Events

Simple -- and often used -- electrostatic arguments suggest that polar surfaces of insulators are unstable. Experimental studies, however, have demonstrated that polar surfaces of oxides such as MgO do exist. Moreover, the structure and growth of thin films on these polar oxide surfaces can be quite different than on the non-polar surfaces.

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Metamaterials � nanostructured composites with engineered electromagnetic response promise to provide solutions to several fundamental problems of light-matter interaction, enabling such exotic applications as planar lenses, superlenses, and optical cloaks. This talk will be focused on the physics and applications of a subclass of metamaterials, anisotropic composites. Several designs of anisotropic structures will be presented and their unique optical properties will be discussed.

My talk will begin with a "Why neutrons?" overview of basic neutron scattering physics facts, and of neutron scattering techniques used for investigating condensed matter systems. Next, I tell about spintronics -- its advent, its current status, and about successes and challenges on the road to developing semiconductor spintronics. In this context I will then present research on magnetic semiconductors that our OSU neutron scattering team conducts.

Organic semiconductor materials have attracted significant attention in recently as they offer significant advantages over traditional silicon technology including their low cost fabrication and tunability through functionalization of the molecules. Envisioned applications range from inexpensive solution processable solar cells to rewritable holographic displays. However, despite this interest in application, the nature of charge carrier photogeneration and transport in organic semiconductors is not completely understood and remains controversial.

The resources model of cognition is a potentially powerful way to conceptualize thinking and learning. For example, it may be helpful for students to use the conceptual resource of "more agent leads to more effect" when trying to understand the relationship between force (agent) and acceleration (effect), yet students often think of velocity as the effect, leading to an incorrect understanding of motion.

Modern optical physics comprises the myriad ways that matter and light interact. The interaction is mutual in that matter affects light and light affects matter. I will describe two research programs that illustrate some of the basic ways that light and matter interact. In the first program illustrating matter affecting light, we are using new solution-based techniques to fabricate optical elements. We have recently made multi-layer dielectric optical elements including wavelength dependent mirrors and a Fabry-Perot microcavity.