Konwersatorium im. Leopolda Infelda

In interacting many-particle systems such as electrons in solids, the concept of a single, elementary particle loses its meaning. In spite of well-known interactions between the particles completely new and surprising phenomena such as phase transitions can emerge. In this context the term "electronic correlations" plays an important role. It refers to effects of the interaction between the particles which cannot be explained by viewing the interaction as a mean field. Electronic correlations influence the electronic and magnetic properties of matter strongly. In my talk I will present a basic introduction into the concepts of correlated electronic systems. In particular, I will describe recent theoretical progress which allows one to go beyond the investigation of simple models and thereby explain properties of correlated electron materials.