Materials for Novel Technologies and Scientific Discoveries

This lecture explores the pivotal role of materials in enabling novel technologies and scientific breakthroughs, from the Nobel Prize-winning silicon electronics to lithium oxides in chemistry. It delves into sustainability, quantum information, and harnessing quantum mechanics to predict material properties. The lecture covers mean-field theories, quantum Monte Carlo, and software development for high-performance computing. It also discusses the structural properties of materials at finite temperatures and the use of light to trigger chemical reactions for photocatalytic water splitting. The presentation concludes with a focus on quantum computing, quantum supremacy, and the importance of reproducibility in scientific research.