SEPnet Atomic and Condensed Matter research theme, 27 June 2011

Working together to promote excellence in PhysicsSEPnet-wide video-conference, 27/06/2011

Working together to promote excellence in Physics

SEPnet-wide video-conference, 27/06/2011

Atomic and Condensed Matter across SEPnet

Jorge QuintanillaACM steering committee

www.SEPnet.ac.uk research ACM blog

http://www.sepnet.ac.uk/

http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/sepnetcm



Condensed Matter Physics Group

Functional Materials Group

Quantum, Light & Matter group

Soft Condensed Matter Physics

Group

Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

Amorphous and Nanostructured Solids; Soft Functional Materials; Theory and Modelling of Materials

Biodiagnostics; Nanophysics and Nanotechnology; Quantum Devices; Quantum Fluids and Solids; Quantum Matter; Theory of Condensed Matter and Cold Atoms

Functional Optical Materials; Inorganic Colloidal Nanocrystals; Hybrid Optoelectronics; Magnetism & Superconductivity; Nanomaterials; Quantum Control; Quantum Nanophysics and Matter Wave Interferometry; Spintronics; Semiconductor lasers; THz spectroscopy; Theory of light-matter coupling in nanostructures; Ultrafast laser X-rays

Organic coatings; Solid/Liquid

interfaces; Colloidal theory;

Colloids and emulsions; Liquid

transport in polymers;

Cementitioussystems

Theoretical quantum phsyics; Ion quantum technology; Physics of molecular ions; Single ion cavity QED; atom and ion chips

Functional materials; Local structure; Materials for nuclear energy; Nanoscale materials; Organic semiconductors



Plasmonic nanoantenna switching devicesNano Lett. ASAP (2011)Nano Lett. 10, 1741 (2010)

Integrated Nanophotonics Group - Southampton

Laser treatment of endothelial cellsusing plasmonic nanoparticleswith A. Kanaras and School of MedicineNano Lett. 11, 1358 (2011)

Ultrafast control of light by semiconductor nanowires

Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 143902 (2011)

Dr. Otto L. Muskens







Condensed Matter Physics Group

Functional Materials Group

Coleman(Rutgers/RHUL)

Eschrig (RHUL) Castelnovo (RHUL)

Quintanilla (Kent)

Schmalian (Karlsruhe)





Service to the UK community:– Summer programme:

(Funding: SEPnet)• Condensed Matter in the City I

July 2010 – London, Egham and RAL

• Condensed Matter in the City IIJune 2011 – London, Egham and RAL

– Advanced Working Groups: (Funding: EPSRC)• “Advanced Working Group on

Monopoles in Spin Ice”, RHUL, October 2010

• “Advanced Working Group on Experimental Probes for Topological Materials”, RHUL, February 201



W. Hensinger (Sussex)M. Kraft (Southampton)

2-D Ion Trap Arrays

with

AMO Group

Quantum, Light & Matter group

Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics




Call for more SEPnet ACM activities





SEPnet PhD studentships

1st round 2nd round

( )




Dilute Magnetic Ferroelectrics: A New Route to

Multiferroics?

PhD Student: Robert Lennox, Supervisors: Dr D. C. Arnold (Kent) and Dr N. Gidopoulos (RAL)

Background

Aims Current Results

Multiferroic materials exhibit both magnetic and ferroelectric ordering with potential uses including sensors and memory

devices which will be faster than current commercial memory. However, few single phase multiferroics are known since

the two order parameters tend to be mutually exclusive.

Doping small amounts of Mn or Fe into the wide band gap

semiconductor ZnO leads to RT ferromagnetic ordering.

We aim to replicate this in wideband gap ferroelectrics to

synthesis new multiferroic materials

Schematic representation

of the spatially separated

Mn ions (triangles) in

ZnO lattice

T. Dietl Nature Materials 2, 646 (2003),

P. Sharma et al. Nature Materials 2, 673 (2003)

We have synthesised both Fe and Mn doped BaTiO3

with dopant levels 1–5 %. However in all cases we see

the immergence of an undesirable hexagonal BaTiO3

phase.

0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25 2.50

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

Inte

nsity (

Co

un

ts)

d spacing (A)

HRPD data

2 % Fe

PND data

indicating

mixed phase

material with 42

% tetragonal

and 58 %

hexagonal

phases

We believe this is vacancy driven by the replacement of

Ti4+ with M3+. Investigating co-doping i.e. Ba1-xLaxTi1-

xMxO3 materials and doping with Ru4+




More information:


Thanks!





Technology

SEPnet Atomic and Condensed Matter research theme, 27 June 2011