Intern Experience Summer - 2019  
Sagar Kumar Seth
Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg


Process of Securing the Intern:
It was an IAF on Placement Cell


Work:
My project was in the field of Computational Condensed Matter. Along with my co-intern I computed the Raman spectra of a novel material Cu2GeS3 and showed the transition in spectra from ZnS to Cu2GeS3. Cu2GeS3 is a material with applications in Solar Photovoltaics. An experimental group in the same University had gathered the experimental data of Raman spectra, we were supposed to match with the results and find the phonon vibrations corresponding to the peaks observed.

Workload and Tools used:
It was a chill European environment. Professor is well aware that going around Europe is also a part of the Internship. We never had to work off office hours. Quantum Espresso, Gulp, Python were the software packages used. Methods of finding phonon dispersion using different potentials using Gulp was used in Bond Polarizability Model, that was to be learned to find intensities of Raman spectra.

Courses that were part of the curriculum/ additional courses:
Condensed Matter Physics, Quantum Mechanics 2

Learning Experience:
A better and clearer understanding of Condensed Matter which will surely help in the courses and projects that follow in fourth year. Improved python skills. The European work culture helped me realize significant work can be done even by taking breaks, spreading the work over a period of time rather than crunching everything for the last minute. These breaks were refreshing. Importantly I got a good flavor of a research environment and the way computational theoretical physics works which would surely help me in making future choices.


Places Visited:
Zurich, Berlin, Prague, Paris, Brussels were the cities we visited over weekends. We enjoyed Mountain Biking in the woods of Wiltz, Luxembourg. Visited a castle and cabled in a gondola lift in Vianden, Luxembourg. We did visit Stefanik Observatory in Prague, Czech Republic.

My Expectations (before and after):
I was expecting a more hectic work schedule. The balance of coding and physics involved in the project was just right. Professor spent more time helping us than expected, sometimes prioritizing us over his PHD students.


Contact Details: 
sagarkmr4007@gmail.com

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