Advanced materials, materials characterization and nanoscale physics 

We focus on the basic physics of new materials. These include nanostructures and other artificial lattice materials, novel and disordered solids in one, two, and three dimensions, and soft condensed matter — polymers, bio-molecules, liquid crystals, and generalized complex matter. We overlap strongly with renewable energy and quantum physics.

• Reuben T. Collins: Condensed matter physics semiconductor science; electronic and optical properties; photovoltaic materials and devices
• Thomas E. Furtak: Optical properties of surfaces, interfaces, and thin-films; Raman scattering; ellipsometry; nonlinear optical methods; photovoltaic and electronic materials; liquid crystals and soft condensed matter Furtak Nanotechnology
• Timothy R. Ohno: Surface physics, thin film epitaxial growth, interfacial properties, photovoltaic materials, and catalysis
• Craig Taylor: Optical, electronic and structural properties of crystalline and amorphous semiconductors; localized electronic states in amorphous semiconductors; electronic instabilities in films of hydrogenated amorphous silicon and related alloys; electronic properties of III-V semiconducting nanostructures; ordering in ternary III-V alloys
• Eric Toberer: Electronic, thermal, and optical properties of semiconductors; novel semiconductor materials; photovoltaic materials Advanced Energy Materials
• Don Williamson: X-ray diffraction; small-angle X-ray scattering; Mossbauer spectroscopy
• Jeramy Zimmerman: Condensed matter physics, photovoltaics, semiconductor interfaces, small molecule organic electronics. Zimmerman Material Physics Lab

The list of researchers in Condensed Matter Physics includes all researchers listed under Quantum Physics and Renewable Energy Physics.

Optics, Quasi-Optics, Metasurfaces and Quantum Electronics

The Department of Physics at Mines features state-of-the-art, world-class optics laboratories. These facilities enable the generation, control and modulation of electromagnetic waves spanning the range from X-rays to millimeter-waves. Our sources are used to explore a broad range of fundamental phenomena, such as high intensity laser-matter interactions, molecular dynamics in biological systems and mesoscale phenomena, as well as applied technologies including femtosecond micromachining, nonlinear optical microscopy, and materials characterization. Nanofabrication capabilities, available through the Mines shared facility, is also enabling the conception of ultrathin optical components, also dubbed Metasurfaces, which offer advanced light manipulation and modulation capabilities.

Faculty research

• Daniel Adams The Adams group conducts research aimed at unifying the fields of computational and ultrafast optics. Currently, our three focus areas are: advanced algorithm development for computational optics, ultrafast pulse-beam metrology, and ultrafast computational imaging.
• Charles G. Durfee: Laser physics and ultrafast optical phenomena Laser Optics
• Patrice Genevet The Nanophotonics & Metasurfaces Group investigates fundamental theoretical and experimental problems related to nanoscale passive and active optical Metasurfaces for LiDAR, wavefront engineering and disruptive optical computing relying on reconfigurable optical neural networks.
• Mark Lusk: The Lusk Group investigates fundamental issues associated with topological quantum optics. Our focus lies at the nexus of several traditional disciplines: topological quantum electrodynamics, geometric quantum mechanics, quantum information science, condensed matter physics, and atomic/molecular/optical physics. We also explore the ontology and applications of Relational Quantum Mechanics.
• Susanta Sarkar: Single-molecule biophysics, biomedical imaging, collagen degradation. Single Molecule Biophysics Lab
• Jeff Squier: Development of novel ultrafast laser sources with application to high-speed, three-dimensional multiphoton microscopy, and femtosecond micromachining with application toward rapid prototyping of lab-on-a-chip devices and specialized laser surgeries. Squier Applied Optics Lab

We focus on quantum simulators, quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum materials.  Specific focus areas include quantum decoherence in open quantum systems; quantum device simulation; quantum causality and speed limits; quantum information compression algorithms and machine learning.

Faculty research

• Lincoln Carr: Quantum many-body physics; ultracold atomic and molecular quantum gases: quantum phase transitions; strongly correlated states; macroscopic quantum tunneling and quantum transport; complexity; chaos and fractals; solitons, vortices, and nonlinear waves. Carr Complexity Science Group
• Zhexuan Gong: Quantum computing, quantum information theory, and quantum many-body physics. Ion-trap quantum computers and quantum simulators. Application of machine learning for understanding quantum many-body problems. Non-equilibrium dynamics and phase transitions in open and closed quantum systems. Long-range interacting quantum systems and fully-connected quantum computers.
• Eliot Kapit: Quantum computing and simulation; passive quantum error correction; superconducting circuits; theoretical quantum hardware engineering; quantum simulation and chaos; analog quantum optimization; noise tolerant quantum algorithms; bath engineering; fractional quantum Hall physics; localization and entanglement Kapit Group
• Meenakshi Singh: Charge, spin and thermal transport in low dimensional systems; superconductivity; magnetism; cryogenics; post-Moore computing (spintronics, quantum computing, neuromorphic computing); superconductor-semiconductor hybrids; quantum dots; quantum thermal effects. Singh Group/Quantum Materials and Devices

Working Toward a Sustainable Energy Future Much of the research in the Department of Physics is motivated by the need to find alternatives to conventional fossil energy sources. Faculty are involved with a wide range of projects, from third generation photovoltaics to artificial photosynthesis. Many of these projects are organized through the Mines/NREL Nexus.

• Reuben T. Collins: Condensed matter physics of semiconductor devices; electronic and optical properties; photovoltaic materials; silicon nanostructures; organic solar cells
• Charles Durfee: Novel laser designs; applications of ultrafast optical pulses; characterization of nanostructures and other materials Laser Optics
• Thomas Furtak: Optical properties of solids, interfaces, and nanostructures; silicon nanostructures; organic solar cells; Raman and infrared spectroscopies; nonlinear optics Furtak Nanotechnology
• Mark Lusk: Electronic structure; emergent phenomena, quantum transport; photon-matter interactions, opto-electronics; quantum many-body theory, entanglement, topological disorder Lusk Light-Matter Interactions
• Timothy R. Ohno: Surface physics; thin film epitaxial growth; interfacial properties; photovoltaic materials; catalysis
• Jeff Squier: Nonlinear optics; ultrafast laser phenomena; novel microscopy; biological imaging. Squier Applied Optics
• Xerxes Steirer: photoelectron spectroscopy (PES)
• Eric Toberer The current focus is on electron and phonon transport in thermoelectric materials. How the electron and phonon band structure and scattering sources control transport is investigated. Transport in the solid state has application to other energy systems such as fuel cells, photovoltaics, and batteries. Advanced Energy Materials
• Jeramy Zimmerman: Condensed matter physics, photovoltaics, semiconductor interfaces, small molecule organic electronics. Zimmerman Material Physics Lab

Research by faculty at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

• Matthew Beard: Semiconductor nanocrystals, multiple exciton generation, ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy
• David Ginley: Nanomaterials and nanotechnology; transition metal oxides including high temperature superconductors; Li ion battery materials; organic electronics; ferroelectric materials
• Pauls Stradins: Nanostructured semiconductor materials for photovoltaics; thin film silicon photovoltaics; photoactivated phenomena in materials

From the Nucleus to the Universe

One activity of the subatomic physics group aims at understanding the fundamentals behind the stability of nuclei. On the energy scale, these studies are located in the Mega electron volt (MeV) range. Fourteen orders of magnitude higher on this scale lies the other activity of the group, the study of the highest energy particles in nature, which are found in some cosmic rays. These particles have Joules of energy, a unit that is usually associated with macroscopic objects, such as pitched baseballs.

• Uwe Greife: Nuclear astrophysics, applied nuclear physics. Greife Applied Nuclear Physics
• Kyle Leach: Electroweak interactions, nuclear astrophysics, nuclear structure. Electroweak Interactions Group
• Frederic Sarazin: Low-energy nuclear structure and astrophysics with radioactive beams; ultra-high energy cosmic-rays with the Pierre Auger Observatory, Sarazin Subatomic Group
• Lawrence Wiencke: High-energy astroparticle physics with the Pierre Auger Observatory (Argentina) and the EUSO-SPB2 and EUSO-SPB3 projects; development and application of innovative laser “test beam” systems for cosmic ray observatories; atmospheric science and transient luminous events
  EUSO-SPB2 New Zealand 2023

Advanced materials, materials characterization and nanoscale physics 

We focus on the basic physics of new materials. These include nanostructures and other artificial lattice materials, novel and disordered solids in one, two, and three dimensions, and soft condensed matter — polymers, bio-molecules, liquid crystals, and generalized complex matter. We overlap strongly with renewable energy and quantum physics.

• Reuben T. Collins: Condensed matter physics semiconductor science; electronic and optical properties; photovoltaic materials and devices
• Thomas E. Furtak: Optical properties of surfaces, interfaces, and thin-films; Raman scattering; ellipsometry; nonlinear optical methods; photovoltaic and electronic materials; liquid crystals and soft condensed matter Furtak Nanotechnology
• Timothy R. Ohno: Surface physics, thin film epitaxial growth, interfacial properties, photovoltaic materials, and catalysis
• Craig Taylor: Optical, electronic and structural properties of crystalline and amorphous semiconductors; localized electronic states in amorphous semiconductors; electronic instabilities in films of hydrogenated amorphous silicon and related alloys; electronic properties of III-V semiconducting nanostructures; ordering in ternary III-V alloys
• Eric Toberer: Electronic, thermal, and optical properties of semiconductors; novel semiconductor materials; photovoltaic materials Advanced Energy Materials
• Don Williamson: X-ray diffraction; small-angle X-ray scattering; Mossbauer spectroscopy
• Jeramy Zimmerman: Condensed matter physics, photovoltaics, semiconductor interfaces, small molecule organic electronics. Zimmerman Material Physics Lab

The list of researchers in Condensed Matter Physics includes all researchers listed under Quantum Physics and Renewable Energy Physics.

Optics, Quasi-Optics, Metasurfaces and Quantum Electronics

The Department of Physics at Mines features state-of-the-art, world-class optics laboratories. These facilities enable the generation, control and modulation of electromagnetic waves spanning the range from X-rays to millimeter-waves. Our sources are used to explore a broad range of fundamental phenomena, such as high intensity laser-matter interactions, molecular dynamics in biological systems and mesoscale phenomena, as well as applied technologies including femtosecond micromachining, nonlinear optical microscopy, and materials characterization. Nanofabrication capabilities, available through the Mines shared facility, is also enabling the conception of ultrathin optical components, also dubbed Metasurfaces, which offer advanced light manipulation and modulation capabilities.

Faculty research

• Daniel Adams The Adams group conducts research aimed at unifying the fields of computational and ultrafast optics. Currently, our three focus areas are: advanced algorithm development for computational optics, ultrafast pulse-beam metrology, and ultrafast computational imaging.
• Charles G. Durfee: Laser physics and ultrafast optical phenomena Laser Optics
• Patrice Genevet The Nanophotonics & Metasurfaces Group investigates fundamental theoretical and experimental problems related to nanoscale passive and active optical Metasurfaces for LiDAR, wavefront engineering and disruptive optical computing relying on reconfigurable optical neural networks.
• Mark Lusk: The Lusk Group investigates fundamental issues associated with topological quantum optics. Our focus lies at the nexus of several traditional disciplines: topological quantum electrodynamics, geometric quantum mechanics, quantum information science, condensed matter physics, and atomic/molecular/optical physics. We also explore the ontology and applications of Relational Quantum Mechanics.
• Susanta Sarkar: Single-molecule biophysics, biomedical imaging, collagen degradation. Single Molecule Biophysics Lab
• Jeff Squier: Development of novel ultrafast laser sources with application to high-speed, three-dimensional multiphoton microscopy, and femtosecond micromachining with application toward rapid prototyping of lab-on-a-chip devices and specialized laser surgeries. Squier Applied Optics Lab

We focus on quantum simulators, quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum materials. Specific focus areas include quantum decoherence in open quantum systems; quantum device simulation; quantum causality and speed limits; quantum information compression algorithms and machine learning.

Faculty research

• Lincoln Carr: Quantum many-body physics; ultracold atomic and molecular quantum gases: quantum phase transitions; strongly correlated states; macroscopic quantum tunneling and quantum transport; complexity; chaos and fractals; solitons, vortices, and nonlinear waves. Carr Complexity Science Group
• Zhexuan Gong: Quantum computing, quantum information theory, and quantum many-body physics. Ion-trap quantum computers and quantum simulators. Application of machine learning for understanding quantum many-body problems. Non-equilibrium dynamics and phase transitions in open and closed quantum systems. Long-range interacting quantum systems and fully-connected quantum computers.
• Eliot Kapit: Quantum computing and simulation; passive quantum error correction; superconducting circuits; theoretical quantum hardware engineering; quantum simulation and chaos; analog quantum optimization; noise tolerant quantum algorithms; bath engineering; fractional quantum Hall physics; localization and entanglement Kapit Group
• Meenakshi Singh: Charge, spin and thermal transport in low dimensional systems; superconductivity; magnetism; cryogenics; post-Moore computing (spintronics, quantum computing, neuromorphic computing); superconductor-semiconductor hybrids; quantum dots; quantum thermal effects. Singh Group/Quantum Materials and Devices
•  

Working Toward a Sustainable Energy Future Much of the research in the Department of Physics is motivated by the need to find alternatives to conventional fossil energy sources. Faculty are involved with a wide range of projects, from third generation photovoltaics to artificial photosynthesis. Many of these projects are organized through the Mines/NREL Nexus.

• Reuben T. Collins: Condensed matter physics of semiconductor devices; electronic and optical properties; photovoltaic materials; silicon nanostructures; organic solar cells
• Charles Durfee: Novel laser designs; applications of ultrafast optical pulses; characterization of nanostructures and other materials Laser Optics
• Thomas Furtak: Optical properties of solids, interfaces, and nanostructures; silicon nanostructures; organic solar cells; Raman and infrared spectroscopies; nonlinear optics Furtak Nanotechnology
• Mark Lusk: Electronic structure; emergent phenomena, quantum transport; photon-matter interactions, opto-electronics; quantum many-body theory, entanglement, topological disorder Lusk Light-Matter Interactions
• Timothy R. Ohno: Surface physics; thin film epitaxial growth; interfacial properties; photovoltaic materials; catalysis 
• Jeff Squier: Nonlinear optics; ultrafast laser phenomena; novel microscopy; biological imaging. Squier Applied Optics
• Xerxes Steirer: photoelectron spectroscopy (PES)
• Eric Toberer The current focus is on electron and phonon transport in thermoelectric materials. How the electron and phonon band structure and scattering sources control transport is investigated. Transport in the solid state has application to other energy systems such as fuel cells, photovoltaics, and batteries. Advanced Energy Materials
• Jeramy Zimmerman: Condensed matter physics, photovoltaics, semiconductor interfaces, small molecule organic electronics. Zimmerman Material Physics Lab

Research by faculty at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

• Matthew Beard: Semiconductor nanocrystals, multiple exciton generation, ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy
• David Ginley: Nanomaterials and nanotechnology; transition metal oxides including high temperature superconductors; Li ion battery materials; organic electronics; ferroelectric materials
• Pauls Stradins: Nanostructured semiconductor materials for photovoltaics; thin film silicon photovoltaics; photoactivated phenomena in materials

From the Nucleus to the Universe

One activity of the subatomic physics group aims at understanding the fundamentals behind the stability of nuclei. On the energy scale, these studies are located in the Mega electron volt (MeV) range. Fourteen orders of magnitude higher on this scale lies the other activity of the group, the study of the highest energy particles in nature, which are found in some cosmic rays. These particles have Joules of energy, a unit that is usually associated with macroscopic objects, such as pitched baseballs.

• • Uwe Greife: Nuclear astrophysics, applied nuclear physics. Greife Applied Nuclear Physics
  • Kyle Leach: Electroweak interactions, nuclear astrophysics, nuclear structure. Electroweak Interactions Group
  • Frederic Sarazin: Low-energy nuclear structure and astrophysics with radioactive beams; ultra-high energy cosmic-rays with the Pierre Auger Observatory, Sarazin Subatomic Group
  • Lawrence Wiencke: High-energy astroparticle physics with the Pierre Auger Observatory (Argentina) and the EUSO-SPB2 and EUSO-SPB3 projects; development and application of innovative laser “test beam” systems for cosmic ray observatories; atmospheric science and transient luminous events
    EUSO-SPB2 New Zealand 2023