A postdoc position for ultrafast materials science is open in my group, please contact me directly for more details. 09/28/22
Ultrafast materials science -- We are interested in ultrafast processes in quantum materials and aim at exploring new ways to measure and control how atoms and electrons move. The main focus is to understand nonequilibrium heterogeneities, particularly, arising from the complex interactions of electrons, spins and lattices in complex oxides and 2D materials.
Local probe -- Ultrafast dynamics of mesoscale objects play pivotal roles in nonequilibrium material properties. Novel phenomena can arise from unique boundary conditions, collective dynamics, and mesoscale effects, which are typically washed out in ensemble averaged measurements. Probing at the appropriate space (nm to um, see figures below) and time scales not only help understanding the fundamental physics but also inspires new energy and information applications on ultrafast time scales.
Multimodal probe -- A set of characterization tools is needed to provide a comprehensive view of coupled degrees of freedom. We develop and use ultrafast probes across a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum (see figures below) that directly measure the dynamical material properties on-demand at Argonne and large-scale facilities world wide. These probes include (1) ultrafast optical and THz spectroscopy sensitive to electronic and spin dynamics (the Ultrafast Materials Science Lab at MSD), (2) electron diffraction and microscopes (Center for Nanoscale Materials) and time-resolved x-ray nanodiffractionsensitive to structural and long-range order (Advanced Photon Source), as well as free-electron lasers (LCLS, PAL-FEL, SACLA) around the world. One of the priorities in the technique development is to use coherent x-ray properties for advancing ultrafast x-ray diffraction with the unprecedented space and time resolution.
Some of examples of our recent research are shown below:
Our research is supported by Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. Significant contributions are made by postdoctoral researchers and students below.
Current: Dr. Marc Zajac, Dr. Zhaodong Chu, Dr. Kumar Neeraj.
Alumni: Dr. Travis Fraser(Scientist, KMLabs), Dr. Faran Zhou (scientist, Institue of Physics, Beijing), Dr. Jiawei Zhang (Postdoc, RIKEN, Japan), Dr. Vladimir Stoica (Research prof., PSU), Dr. Youngjun Ahn (Postdoc, UM, Ann Arbor), Dr. Qian Li (Prof., Tsinghua U.), Dr. Kankan Cong (Scientist, Veeco), Mr. Samuel Marks (Student, U of Wisc, Madison), Dr. Qi Zhang (Prof., Nanjing University), Dr. I-Cheng Tung (Scientist, Intel), Dr. Yi Zhu (Scientist, KLA Tencor), Mr. Kiyan Tavangar (Student, U of Chicago).