Emergent Behavior in Spatially Confined Complex Materials

It has been discovered that many novel collective phenomena, which do not appear in simple semiconductors, are emergent in complex correlated materials and in materials with artificial structures. “The challenge is to understand how such collective phenomena emerge, discover new ones, and to determine which microscopic details are important and which are essential.” Virtually all electronic devices began with an understanding of interface barrier formation, electronic/magnetic structure, and control — “the interface is the device”. Knowledge of the surface/interface properties as well as the effects derived from broken symmetry and spatial confinement is essential if these devices are to be made to work at optimized functionality.

The research conducted in this joint program will add a new facet to the study of emergent phenomena, the use of spatial confinement. In essence we will combine two of the grand challenges—Complexity and Nano-structured materials to explore and exploit emergent behavior. Through advanced material synthesis and nanoscale-lithography fabrication, combined with comprehensive characterization at atomic precision, we hope to understand and ultimately learn how to control the functionality of these materials for future advanced technological applications.

This dual-degree program welcomes new graduate students to participate in this exciting research. Assistantship and scholarship are available. Students will have access to a spectrum of advanced research equipment and work with one of the leading groups in this rapidly emerging field. For more information, contact Prof. Phil Adams (adams@phys.lsu.edu), Prof. Shane Stadler (stadler@phys.lsu.edu), and Prof. Jiandi Zhang (jiandiz@lsu.edu).