Chris Hamer

Chris Hamer

Honorary Associate Professor
Science
Physics

My research interests lie in theoretical physics, at the interface between particle physics and statistical mechanics. Our group studies quantum lattice models, which may represent atomic spins in a magnet, electrons in a superconductor, or quarks confined within the proton. Various methods of treating such models have been employed including series expansions, Monte Carlo simulations, exact diagonalization and the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG). We are also interested in "effective field theories" for systems at a critical point.

We have published a book on series expansion techniques, ‘Series Expansion Methods for Strongly Interacting Lattice Models’, by Jaan Oitmaa, Chris Hamer and Weihong Zheng (Cambridge University Press, 2006). Much of our computational work in this area was carried out by our late friend and colleague, Dr Weihong Zheng, who collected many of his codes used in this field at his personal website.

Being now retired, I am no longer taking graduate students, but am continuing research on a part-time basis. One current interest is the construction of an effective field theory for the ‘Union Jack’ spin model.

I am also active in civil society movements. I am the founder of the World Citizens Association (Australia) and President in a caretaker capacity) of Scientists for Global Responsibility (Australia), as well as Chairman of the Institute for Global Peace and Sustainable Govenance.   I am convinced that we need a global parliament to deal with our pressing global issues, and have published a book on e subject:

"A Global Parliament: Principles of World Federation" (Oyster Bay Press 1998), now available on Amazon. Some of this material is discussed in my General Education course GENS 4008 'Nuclear Arms, Peace and Global Governance'.

Phone

+61(2) 9385 4590

FAIP

SUBJECTS TAUGHT: 

GENS4008 Nuclear Arms, Peace and Global Governance

TEACHING: 

I continue to teach a General Education course on

"Nuclear Arms, Peace and Global Governance"