Award Abstract #0134613
CAREER: New Materials in Condensed Matter Physics - The Case of Quasicrystals

NSF Org:	DMR Division of Materials Research
Initial Amendment Date:	January 24, 2002
Latest Amendment Date:	October 26, 2005
Award Number:	0134613
Award Instrument:	Continuing grant
Program Manager:	Wendy W. Fuller-Mora DMR Division of Materials Research MPS Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Start Date:	February 1, 2002
Expires:	January 31, 2007 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$454792
Investigator(s):	Ian Fisher irfisher@stanford.edu (Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	Stanford University 340 Panama Street STANFORD, CA 94305 650/723-2300
NSF Program(s):	CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
Field Application(s):	0106000 Materials Research
Program Reference Code(s):	SMET, AMPP, 9251, 9178, 9161, 1045
Program Element Code(s):	1710

ABSTRACT

The search for, and synthesis of, new materials plays a crucial role in Condensed Matter Physics. Quasicrystals are a specific case of interest because they possess long-range atomic order but without the translational symmetry of conventional crystals. It is therefore possible to explore the consequences of an ordered but non-periodic structure on physical, magnetic and electronic properties of a material. This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award will fund a project that will address outstanding questions in the field of quasicrystals via the synthesis and measurement of high-quality, single-grain samples. In particular, this work will explore and clarify the complex roles of order, periodicity and structural perfection on electronic transport, and magnetic ground states and phase transitions in quasicrystals. The materials are for the most part incongruently melting, and the self-flux technique is a well-suited synthesis route. Experimental techniques used to probe the thermodynamic and transport properties include susceptibility, heat capacity, resistivity and Hall effect measurements. The students involved with this research will learn synthesis, characterization, and analysis skills that will enable them to find future employment in academe, industry, or government laboratories. In addition the PI's research efforts will be integrated into a new lecture course that introduces contemporary challenges in the field of condensed matter physics via the detailed discussion of canonical materials. Specific examples and experimental techniques from the PI's own laboratory will be used to motivate and illustrate various aspects of this course. The PI will also continue his interest in scientific publication for children.

Advances in the field of Condensed Matter Physics often go hand-in-hand with the development of new materials. These advances may herald new theoretical challenges, a clearer understanding of well-known phenomena or advanced applications. In all cases, the search for, and synthesis of, new materials plays a crucial role, and this is the focus of the PI's laboratory at Stanford University. Quasicrystals are a specific case in point. These exotic materials possess long-range atomic order but without the translational symmetry of conventional crystals. It is therefore possible to explore the consequences of an ordered but non-periodic structure on physical, magnetic and electronic properties of a material. This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award will fund a project that will address outstanding questions in the field of quasicrystals via the synthesis and measurement of high-quality, single-grain samples. In particular, this work will explore and clarify the complex roles of order, periodicity and structural perfection on electronic transport, and magnetic ground states and phase transitions in quasicrystals. The students involved with this research will learn synthesis, characterization, and analysis skills that will enable them to find future employment in academe, industry, or government laboratories. In addition the PI's research efforts will be integrated into a new lecture course that introduces contemporary challenges in the field of condensed matter physics via the detailed discussion of canonical materials. Specific examples and experimental techniques from the PI's own laboratory will be used to motivate and illustrate various aspects of this course. The PI will also continue his interest in scientific publication for children.

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