****Technical Abstract**** In this research program, the PI uses two strategies to study multiferroic behavior and phase separation phenomenon in complex oxide nanostructures and interfaces. In the first project, the PI will investigate epitaxial nanostructures composed of a magnetic host material and an embedded array of ferroelectric nanopillars, exploring charge and strain-engineered interface magnetoelectric coupling. The second project aims at examining the size confinements and ferroelectric field effect modulation induced nanoscale phase structures in correlated oxide thin films. The materials of interest include the colossal magnetoresistance oxides and Mott insulators, which are intrinsically phase separated at the nanoscale. A successful implementation of the program can advance the fundamental understanding of magnetoelectric coupling and correlated behavior at the nanoscale and interfaces, and lead to novel oxide-based electronic and spintronic devices. These projects provide exciting research opportunities for students at the graduate, undergraduate, and high school levels. In addition, the PI will devise an easily accessible cartoon girl character as a role model, upon which a series of daily life stories will be used to convey basic physics concepts. The stories will be disseminated to the public through a Web-based interface to attract young people, in particular young women, to be more interested and involved in physics and science.
This research program focuses on the study of novel coupling between electronic and magnetic states and local control of phase structures in artificially designed complex oxide nanostructures and interfaces. The aim of the first project is to fabricate artificial oxide nanostructures, where an array of ferroelectric pillars are embedded in a magnetic host material with the interface registered with atomic precision (epitaxy), and investigate the coupling mechanism between the magnetic and electric states. The goal of the second project is to create and study nanoscale phase structures in correlated oxide thin films through size confinements or ferroelectric field effect modulation. The long term goal is that understanding achieved through this research will lead to novel oxide-based electronic and spintronic (solid state) devices that can transcend the performance limits of the devices utilized in current information technology. Students involved in these projects will be exposed to frontier research at condensed matter physics, receiving training in advanced experimental techniques. The educational goal is to engage students, especially women, to be interested and involved in physics studies at an early age. The PI will create a series of cartoon stories center on an easily accessible girl character, utilizing the proximity effect to attract the women audience. In these carton stories, the PI will present a beginner's perspective of basic physics problems and explore how physics can be approached outside the classroom. The stories will be disseminated to the public through a Web-based interface.
