Prize Scholar: Christopher Coveney

My research lies at the intersection of Condensed Matter Theory, Quantum Chemistry and Nuclear Physics as I have been working on the unification and development of Quantum Field Theory methods in many-particle physics. The study of quantum many-body correlation is central to understand a vast array of physical phenomena from superfluidity, superconductivity, chemical bond dissociation, electronic excitations in molecules and materials, as well as properties of neutron star cores. Our modern understanding of quantum many-body physics is deeply rooted in the methods and mathematical formalism of Quantum Field Theory whereby particles are modelled as fundamental excitations of an underlying quantum field. However, there exist several different but related mathematical formalisms for understanding the underlying physics of these quantum systems. Therefore, it has been one of my main research aims to understand and unify these different formalisms to gain a deeper understanding of their structures as well as to use their connections to generate more accurate representations of the underlying physics. 

In particular, I have been working towards the unification of two different mathematical formalisms coupled-cluster theory and Green’s function theory. Coupled-cluster theory is the ‘gold standard’ method used to perform highly accurate quantum-chemical and nuclear calculations of ground state correlation effects. However, it introduces a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian to account for complicated quantum many-body entanglement while maintaining computational tractability. The Green’s function formalism, rooted in the conventional Hermitian theory, is the preferred method employed by condensed matter theorists to understand excited-state many-body correlation. In my latest work, I have made significant progress to unify coupled-cluster theory with the Green’s function formalism by extending the Green’s function formalism to account for non-Hermitian interactions [1]. My findings represent significant theoretical contributions to our understanding of quantum many-body correlation and will also provide a basis for new and improved algorithms for the computation of ground and excited state electronic and nuclear correlation effects present in molecules, materials and infinite nuclear matter. 

I have also been working towards understanding novel mechanisms of superconductivity. My work, in collaboration with Professor Antonios Alvertis at UT Austin, demonstrates how to include electron-phonon coupling within the non-adiabatic limit, thereby predicting and explaining the emergence of superconductivity in a broad range of materials. The mechanism behind electron pairing in SrTiO3 has remained a subject of debate and is one of the oldest unsolved issues in Condensed Matter Physics. My recent preprint (currently in review) is the first time that a theoretical study proposes a mechanism for the superconductivity of SrTiO3 entirely from first quantum mechanical principles, without relying on any adjustable parameters, since the discovery of superconductivity in this system in 1964 [2]. This work will hopefully pave the way towards the exploration and explanation of high temperature superconductivity in a wide range of new materials. 

[1] Coveney & Tew, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2503.06586, (2025).

[2] Coveney, Tubman, Hsu, Montoya-Castillo, Filip, Neaton, Li, Vlcek & Alvertis, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2501.17230 (2025).