CAREER: Photoemission Spectroscopy of Thin Films : A New Laboratory for Studying Quantum Many-Body Interactions

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NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT :This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The research funded by this CAREER award will probe exotic states of matter in artificially engineered materials. In particular, this project will investigate the quantum interactions and mechanisms which give rise to the unique properties of these materials, which include superconductivity, magnetoresistance, and phase changes. These properties have enormous utility in energy delivery and electronic applications, although this potential remains largely untapped. This is due to the current lack of understanding of the microscopic mechanisms governing these properties, something that this CAREER project will directly address. Recognizing the importance of these materials in energy-related applications, the educational component of this CAREER award will emphasize the importance of materials physics in energy storage, conversion, and transport. Education and research will be tightly integrated at the undergraduate level through research projects through the REU program as well as by Cornell undergraduates. In addition, a freshman-level module emphasizing the physics of power generation and conversion will be developed. This award will also support an outreach program centered on developing an exhibit on energy and materials for the public at the Ithaca Sciencenter. This award is supported by the Division of Materials Research and the Division of Physics. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT : This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The research funded by this CAREER award will probe exotic states of matter in artificially engineered materials. In particular, this project will utilize angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to study quantum many-body interactions in epitaxial thin films of correlated quantum materials grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). These systems include the novel two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed in oxide heterostructures (SrTiO3 / LaAlO3), superconductivity, colossal magnetoresistance in the manganites (La2MnO4), and metal-insulator transitions (EuO, V2O3). Utilizing MBE-synthesized materials will allow for the unique studies of heterostructures, nanostructures, and materials under the influence of epitaxial strain. The educational component of this CAREER award will emphasize the importance of such materials in energy storage, conversion, and transport applications. Education and research will be tightly integrated at the undergraduate level through research projects through the REU program as well as by Cornell undergraduates. In addition, a freshman-level module emphasizing the physics of power generation and conversion will be developed. This award will also support an outreach program centered on developing an exhibit on energy and materials for the public at the Ithaca Sciencenter. This award is supported by the Division of Materials Research and the Division of Physics.