New analytical methods in materials physics: hard x-rays, standing waves, and time resolution

Prof. Alexander Gray (Temple University) will give a colloquium in the Physics Department, titled "New analytical methods in materials physics: hard x-rays, standing waves, and time resolution". This lecture is open to the campus community, but assumes at least 1-2 years of physics background coursework. 

Abstract:

Atomic-level design of heterostructures that exhibit functional electronic and magnetic phenomena has become a diverse and vibrant subfield of condensed matter physics and material science. Of particular interest are the material systems wherein rich physics and intricate interplay between various degrees of freedom at the interface give rise to functional properties not observed in the constituent materials. In this talk, I will describe several new directions in the fields of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and imaging, made possible with the advent of third-generation synchrotron light sources and free-electron lasers (FEL), and enabling investigations of fundamental physical processes in complex materials and technologically-relevant nanostructures and interfaces with depth- and time resolution. I will focus specifically on the studies of materials and heterostructures that aim at gaining a clear understanding of the depth-dependent nanoscale evolution of materials’ electronic properties at the surface, in the bulk, and across the buried interfaces by using multiple modalities of hard and soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission both separately and in tandem with each other. I will talk about future opportunities for utilizing these techniques in a lab environment, as well as at the next-generation synchrotron and FEL facilities.