Welcome to the CMRL
What We Study
As systems shrink toward the nanoscale, conventional bulk thermodynamics gives way to mesoscopic physics, where quantum effects and surfaces dominate. In these small systems the majority of atoms sit at or near the surface and behave differently from those in the bulk. The reduced number of available electronic states produces qualitatively new behavior.
These mesoscopic quantum systems are a rich platform for both fundamental discovery and applications – from quantum computing and single-photon detectors to next-generation solid-state batteries and energy-conversion materials.
We combine scanning-probe microscopy, ultrafast spectroscopy, and advanced synchrotron techniques to study the fundamental physical properties of quantum materials. In selected projects we also bridge condensed-matter physics with device engineering, translating microscopic insight into improved detector and microwave performance.
Our Experimental Expertise
Our laboratory capabilities include cryogenic ultrahigh vacuum scanning-probe microscopy and variable-temperature ultrafast electron diffraction. We have regular access to state-of-the-art nanofabrication (University of Pennsylvania’s Singh Center for Nanotechnology and Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials) and characterization facilities (synchrotron sources at Argonne and Brookhaven National Laboratories).
Collaborations
Over the past three decades, experimental condensed-matter research has become increasingly collaborative. Powerful (and expensive) instrumentation and nanofabrication tools are typically shared, so students, postdocs, and faculty work together across groups and institutions.
Our lab makes extensive use of shared facilities in West Philadelphia (Drexel’s Materials Characterization Core and Penn’s Singh Center) as well as nanofabrication and nanocharacterization centers at Argonne and Brookhaven. We also maintain active collaborations with scientists in the United States and abroad; these partnerships expand the range of techniques available to our students and increase the potential for high-impact discoveries.