Walter Selke
Encyclopedia
Walter Selke is a German professor for Theoretical Physics
at the RWTH Aachen
.
After having received his doctoral degree at the University of Hanover, followed by postdoctoral
positions at the Saarland University
, Cornell University
, and Boston University
, he
became in 1981 a permanent scientific staff member of Forschungszentrum Jülich. He held a
similar position at the IBM Research Center (Zürich)
in 1985/1986. Since 1996 he is a
university professor at the RWTH Aachen
, and he is also, since 2008, engaged in the "Jülich Aachen Research Alliance" (JARA)
.
His main field of expertise is Statistical Physics
, with applications, especially, to magnetism
and surface physics.
He is best known for his work on
commensurate
and incommensurate spatially modulated superstructures
in solids
, with realizations in magnet
s, ferroelectrics, alloy
s and adsorbate systems.
He has published about 150 scientific papers in journals, conference proceedings, monograph
s and books, including many review article
s. Among his coauthors are Kurt Binder
, Michael E. Fisher, and Valery Pokrovsky
. He has (co)organized several workshops and conferences, for instance, in the years 1988 to 1997, a series of meetings with physicists from the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics
, which took place alternately in Germany and Russia.
From 1997 to 2000 he was member of the editorial board of the Journal of Statistical Physics
.
In the inaugural year 2008, he was named an 'Outstanding Referee' by the American Physical Society
.
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
at the RWTH Aachen
RWTH Aachen
RWTH Aachen University is a research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with roughly 33,000 students enrolled in 101 study programs....
.
After having received his doctoral degree at the University of Hanover, followed by postdoctoral
positions at the Saarland University
Saarland University
Saarland University is a university located in Saarbrücken, the capital of the German state of Saarland, and Homburg. It was founded in 1948 in Homburg in co-operation with France and is organized in 8 faculties that cover all major fields of science...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, and Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, he
became in 1981 a permanent scientific staff member of Forschungszentrum Jülich. He held a
similar position at the IBM Research Center (Zürich)
Rüschlikon
Rüschlikon is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It is located on the west shore of Lake Zurich.- Coat of arms :Its coat of arms features a white shield with a seerose, a red flower with a yellow center....
in 1985/1986. Since 1996 he is a
university professor at the RWTH Aachen
RWTH Aachen
RWTH Aachen University is a research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with roughly 33,000 students enrolled in 101 study programs....
, and he is also, since 2008, engaged in the "Jülich Aachen Research Alliance" (JARA)
RWTH Aachen
RWTH Aachen University is a research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with roughly 33,000 students enrolled in 101 study programs....
.
His main field of expertise is Statistical Physics
Statistical physics
Statistical physics is the branch of physics that uses methods of probability theory and statistics, and particularly the mathematical tools for dealing with large populations and approximations, in solving physical problems. It can describe a wide variety of fields with an inherently stochastic...
, with applications, especially, to magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
and surface physics.
He is best known for his work on
commensurate
Commensurability (mathematics)
In mathematics, two non-zero real numbers a and b are said to be commensurable if a/b is a rational number.-History of the concept:...
and incommensurate spatially modulated superstructures
ANNNI model
In statistical physics, the axial next-nearest-neighbor Ising model, usually known as the ANNNI model, is a variant of the Ising model in which competing ferromagnetic and...
in solids
Solid-state physics
Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the large-scale properties of solid materials result from...
, with realizations in magnet
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
s, ferroelectrics, alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
s and adsorbate systems.
He has published about 150 scientific papers in journals, conference proceedings, monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
s and books, including many review article
Review article
Review articles are an attempt to summarize the current state of understanding on a topic. They analyze or discuss research previously published by others, rather than reporting new experimental results....
s. Among his coauthors are Kurt Binder
Kurt Binder
Kurt Binder is an Austrian physicist. He received his Ph.D. in 1969 at the Technical University of Vienna, and his habilitation degree 1973 at the Technical University of Munich, before, in the next year, becoming a Professor for Theoretical Physics at the Saarland University Kurt Binder (born 10...
, Michael E. Fisher, and Valery Pokrovsky
Valery Pokrovsky
Valery Pokrovsky is a Soviet and Russian physicist. He is a member ofthe Landau Institute in Chernogolovka nearMoscow in Russia and a professor for Theoretical Physics at Texas A&M University....
. He has (co)organized several workshops and conferences, for instance, in the years 1988 to 1997, a series of meetings with physicists from the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics
Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics
The L. D. Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a research institution, located in the small town of Chernogolovka near Moscow...
, which took place alternately in Germany and Russia.
From 1997 to 2000 he was member of the editorial board of the Journal of Statistical Physics
Journal of Statistical Physics
The Journal of Statistical Physics is a bi-monthly publication containing both original and review papers, including book reviews. All areas of statistical physics as well as related fields concerned with collective phenomena in physical systems are covered. The Journal of Statistical Physics has...
.
In the inaugural year 2008, he was named an 'Outstanding Referee' by the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
.