CAREER: Coupled Quantum Degrees of Freedom in Semiconductor Nanostructures

* 非技术性摘要 * 材料制造和实验技术的进步使得创造纳米结构成为可能，这些纳米结构的量子特性可以以受控的方式进行操纵。这些新能力将量子力学的概念扩展到了比单个原子更大的结构，并为计算和通信的全新技术创造了潜力。为了确定这种应用的潜力，有必要对纳米结构中的电子之间的相互作用以及该结构的其他量子力学性质有一个基本的了解。 这些量子力学性质包括纳米结构中原子核的振动（称为声子）和/或磁性（称为核自旋）。这个职业奖支持一个项目，将进行研究，以获得这种理解。研究和教育在整个项目中无缝集成。为了更好地教育公众，将在新泽西州泽西城的自由科学中心建造一个纳米科学展览。高中和本科水平的研究项目将通过参与科学合作伙伴计划和REU计划得到支持。普林斯顿大学的本科生实验物理研讨会将被重新格式化，以更好地模拟现实的研究环境。本课程的学生将被要求组成小组，并提出一个实验，将在整个学期的剩余时间进行。这种动手实验室的形式是至关重要的教学生如何在现实的研究环境中操作，并将促进合作学习。与这个职业项目相关的研究生和博士后研究员将学习一些今天在研究纳米级或稍大的系统物理学中使用的最先进的实验技术。* 技术摘要 * 该职业奖支持一个专注于研究纳米结构中耦合量子自由度之间基本相互作用的项目。我们将进行一系列的实验来探测半导体量子点和多量子点系统中的电子-声子耦合和电子-核自旋相互作用。 所获得的理解可能会对使用量子点的未来技术产生影响。研究和教育在整个提案中无缝集成。活动包括向公众宣传，让高中和本科生参与研究项目，以及开发实验物理学的二年级研讨会。与该职业项目相关的研究生和博士后研究员将学习低温实验技术，纳米纤维和高频测量;所有这些技能将为未来的学术界或工业研究职业生涯提供良好的准备。

****NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT**** Advances in material fabrication and experimental techniques have made it possible to create nanostructures whose quantum properties can be manipulated in controlled ways. These new capabilities have extended the ideas of quantum mechanics to structures larger than a single atom and are creating the potential for fundamentally new technologies for computation and communication. To determine the potential for such applications it is necessary to gain a fundamental understanding of interactions between the electrons in a nanostructure and other quantum mechanical properties of that structure. These quantum mechanical properties include the vibrations (known as phonons) and/or the magnetic properties of the nuclei (known as nuclear spin) in the nanostructure. This CAREER award supports a project that will carry out studies to gain this understanding. Research and education are seamlessly integrated throughout the project. To better educate the public, a nanoscience display will be constructed for the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ. High school and undergraduate level research projects will be supported through involvement in the Partners in Science program and the REU program. The undergraduate Experimental Physics Seminar at Princeton will be reformatted to better emulate a realistic research environment. Students in this course will be required to form teams and propose an experiment that will take place throughout the remainder of the semester. This hands-on laboratory format is critical for teaching students how to operate in a realistic research setting and will foster cooperative learning. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows associated with this CAREER project will learn some of the most advanced experimental techniques used today in studying the physics of systems that are on the nanoscale or slightly larger. ****TECHNICAL ABSTRACT**** This CAREER award supports a project focusing on studies of fundamental interactions between coupled quantum degrees of freedom in nanostructures. A series of experiments will be performed to probe electron-phonon coupling and electron-nuclear spin interactions in semiconductor quantum dots and multiple quantum dot systems. The understanding gained could have an impact on future technologies using quantum dots. Research and education are seamlessly integrated throughout the proposal. Activities include outreach to the general public, involving high school and undergraduate in research projects, and the development of a sophomore level seminar on experimental physics. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows associated with this CAREER project will learn low temperature experimental techniques, nanofabrication, and high frequency measurement; all skills that will provide an excellent preparation for future careers in academia or industrial research.