MRI: Acquisition of a Closed Cycle Cryostat for Low Temperature Optical Microscopy Studies of Dichalcogenides and Topological Insulators at a Predominantly Undergraduate Inst

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1337207 HeTechnical abstract:This Major Research Instrumentation award supports the University of Northern Iowa (UNI)with the acquisition of a closed cycle optical microscopy cryostat to be interfaced with a Horiba Labram HR Raman Microscope. The combined system will enable variable temperature optical microscopy studies of materials such as 2-dimensional dichalcogenide systems and low dimensional topological insulators (TIs). The instrument will enable studies of a range of current condensed matter topics such as the interplay between charge-density-waves and superconductivity, the physics of quantum confinement effects of charges and phonons in nanostructures, studies of surface properties of low dimensional TIs, and the search for optical signature of Dirac cones on the surface of TI nanostructures. The instrument will also be integrated in undergraduate students research and it will be incorporated in three undergraduate courses at UNI. The state-of-the-art optical microscopy cryostat will significantly broaden the scope of research and teaching at UNI. Non-technical Abstract:This Major Research Instrumentation award supports the acquisition of an efficient refrigeration system for variable temperature optical microscopy studies of diverse materials. The system will be combined with a commercial Raman microscope at the Physics Department of the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). The combined system (Raman microscope and refrigeration system) will enable variable temperature optical microscopy studies of a variety of materials and will enhance and broaden the scope of the research at UNI. The acquisition of an optical microscopy refrigeration system will have a powerful impact on the undergraduate students at UNI. This equipment will be used in three undergraduate courses and will extend the reach of the instrument to approximately forty more students per year at UNI. It will also stimulate participation of greater numbers of students in research activities and provide undergraduate students with hands-on experience in low temperature optical experiments using world-class research instrumentation.