Last update: 07/08/06   Comments: Webmaster		RESEARCH
		Rare earth and actinide materials constitute a rich reservoir of novel electronic phases that arise from hybridization between localized f-electron and conduction electron states. These novel electronic phases include heavy fermion (HF) states with large quasiparticle effective masses, small hybridization gap semiconducting (Kondo insulating) states, unconventional superconductivity, non-Fermi liquid (NFL) behavior, and coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism. The ground states of these materials can be tuned by varying a control parameter such as chemical composition, magnetic field, or pressure. Our current research includes: Non-Fermi liquid behavior and superconductivity near quantum critical points Heavy fermion superconductivity Unconventional magnetism High temperature superconductivity [VIEW CURRENT PROJECTS]
		Our laboratory has facilities for preparing and characterizing polycrystalline and single-crystal bulk and thin film samples of a broad spectrum of materials, and for measuring the transport, thermal and magnetic properties of these materials over a wide range of temperature, magnetic field, and pressure. [VIEW FACILITIES] Starting from elemental powders, samples can be arc-melted, grown out of flux in a box or tube furnace, or deposited as films via laser ablation. A number of tools are on hand to cut and polish the samples to prepare them for characterization via x-ray diffractometry and, ultimately, for resistivity, specific heat, magnetization and thermal transport studies in environments of mK temperatures, magnetic fields up to ~10 T or pressures up to ~20 GPa. In addition to our in-house capabilities, numerous collaborations with other groups vastly expand the range of experimental techniques available to us.
		email: mbmaple@ucsd.edu phone: (858) 534-3968 © 2008 M Brian Maple. All rights reserved.