Research Interests

My group conducts theoretical and computational research in condensed-matter and materials physics. We focus on materials phenomena and applications for which the relevant physics takes place at the atomic scale. In this regime it is usually necessary to treat the atomic interactions using quantum mechanics. Our primary approach is to investigate materials from first principles using Density Functional Theory (DFT). In addition, we use a variety of techniques to investigate the thermal and dynamical behavior of materials, including molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation

My research interests cover a broad range of materials and phenomena, at both the fundamental and applied levels. Specific areas of interest include: surface structure and reactivity, molecule-surface interactions, optical materials, and structure and dynamics of lattice defects, and nanocrystals.

Recent Publications

J. L. Dupuy, S. P. Lewis, and P. C. Stancil, “A comprehensive study of hydrogen adsorbing to amorphous water ice: Defining adsorption in classical molecular dynamics,” Astrophysical Journal, 831:54 (2016).

V. K. Veeraghattam, K. Manrodt, S. P. Lewis, and P. C. Stancil, “The sticking of atomic hydrogen on amorphous water ice,” Astrophysical Journal, 790:4 (2014).

V. A. Shubert and S. P. Lewis, “Size-dependence of infrared spectra in niobium carbide nanocrystals,” International Journal of Modern Physics C 23, 124001 (2012).

S. J. Thompson and S. P. Lewis, “Oxygen pairing on the highly non-stoichiometric (110) surface of TiO₂,” Physics Procedia 7, 103 (2010).

S. J. Thompson and S. P. Lewis, “Revisiting the (110) surface structure of TiO₂: A detailed theoretical analysis,” Physical Review B 73, 073403 (2006).