Speaker:

Abstract:

Understanding the phase diagram of materials under extreme conditions of pressure and temperature is a fundamental problem in condensed matter physics. When materials are compressed or heated, changes in their electronic structures can lead to significant modifications in their physical and chemical properties. Theoretical high-pressure physics plays a crucial role in predicting the properties of materials where experimental measurements are unavailable or insufficient. In this talk, I will be focusing on hydrogen metallization. It is predicted that solid hydrogen, at very high densities, would transform into the lightest known metal, potentially exhibiting superconductivity at temperatures above room temperature. I will explore the roles of stretching and rotation of hydrogen bonds in the electronic properties of the C2/c structure of hydrogen at 300 GPa. Additionally, I will propose a novel framework for metallization, including a method to reduce the metallization pressure by injecting electrons.

Bio:

Dr. Sabri Elatresh received his Ph.D. in Physics in 2015 from the Department of Physics & Atmospheric Science at Dalhousie University, Canada. Following his doctoral studies, he held postdoctoral and visiting scientist positions at the University of Guelph and Cornell University, where he collaborated with Nobel Laureate Prof. Roald Hoffmann (1981) and Prof. Neil W. Ashcroft (co-author of Solid State Physics). Currently, Dr. Elatresh is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics, where his research focuses on materials under extreme pressures, encompassing a wide range of topics in theoretical condensed matter physics. His work has been published in several prestigious journals, including Nature Physics, Physical Review Letters, and Physical Review B, and is widely cited within the scientific high-pressure community.

All faculty, researchers and students are invited to attend.