Condensed Matter Physics at JHU

The condensed matter physics research in the department is focused on studies of magnetism, critical phenomena,
transport properties, pattern formation, nonequilibrium processes, artificially structured solids, low dimensional
solids, heavy fermion systems, low temperature physics, neutron diffusion, and high Tc superconductivity. In recent
years, the program has involved studies of the magnetic behavior of ultra-thin epitaxial films of iron, the magnetic
and transport properties of vapor- deposited amorphous metallic solids, compositionally modulated solids, granular
metals and metal superlattices, quasi 1- dimensional magnetic systems, heavy fermion systems, and the families of
new high Tc oxide superconductors. Techniques used in these studies involve M”ssbauer spectroscopy, LEED and Auger
electron spectroscopy, He3 -He4 dilution refrigerator, neutron diffraction resistivity measurements, magnetic
susceptibility, vibrating sample magnetometer, SQUID magnetometry, ferromagnetic resonance, X-ray and electron
diffraction spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. A molecular beam
epitaxy system and high-rate sputtering systems, in addition to single-crystal growth are used for sample fabrication.

Electron Spectroscopy Group

at Brookhaven National Laboratory
Welcome to the home page for the Electron Spectroscopy Group at Brookhaven National Laboratory on
Long Island, New York. The Electron Spectroscopy Group in the Condensed Matter Physics and Materials
Science Department is composed of two main areas: angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES)
and infrared spectroscopy as a probe of the optical properties and complex conductivity of solids. The
Electron Spectroscopy Group’s primary focus is on the electronic structure and dynamics of condensed
matter systems. The group carries out studies on a range materials including strongly correlated systems
and thin metallic films. A special emphasis is placed on studies of high-Tc superconductors and related
materials. The primary techniques used include high-resolution photoemission and infrared spectroscopy
or optical conductivity. The experiments are carried out both within the laboratory in the Physics
Department and at the National Synchrotron Light Source. The emphasis is on the study of the low-
energy excitations and the nature of the interactions of the latter with their environment. The group has
also established a successful pulsed laser deposition facility for the study of thin films. Future plans
involve studies of nanoscale systems and will involve close collaboration and work within the newly
created Center for Functional Nanomaterials.

A brief survey of current research topics include:ARPES and infrared studies of electron and hole-doped
igh-temperature superconductors Charge ("stripe") order in the nickelates Correlated electron systems
hexaborides, etc.) Colossal magneto resistance in the manganates High-dielectric constant materials
Single-wall carbon nanotubes Density-functional theory ab-initio calculations of electronic band structure
and lattice dynamics of perovskites

Condensed Matter, Solid State, and Materials Research

Research topics in this diverse area range from innovative studies of the basic properties of condensed-matter systems to
the nanofabrication and study of advanced electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, and quantum-superconductor devices.
Modern materials (especially those involving thin films) are increasingly produced in configurations in which the
functionality and limitations of systems are determined by their surface or interfacial properties and by the structure and
nature of atomic defects at these surfaces and interfaces. In applied physics, investigations directed at the physics of
surfaces and interfaces include the study of catalysis and surface reactions, atomic resolution of the interface and grain-
boundary structure of electronic materials, and determination of the effect of a single atomic defect on electronic transport
across an interface. Materials systems that are currently the focus of substantial research efforts by applied physics
research groups include: silicon and related materials for semiconductor materials physics and nanoelectronics research;
thin films of complex oxides for colossal magnetoresistance materials, high K dielectrics, and fundamental studies of thin-
film growth; heterostructures of III-V compounds and alloys, including gallium arsenide and various phosphides and
nitrides, for experiments that use or elucidate effects of quantum confinement and seek to optimize carrier transport and
optical properties for use in millimeter-wave transistors and ultra-high-speed optoelectronic devices; and low-temperature
and high-temperature superconductor thin-film materials for research activities that seek both to clarify basic questions
regarding superconductivity and to advance the prospects for significant applications of superconducting films and
devices. Research groups in the field of applied physics employ a wide range of experimental approaches in the study of
condensed matter physics and materials science. These include x-ray and electron diffraction, photoluminescence and
Raman scattering, x-ray and optical spectroscopy, electron microscopy (particularly ultra-high-resolution electron
microscopy and analytical electron microscopy), Rutherford ion-backscattering spectroscopy, tunneling spectroscopy,
scanning probe microscopy, nanostructure transport studies, molecular-beam epitaxy with atomic-layer control,
organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy, laser ablation, ultra-high-vacuum processing, electron-beam lithography, ion-beam
lithography, and ion-beam processing. Field members continue to lead in the development of many of these experimental
approaches.
Scientists win 'ultimate prize' in
condensed matter physics
Physics professor Nicholas Read and his colleagues have received the 2002 Oliver E.
Buckley Condensed Matter Prize for their outstanding theoretical or experimental
contributions to condensed matter physics.

"It's great to have recognition for work that's part of our general attempt to understand how
matter behaves under different conditions," says Read, professor of physics and applied
physics. "This is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of condensed matter
physics."

The prize was endowed in 1952 by AT&T Bell Laboratories (now Lucent Technologies) as a
way of recognizing outstanding scientific work. It is named in memory of Oliver E. Buckley,
former president of Bell Labs. The other Buckley Prize recipients are Jainendra Jain of
Pennsylvania State University and Robert Willett of Lucent Technologies. Eighteen previous
Buckley Prize winners went on to win the Nobel Prize.

According to Ramamurti Shankar, chair of the Department of Physics, the theoretical

condensed matter physics program at Yale has grown enormously over the last 15 years.
"Nick's receiving the ultimate prize in condensed matter physics is a richly deserved honor.
Co-recipient Jainendra Jain also began his work on this problem when he was a postdoctoral
fellow at Yale. The two departments [of physics and applied physics] are very proud to have
been able to provide such a climate for research."

Condensed matter physics underlies all modern electronics and led to the original invention
of the transistor, which is the basis of semiconductor and computer technology. Read's
Buckley Prize is for work published in a 1993 issue of Physical Review. His research focuses
on quantum mechanics and semiconductors, which make up computer chips, the basis of all
home electronics. Earlier studies have shown that it's possible to fabricate a small device or
chip in which electrons move in two dimensions. "It's as if they're little billiard balls moving
on a pool table," Read says. "There are billions of electrons inside a typical chip and they're
moving around as if they're on a table in two dimensions."

Electrical measurements can be made on this two-dimensional system of electrons, explains

Read, and this can be done at very low temperatures -- close to absolute zero degrees Kelvin.
When the chip is put into a magnetic field that is perpendicular to the two dimensions of the
electrons, new states of matter can be observed.

"Like molecules of water that can condense as a liquid when cooled below the boiling point,
the electrons in two dimensions in a magnetic field can enter a new liquid state of matter
when the temperature is very low," says Read. "Surprisingly, our new liquid state is similar to
what happens to the electrons in metals."
Theoretical
Condensed
Matter Physics
At the beginning of this 21st
century, the field of condensed
matter physics has grown to
encompass an extraordinary range
of topics that go far beyond its
original roots in solid state physics
and statistical mechanics. As a
result, condensed matter physics
has become the largest and one of Recent work by condensed matter theorist Professor
the most exciting areas of physics Harold Baranger was motivated by experiments on
to work in. A PhD in condensed quantum dots, which were created by using metallic
matter theory provides an excellent gates on a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure to create a
background to work on many confinement potential and tunneling contacts to
topics not just in physics but in leads. A schematic of a dot and its gates is shown in
other disciplines such as biology, (a), where the letter D denotes the dot and the
chemistry, computer science, numbers label the gates. The calculated conductance
economics, electrical engineering, through a stadium-shaped quantum dot is shown
and medicine. Despite the below in (b). A line of height G is placed for each
enormous breadth of condensed energy level in the dot. The conductance depends on
matter physics, nearly all the coupling of the wavefunction through the
theoretical work revolves around a tunneling barrier to each lead. Note the oscillatory
central theme of understanding envelope in the heights--this is produced by the
collective phenomena: how horizontal classical periodic orbit, a ``quantum
complex properties of a system chaos'' effect--as well as the fine-scale apparently
arise from parts which themselves random quantum variation--an example of
do not possess these properties. ``mesoscopic fluctuations''. [From E. E. Narimanov,
Thus the conduction electrons in a et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 2640 (99).]
metal like lead are rather simple
objects that can be characterized individually by their mass, charge, position, and
velocity. Yet when lead is cooled below about 7o K, something neat and unexpected
happens and these electrons organize themselves into a remarkable superconducting state
in which electrical currents can flow forever and magnetic fields are excluded from the
bulk of the metal. Modern condensed matter physics and many other areas of science are
full of these "neat and unexpected" collective phenomena and efforts to understand them
theoretically often generate deep and broadly useful insights that can be applied to
problems far removed from the experimental data that originally motivated the theory.
Theoretical research at Duke reflects the great diversity of condensed matter physics.
About half the condensed matter theory faculty work on topics related to collective
properties of many-electron systems, especially at the frontier of nanoscience in which
novel properties arise in electronic systems such as quantum dots that range from 1-100
nanometers in size. (As you may know, nanoscience has been identified as one of the
scientific and technological frontiers of 21st-century research because of its importance
to computers, biology, electronics, optics, and material design.) Nanophysics issues of
current interest to the group include the interplay of interactions and interference in
quanutm dots, novel many-body ground states, and magnetic nanoparticles.The other half
of the faculty works on collective properties of classical systems for which quantum
mechanics plays little if any role. These faculty use their condensed matter training to
understand difficult equilibrium materials such as a spin glass, or the complex dynamical
behavior of nonequilibrium media such as a convecting fluid, a laser, heart muscle, or a
granular medium, or the properties of discrete interacting agents such as sellers and
buyers in a model of an economic system. Despite the fact that quantum mechanics is not
involved, many of the same kinds of issues arise as in electronic systems of how to
characterize, understand, and predict the spatiotemporal structure of these systems.

FACULTY RESEARCH INTERESTS

Professor Harold U. Baranger
(Ph.D. Cornell University, 1986) is interested in Nanophysics--the physics of
small, nanometer scale, bits of solid. Fundamental interest in nanophysics stems
from the ability to control and probe systems on length scales larger than atoms
but small enough that the averaging inherent in bulk properties has not yet
occurred. Using this ability, entirely unanticipated phenomena can be uncovered
on the one hand, and the microscopic basis of bulk phenomena can be probed on
the other. Additional interest comes from the many links between nanophysics and
nanotechnology. One of Dr. Baranger's recent projects involves the interplay
between quantum interference and electron-electron interactions in quantum dots.
A second long-term project is "quantum-chaos": how are quantum properties of a
nanoparticle influenced by chaos in its classical dynamics. This project has lead to
a secondary interest in wave-interference in all kinds of media, for example, the
propagation of microwave signals inside buildings in connection with wireless
communication. Future projects may include transport in nanoscale magnetic
materials ("spintronics"), conduction through single molecules, and the combining
of wave-interference physics with information theory in wireless communication.
Visiting Assistant Professor Robert G. Brown
(Ph.D. Duke, 1982) is interested in using algebraic and statistical methods to
study a wide range of equilibrium and nonequilibrium problems. With
collaborator Dr. Mikael Ciftan, Dr. Brown has developed new Monte Carlo
Langevin equation-based techniques that allow dynamic/nonequilibrium and
static/equilibrium phenomena to be studied on the same footing. His recent work
includes algebraic and computational studies in dynamic and static critical
phenomena in quantum optics and magnetism. In earlier work, Dr. Brown also
developed a generalized (non-muffin-tin) stationary multiple scattering theory,
including applications to band theory and quantum chemistry. This work formally
 eliminates the muffin-tin approximation from KKR-type band theory and its
equivalents in quantum chemistry, without the need for so-called "near field"
corrections.
Adjunct Professor Mikael Ciftan
(Ph.D. Duke, 1968) is also on the faculty of the Army Research Office in
Research Triangle Park. He is developing the coherent state functional integral
method and applying it to many interesting problems in condensed matter physics
and quantum optics. This approach uses group theory to simplify the daunting
problem of evaluating real time - real temperature solutions in statistical
mechanics. In particular, his interests embrace applications of physics at very
small distances and time scales relevant to new computer technologies. His past
accomplishments include some of the original experimental work with lasers and
quantum spectroscopy and studies of super radiance and optical bistability in
quantum optics.
Professor Henry S. Greenside
(Ph.D. Princeton, 1981) is interested in the rich collective dynamics of large
sustained nonequilibrium systems and especially in spatiotemporal chaos (chaotic
systems which are spatially disorganized) which occurs widely in fluid, chemical,
laser, and biological systems. His current research involves trying to understand
quantitatively recent high-precision experiments on Rayleigh-Benard convection,
which is a central paradigm for physicists interested in understanding the
fundamental properties of nonequilibrium systems. In collaboration with
researchers in Duke's Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of
Psychiatry, Dr. Greenside is also interested in using theoretical insights from
convection and other desktop systems to understand some difficult dynamical
medical questions such as the onset and prevention of ventricular fibrillation in
the heart and epilepsy in the brain.
Associate Professor Konstantin Matveev
(Ph.D. Institute of Solid State Physics, Russia, 1991) works on the theory of
electronic transport in mesoscopic systems. Mesoscopic physics is a new area of
research which studies various phenomena in very small conductors, with sizes
typically on the scale of 1 micron or smaller. The interest in electronic properties
of small conductors is strongly stimulated by the rapid progress of computer
technology, where the transistor size has shrunk steadily in order to increase the
processing speed and device density. The physics of mesoscopic conductors is
very different from that of larger systems. First of all, the sizes of mesoscopic
samples are so small that the quantum interference of electrons scattering off of
impurities becomes essential and gives rise to a number of new phenomena.
Secondly, the interactions between the electrons in small systems become stronger
and often affect the flow of electrons dramatically. The interactions lead to a
number of fascinating new phenomena, such as Coulomb blockade, which is
interesting from both a fundamental point of view as a new way to observe the
discreteness of charge, and as a new principle for building ultrasmall computer
logic circuits.
Professor Richard G. Palmer
 (Ph.D. Cambridge, 1973) carries out research concerning various types of
complex systems. He develops and uses techniques of statistical mechanics,
stochastic processes, dynamical systems theory, and computer simulation. His
interests include glasses and spin glasses, neural networks, genetic algorithms,
evolution, and economic markets. His is currently working on (1) theoretical
models to explain the paleontological extinction and speciation record; (2)
simulations and analysis of 2d spin glass ground states; and (3) rugged landscapes
with controllable neutrality. His long-term goal is to establish a firm theoretical
foundations for understanding the emergence of structure, complexity, and
computational ability in driven systems.
Associate Professor Joshua E. S. Socolar
(Ph.D.\ University of Pennsylvania, 1987) is interested in the principles that
determine collective behavior in condensed matter and dynamical systems. His
current research interests include: The spatial distribution of stresses granular
materials (e.g. bins of sand, coal, pills, or grain) and jamming phenomena;
Controlling chaos, or understanding feedback mechanisms that can stabilize
otherwise unstable ordered behavior in chaotic dynamical systems; and self-
organization and function of complex dynamical networks, especially genetic
regulatory networks. He has also worked extensively on the physics of
quasicrystals -- materials with quasiperiodic atomic structures akin to the Penrose
tilings -- and on spatial structure in self-organized critic

Ventricular fibrillation, a medical condition that kills over 200,000 people each year in
the United States, has attracted the attention of condensed matter theorists at Duke
University who would like to understand how and why ventricular heart tissue will
sometimes change from its normal time-periodic spatially-coherent beating to an
abnormal nonperiodic spatially-disordered state such that the heart can not pump blood
effectively, causing death if not immediately treated. This figure shows a snapshot from a
computer simulation by graduate student Elizabeth Cherry, and Professor Henry
Greenside who have invented a powerful space-time-adaptive computer code for
simulating three-dimensional heart dynamics in domains large enough and over times
long enough to study the transition to fibrillation. The figure shows a constant-voltage
(V=-40 mV) surface of electrical waves (action potentials) propagating inside a 4 cm X 4
cm X 1 cm piece of ventricular heart tissue, evolving according to a quantitatively
accurate cardiac model known as the Luo-Rudy 1 model; a realistic anisotropy that
rotates with depth has been included. The color indicates position of the surface within
the domain. Since muscle tissue contracts shortly after an electrical wave front sweeps
through it, the irregular geometry of these waves helps to explain why fibrillating heart
muscle can not contract coherently to pump blood.