PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Grant: $550,000 - National Science Foundation - Aug. 21, 2009
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Award Description: This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award supports a project to investigate novel quantum physics, inspired by high energy nuclear and particle physics, in graphene (a nanomaterial). Graphene is the building block of many carbon materials such as graphite and carbon nanotubes. Electrons in graphene can mimic relativistic particles (so called 'chiral Dirac fermions') studied in high energy physics and described by quantum electrodynamics (QED) or quantum chromodynamics (QCD). This project will investigate the behavior of such chiral Dirac electrons in graphene nanostructures under various physical conditions. One focus will be a study of how these electrons may interact with impurities and with each other to generate novel quantum states of matter. This research has the potential to uncover new condensed matter physics and new methods of manipulating electrons in graphene, a material with exceptional properties that may allow the continued scaling of nanoelectronics to support future computing technology. Such studies may also provide cross-disciplinary insights to some fundamental phenomena that are difficult to observe in accelerator-based high energy physics experiments. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in this cutting edge research in an exciting multi-disciplinary environment learning forefront physics, material sciences and nanotechnology. Strategic collaborations will be formed with national laboratories, to attack interdisciplinary problems and to enrich the educational experiences of the students involved. The educational component also features specially designed outreach activities on nanoscience directed toward exposing high school science teachers thereby impacting a broad and diverse base of high school students.
Project Description: Purchased capital equipment (probe station) that would allow measurement of the electronic properties of the graphene nanoelectronic devices under low temperature and moderate magnetic field in a very efficient manner. The probe station has been ordered, and is expected to arrive in 3-4 months.
Infrastructure Description: N/A
Jobs Summary: N/A (Total jobs reported: 0)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
This award's data was last updated on Aug. 21, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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