MRI: Acquisition of a Cryogen-free dilution refrigerator with a 12 T magnet

该项目的目标是获得并建立一个基温约为0.010开尔文的无制冷剂稀释式制冷机和一个最大磁场为12特斯拉的超导磁体。这些设备将由8名首席研究人员和合作者共享，并将由他们的研究生和本科生、博士后和研究人员使用。它最初将致力于测量低维半导体结构、拓扑绝缘体和石墨烯的电子性质。所有这些材料系统都处于当前基础固体物理和器件研究的前沿。它们还具有潜在的变革性应用，例如在量子计算和信息处理方面。无制冷剂系统将在几个关键方面加强对这些材料的研究：(1)它将允许在低温和倾斜磁场中进行测量，以学习令人兴奋的新物理。(2)由于该装置的操作比传统的稀释式冰箱简单得多，它将极大地提高测量效率和研究进展。(3)它将使本科生更容易被纳入研究项目。(4)它将取代我们现有的设备，这些设备对我们的研究有帮助，但已有20多年的历史，故障频繁，不会低于0.03开尔文左右。(5)每年可节省材料(液氦)成本10万美元以上。这将对更有效地进行测量和产生新结果的能力产生巨大影响。(6)它将节省氦，一种珍贵的贵重气体。更深远的影响--拟议中的项目的影响将在科学界和其他地方看到。研究结果将通过出版物和会议报告向专业以及普通科学和工程界传播。虽然这一项目的主题是根本性的，但从长远来看，这一领域的进展将使社会受益，因为它可能导致电子材料和设备以及信息处理系统的新的、变革性的概念，其运作依赖于量子和/或相互作用现象。该项目包含了高质量和全面的教育内容。PIs致力于研究生和本科生的教育。他们都有典型的小组学生(4到6人)，他们相信，在严密的监督下进行高质量的研究，是超越教科书和习题集进行教学的最佳方式。因此，该项目将在关键的、最先进的科学和技术领域对学生进行教育，包括高质量层状半导体结构和其他新型材料(如拓扑绝缘体和石墨烯)的制造、表征和物理。这些领域训练有素的学生将是美国和世界其他地区的宝贵资源。督导计划亦会竭尽所能，吸引少数族裔的学生参与这项计划。督导计划致力为公众提供更广泛的科学及工程教育。这个项目的一些主题和成果将被纳入他们在普林斯顿大学教授的本科生和研究生课程。PIS还将参加各种K-12示范和教师培训计划，内容涉及电力、磁性和低温，这些都是与本提案主题密切相关的一般领域。这些活动包括培训课程、工具包开发以及在地区学校和普林斯顿大学的演示。

AbstractIntellectual Merit -- The goal of this project is to acquire and set up a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator with a base temperature of about 0.010 Kelvin and a superconducting magnet with a maximum field of 12 Tesla. This equipment will be shared by eight Principal Investigators and collaborators, and will be used by their graduate and undergraduate students, post-docs and research staff. It will be initially devoted to measurements of electronic properties of low-dimensional semiconductor structures, topological insulators, and graphene. All these material systems are at the forefront of current, fundamental solid state physics and device research. They also have potential transformative applications, e.g., in quantum computing and information processing. The cryogen-free system will enhance the research on these materials in several crucial ways: (1) It will allow measurements at low temperatures and in tilted magnetic fields to learn exciting new physics. (2) Because the operation of the proposed equipment is much simpler than the conventional dilution refrigerators, it will tremendously enhance the efficiency of the measurements and research progress. (3) It will allow the inclusion of undergraduate students in research projects more easily. (4) It will replace our existing equipment which is instrumental to our research but is over 20 years old, has frequent problems, and does not reach below about 0.03 Kelvin. (5) Each year it will save over $100,000 worth of materials (liquid Helium) cost. This will have a huge impact on the ability to make measurements and produce new results more efficiently. (6) It will save Helium, a precious noble gas.Broader Impacts -- The impact of the proposed project will be seen in the scientific community and beyond. Results of the research will be communicated through publications and conference presentations to the specialized as well as general science and engineering communities. While the subject of this project is fundamental, progress in this area will benefit society in the long term as it may lead to novel, transformative concepts for electronic materials and devices and information processing systems whose operation relies on quantum and/or interaction phenomena. The project incorporates a high quality and comprehensive educational component. The PIs are dedicated to the education of both graduate and undergraduate students. They all have typically small groups (4 to 6) of students, and their belief is that doing good quality research, with close supervision, is the best way to teach beyond textbooks and problem sets. The project will therefore result in the education of students in critical, state-of-the art areas of science and technology, including the fabrication, characterization, and physics of high quality layered semiconductor structures and other novel materials such as topological insulators and graphene. Well-trained students in these fields will be invaluable resources for the US as well as for the rest of the world. The PIs will also make every effort to attract to this project students from underrepresented groups.The PIs are committed to a broader education of the public in science and engineering. Some of the topics and results of this project will be incorporated into undergraduate and graduate courses that they teach at Princeton University. The PIs will also participate in various K-12 demonstrations and teacher training programs in electricity and magnetism and in cryogenic temperatures, general areas that are closely linked to the topic of this proposal. These activities include training sessions, kit development, and demonstrations at regional schools and at Princeton University.