The Theory of Condensed Matter (TCM) group is the principal theoretical, as opposed to experimental, branch of the Cavendish Laboratory (physics department) in the University of Cambridge.
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It focuses on four broad categories of research: Soft condensed matter; Electronic structure; Collective quantum phenomena; and Mind-matter unification. It comprises about 50 researchers, of whom six hold chairs in the University, one of whom is the Nobel laureate Brian Josephson. Other Nobel laureates who have been members of the group are Nevill Mott and Philip Anderson. Members of the group have driven the development of three widely used software packages called CASTEP (a plane-wave density functional theory code), ONETEP (a linear-scaling density functional theory code), and CASINO (a quantum Monte Carlo code).
The TCM group started its existence as Solid State Theory (SST) group in 1955, with Nevill Mott as a founding member. The group was headed by Volker Heine, then Peter Littlewood, then Michael Payne, who is the present head.
The group is located on the second floor of the Mott building of the New Cavendish Laboratory (1973), off JJ Thomson Avenue in the West Cambridge area. According to the West Cambridge master plan, the group will eventually relocate to a new building.