****Non Technical Abstract**** This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). We are living in a fast-paced world of modern quantum technology where better understanding of the quantum states and interactions in semiconductor materials can play an important role in developing the next generation of devices. Some of these devices will likely make use of a quantum property of electrons known as ?spin.? This CAREER award funds projects to establish several optical, magneto-optical, and transport techniques to advance current understanding of quantum phenomena in semiconductor structures where the spin strongly affects the motion of the electrons. Understanding the quantum phenomena in these material systems will be an important step in the development quantum semiconductor devices, but equally important, will provide an environment to explore challenging phenomena in condensed matter physics. The research activities will involve diverse groups of undergraduate and graduate researchers in frontier projects to train the next generation of experts in semiconductor optics with ample knowledge of solid state and quantum physics. One important educational aspect of this CAREER award is collaborations with Roanoke Governor?s High School. Lectures on modern and recent topics in physics for the students who attend the high school from seven districts in the New River Valley will be provided. In addition, the students will have opportunities for short internship programs.
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). In light of the current interest in spin-related phenomena, there has been growing activity in understanding and manipulating spin-orbit (SO) interactions in low dimensional semiconductor structures. The goal of the research supported by this CAREER award is to explore the quantum states and dynamics of interacting and confined electrons in low dimensional semiconductor structures with strong SO interactions. Several optical, magneto-optical, and transport techniques will be employed to advance our understanding of quantum phenomena in semiconductor structures such as InSb/AlInSb and InNAs/GaAs based heterostructures. A broader impact of the activities in this project is increasing our students? knowledge and skills in different aspects of modern experimental techniques and deepening their understanding of fundamental physics. One important aspect of the educational plans of this CAREER award is collaborations with Roanoke Governor?s High School. Lectures on modern and recent topics in physics for the students who attend the high school from seven districts in the New River Valley will be provided. In addition, the students will have opportunities for short internship programs.
