Clare C. Yu

Clare Yu has broad expertise in condensed matter theory and biophysics. Her forte is explaining experiments. • Thesis used analogy with Kondo problem to explain why strong electron phonon coupling in A-15 compounds did not lead to structural phase transition; may be first paper exploring beyond Migdal’s theorem. Worked on Kondo and Anderson lattices and melting of superconducting vortex lattices and defects in superconductors. • Known for work in low temperature properties of glasses, especially two-level systems. Two-level systems are not exactly known; think of an atom tunneling between two equilibrium positions. Two-level systems were originally treated as independent non-interacting objects; however, Clare and Tony Leggett proposed two-level systems interact via elastic strain field. They showed Osheroff group experiments could only be explained if two-level systems were interacting, a now well-accepted idea in the field. Applied analogous ideas to Coulomb glasses, explaining Zvi Ovadyahu’s group experiments. Also worked on spin glasses and glass transition. • Modeled the transportation system inside living cells in which motor proteins haul cargos. Studying how mechanical interactions between cells can regulate growth in fruit fly embryos. Currently modeling how sick cells in stiff environments can become cancerous; investigating why 70% of breast tumors occur in the upper breast.