research

APPLIED PHYSICS

The frontier of high-energy physics is "the even smaller" and that of astrophysics is "the ever larger." Applied Physics, of which the study of condensed matter is a large part, has its own frontier, "the ever more complex," covering the interfaces of physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. The Division, with its open, interdisciplinary structure is uniquely suited for innovative research in this area.

Applied Physics at Harvard is strong in nanoscience research (facilitated by the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center); small-scale and nanoscale "systems" fabrication and construction (facilitated by the Center for Nanoscale Systems); condensed matter/materials science (facilitated by the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center); and bio-nano technologies (facilitated by the Kavli Institute for Bionanoscience and Technology).

Areas of Focus

Biophysics

  • study of complex materials found in tissues and cells using microheological techniques
  • rheological measurements on cross-linked polymer gels that resemble biopolymer networks
  • mechanical testing of entangled actin networks
  • the use of nanopores in solid-state membranes as single-molecule detectors for DNA and other biopolymers
  • theoretical research in the statistical mechanics of biopolymers
  • pattern formation during the growth of tissue

Research Groups

Auguste Biomaterials Lab
Brenner Research Group
Condensed Matter Theory
Nanopore Technology Research
Prentiss Research Group
Weitz Research Group

Researchers

Aizenberg, Joanna
Auguste, Debra T.
Brenner, Michael P.
Cluzel, Philippe
Golovchenko, Jene A.
Mahadevan, L.
Manoharan, Vinothan N.
Mooney, David J.
Nagpal, Radhika
Needleman, Daniel J.
Nelson, David R.
Parker, Kit
Ramanathan, Sharad
Weitz, David A.
Westervelt, Robert M.

Related Researchers

Mara Prentiss

Electronic and Magnetic Systems and Devices

  • investigation of electron and hole transport in novel materials, nanostructures (dots and wires), devices using microscopy techniques
  • nanowire synthesis techniques and nanoscale assembly/characterization of matter
  • superconducting phenomena • ultra-sensitive microwave detectors
  • arrays of magnetic bubbles
  • Casmir forces and their control in nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS)
  • molecular scale sensors capable of detecting single atoms
  • rapid single molecule DNA sequencing

Research Groups

Capasso Group
Ham Research Group
Lieber Research Group
Loncar Nano-optics Group
Marcus Research Group
Nanopore Technology Research Group
Park Research Group
Westervelt Research Group
Zhuang Research Group

Researchers

Capasso, Federico
Clarke, David R.
Golovchenko, Jene A.
Ham, Donhee
Kaxiras, Efthimios
Lieber, Charles M.
Loncar, Marko
Narayanamurti, Venkatesh
Ramanathan, Shriram
Westervelt, Robert M.

Related Researchers

Eugene Demler
Bertrand Halperin
Charles Marcus
Hongkun Park
Xiaowei Zhuang

Materials Science

  • Creation of materials and assemblies and new devices using new materials
  • phase-, composition-, and morphology selection in materials formation (and how this differs from nanophase materials)
  • properties of materials in thin film form compared with those in the bulk
  • the principles and mechanisms involved in the development of stress in thin-film deposition

Research Groups

Auguste Biomaterials Lab
Aziz and Spaepen Research Groups
Friend Research Group
Lieber Research Group
Narayanamurti Research Group
Vlassak Research Group

Researchers

Aizenberg, Joanna
Auguste, Debra T.
Aziz, Michael J.
Clarke, David R.
Cluzel, Philippe
Friend, Cynthia M.
Kaxiras, Efthimios
Lieber, Charles M.
Mahadevan, L.
Manoharan, Vinothan N.
Narayanamurti, Venkatesh
Needleman, Daniel J.
Ramanathan, Sharad
Ramanathan, Shriram
Spaepen, Frans A.
Vlassak, Joost J.
Weitz, David A.

Oceans, Atmospheres, and Geophysics

  • kinetics and thermodynamics of crystal nucleation in small aqueous aerosol particles
  • the development of new lasers for atmospheric spectroscopy
  • the material science and theoretical mechanics of crack propagation in geophysics
  • physics and dynamics of the oceans, atmosphere, climate and climate change

Research Groups

Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate Dynamics

Researchers

Anderson, James G.
Bloxham, Jeremy
Farrell, Brian F.
Jacob, Daniel J.
Kuang, Zhiming
Martin, Scot T.
McElroy, Michael B.
Rice, James R.
Schrag, Daniel P.
Tziperman, Eli
Wofsy, Steven C.

Senior Research Fellows
Jennifer A. Logan
J. William Munger

Optics, Electromagnetics, and Light-Matter Interactions

  • photonic crystals (injection surface plasmon micro-lasers based on artificial defects and nonlinear optical effects)
  • optics with cold atoms and Bose–Einstein condensates, incl. slow light and stopped light. Conversion of light to matter and new paradigms for quantum control
  • quantum optics/quantum computation
  • microfabricated optical tweezers
  • surface plasmons/optical antennas
  • light generation in engineered semiconductors (e.g. nanowires, quantum dots, quantum cascade lasers)
  • manipulation of nano-scale objects using guided waves
  • nano traps for single atoms

Research Groups

The Capasso Group
The Crozier Group
Donhee Ham Research Group
Hau Lab
Laboratory for Nanoscale Optics
Mazur Group

Researchers

Capasso, Federico
Clarke, David R.
Crozier, Kenneth B.
Golovchenko, Jene A.
Ham, Donhee
Hau, Lene V.
Loncar, Marko
Manoharan, Vinothan N.
Mazur, Eric


Soft Condensed Matter

  • study of properties of materials highly deformable by externally applied stresses, electric or magnetic fields, or thermal fluctuations, including polymers, liquid crystals, fluids and complex fluids, surfactants, colloids, foams, and emulsions
  • fluid interfaces
  • avalanches in granular materials and the non-equilibrium dynamics of disordered systems

Researchers

Aizenberg, Joanna
Brenner, Michael P.
Cluzel, Philippe
Golovchenko, Jene A.
Mahadevan, L.
Manoharan, Vinothan N.
Needleman, Daniel J.
Nelson, David R.
Pershan, Peter S.
Ramanathan, Sharad
Spaepen, Frans A.
Weitz, David A.

Surface and Interface Science

  • investigation of the atomic structure of interfaces by diffraction and imaging techniques
  • interfacial thermodynamics quantities and their related phenomena of crystal nucelation and growth
  • study of mechanical strength
  • development of new nanostructures, sensors, and catalysts

Researchers

Aizenberg, Joanna
Aziz, Michael J.
Cluzel, Philippe
Friend, Cynthia M.
Golovchenko, Jene A.
Kaxiras, Efthimios
Mahadevan, L.
Manoharan, Vinothan N.
Narayanamurti, Venkatesh
Needleman, Daniel J.
Pershan, Peter S.
Ramanathan, Sharad
Ramanathan, Shriram
Spaepen, Frans A.
Vlassak, Joost J.
Weitz, David A.


Theory and Simulation

  • electronic and band-structure theory research on III-IV and II-VI compounds, magnetic semiconductors, superlattices and nanostructures, and first principles calculations of surfaces, interfaces, defects, and high-pressure phases
  • statistical mechanics of collective phenomena, including the study of flux line motion in high-temperature superconductors and phase transitions (in particular, the melting, the behavior of sheet polymers, charge density waves and biophysics)
  • investigation on electronics in semiconductor heterostructures, low-dimensional antiferromagnets, fractional statistics, inhomogeneous systems, and particles interacting with electromagnetic fields and turbulent fluids and in suspensions
  • Theory and simulation of the ocean, atmosphere and climate dynamics, understanding natural and human-induced climate change.

Researchers

Brenner, Michael P.
Hutchinson, John W.
Kaxiras, Efthimios
Mahadevan, L.
Nelson, David R.
Rice, James R.
Suo, Zhigang
Tziperman, Eli
Wu, Tai T.