This Focused Research Group (FRG) project the topic of length scales and dimensionality cross-over in nanoscience and technology. The project aims to bridge the gap between the nanoscopic world of atoms and the mesoscopic world of materials and devices, by integrating quantum growth with more traditional growth concepts, addressing a spectrum of fundamental issues in condensed matter- and materials sciences. The project addresses the size effect on (i) Cooper pair formation and order parameter in superconductivity; (ii) magnetic anisotropy and ordering tem-peratures in magnetic quantum dots; and (iii) the interplay between free carriers and magnetic moments in artificially-structured dilute magnetic semiconductors. The FRG involves researchers with complementary expertise and capabilities in quantum growth and manipulation schemes for metallic nanostructures, interface engineering, transport measurements on surface systems and ultrathin films, and theory of nucleation and growth, mesoscopic physics, transport, and magnet-ism. The project includes collaborative partnerships between the university investigators and the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). %%% This project addresses basic research issues in a topical area of materials science with significant technological relevance, and places emphasis on the integration of research and education. The proposed program embodies development for a new partnership between the Center for Nano-phase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the academic institutions represented in this proposal. The proposed science and supporting infrastructure pro-vide an excellent setting for the education and training of internationally competitive students and postdocs. They can access some of the world's most advanced facilities for nanoscale sci-ence and ultrafast computing at UT-Austin, UT-Knoxville, and ORNL. The educational outreach effort will focus on the development of a new curriculum for nanoscale science and technology, in partnership with the Center of Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology at the University of Texas. The curriculum will be aimed at bridging the departmental boundaries and traditional research disciplines, which is expected to foster a collaborative atmosphere of excitement and discovery. The research integrates materials synthesis and characterization, and shows how the-ory and experiment can work hand-in-hand to push the frontier of nanoscale science and technol-ogy. The project will enlarge the pool of young scientists who have collaborative research ex-perience and who will be ready to take their place in the highly-skilled workforce that continues to drive today's high-tech society. ***
