Science of Nanoscale Systems and their Device Applications NSEC

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center is to study the fundamental properties of nanoscale structures with a view toward their possible use in novel electronic and magnetic devices. The work will concentrate on the movement of spins and charges, including their quantum behavior. The following important questions will be addressed at the same time: How can nanoscale structures be grown and fabricated? How can they be images and probed? What are the fundamental behaviors of charge and spin? The Center addresses these questions through research that encompasses four areas: the Growth of Nanoscale Structures; Scanned Probed Microscopy of Charges and Spins; Spin and Charge in Nanocrystals and Nanomagnets; and Coherent Electronics. These interdisciplinary topics bring together sixteen participants from three universities, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Center maintains close collaborations with Sandia, Oak Ridge, and Brookhaven National Laboratories, and active international collaborations with the Delft University of Technology and the University of Tokyo. The Center presents the basic concepts and the possible benefits of nanoscale science and engineering to the public at all levels. The Museum of Science in Boston works with Center faculty to develop exhibits and workshops for the general public. An early awareness outreach program for the Cambridge public schools brings middle school students to Harvard to learn about college education from faculty and students, a program that is being expanded to include Boston public schools. These activities are supplemented by active involvement of undergraduates and high school teachers in the research activities ongoing at the Center. A Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for Women and Minorities is being established to attract outstanding candidates to university research.