9303568 Sooryakumar This project will support the study of carriers in narrow channels of widths comparable to the electron de-Broglie wavelength through Fabry-Perot optical interferometry methods. It will allow for the determination of the plasmon dispersion, their lifetimes and coupling between neighboring lateral wires that are vital to an understanding of the electronic properties of quantum wires. In addition, the effects of electron-electron interactions on the spin wave dynamics and elastic stability of bulk 3d ferromagnets will be investigated through light scattering studies on a novel set of Fe1-xCox epilayers. This will provide important data on the interplay between electron correlations and elastic stability, a connection that has surfaced in recent year. %%% This project will support a laser spectroscopic study of charge carriers in ultra-narrow channels a few hundredths of a micron wide that underlie the next generation of high speed electronic devices. The study focusses on the collective response of carriers within individual channels as well as their coupling to neighboring lateral wires. In addition, the effects ofinteractions between charge carriers, that present one of the greatest challenges to understanding magnetism in metallic materials, will be addressed. This will be investigated through optical spectroscopy and varying the strength of the electron interactions made possible by a recent breakthrough in alloying different magnetic elements. ***
