Acquisition of a Physical Properties Measurement Facility for Materials Research and Education

IMR奖授予特拉华大学购买物理性质测量系统(PPMS)，以支持在新型磁性材料和超导领域的许多补充和多学科研究计划。PPMS是一种自动可变温度-磁场系统，将提供一套新的电传输和磁测量功能，包括电阻率、霍尔效应、电流-电压特性、噪声、直流磁化、交流磁化率和各向异性。该系统将满足几名教职员工的不同需求，他们需要对材料进行常规表征和详细研究，磁场范围从50MoE到90Koe，温度从1.9K到400K，这些都是目前无法实现的。受益于这种系统的积极研究项目包括：“自旋电子学”，特别是铁磁隧道结中的自旋极化输运，永磁体和小磁性粒子，软磁纳米复合材料，过渡金属有机金属的磁性，银硫化物的线性磁阻，以及最近发现的超导体的电磁性质。这些研究项目涉及材料的基本现象，以及与材料合成、加工和性能相关的技术方面。这个IMR奖是为了在特拉华大学建立一个最先进的物理性能测量(PPMS)设施。该设施将由物理与天文学、材料科学与工程、化学与生物化学系的不同教职员工使用，这些教职员工需要研究材料在极端温度和磁场下的电和磁性能。这些研究项目涉及新型磁性材料和超导的基本现象，以及与材料合成、加工和性能相关的技术方面。将从这一新设施中受益的一些研究领域与磁场传感和数据存储有关，例如在碲化银化合物中发现的异常大的线性磁响应以及新兴的“自旋电子学”领域。后者是一种革命性的电子学方法，它除了基于电荷外，还基于电荷载体的自旋。自旋电子设备已经在计算机硬盘驱动器行业找到了商业应用，并在低功耗、非易失性存储器应用方面有着巨大的前景。PPMS设施将大大扩大该机构材料表征工作的范围。除了对IMR方案的科学目标产生影响外，PPMS设施还将纳入物理和天文学系的教育活动。这些活动包括为研究生和高级本科生制定课程(如磁性材料课程的实验室练习)，为本科生提供研究机会，以及既定的外联活动，向当地高中生和家长宣传研究的好处和兴奋。

An IMR award is made to the University of Delaware to purchase a physical properties measurement system (PPMS) to support a number of complementary and multidisciplinary research programs in the areas of novel magnetic materials and superconductivity. The PPMS is an automated variable temperature-magnetic field system that will provide a suite of new electro-transport and magnetometry measurement capabilities that include resistivity, Hall effect, current-voltage characteristics, noise, DCmagnetization, AC susceptibility and anisotropy. The system will serve the diverse needs of several faculty members who require routine characterization and detailed studies of materials in magnetic fields ranging from 50 mOe to 90 kOe and at temperatures ranging from 1.9 K to 400K that are currently not attainable. Active research programs that benefit from access to such a system include studies of: "spin-electronics", in particular spin-polarized transport in ferromagnetic tunnel junctions, permanent magnets and small magnetic particles, soft magnetic nanocomposites, magnetism of transition metal organometallics, linear magnetoresistance of silver chalcogenides, and electromagnetic properties of recently discovered superconductors. These research programs address fundamental phenomena materials, as well as technological aspects related to materials synthesis, processing, and performance.This IMR award is to establish a state-of-the-art physical properties measurement (PPMS) facility at the University of Delaware. The facility will be used by a diverse set of faculty in the Departments of Physics and Astronomy, Materials Science and Engineering, and Chemistry and Biochemistry who require studies of the electrical and magnetic properties of materials under extreme temperatures and magnetic fields. The research programs address fundamental phenomena in novel magnetic materials and superconductivity, as well as technological aspects related to materials synthesis, processing, and performance. Some areas of research that will benefit from this new facility are related to magnetic field sensing and data storage, such as the unusually large and linear magnetic response found in silver telluride compounds and in the emerging field of "spintronics". The latter is a revolutionary approach to electronics that is based on the spin of the charge carrier in addition to its charge. Spin-electronic devices havealready found commercial application in the computer hard-drive industry and hold great promise for low power, non-volatile memory applications. The PPMS facility will significantly expand the scope of materials characterization efforts at the institution. In addition to its impact on the scientific goals of the IMR program, the PPMS facility will be integrated into the educational activities of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. These activities include curriculum development for graduate and senior undergraduate level courses (such as laboratory exercises for a course on Magnetic Materials), research opportunities for undergraduates, and established outreach activities that promote the benefits excitement of research to local high school students and parents.