CAREER: Conduction at the Molecular Scale and Nanoscience Education

威廉·马什·莱斯大学的教师早期职业发展（Career）项目侧重于分子尺度上的电子传输，将教育和推广工作结合起来。单分子晶体管（smt）是一种新颖、独特的工具，可以通过单个分子状态来检测传导。相关物理学包括分子-金属界面的电荷转移、量子相干性、无序效应、振动激发、库仑封锁和多体相关。这种丰富的调色板使该项目能够在分子尺度上解决凝聚态物质的基本科学问题，并为未来可能的分子电子技术提供知识基础。研究包括：功函数和金属分子结合的影响；双端分子器件中非线性传导的起源耦合到相关电极的分子；还有量子杂质问题。该项目提供纳米科学领域最先进的研究培训。PI也正在开发与这项研究相关的新课程，这将使物理专业的本科应用物理版本重新焕发活力。通过利用现有的外展项目，这项研究还覆盖了广泛的受众，包括高中教师、他们的学生和传统上代表性不足的群体。由单个小分子制成的晶体管是有源电子器件缩放的最终极限。威廉马什莱斯大学的教师早期职业发展（Career）项目侧重于使用这种系统来检查分子尺度上的导电。这些调查与教育和外联工作相结合。单分子晶体管实验是物理、化学和电子工程的交叉点。可利用分子的巨大多样性使实验能够检查从金属分子电荷转移到单个原子和许多电子之间可调节相互作用的“量子杂质”问题等不同主题。目标是理解纳米尺度上电荷流动的基本物理，同时为未来可能的分子电子技术（如传感器）提供知识基础。该项目提供纳米科学领域最先进的研究培训。PI也正在开发与这项研究相关的新课程，这将使物理学专业的本科应用物理版本重新焕发活力。通过利用现有的外展项目，这项研究还覆盖了广泛的受众，包括高中教师、他们的学生和传统上代表性不足的群体。

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project at William Marsh Rice University focuses on electronic transport at the molecular-scale, integrated with education and outreach efforts. Single-molecule transistors (SMTs) are novel, unique tools for examining conduction through individual molecular states. Relevant physics includes charge transfer at molecule-metal interfaces, quantum coherence, disorder effects, vibrational excitations, Coulomb blockade, and many-body correlations. This rich palette allows thisproject to address fundamental scientific issues in condensed matter at the molecular scale, and to provide a knowledge base for possible future molecular electronic technologies. Investigations include: effects of work function and metal-molecule binding; origins of nonlinear conduction in two-terminal molecular devices; molecules coupled to correlated electrodes; and quantum impurity problems. This project provides state-of-the-art research training in nanoscience. The PI is also developing new coursework related to this research that will reinvigorate the undergraduate Applied Physics version of the physics major. By leveraging existing outreach programs, this research also reaches a broad audience, including high schoolteachers, their students, and traditionally underrepresented groups.Transistors made from single small molecules are the ultimate limit of scaling of active electronic devices. This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project at William Marsh Rice University focuseson using such systems to examine electrical conduction at the molecular scale. These investigations are integrated with education and outreach efforts. Single-molecule transistor experiments are at the interface between physics, chemistry, and electrical engineering. The tremendous variety of available molecules allows experiments to examine diverse topics ranging from metal-molecule charge transfer to "quantum impurity" problems with adjustable interactions between a single atom and many electrons. The goal is an understanding of the basic physics of charge flow at the nanometer scale, while simultaneously providing a knowledge base for possible future molecular electronic technologies such as sensors. This projectprovides state-of-the-art research training in nanoscience. The PI is also developing new coursework related to this research that will reinvigorate the undergraduate Applied Physics version of the physicsmajor. By leveraging existing outreach programs, this research also reaches a broad audience, including high school teachers, their students, and traditionally underrepresented groups.