RUI: Investigation of Strongly Correlated Electron Behavior in Rare Earth Related Materials

非技术摘要：该项目支持本科院校稀土相关材料的材料科学研究。主要的重点是超导材料和磁性纳米颗粒的合成和表征，目的是了解它们的潜在机制。许多广泛的技术应用导致了对所研究的稀土化合物的利用，如利用超导材料进行节能和储能，利用磁性纳米材料进行数字信息存储和医学成像。首席研究员实验室的研究允许本科生和硕士研究生直接参与实验凝聚态物理，让他们在学术生活的早期阶段获得实践经验。该项目提供的研究经验和实践机会鼓励学生在STEM(科学、技术、工程和数学)领域追求高等教育和职业生涯。技术摘要：该项目支持对稀土相关材料中强关联电子现象的实验研究。这些现象源于相互竞争的电子或磁性相互作用之间的微妙相互作用。通过调节温度、磁场、化学成分和降维等实验参数，可以对它们进行控制。正在研究的稀土材料可以作为模型系统来探索电子态的定域性和巡回性，并检验现有的强关联电子物理理论。这些可以通过合成高质量的样品以及建立传输和热力学性质来实现。在稀土掺杂的Skutterudite Pr1-xNdxOs4Sb12体系中，主要研究人员的目标是了解PrOs4Sb12超导电性的非常规性质。此外，通过对相关化合物CeOs4Sb12、NdOs4Sb12和SmOs4Sb12的电子结构的研究，可以深入了解Pr1-xNdxOs4Sb12体系的量子临界行为和四倍矩涨落的作用。对Gd和Nd纳米粒子的研究可以加深人们对尺寸减小对磁有序、磁场壁移动和表面电子态的影响的认识。

Non-Technical Abstract:This project supports materials science research of rare-earth related materials at an undergraduate institution. The primary focus is on the synthesis and characterization of superconducting materials and magnetic nanoparticles, with the goal of understanding their underlying mechanisms. Many versatile technical applications result utilization of the rare-earth compounds under study such as energy conservation and energy storage by applying superconducting materials and digital information storage and medical imaging by utilizing the magnetic nanomaterials. The research in the principal investigator's laboratory allows direct participation of undergraduate and master-degree-program students in the experimental condensed matter physics, giving them hands-on experience at the early stage of their academic life. The research experience and practical placement provided by this project encourage students to pursue higher education and careers in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).Technical Abstract:This project supports experimental research in the strongly correlated electron phenomena in rare-earth related materials. These phenomena arise from a subtle interplay between competing interactions, either electronic or magnetic. They can be controlled through tuning the experimental parameters such as temperature, magnetic field, chemical composition, and reduced dimensionality. The rare-earth materials under study can be used as model systems to probe the localized and itinerant nature of the electron states and test the existing theories for strongly correlated electron physics. These can be achieved through the synthesis of high-quality specimens and the establishment of transport and thermodynamic properties. In the rare-earth filled skutterudite systems Pr1-xNdxOs4Sb12, the principal investigator is aiming to understand the unconventional nature of the superconductivity in PrOs4Sb12 by the effect of neodymium substitution. Furthermore, via the investigation of the electronic structures of related compounds CeOs4Sb12, NdOs4Sb12, and SmOs4Sb12, it can give insight on the quantum critical behavior in the Pr1-xNdxOs4Sb12 system and the role of the quadruple moment fluctuation. The study of nanoparticles of gadolinium and neodymium can enhance the knowledge on the effect of reduced size on magnetic ordering, domain wall movement, and surface electron states.