Postdoctoral Fellowship: MPS-Ascend: Vortex-beam Spectroscopy of Type-II Superconductors in the THz Regime

Martinez, Vladimir A, Newark NJ

Investigators

Abstract

Non-technical Abstract Vladimir Martinez is awarded an NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NSF MPS-Ascend). The host institution for the fellowship is New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Andrei Sirenko from the physics department. This project targets the interaction between infrared light with wavelengths of about 1 mm and high-temperature superconductors. High-temperature superconductors, which are known to expel magnetic field and conduct currents without dissipation, form magnetic whirlpools when subject to magnetic fields of a certain strength. The specially conditioned light, also known as vortex beams, has a profile similar to these whirlpools in superconductors. This combination allows the study and control of their enhanced interaction. The insight provided by this study can lead to breakthroughs in superconductor-based technologies like maglev trains, particle accelerators and superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). Additionally, the project aims at broadening participation amongst underrepresented groups in STEM and quantum sciences by collaborating with the host institution to recruit students from local high schools to join in a series of interactive demonstrations using superconductors and other quantum experiments. Technical Abstract: This project investigates type-II superconductors using vortex beams of coherent synchrotron radiation in the THz and infrared spectral ranges at low temperatures and high magnetic fields. Vortex beams have a doughnut-shaped intensity distribution and spiral structure of the wave fronts, which are analogous to superconducting vortices, with superconducting rings surrounding normal metal cores. The project will yield insight into the development of superconducting vortices and the electrodynamics of the vortex state and its topologically-enhanced interactions with vortex light. The PI will also contribute to an ongoing collaboration between the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Pingry high school (K-12) to increase interest and participation among high school students in quantum sciences through demos and experiments Progress in the interconnected fields of quantum computing, cryptography, and materials hinges on a new generation of scientists and engineers interested and ready to meet these new demands and challenges. The principal investigator will present interactive demonstrations using superconductors and vortex beams and other experiments in acoustic and nonlinear quantum optics and will increase BIPOC (Black Indigenous and People of Color) participation in the activities by recruiting students from the surrounding high school systems including his hometown of Elizabeth, NJ. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.