Research & Theoretical Inquiry

My primary research sits at the intersection of theoretical many-body physics, classical continuum mechanics, and microscopic quantum transport theory.

I am interested in a single recurring question: how macroscopic order, coherent field-wave configurations, and phase structure emerge from microscopic, strongly nonlinear dynamics. Using careful spatial discretization and a rigorous treatment of continuum boundaries, I study the conditions under which local, phase-coherent rules knit together into stable, extended, repeating structure.

At the center of my current work is a research-grade, GPU-accelerated quasiclassical quantum transport framework for modeling how superconducting order parameters stabilize under realistic spatial inhomogeneity and rigid boundary conditions — the regime relevant to device-scale geometries such as thin films and nanoscale patterned structures. The solver is under active development, built on the discontinuous Galerkin finite-element approach of Finite element method for the quasiclassical theory of superconductivity, Kevin Marc Seja and Tomas Löfwander, Phys. Rev. B 106, 144511 (2022).

The confined-geometry regime is the reason this solver was developed. The concrete experimental target is Chiral Superfluid Helium-3 in the Quasi-Two-Dimensional Limit, Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 136001 (2025): a nanofabricated 80 nm specular slab in which chiral ³He-A is stabilized down to D/ξ₀ = 1 with only minute gap suppression (specularity S > 0.97). This is a measured, quantitative benchmark — gap vs. D/ξ₀, near-bulk under specular walls — that a properly implemented, confined-geometry DG-FEM solver should be able to reproduce. Bringing the solver into full alignment with that method, and extending it to the matrix-valued, chiral triplet closure the confined ³He-A problem requires, is the present focus of the work; no results are being published until both are in place.

More broadly, this investigation echoes one of the foundational themes of modern physics: how an effective, organized macroscopic geometry can arise from microscopic dynamics.

By linking phase-coherent transport to emergent field organization in superconducting systems, I hope to sharpen the cross-disciplinary principles by which effective field-wave structures stabilize — drawing a line from the precise, almost austere rules of numerical transport theory to the emergence of macroscopic form.

For academic inquiries, deep theoretical discussions, or collaborative fine art projects, please connect directly via the channels below:

Elizabeth@ElizabethBurnim.com

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