"The biggest challenge is to transfer the observed and numerically simulated quantum effects to everyday life," says Carmine Autieri, head of the research group and professor at the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In a June interview with the Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Rome, Prof. Autieri agreed to talk about his experiences working in Poland and abroad, his scientific activities, as well as his achievements over the years in condensed matter physics and his plans for the future.

What do you think of Poland, especially after your stays abroad in the Czech Republic or France?

Carmine Autieri: In Poland, I had the opportunity to visit mainly Krakow and Warsaw. Both cities are very hospitable and open to international tourism, and have a multicultural atmosphere, typical of large European metropolises. They are also very modern, with a well-developed network of services. I think they are excellent places for locals, but also for tourists. Young people, especially in the larger towns, speak English very well, at a very high level. Poland now has a dynamic, flexible and meritocratic labor market, which provides opportunities for professional development. This model of life creates great motivation, especially in young people.

How do you work and cooperate with Poles?

CA: Let me start by saying that in the field of matter physics, collaboration is something indispensable; just think that one scientific article can have up to 20 co-authors. Collaboration is therefore necessary because everyone has their own knowledge and skills, and only teamwork makes it possible to carry out various experiments and theoretical calculations. Based on the different information gathered from the theoretical and experimental parts, conclusions are drawn about the research conducted. I have had the opportunity to work with various employees, from Poland and abroad. Personally, I think they are great to work with, both from a professional and personal point of view.

What exactly does your work in condensed matter physics consist of?

CA: My research involves the mutual influence of magnetism, spin-orbit coupling and crystal symmetries, which produces topological effects. Topological effects are extremely complex and contribute to the fact that the surfaces of materials behave differently from their internal parts, which has opened the way to the discovery of a myriad of new physical phenomena and mechanisms over the past 15 years. In addition, I have studied various transport properties, such as the anomalous Hall phenomenon, the quantum Hall effect and the quantized spin Hall effect. Recently, my team and I have also been focusing on the study of alltermagnetism.

How did your cooperation with the Polish Academy of Sciences begin?

CA: In January 2018, I was the guest of my colleague Dr. Wojciech Brzezicki. At the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, we were working on the anomalous Hall effect between confining planes of different materials. In Warsaw, I met Prof. Tomasz Dietl, who told me about a competition funded by the Foundation for Polish Science for an assistant professor position in my specialty and for candidates with work experience coinciding with the one I had at the time. I was just looking for a new job, so I applied right away in April. I won the competition and in June 2018 I was already in Warsaw.

What is the structure and composition of the department in which you work?

CA: Magtop is an international center. The department employs about 50% Poles and 50% foreigners, most of whom are from Asia and the rest from Europe and America. The department is divided into six teams. Three groups specialize in the experimental part, while the other three focus on theoretical aspects. My team works on theoretical research by conducting numerical simulations. One of the characteristics of our department is the massive use of large infrastructures. The theoreticians use huge supercomputers provided by various Polish infrastructures such as PL-Grid, while the experimentalists often use Grenoble Laboratories for high-field magnetic research and SOLARIS. The latter is the only synchrotron in Central and Eastern Europe and is located in Krakow.

What entities does Magtop work with?

CA: Magtop employees cooperate with many international companies, mainly from Western Europe, but not only. We also cooperate with leading technology companies in the Polish and global arena, such as VIGO System S.A., PUREMAT Technologies, KRIOSYSTEM, MeasLine S.A. and others. We have also conducted research in cooperation with Microsoft scientists. To consolidate and maintain these contacts, Magtop has supported and organized several series of international meetings and conferences, two of which were held in Warsaw in 2023 alone.

And what do you think of the PAN's Institute of Physics?

CA: Over the years, IF PAN has made significant contributions to the development of topological matter physics. It was here that Dirac cones were first discovered in the 1960s, which later became famous in 2004 with the creation of graphene. In 2012, Prof. Tomasz Story and his team experimentally demonstrated the existence of a crystalline topological insulator. In addition, IF PAN is known for its enormous contributions to the physics of magnetic semiconductors over several decades - from the end of the last century to the beginning of the 21st century.

Can you tell us about the most interesting findings or results to which your research has contributed?

CA: In the past, I have mainly focused on phase transitions between insulating metals in transition metal oxides. Recently, together with Wojciech Brzezicki from Jagiellonian University and CNR-SPIN (Italy), we can boast important research on anomalous Hall effects in the same compounds. Together with Prof. Tomasz Dietl and other Magtop members, I studied the interaction between magnetic moments in topological insulators. In addition, the Magtop Center has made major contributions to the study of flat bands of materials, quantum Hall effect compensation and the development of new materials that can replicate these effects.

What do you plan to publish in the near future?

CA: Currently, my research team is focusing on a new type of magnetism, which has been named altermagnetism. So far, the main groups of known magnetic materials have been ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. Althermagnetic systems are characterized by the magnetization of antiferromagnets, but their energy levels are typical of ferromagnets. This makes it possible to exploit the properties of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets simultaneously, which we did not think possible before. Research in this area has only been going on for 2-3 years, so there are still many unexplored aspects in this field, which hides great potential for their application and production of new electronic devices. My team members and I look forward to making significant contributions to the field of alltermagnetism.

What would be your biggest professional challenge?

CA: Magtop operates on two fronts: "purely scientific" and "technological applications." The biggest challenge is to transfer the observed and numerically simulated quantum effects to everyday life. The most difficult task is to reproduce these effects in room-temperature devices, with limited costs and a high degree of device reliability. This is something we care deeply about and are moving in that direction. This is evidenced by the fact that in the last 3 years we have developed 5 patents in cooperation with our industrial partners, and more patents are in the pipeline.

Have you met any other Italian scientists in Warsaw?

CA: There are now several Italian matter physics researchers working in Poland, one of them being Dr. Giuseppe Cuono, who is a member of my research team at IFPAN. Other Italian colleagues work at IFPAN, at the University of Warsaw and at the University of Torun. Of course, we know each other and exchange comments and opinions about our social and professional life in Poland.

Professor Autieri, a specialist in physical numerical simulations of condensed matter, works at the International Center on the Interaction of MAGnetism and Superconductivity with TOPological Materials (MagTop). Magtop is a branch of the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFPAN) in Warsaw, founded by Prof. Tomasz Dietl and Prof. Tomasz Wojtowicz in 2017.
For several years, Magtop has been funded mainly by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) and conducts interdisciplinary research in materials science and possible technological applications. Additional sources of funding come from European funds through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Program and other Polish funding agencies such as NCN and NAWA.