Doctor of Philosophy in Physics - Condensed Matter Experiment

University of Cincinnati

The condensed matter experimentalists carry out vigorous efforts across a wide variety of important research areas, ranging from semiconductor organic multilayers to single-electron transistors and semiconductor nanowires. A partial listing follows. Thin organic films, organic multilayers and hybrid organic/inorganic nanosystems are fabricated by organic molecular beam deposition. The purpose of these studies is to improve the microscopic understanding of the exciton dynamics of excitations in organic materials and to combine the properties of the organic and inorganic compounds in a superior way. In the area of semiconductors, low dimensional semiconductors, in particular, MBE-grown II-VI quantum wells and quantum dots are being investigated using a variety of light scattering techniques including low temperature cw and time-resolved photoluminescence, Raman scattering and degenerate four-wave-mixing. In addition there is extensive research on the electronic and spin properties of semiconductor nanowires and nanowire heterostructures. We combine high-resolution optical spectroscopy with spatial- and temporal-resolution in order to connect the structure of the nanostructures with their physical properties. Far-infrared studies of metal-insulator transition and superconductivity in high Tc cuprates and far-infrared absorption by monodispersed small metal particles such as Au55 clusters are also being pursued.