Nanoscale and Collective Physics of One-Dimensional Conductors

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

****NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT**** Charge-density-wave (CDW) conductors are among the most remarkable electronic materials ever discovered. They exhibit collective charge transport, nonlinear electronic conduction, coherent voltage oscillations, a low-temperature glass phase and gigantic dielectric constants. They provide a nearly ideal model experimental system for studying the static and dynamic properties of disordered elastic media, providing a tractable way station between simple mechanical oscillators and the complexity of fully developed turbulence. This individual investigator project will explore the electronic properties and possible applications of microfabricated CDW devices, and the complex dynamical response of these devices. The project is part of a broader program that has yielded several patent applications and a commercial product used around the world, and that provides excellent training to graduate students for careers in research and development. Complimentary activities are attempting to address major problems in the STEM pipeline. These include developing methods and curricula for teaching physics to diverse audiences, developing methods and materials for recruiting and retaining students in high school and college physics and, with PhysTEC support, recruiting and training more high school physics teachers. ****TECHNICAL ABSTRACT**** Quasi-one-dimensional conductors exhibiting collective charge transport by sliding charge (or spin) density waves (CDW) are among the richest systems in condensed matter physics. This project will address two broad classes of problems using a combination of materials synthesis, microfabrication and transport measurements. The first class involves the meso- and nano-scale physics of quasi-one-dimensional conductors and devices that incorporate them. Experiments on the physics of charge injection, of nanowires and of metastability with potential applications in memory devices are enabled by fabrication processes developed in the previous funding period. The second class addresses the collective pinning and dynamics of the disordered CDW, a focus of renewed interest as theoretical methods developed to explain other disordered elastic objects are being used to address the full richness of CDW systems. The project is part of a broader program that has yielded several patent applications and a commercial product used around the world, and that provides excellent training to graduate students for careers in research and development.