Origins and founding vision

The creation of the Department of Physics of Materials and Mechanics is directly linked to the establishment of the Low Temperature Physics Laboratory, conceived in the early 1960s within the then Department of Physics of the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences, and Letters at USP. The initiative arose from the vision of Prof. Dr. Mário Schenberg, who identified, with remarkable foresight, the strategic role that solid-state physics, semiconductors, and electronic devices would play in scientific and technological development.

To make this project viable, Schenberg understood that it would be essential to simultaneously create a research group focused on solid-state studies and an experimental infrastructure capable of operating at low temperatures. From this coordination arose the laboratory that would later give origin to the DFMT.

Carlos José de Azevedo Quadros and the founding of the laboratory

To lead this task, Mário Schenberg invited Prof. Dr. Carlos José de Azevedo Quadros, a chemical engineer graduated from the Escola Politécnica, who played a central role in the implementation of the laboratory. Quadros was present at the institutional and scientific origin of the department and was later recognized as its first chair.

The institutional formation of the department

The new department was structured around two complementary strands: on one side, the academic tradition linked to the Chair of Celestial and Higher Mechanics; on the other, the experimental nucleus formed around the Low Temperatures Laboratory. This encounter between theoretical training and experimental research constituted the initial core of DFMT.

In this process, key figures included Mauro Cattani and Luiz Guimarães Ferreira. Mauro Cattani took on a decisive role in the institutional reorganization after Mário Schenberg's removal by AI-5. Luiz Guimarães Ferreira, brought to Brazil in 1965 by Carlos Quadros, provided the theoretical support needed by the experimental group, becoming one of the fundamental figures in the academic consolidation of the department.

Although he was also a professor, Nei Fernandes de Oliveira did not directly participate in the formal creation of the department, as he was at MIT during part of this period.

The first names of DFMT

Among the faculty members and assistants linked to the origins of the department, several names stand out who helped define its academic and scientific profile. These include Normando Celso Fernandes, Gita Ghinsberg, Klaus Stephan Tausk, Djalma Mirabelli Redondo, Vanda Vale Marcondes Machado, Carmen Lys Ribeiro Braga, Alberto da Rocha Barros, Mutsuko Yamamoto Kucinski, and Jun'ichi Osada.

The presence of these names reveals the intellectual diversity present in the formation of the department, which from the start brought together theoretical tradition, mathematical rigor, and a strong experimental vocation.

The implementation of the Low Temperatures Laboratory

The implementation of the laboratory had high-level international support. At the time, Carlos Quadros was working at Harvard and coordinated the laboratory setup with the collaboration of specialists such as John Daunt, an international reference in cryogenics, and Gerard Singer. The plan conceived by Daunt was comprehensive and detailed, covering everything from the acquisition of liquefiers to the specifications of cryogenic facilities.

Thus, the laboratory was established on solid foundations, supported by an infrastructure designed to allow the construction of custom experiments and the training of researchers under scientific conditions comparable to those of leading international centers.

This effort was further strengthened by the presence of Newton Bernardes, invited by Schenberg in 1962, whose work helped expand the scientific prestige of the laboratory and strengthen its integration into international low-temperature research.

Infrastructure, cryogenics, and technical work

The installation of the first helium cryogenic machine in Brazil was a fundamental milestone. This infrastructure enabled the production of approximately 4 liters of helium per hour, still requiring cooling with liquid nitrogen. For this reason, the laboratory also acquired nitrogen liquefiers, essential for the operation of the cryogenic system.

The development of the laboratory would not have been possible without the work of the technical team. The memorial records the contributions of professionals such as Osvaldo Capelo, Paulo Balbachan, Ademir dos Santos, Rui Fernandes Oliveira, Francisco de Paula Oliveira (Paulinho), as well as Jaime Borges Junior (Jaimão), Walter Sores de Lima, and Carlos Alberto Barione (Carlinhos).

It was these technicians who, in the daily life of the workshops and cryogenic stations, taught new scholarship students and researchers the fundamental procedures of soldering, machining, experimental assembly, and cryogenic fluid handling, becoming an essential part of the laboratory's living memory.

First research lines

In the early years, the laboratory's activities focused largely on building the experimental infrastructure itself. One example was the study of the magnetic susceptibility of materials in cryogenic apparatus, showing that research at that time also consisted of creating the material conditions for future experiments.

Among the first notable researchers were Nei Fernandes de Oliveira and José Galvão de Pisapia Ramos. Nei Oliveira was responsible for implementing magnetic measurements, while Galvão de Pisapia focused on building a specific heat measurement system. These work fronts decisively shaped the laboratory's initial research lines.

From this nucleus, research developed on magnetic ions in crystalline fields, electronic structure of metals, and other central topics in condensed matter physics.

The French cooperation

The beginning of the laboratory was also marked by an important cooperation with France, mediated in part by the French embassy. Young researchers were sent to Brazil and contributed directly to the scientific and technical consolidation of the group.

Among the names cited are Gerard Khun, Jean-Louis Bret, and André de Combarieu. This collaboration provided not only qualified human resources but also equipment that significantly expanded the laboratory's experimental capabilities.

It was in this context that the laboratory received its first superconducting coil, capable of generating a field of approximately 15 thousand gauss — equipment that would later play an important role in the first Brazilian characterizations of high-temperature magnetism.

The Astrophysics Group of DFMT

An Astrophysics Group at DFMT/IFUSP was created in the early 1970s, stemming from Prof. Normando's initiative to create an undergraduate course in Astrophysics as a tribute to Prof. Schenberg. Encouraged by the success of this course, professors Normando and Mauro Cattani proposed the formation of a research group within DFMT. To strengthen the initiative, they invited Prof. Dr. Jun'ichi Osada, who served as the group's formal chair for hierarchical reasons. The group taught undergraduate and graduate courses and published works on the effect of superdense matter in neutron star cores. In 1973, with the arrival of Prof. Dr. José Antonio de F. Pacheco, an astrophysics specialist coming from France, the group was transferred to IAG/USP, ending its activities at DFMT.

First scholarship students

Below we highlight the pioneers who participated in the founding and development of research activities at the Low Temperatures Laboratory as scholarship students:

The first undergraduate scholarship holders (CNPq in 1964) include José Roberto Leite and Armando Paduan Filho — supervised by Newton Bernardes — and Carlos Castilha Becerra — supervised by Carlos Quadros.

Legacy

The history of DFMT shows that its formation resulted from the convergence of scientific vision, institutional articulation capacity, international support, and technical expertise. The department was born from the combination of the academic tradition inherited from the old chairs of the Faculty of Philosophy and the construction of a cutting-edge experimental infrastructure in cryogenics and condensed matter physics.

By commemorating its founders, faculty members, researchers, and technicians, this memorial reaffirms the importance of preserving institutional memory as an inseparable part of the department's identity and its contribution to Brazilian science.

Key milestones

Late 1950s
Conception of the laboratory by Mário Schenberg.

1960
Invitation to Carlos José de Azevedo Quadros to implement the laboratory.

1961
Technical structuring of the laboratory and consolidation of the cryogenic project.

1962
Strengthening of low-temperature research with the arrival of Newton Bernardes.

1970
Formal creation of the Department of Physics of Materials and Mechanics.

Key figures

Mário Schenberg

Carlos José de Azevedo Quadros

Nei Fernandes de Oliveira

Mauro Cattani

Luiz Guimarães Ferreira

Newton Bernardes

José Galvão de Pisapia Ramos

Angelo Piccini

Laboratory technical staff

Institutional memory

DFMT was born from the union of scientific vision, theoretical training, and experimental infrastructure. Preserving this trajectory is also preserving the history of condensed matter physics in Brazil.

• DFMT at the commemorative event "Ninety Years of Physics at USP"