Interactions the Newsletter of the UB Department of Physics Volume 4, Issue 2 Fall 2011

Interactions The Newsletter of the UB Department of Physics Volume 4, Issue 2 Fall 2011

established well formulated procedures for all the graduate studies. He continues to be a source of information and advice for our graduate program.

Our majors, headed by Alec Cheney, were instrumental in starting a new chapter of the Sigma Pi Sigma, the Phys- ics Honors Society, at UB. They collected signatures and petitioned the Society for a UB chapter. After successfully receiving approval, they also made arrangements for the installation. The President of the Sigma PI Sigma, Dr. Di- ane Jacobs, presided the chapter installation ceremony on November 4. Five students, Alec Cheney, Matthew Gorfien, Connor Gorman, Chun Kwan and Katherine Spoth, were in- Dear alumni and friends, ducted during the ceremony. It was very rewarding to see As I mentioned in the previous issue, the new President and our majors take charge, accomplish their goals and receive the Dean of CAS are now in office. The SUNY2020 legisla- recognition for their outstanding achievements. tion was passed and signed into law, which allows UB for This year’s Homecoming was made special by the return of the first time to plan on a five-year horizon. The new direc- our distinguished alumnus, Dr. Thomas Bogdan (featured tions and initiatives that are being implemented by the new in Alumni in Focus), to give an exciting public lecture on administration are therefore more tangible than symbolic. space weather. He has been the Director of the National This means opportunities for the Department. It is encour- Space Weather Prediction Center, and was recently named aging to see that the President’s plan for the University over- the President of the University Corporation for Atmospheric laps with some of the main concerns and aspirations of the Research, starting January 9, 2012. Department. Two workshops took place this semester. The first one, Uli As many of you know, the quality of education and research Baur Memorial Symposium, organized by Professor Do- in the Department has seen marked improvement in recent reen Wackeroth and the high energy physics and cosmol- years. This has a lot to do with the infusion of new and ex- ogy group, was held at UB on Sept. 24, 2011. It had a list cellent faculty members. The pause of this process in the of distinguished scientists attending from around the world. last couple years due to the economic down turn appears to The second one was organized by Professor Xuedong Hu, be ending and we are on the right track again. Towards this titled Buffalo Workshop on Quantum Computing, held on end, the Department is currently searching to hire a tenure September 17 – 18. It attracted researchers from institutions track high energy experimentalist. in North America, Asia and Europe. I am very grateful to Professor Xuedong Hu for agreeing to serve as the Graduate Director, starting this academic As always, keep in touch. year, succeeding Professor Athos Petrou, who served in this capacity for 16 years. The responsibilities entailed in Best regards, this position have direct impact in several key areas in the Department, ranging from undergraduate teaching through TA appointments to the vitality of graduate research. Pro- Hong Luo, Chair fessor Petrou provided great leadership over the years and Professor of Physics

Banner: The Sabres may not have won the NHL Championship in 2011, but an important member of the UB community did! UB Council Chairman, Jeremy M. Jacobs is also the owner of the Stanley Cup winning Boston Bruins and generously shared the Cup with us in June 2011. Here, we see our own Kevin Cullinan (left) and Tom Gruenauer (third from left) along with Tom’s daughter Shannon and son Brian with the Stanley Cup. Faculty in Focus Interactions Volume 4, Issue 2

McCombe and Gasparini – Achievements as Administrators By Drs. Hong Luo and S. Ganapathy

Professor Bruce McCombe stepped down as the Dean of CAS in the summer of 2011. Just when we thought Bruce was staying in the Department for good and it was a good time to look back at what he did while being away from the Department, since Jan. 2005, he was asked again to be the interim Provost, starting Jan. 3, 2012. This in itself gives an idea about what he ac- complished as the Dean of the Gradu- ate School (Jan. 2005 – June 2006) and as interim Dean and then Dean of CAS (July 2006—June 2011). The actual list of his accomplishments is quite long, as one would expect, and we will just list a few that directly im- pacted us.

The one that was the closest to our heart was the increase in graduate stipend that stayed the same for years. As soon as Bruce became the Dean of Graduate School, he negotiated and implemented a $2000 increase to the base stipend starting the 05-06 academic year, followed by another Photo: Douglas Levere $1500 increase, which brought us to a competitive level with peer institutions. One of the most important things that Bruce initiated major increase in sum- As an effort to ensure quality of our we noticed at the department level mer programs and negotiated income education, Bruce created a process was his leadership during the worst sharing with the provost. This resulted and procedures for and implemented financial crisis in years, in terms of in $1M/year of additional state dollars university-wide comprehensive pro- both minimizing cuts to departmental for CAS by fall 2011, part of it will be gram reviews for both undergraduate operating budgets and in maintaining returned to the departments respon- and graduate programs. Bruce rec- the strength of CAS, with retention of sible for the income. ognized the important contributions of senior faculty members and protect- postdoctoral scholars, and created the ing untenured junior faculty members. For amusement, Bruce calculated the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars, which Bruce also visited all departments, so time, the way he often does for other has provided guidance, services and that the faculty could be informed of things, that he spent in meetings. The career development to this group of scholars. the budget situation and approaches result came to 3 years of working time he was implementing. This is espe- in meeting during the 5 years in the After becoming the Interim Dean and cially heart felt in light of the difficulties Dean’s Office! While Bruce believes Dean of CAS, Bruce contributed to the experienced by colleagues in other that he did “what was necessary”, it growth of CAS, bringing the total CAS universities, especially public universi- is clear that many greatly appreciated faculty count to 487 as of Fall 2008. ties, including other SUNY campuses. what he deemed as necessary. 2 Banner: Bruce McCombe and Renee Bush attending one of the UB events. Photo: Nancy J. Parisi Faculty in Focus CONTINUED

Professor Frank Gasparini has already recently because of the budget cuts. Among these new hires four assistant spent a year doing his regular duties as But if we didn’t have this increase, professors have received NSF CA- a faculty member after stepping down something else would have been cut REER awards. These hires allowed us as the Chair since Fall 2010 after six in its place. Frank also set aside a to establish a new group in high ener- years. Looking back, one can’t help support fund from the departmental gy experimental research, and expand but notice that his tenure as the Chair budget for graduate students attend- the biophysics group. Increase of the covers the period of arguably the big- ing meetings to present their research faculty size also led to an increase in gest change in the Department. Here ($200 per meeting per student). the number of graduate students from is a list of things that he did since he about 80 to over 90. The teaching load started his chairmanship in 2004. He The faculty count increased from 21 to was also changed from 3 courses per negotiated an increase in TA support 32, then coming back down to 28. This year to 2 courses per year. This was which amounted to a $500 yearly raise was achieved through the hiring of 14 for each TA in the Department. This, new faculty members over a period of in keeping with peer institutions and to combined with what Bruce did as the 6 years. Retirements and people leav- improve our research posture relative Dean, made our stipend much more ing for other institutions brought this to other institutions. What is not seen attractive than before. He then negoti- number below 30. With the financial in these numbers is a corresponding ated a permanent addition to the op- situation at UB improving, hopefully we change of the level of expectation, as erating budget of the Department. He will be able to reach and surpass the can be seen from a list of benchmarks also points out that it was taken back number in the near future. for research productivity. For citations in particular, the Department received Photo: Douglas Levere 3000 citations during 2005. This was 5700 in 2010. This is a good gauge of the quality of the faculty who were hired. Also a goal of 35 for overall faculty size was set which would be in keeping with UB’s size and a broader range of faculty research fields.

Frank was actively involved in development efforts. During his period as chair, two new endowments were started: Excellence Endowment, and with the leadership of Y. C. Lee the Ta You Wu Endowment. Each of these is now funded at more than $40,000. In addition we received an endowment to fund the Rustgi Professorship during this time. On a lighter note, Frank instituted a weekly social hour which continues to this day, and remains par- ticularly popular with students and faculty members alike.

We are certainly at a much better place because of what Bruce and Frank did over the years. From what they have done since stepping down as Dean and the Chair, there is no doubt that they will continue to be sources of advice and serve the De- partment well in the future. 3 Banner: Frank and Lucille Gasparini enjoying a leisurely ride on a tandem tour of New Zealand’s South island. Photo: Frank M. Gasparini Alumni in Focus Interactions Volume 4, Issue 2

Thomas J. Bogdan, BS 1979 operations in the US. He works close- By Dr. Hong Luo ly with the World Meteorological Orga- nization as the U.S. point of contact for Professor space weather issues. Charles M. Fogel Tom is a fellow of the American Me- 1914 – 2011 teorological Society and serves on its Council of the Members. He has Charles M. Fogel died on May 20, chaired and served on numerous Na- 2011 in Canterbury Woods, Am- tional Science Foundation, NASA, herst. He was 97. Charles is sur- and National Research Council com- vived by his wife Bernice Fogel mittees and panels that provide advice and his children Paul, Lorin, and to federal agencies and policymak- ers. He is currently a member of the Howard Fogel. A memorial ser- Dean’s Advisory Council for the Col- vice was held on June 7th 2011 in lege of Arts and Sciences at UB. the Drama Theater Center for the Arts, UB North Campus. A recep- It was recently announced that Tom tion followed in the CFA atrium. would assume the presidency of the University Corporation for Atmospher- ic Research UCAR) on January 9, Dr. Fogel received his bachelor 2012. UCAR is a consortium of over degree in 1935 and his Masters Dr. Thomas Bogdan graduated Sum- 70 universities offering Ph.D.s in the in 1938 through the University at ma Cum Laude with a B.S. in mathe- atmospheric and related sciences, Buffalo Physics Department. He which also manages NCAR. While matics/physics from UB in 1979. Tom went on to graduate studies at Tom modestly called this a “pleasant earned his Ph.D. in Physics at the Uni- surprise”, UCAR’s Board of Trustees Columbia and Ohio State Univer- versity of Chicago in 1984, specializ- cited Tom’s great accomplishments sity. A full text of his life and ca- ing in Plasma Astrophysics. He was in the announcement and believed reer can be found at the recipient of the Gregor Wentzel that he “will translate the leadership, and Valentine Telegdi Prizes. management, communication, and http://www.buffalo.edu/ advocacy skills he has demonstrated Tom held important research and at NOAA to UCAR…” ubreporter/2011_05_26/ management positions at the Nation- colleagues. al Center for Atmospheric Research Tom’s passion for geophysics and (NCAR). He joined NCAR in 1983 as solar-terrestrial research is evident Over the years Charles and his a postdoc, was promoted to Senior beyond his direct involvement in re- wife Bernice gave generously to Scientist in 1993, served as the Head search and management. He has the Physics Resource Fund. Do- of the Solar Magnetism and Variabil- been a great advocate for bringing ity Section, and the Acting Director of science and technology to the com- nations were made to this fund in Advanced Study Program. He is the munity at large. He has given many his honor. author of over 100 papers in solar-ter- informative and inspiring public lec- restrial research. tures, including one at UB during the Homecoming week in September, Tom became the Director of the Space 2011. One of his less known, but Weather Prediction Center at the Na- very telling, appointments is that he tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- served as the Associate Chair of the ministration (NOAA), located in Boul- History of Geophysics Committee of der, Colorado, in May of 2006. In this the American Geophysical Union, capacity he has been the principal while he was busy making history in representative for civil space weather this increasingly important field.

Banner: After obtaining a PhD in theoretical physics (advisor Dr. Jong Han) in 2009, Dr. Ryan Heary joined the US Air Force and earned his pilot’s wings in June 2011. Here, Ryan is pictured with his wife Vianka and parents Norman and Lori at his class’s winging party. Ryan is currently in an advanced training program for the C-130J Super Hercules (a newer version of the aircraft based in Niagara Falls) which performs tactical airlift missions. Events

Uli Baur Memorial research field, and his unique abil- Quantum Computing Symposium ity to bridge the gap between theory By Dr. Xuedong Hu By Dr. Doreen Wackeroth and experiment. The 50 Symposium participants also included Drs. Carl On Sept 16 and 17 Professor X. Hu or- Albright, Bill Bardeen, and Andreas ganized a workshop on quantum com- Kronfeld, who are members of the Fer- puting at UB, with attendants mainly milab Theory group where Uli was a coming from University at Buffalo, frequent visitor. Last but not least, Dr. Rochester, Syracuse, McGill, Water- Michael Stamatikos, one of Uli’s grad- loo, Toronto and Ottawa. uate students, who now has a position The aim of the workshop was to report with NASA and OSU-CCAPP, present- the latest progresses in the field of ed his work on Gamma-Ray Bursts. A quantum computing, and to foster ex- complete list of participants and the changes and collaborations between slides of the talks can be found on the experimental and theory groups that Symposium webpage, www.physics. are close geographically (around Lake buffalo.edu/UliBaurSymposium. Ontario) and scientifically (all are in the Prof. Roberto Peccei (UCLA, left) and Prof. Harald Fritzsch (Ludwig Maximilians University general field of quantum computing). Munich, right) at the Symposium dinner. The Symposium was preceded by a Photo: Carl Albright public lecture “Escape from Leipzig,” by The Science & Art Cabaret 4.0 On September 24th, 2011, friends, col- Prof. Harald Fritzsch, the PhD advisor By Dr. Doreen Wackeroth leagues and former students of Ulrich of Uli and a world-renowned physicist. Baur attended the Uli Baur Memo- In his lecture, he portrayed an authen- rial Symposium, to celebrate Uli’s life tic picture of the East Germany regime and honor his scientific contributions and the events of late 1960s when he in Particle Physics. The participants was a student at the Leipzig University, represented Uli’s entire scientific life, which eventually let to his daredevil es- starting from being a graduate student cape across the Black Sea. of Prof. Harald Fritzsch at the Ludwig Maximilians University at Munich, to As reported in the last issue of Inter- SCIENCE FICTION/SCIENCE FACT took place on March 30th, 2011, in the Ninth Ward at his time as a faculty member at the actions, Prof. Ulrich J. Baur died in a Babeville. More information about the event can UB Physics Department. Among the tragic snorkeling accident on Novem- be found at www.hallwalls.org/visual/5022.html. eight speakers were Professors Ro- ber 25th, 2010, while on vacation on Will Kinney, Associate Professor of berto Peccei and Harald Fritzsch who the U.S. Virgin Islands with his wife Physics, and Gary Nickard, Clinical shared with us their memories of Uli Yvonne. The Symposium dinner rep- Associate Professor of Visual Stud- as a graduate student and young post- resented a wonderful opportunity for ies, are the organizers of the Science doc at the MPI Munich, and Professor Uli’s friends to share their memories & Art Cabaret series at Hallwalls, who Lynne H. Orr, who met Uli when they of Uli with Yvonne, who attended all bring together artists, musicians and UB researchers to offer a unique view both were SSC fellows in 1991. Prof. Symposium activities. Apart from the of current topics in science. These Orr emphasized Uli’s important role Symposium, public lecture and dinner, events are admission free and invite in creating the LHC Theory Initiative, these activities also included the un- the public to participate in making which supports graduate students and veiling of a new exhibit at the welcome sometimes quite unexpected connec- postdocs conducting research in theo- reception, which displays Uli’s famous tions between arts and science. At the retical high-energy physics. Friends stack of research papers. It is quite Science & Art Cabaret 4.0 Dr. Kinney and colleagues, Dr. Sally Dawson, fitting that we honor Uli’s memory in gave a presentation on why space Profs. Tilman Plehn, Henry Frisch, this way, since he has been one of the travel is harder than one may think, and Sekhar Chivukula, reminded us creators of the permanent Physics and and travel to the stars even requires of Uli’s significant contributions to his Art Exhibition in Fronczak Hall. revision of fundamental laws of nature. 5 Banner: From left to right: Dr. Bill Kilgore (BNL), Dr. Bill Bardeen (Fermilab) and Dr. Sally Dawson (BNL) at the welcome reception for the participants of the Uli Baur Memorial Symposium. Above: From left to right: Yvonne Baur, Cindy Albright and Prof. Carl Albright (Fermilab) at the Symposium dinner. Photos: Carl Albright Outreach Interactions Volume 4, Issue 2

New Chapter of Middle School Visit to UB controlled flight over the past few years. Sigma Pi Sigma at UB By Dr. John Cerne The students’ enthusiasm resulted in By Alec Cheney the tours running well past the allotted time on both days and many of the stu- Dr. Diane Jacobs, Professor of Phys- dents were very disappointed that the ics and Astronomy at Eastern Michigan tours would not continue for more days. University and President of Sigma Pi Sigma, visited the Physics Department on November 4th, 2011 to install a new Trip to Airshow chapter of the physics honor society at Exposes Youth to UB. Sigma Pi Sigma receives into mem- Science and Technology By Charlotte Hsu bership undergraduate and graduate Dr. Cerne showing middle school students how students, faculty members, and a few the transmitter controls the model airplane (held About 20 students from Buffalo Public others in fields closely related to phys- by student behind and to the right of Dr. Cerne). Schools attended an air show at Ni- ics. Chapters are restricted to colleges The airplane’s pitch, yaw and thrust (3 channels) are controlled by the pilot. agara Falls on September 11, 2011 as and universities of recognized standing part of a University at Buffalo outreach that offer a strong physics major. On July 12 and 13, 2011, seven students program that uses aviation to illustrate from a Buffalo public middle school the wonders of science and technology. Sigma Pi Sigma exists to honor out- who are participating in UB’s Center for standing scholarship in physics; to Excellence in Education through Tech- The aim of the trip was to get students encourage interest in physics among nology and Arts spent their afternoons excited about aviation science and students at all levels; to promote an at- with Drs. Andrea Markelz and John technology. The show, which took place titude of service of its members towards Cerne. They were led through interac- at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station their fellow students, colleagues, and tive displays and demos in the Depart- on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, also the public; and to provide a fellowship of ment, and participated in several dem- helped students gain an appreciation persons who have excelled in physics. onstrations on liquid nitrogen and high for the country’s servicemen and ser- temperature superconductors. vicewomen, said John Cerne, an asso- The following undergraduate ciate professor at UB who helped plan students were inducted into The final set of demonstrations used the outreach activity. the society on November 4, 2011: plans and resources from Dr. Cerne’s NSF-funded work on starting a radio Cerne organized the visit with the UB Alec Cheney, Matthew Gorfien, controlled flying club in a Buffalo pub- Graduate School of Education’s Liberty Connor Gorman, Chun Pui Kwan lic high school. The students built and Partnerships program, which provides and Katherine Spoth tested their own gliders, constructed local students with academic and col- Congratulations to all! from 9” foam plates (www.modelair- lege preparation support. craft.org/education/fpg-9.aspx).The students were very excited about building The attending Liberty Partnerships stu- and flying their gliders. One student was dents are from East High School and jubilant when her glider set the flight dis- the Buffalo Academy for Visual and tance record for the group as it gently Performing Arts, which serves grade 5 banked into a 20 m long flight from the to 12. back of the sloped lecture hall to the chalkboard at the front. Funding for the trip comes from a Na- tional Science Foundation grant that After a radio control flight demonstration, Cerne and his colleagues received each student flew one of the club’s radio for research and education. As part of controlled airplanes in the lecture hall. the outreach component of that award, The flying not only gave us the oppor- Cerne has started a radio-controlled tunity to discuss basic physics concepts flying club for Buffalo public school stu- such as forces and acceleration, but also dents that emphasizes how basic phys- highlighted the great advances in tech- ics and advanced technology combine nology that have revolutionized radio to make radio-controlled flight possible.

Banner: Students from Buffalo public schools attended an air show at Niagara Falls on 9/11/11 as part of a University at Buffalo outreach program that uses aviation to ilustrate the wonders of science and technology. The program was started by Dr. John Cerne (left back row wearing UB cap) in collaboration with Dr. Ramone Alexander (center back row wearing UB cap) and Judith Colon (second row middle right wearing sun glasses) from UB’s Liberty Partnerships Program. Photo: Zheng Gong Research News

The goal of the air show is similar. Cerne Even decades later, the cause of MIT hopes that seeing planes in motion will in VO2 remains a hot topic of debate spark curiosity in students about how among solid state scientists. In our they work. work on VO2 systems in nanowire “Our main goal is to get them excited form, we carefully observe the trans- about science and technology, and port of charge carriers through MIT about what’s out there in the world, while changing dopant levels (various about what’s possible,” he said. “Many amounts of Tungsten, W), temperature, of these students have never had the and voltage. It has been shown from opportunity to attend an air show. It simultaneous transport and optical was great to expose them to some- measurements on single-crystal VO2 thing completely different from anything nanowires that MIT occurs in steps: me- they’ve ever seen.” tallic domains sprout across the nanow- “It can be challenging to make learning ire as T is continuously increased until fun, so I thought this was an excellent all domains connect together forming a opportunity to do that,” said Ramone complete metal. Thus, in a series of re-

Alexander, project director for Liberty cent studies, we use individual, single- Fig 1: R vs T of WxV1-xO2 nanowires at various Partnerships. “It’s a way to engage stu- crystal, tungsten doped VO nanowires concentrations of W as described in text.The tran- 2 sition temperature is tuned controllably between dents with a real-life example of what in order to understand the nucleation 260 K and 340 K by tuning the amount of W. the possibilities are.” and dynamics of these individual domains across the MIT. Understanding the Metal- Fig. 1 shows MIT for WxV1-xO2 nanow- Insulator Transition in Single ires where x is the atomic concentra- Nanowires of Doped VO2 tion of W. Arrows indicate the direction By Adam A. Stabile of temperature (T) sweeping. The MIT and Dr. Sambandamurthy Ganapathy is shown in the sharp drops in electrical resistance, R (ΔR ~ 102 - 103 Ω). From electronic band theory perspective, The hysteresis is typical of a first order we can group materials into five types: insulator, semiconductor, superconductor, phase transition and suggests that the semimetal, and metal. However, certain mechanisms driving the system from materials change their behavior and un- insulator to metal and from metal to dergo phase transitions when tuning spe- insulator are not the same. Increasing cific external parameters. One such text- amounts of W can reduce the transition book example of a system undergoing temperature (Tc) to below room tem- a metal-insulator transition is vanadium perature from 340 K. Thus, the ability dioxide, VO2. In 1959, F. J. Morin was the to tune this electrical switching behavior first to show that the temperature depen- at room temperature through simple dence of its resistivity switches between doping control portends the likelihood that of an insulator and that of a metal at of future applications in nanotechnol- one particular temperature (T ~ 340 K), Fig. 2a ogy. A closer inspection of these traces signifying the first experimental evidence of a metal-insulator transition (MIT) in shows discreet, smaller jumps within Fig 2a shows voltage-driven MIT in one overall transition. These features sig- of our nanowires at different tempera- VO2. VO2 also undergoes a structural nify formation/nucleation of metallic phase transition at the same T thereby in- tures (Tc = 291 K). Arrows indicate di- creasing the interest of scientists to un- domains. Interestingly, these domain rection of sweeping. For temperatures features appear more numerous and derstand the microscopic mechanisms below Tc we see a sharp, hysteretic MIT behind this transition. prominent in the lower doping levels. at two threshold voltages and smaller,

7 Banner: In July 2011, students from a Buffalo public middle school who are participating in UB’s Center for Excellence in Education through Technology and Arts spent two afternoons with Drs. Andrea Markelz and John Cerne. They were led through interactive displays and demos in the Department, and participated in several demonstrations on liquid nitrogen and high temperature superconductors.They also built gliders and flew them and radio-controlled airplanes inside one of the NSC lecture halls. Here Dr. Markelz is demonstrating what happens to balloons when they are cooled by liquid nitrogen. Research News CONTINUED Interactions Volume 4, Issue 2

discreet jumps especially on the down tronic, optical, and transport properties. a single-site level, making it suitable sweep. The color map of current (I) vs. One such defect, the so-called nitro- for quantum information applications. T and voltage (V) gives us an overview gen-vacancy (NV-) center in diamond, The ground state of the NV- center in of the voltage-driven transition where is considered to be one of the most diamond is a spin triplet, which can Fig 2b is plotted for up sweep of volt- promising solid state systems for quan- be optically excited to a spin triplet age, and Fig 2c is plotted for the down tum information applications. excited state 3E. The excited state is sweep. In Fig 2b the threshold voltage, orbitally degenerate and should expe- VTH↑, (color contrast between dark red rience either static or dynamic Jahn- and black) is fitted to the yellow curve Teller (JT) effects. which takes the activation form VTH↑ ~

exp(- T/To) typical of a charge ordered Using a combination of first-principles system in which charge carriers move calculations and vibronic interaction through a system of hopping sites in the model analysis, we establish the pres- material. In Fig 2c, for threshold voltage, ence of a dynamic Jahn-Teller effect

VTH↓, the yellow fit follows VTH↓ ~ which in the 3E excited state. The calculated describes heat dissipation through An NV center in diamond. temperature-dependent dephasing Joule heating as the dominate mode of rate for the zero phonon line as well transport. This is the first time the dif- An NV center in diamond is formed by as the splitting of the first two vibronic ferent mechanisms responsible for the an N substitution and a nearest neigh- states are in good agreement with ex- electric field-induced switching have bor vacancy, which can capture an experiment.This work has been published been identified in VO systems. These 2 tra electron to form an NV-. The local in Physical Review Letters [PRL 107, results and other related results have spin states of the NV- center can be 146403 (2011)] and is supported by the appeared in a series of recent publica- accessed and manipulated optically at Department of Energy. tions: T. L. Wu et al., Phys. Rev. B 83, 073101 (2011); L. Whittaker et al., ACS Nano 5, 8861 (2011) and Patridge et al., Nano Letters 10, 2448 (2010).

We are currently investigating the effects of charge carrier injection across MIT in these materials through the use of gating with ionic liquids to distinguish the effects of charge injection from structural transformation. More recent results and publications can be found at: http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~sg82/ home.html

Hidden Aspect of the NV Color center in Diamond Uncovered By Dr. Peihong Zhang

All materials are inevitably created with imperfections, the so-called defects. Defects are not necessarily detrimental to a material’s properties. In fact, de-

fects are often deliberately introduced Calculated adiabatic potential energy surface of an NV- center showing three equivalent energy minima into materials for controlling their elec- associated with JT distortions

8 Banner: Nada Tesarova, a physics PhD student from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, at Niagara Falls. Nada will be spending six months studying diluted magnetic semiconductors in Dr. Cerne’s lab. Research Awards

Research Awards brain. This kind of remote neuro-stim- By Dr. S. Ganapathy ulation would help researchers learn Congratulations more about how the brain’s complicat- to our recent student Prof. Hao Zeng, in collaboration with ed neuronal circuitry controls behavior, co-PI Prof. Shengbai Zhang at Rensse- leading eventually to better understand- award recipients laer Polytechnic Institute, has received ing and possibly treatment of ailments a grant to work on a project, “Hetero- that involve the injury or malfunction of Dean Scholarship junction Solar Cells Using Chemically specific sets of neurons. The principle Matthew Westley co-doped Titania Nanotube Arrays for combines ideas from nanoscience, Simultaneous Light Absorption and Car- physics, molecular biology and neuro- Frank B. Silvestro rier Transport”, from the National Sci- science and had been developed and Scholarship 2011 ence Foundation for the period 7/2011- tested by the Pralle team on cultured 6/2014. This proposal aims to develop cells: superparamagnetic nanoparticles Jae Kyu Choi a heterojunction solar cell based on are targeted and clustered on the mem- Chase Ellis chemically co-doped titania nanotube brane of a nerve cell which also is ge- Minsoo Kim coated with a solution processed p-type netically engineered to express a tem- Jeongsu Lee semiconductor. This scheme optimizes perature sensitive ion-channel; when George Lindber simultaneously light absorption, carrier a radio-frequency magnetic field is ap- Gen Long separation and charge transport. The plied to the nanoparticles, these heat Szechun Mak chemical co-doping reduces band gap up, causing the ion-channel to open Katherine Niessen of TiO2 without significantly affecting and to depolarize the membrane of the Robert Poltis conduction band edge, combined with cell, which in turns causes the nerve Adam Stabile cell to fire an electrical pulse. With the proper choice of p-type layer, it optimiz- H. Subramanian es band alignment for efficient charge new funding, the research team plans P. Taherirostami injection and open circuit voltage. The to test this method on neurons in the Yoichi Takato chemical co-doping, interface engi- olfactory bulb of mice, which lies in the neering and choice of p-type material forward region of the brain and controls Stephen Thomson will be guided by first principles com- how animals perceive odors. Yutsung Tsai putation. This collaboration between Jia Zhou theory and experiment aims to develop highly efficient solar cells with low fab- Events Calendar Sekula Scholarship rication cost. This can help to enable Junhong Choi Oct 15, 2011 Fall Open House large scale utilization of solar energy, Daniel Filipski as well as incorporating solar cells into Holiday Party William Pineros building materials and textiles. Dec 11, 2011 Pistacios 5-9 Kristina Krylova Chun Pui Kwan Prof. Arnd Pralle had recently received Feb 8, 2012 6th Arts and Connor Gorman a grant from the National Institute of Sciences Cabaret Mental Health (NIMH) to develop a method to remotely control neurons in March 2012 First Ta Yu Wu Outstanding Senior the brains of mice using superparamag- Public Lecture Jenna Curry netic nanoparticles. This funding for the March 2012 Spring Open House Grady Gambrel period 9/2011 - 8/2015 comes from the Matthew Westley program for Exceptional, Unconven- Apr 20, 2012 18th Annual tional Research Enabling Knowledge Rustgi Lecture Outstanding TA’s Acceleration (EUREKA) which sup- John C. Mather ports highly innovative research proj- Heng Huang ects that promise big scientific payoffs. May 2012 Commencement Christopher Redino If the work is successful, Dr. Pralle’s re- June 2012 Ride for Roswell search will provide neuroscientists with a powerful, new activity deep inside the 9 Banner: Dr. John Cerne received SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in September 2011. Photo: Nancy J. Parisi Recent Graduates Volume 4, Issue 2

We Congratulate Our Graduates

BACHELORS Physics Summer 2011 Stier, Andreas V. Advisor Physics Spring 2011 Bailey, Daniel Wayne Bruce McCombe Advisor Thesis Title Averman, Avner Matthew Podgorsak Far infrared magneto-optical stud- Elsaesser, David R. Thesis Title ies of spin effects and off diagonal Ferris, Daniel Craig The use of an amorphous silicone conductivity in the integer quantum Gambrel, Grady electronic portal imaging device for Hall regime Parks, Jared M. dosimetric measurement of intensity- Piaseczny, Alexander Zenon modulated photon fields Skvarch, Michael David Whiteside, Vincent Ryan Stoloff, Daniel Harry Advisor Bernaciak, Catherine A. Stukowski, Robert Louis Bruce McCombe Advisor Thesis Title Mathematical Physics Doreen Wackeroth The optical aharonov-bohm effect Spring 2011 Thesis Title and magneto-optical properties in Studies of Combined Electroweak Type II Quantum Dots Kirby, Dean Barry and QCD Effects to Charged and Westley, Matthew Neutral Current Drell-Yan Processes Wu, Tailung at Hadron Colliders Advisor Engineering Physics ; Spring 2011 Sambandamurthy Ganapathy Cheung, Yiu H. Thesis Title Seo, Jungryeol Advisor Transport Properties of Correlated Doreen Wackeroth Electron Systems in the Nanoscale MASTERS Thesis Title Searching for New Physics at the LHC Xue, Yu in t tbar production in the all-hadronic Physics Summer 2011 Advisor decay mode using top quark tagging Mak, Sze Chun Peihong Zhang Pakmehr, Mehdi Thesis Title Delikanli, Savas Peng, Weiming Electronic and Optical properties Advisor Srichandan, Sasmita of WO3 related materials and first Hao Zeng principle Theory of Electrochromism Thesis Title Ph.D. Spin Polarization and dynamics of DMS colloidal quantum dots Physics Spring 2011 Ali, Tariq Halstead, Evan M. Advisor Advisor Athos Petrou Dejan Stojkovic Thesis Title Thesis Title Magneto-Optical Studies of InGaAs Potential Reconstruction, Gravitation- Quantum Wells and Devices Used for al Collapse, and Time Evolution of Spintronics Applications Thermodynamic Quantities

10 Development

Support the Department of Moti Lal Rustgi Physics Programs Professorship in Physics:

Endowed by the Rustgi family in 2006 Editor The Physics Department is grateful to : to honor the late Professor Moti Lal all our alumni and friends for their con- Dr. Sambandamurthy Ganapathy Rustgi. Provides support for the Rustgi tributions. These contributions provide Professor, currently held by Professor Editorial Assistant: the margin which makes UB Physics Athos Petrou. an excellent Department. In today’s en- Christine Gleason vironment of decreasing government Moti Lal Rustgi Memorial Design and Production: support the contributions to any of these Lectureship Fund: funds are instrumental in the quality of Renee Ruffino Established in 1993 by the Rustgi fam- our academic endeavors every year. and Jodi Keith ily, the fund supports an annual lecture To contribute electronically, please visit by distinguished researchers. Website: www.physics.buffalo.edu and click the Support Physics button on the top right www.physics.buffalo.edu/ Ta-You Wu Lectureship Fund: or contact Chris Gleason in the Phys- newsletter Established in 2008 by Professor Yung- ics Department at 716-645-3629 or via Chang Lee in remembrance of the late Contact: e-mail [email protected]. You may also Professor Ta-You Wu, who was a key contact Deborah McKinzie in the Devel- Comments about the newsletter, member of the Department from 1966 opment Office at 716-645-0839, or via or information about yourself for to 1978. email at [email protected] with any our Alumni News section, may questions. be sent to Christine Gleason Physics & Arts Exhibition Fund: via e-mail [email protected] or This interactive permanent exhibition Physics Department Funds: mailed to: in Fronczak Hall opened in 2006, and Physics Excellence Endowment: was funded by alumni. It is one of the Christine Gleason Supports recruitment and recognition Department’s most effective outreach Department of Physics of outstanding students, outreach to the initiatives. Support will allow continued University at Buffalo community, upper level experimental evolution and development. 239 Fronczak Hall laboratories, undergraduate research Buffalo, NY 14260 projects, and activities of The Society of Physics International Physics Students. Graduate Student Assistance Fund: Established in 2010 by Professor Bruce Frank B. Silvestro Endowment Fund: D. McCombe to provide support for criti- Established in 2000 by Mr. Frank Sil- cal financial assistance to international vestro, BA 1962, MA 1968, the fund graduate students in the Department supports outstanding students with fi- of Physics, with a preference given to nancial need. Currently used to support Asian students and 1st year Ph.D. can- graduate students. didates, at the University at Buffalo

Dr. Stanley T. Sekula Memorial Scholarship Fund: Established in 1990 by Mrs. Anne H. Sekula, honoring the memory of Dr. Stanley T. Sekula, BA 1951, and used to recognize outstanding undergradu- ates with financial need.

Banner: From left to right, Andrea Markelz, Justin Perron, Chase Ellis, John Cerne, Hong Luo, and Bernard Weinstein pose with the Cup. The University at Buffalo Department of Physics Newsletter

Dr. John Cerne received SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in September 2011. Photo: UB President Tripathi, Dr. Cerne, UB Provost Stenger, UB College of Arts and Sciences Dean Pitman. Also in attendance at the ceremony were our own Drs. Luo, McCombe, Weinstein, and Gasparini, who among them share 4 SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching, 3 American Physical Society Fellow appointments, 1 UB Distinguished Professorship and 1 SUNY Distinguished Professorship! Photo: Nancy J. Parisi

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