. M. Derlet, submitted (2023).
  • Atomic cluster dynamics causes intermittent aging in metallic glasses, Z. Wang, B. Riechers, P. M. Derlet, R. Maass, under review (2023).
  • Searching for activated transitions in complex magnetic systems, H. Bocquet, P. M. Derlet, Phys. Rev. B, in press (2023).
  • Intermittent cluster dynamics and temporal fractional diffusion in a bulk metallic glass, B. Riechers, A. Das, Z. Wang, E. Dufresne, P.M. Derlet, R. Mass, under review (2023).
  • Unifying atoms and colloids near the glass transition through bond-order topology, L. Stricker, P. M. Derlet, H. R. Vutukuri and J. Vermant, under review (2023).

Ordered in terms of most recent (click to go to DOI link, most papers available via my PSI DORA page)

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