Prof. David Awschalom (University of Chicago) to deliver two lectures at BC on the future of quantum technologies.
04-14-2025
Professor Awschalom (University of Chicago), a pioneer in the field of solid-state quantum systems, will deliver the 2025 Magde Physics Colloquium on April 30 (4 pm). A second lecture intended for the general public will follow on May 1 (4 pm) in the Murray Room, Yawkey Center. For more information, contact physics@bc.edu.
Professor Awschalom is a recipient of the American Physical Society’s Oliver Buckley Prize, the highest award for condensed matter physics, and the Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize for exceptional skills in lecturing to diverse audiences.
Professor of Physics Ilija Zeljkovic wins “Serbian Nobel for Physics" for his research into novel materials
05-02-2024
Professor of Physics Ilija Zeljkovic has been honored in his native Serbia with the Marko Jarić Award, sometimes referred to as the “Serbian Nobel for Physics,” for his research into novel materials.
BC physicist aids NASA research
04-25-2024
Associate Professor of Physics Cyril P. Opeil, S.J., is among a select few scientists taking part in an international research effort to shed light on the nature of asteroids, how the planets formed, and how life might have emerged on Earth.
2024 Donald J. White Teaching Award
04-09-2024
Congratulations to Alex LaFleur and Thomas Barrett, graduate students in the Department of Physics who were awarded the Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award. The Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Awards program was established to underscore and reinforce the importance of the pursuit of teaching excellence of graduate Teaching Fellows and Teaching Assistants.
2024 Sophomore Scholars
04-09-2024
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected academically distinguished members of the Sophomore Class, who are ranked in the top three percent of their class, to receive this award. Congratulations to Anna Kaplan and Jeremy Landman on being named 2024 Sophomore Scholars and being honored as the most academically distinguished members of the Sophomore class. This award recognizes their current distinction and their promise for the future.
2024 Dean's Scholar
04-09-2024
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected the brightest scholars from the junior class based on their overall academic performance, recommendations from their departmental faculty, co-curricular initiatives, and their sense of purpose in how they approach their future. Congratulations to Momoka Iwase and Alan Chang on being named Dean’s Scholars.
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Asst. Prof. Brian Zhou wins Department of Energy Early Career Award
08-21-2023
Assistant Professor Brian Zhou was named one of 93 early career scientists across the country to receive a prestigious DOE Early Career Research Award. These awards are a part of the DOE’s long-standing efforts to develop the next generation of STEM leaders to solidify America’s role as the driver of science and innovation around the world."
Enrique Gonzalez receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Award
04-04-2023
The National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions.
"Enrique Gonzalez, a graduate student in the Tafti Lab at the Boston College Department of Physics, is a recipient of the 2023 NSF-GRFP award. This prestigious scholarship is awarded based on the intellectual merits and broader impacts of the student’s research proposal. Enrique Gonzalez proposed a study of topological magnetic materials for spintronic applications. His research will entail the crystal growth of high-quality crystals using a floating zone image furnace and solving their magnetic structures using neutron scattering. This award showcases cutting-edge research in quantum materials at Boston College." Fazel Tafti
https://www.research.gov/grfp/AwardeeList.do
Alexander Auner, Assistant Professor of the Practice, is recognized by the Center for Teaching Excellence, for his creative assignments.
03-01-2023
Read more about Alexander Auner's Visualization of Physics Project and how his creativity keeps his students thinking beyond the classroom.
Qiong Ma awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship
02-24-2023
Assistant Professor of Physics Qiong Ma is one of two BC faculty members named a 2023 Sloan Fellow, one of the most prestigious awards available to young scientists.
Read more
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In Memoriam: Gabor Kalman
01-19-2023
Distinguished Research Professor of Physics Emeritus Gabor Kalman, a presence in the department for 48 years and a leader in the field of plasma physics, died in his native Hungary on December 10 following an illness. He was 92.
Read more.
Clarivate Names Professor David Broido among the World’s Influential Researchers with Highly Cited Researchers 2022 List
12-09-2022
London, U.K., November 15, 2022 – Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today revealed its 2022 list of Highly Cited Researchers™
Read more.
Kenneth Burch named fellow of the American Physical Society
11-07-2022
The Boston College physics professor has led groundbreaking research into van der Waals crystals, materials that reveal new physical effects and potential applications.
Physics Major, Max Korman, Performs at Pops on the Heights
10-19-2022
Maxwell Korman wakes up to a daily mountain of physics problem sets and computer science lectures. Somewhere in that pile sits pieces of sheet music—Korman’s preparation for Boston College’s 30th Annual Pops on the Heights gala.
Full Story
BC’s Newest Major APPLIED PHYSICS
08-02-2022
The Applied Physics major provides a flexible platform for students to combine a strong interest in the concepts and analytical tools of physics with varied applications such as quantum computation, materials science, energy and the environment, biophysics, mathematical physics, financial modeling, and more. This track is recommended for students planning to enter the workforce or an interdisciplinary graduate program after graduation rather than applying to graduate school in physics.
Read more.
Physicist named CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar
08-01-2022
Assistant Professor Qiong Ma is named to the organization’s 40th anniversary class of 18 early-career scholars recognized for exemplary research.
Read more.
A unique semiconductor
07-28-2022
Confirmation of simultaneous high ambipolar mobility and high thermal conductivity in boron arsenide further enhances its promise for next-generation applications.
Read more.
A Particle Discovery
06-30-2022
Discovered by Boston College researcher, Kenneth Burch, the axial Higgs mode, and materials that contain it, could support quantum sensors to help answer persistent questions in particle physics.
Read more
Shifting Energy
06-07-2022
Researchers from Boston College, led by Associate Professor of Physics Ilija Zeljkovic, and China confirm predictions about the quantum behavior of exotic magnets.
Tracking the Opioid Epidemic
05-12-2022
A new, penny-sized sensor developed by researchers from Boston College, Boston University, and Giner Labs uses wastewater to measure opioid use at the local level.
Read more.
Goldsmith Award 2022
05-03-2022
Congratulations to Physics major and graduating senior Kemal Atay for his achievement in receiving the 2022 George J. Goldsmith Award. Named in memory of longtime Physics Department faculty member George J. Goldsmith, who is remembered for both his scholarship and his selfless dedication to the students of Boston College, this award is given annually to a graduating physics major in recognition of excellence in academic achievement and research.
Alumna's Smile app brings humor to dating
04-22-2022
Morrissey College physics alumna Melissa Mullen '18 wanted a dating app for people who "value humor in a relationship." So she made one.
Sophomore Scholars 2022
04-22-2022
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected academically distinguished members of the Sophomore Class, who are ranked in the top three percent of their class, to receive this award. Congratulations to John Houley and Yik Ki Lam on being named 2022 Sophomore Scholars and being honored as the most academically distinguished members of the Sophomore class. This award recognizes their current distinction and their promise for the future.
Dean's Scholar, Department of Physics Boston College 2022
04-22-2022
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected the brightest scholars from the junior class based on their overall academic performance, recommendations from their departmental faculty, co-curricular initiatives, and their sense of purpose in how they approach their future. Congratulations to Andrew Cole for being named Dean’s Scholar.
Donald J. White Teaching Award Winners 2022
04-22-2022
Congratulations to Thomas Graham and Wilber Alfaro Castro, graduate students in the Department of Physics who were awarded the Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award. The Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Awards program was established to underscore and reinforce the importance of the pursuit of teaching excellence of graduate Teaching Fellows and Teaching Assistants.
Awards are for students who have assisted in laboratories in the sciences, and for those students in other disciplines who assist in teaching by leading discussion groups.
PHYSICS COMMUNITY REACTS TO CRISIS IN UKRAINE
03-16-2022
Several scientific organizations such as the American Physical Society have come out with statements opposing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Boston College Research Professor Emeritus Gabor Kalman has led a successful effort to have the Strongly Correlated Coulomb Systems International Conference Board pass a resolution expressing outrage against this senseless and extreme act of violence, and solidarity with all scientists who oppose and condemn the invasion. Resolution
Rotation symmetry breaking in the normal state of a kagome superconductor KV3Sb5
03-11-2022
Recently discovered superconductors AV3Sb5 provide a fresh opportunity to study correlation-driven electronic phenomena on a kagome lattice.
Tracking the Opioid Epidemic
03-11-2022
“This new sensor we’ve developed is able to rapidly, cheaply, and easily measure opioids in wastewater,” said Boston College Professor of Physics Kenneth Burch, a lead author of the report.
APS Topical Group on Magnetism and its Applications (GMAG) Dissertation Award
02-18-2022
Congratulations to Yiping Wang, a graduate student in the Burch Group, who received the APS Topical Group on Magnetism and its Applications (GMAG) Dissertation Award for her dissertation, Raman Measurement on Magnetic Collective Modes and Applications.
To encourage students working in magnetism, every year GMAG sponsors Outstanding Dissertation in Magnetism awards. These awards recognize students who have conducted outstanding research leading to their dissertation. The award consists of an invited talk in an appropriate session at the APS March Meeting, a $500 prize to the student, and up to $250 toward his/her travel expenses to attend the APS March Meeting.
Women in Science at Boston College
02-11-2022
Women in Science
On Saturday, February 5, 2022, twenty girls from Boston-area high schools visited campus to be a part of hours-long physics experiments, to better understand what it means to work in a lab.
The Women in Science program at Boston College began in 2006, and now includes Physics, Biology, and Chemistry.
Special thanks to those that helped make this such a success.
Malavika Chandra, Bryan Rachmilowitz, Faranak Bahrami, and Alenna Streeter
International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly
02-11-2022
Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Read more.
BC physicists win NSF awards
01-24-2022
Assistant Professors of Physics Qiong Ma and Benedetta Flebus each have received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, which supports junior faculty in the sciences through the Faculty Early Career Development Program.
Read full story
Exploring the intersection of art and science
12-14-2021
A $300,000 NSF grant will allow Boston College physicist Andrzej Herczynski to continue studying how 'seemingly disparate disciplines' connect.
Read more.
Exotic metals BC research reveals new insights on the unique properties and phenomena of 'kagome lattice' superconductors
12-07-2021
Boston College physicists Ziqiang Wang and Ilija Zeljkovic have discovered a complex landscape of electronic states that can co-exist on a kagome lattice, resembling those in high-temperature superconductors, they reported this fall in the journal Nature.
Professor David Broido named to Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researchers of 2021
11-18-2021
For the second year in a row, Professor David Broido has been selected as a "highly cited Researcher" by Clarivate/Web of Science. The citation recognizes exceptional research influence, demonstrated by the production of multiple highly-cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in the Web of Science. In 2021, fewer than 6,700, or about 0.1%, of the world's researchers, in 21 research fields and across multiple fields, have earned this distinction. Professor Broido is the only Boston College professor to receive this recognition during the past two years.
Imaging antiferromagnetic domain fluctuations and the effect of atomic scale disorder in a doped spin-orbit Mott insulator
11-11-2021
Correlated oxides can exhibit complex magnetic patterns. Understanding how magnetic domains form in the presence of disorder and their robustness to temperature variations has been of particular interest, but atomic scale insight has been limited. We use spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy to image the evolution of spin-resolved modulations originating from antiferromagnetic (AF) ordering in a spin-orbit Mott insulator perovskite iridate Sr3Ir2O7 as a function of chemical composition and temperature.
Focused Topic Seminar Series
10-25-2021
Our department plans a focused topic seminar series on quantum magnets this semester. It will feature five online talks from experts working on magnetic quantum materials and new techniques of probing magnetism at the nanoscale. The seminar series will take place on Monday 4-5 pm EST throughout November and December. The seminars are designed at a graduate student level and above. Undergraduates who are interested in these research topics are also welcome.
Scheduled Guest Speakers
Dr. Uri Vool from Harvard on Nov. 1 (4:00-5:00 pm). Host by Prof. Brian Zhou
Prof. Leo Li from Brown on Nov. 15 (4:00-5:00 pm). Host by Prof. Fazel Tafti
Prof. Liang Wu from UPenn on Nov. 22 (3:30-4:30 pm). Host by Prof. Qiong Ma
Prof. Jing Shi from UCR on Dec. 6 (4:00-5:00 pm). Host by Prof. Benedetta Flebus
Prof. Roser Valenti from the University of Frankfurt on Dec. 13 (4:00-5:00 pm). Host by Prof. Ken Burch
BC physicists create liquid-like electron flow.
09-29-2021
Assistant Professor of Physics Fazel Tafti and colleagues create a new metallic specimen where the motion of electrons flows in the same way water flows in a pipe-- fundamentally changing from particle-like to fluid-like dynamics. Read more.
BC physicist Ziqiang Wang receives a competitive Cottrell Plus SEED Award
09-20-2021
Professor of Physics Ziqiang Wang is among five physics and astronomy researchers to receive one of this yearâs Research Corporation for Science Advancementâs competitive Cottrell Plus SEED (Singular Exceptional Endeavors of Discovery) Awards.
A team of researchers from Boston College has created a new metallic specimen where the motion of electrons flows in the same way water flows in a pipe -- fundamentally changing from particle-like to fluid-like dynamics, the team reports in Nature Communications. Working with colleagues from the University of Texas at Dallas and Florida State University, Boston College Assistant Professor of Physics Fazel Tafti found in the metal superconductor, a synthesis of Niobium and Germanium (NbGe2), that a strong interaction between electrons and phonons alters the transport of electrons from the diffusive, or particle-like, to hydrodynamic, or fluid-like, regime.
09-09-2021
Women in Physics
09-08-2021
Female physicists, postdocs, faculty members and students who are interested in pursuing physics, gather together and have fun over pizza every month. During this event, students get to know their peers, gain advice from their seniors, form study groups, and learn about research groups they are potentially interested to join. A guest faculty speaker will be invited at the last event every semester to give a presentation on research, academics, and career opportunities. This event is organized by Profs. Benedetta Flebus and Qiong Ma in the Department of Physics and strongly supported by the entire department. Any female students and researchers who are interested in physics are welcome to join this monthly event. To join this event, please email Prof. Qiong Ma (qiong.ma@bc.edu) and/or Prof. Benedetta Flebus (benedetta.flebus@bc.edu).
Boston College Associate Professor of Physics Ilija Zeljkovic and an international team of researchers set out to better understand the atomic-scale signature of electronic nematic transition in Fe(Te,Se) -- a class of materials known as iron chalcogenide superconductors
08-31-2021
Researchers have discovered a "layer" Hall effect in a solid state chip constructed of antiferromagnetic manganese bismuth telluride, a finding that signals a much sought-after topological Axion insulating state, the team reports in the current edition of the journal Nature.
08-31-2021
Professor Fazel Tafti elected on the national high magnetic field user advisory committee
07-13-2021
Following a nationwide election process, Prof. Fazel Tafti from the physics department at BC has been elected to serve on the users Advisory Committee for the DC and High B/T facilities at the national high magnetic field laboratory (NHMFL). Prof. Tafti has been nominated and elected by the condensed matter community based on his high-impact research at the NHMFL and his contributions to the field of quantum materials. "This is an honor for me to serve our CMP community and help to improve the user experience at NHMFL" , says Tafti. He will serve on the committee with four colleagues from the Princeton, Brown, and Michigan State universities as well as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The physics department at BC continues to take a leading position at the national level.
A link to the user community of NHMFL can be found here:
Exposing the hidden influence of selection rules on phonon-phonon scattering by pressure and temperature tuning
06-24-2021
We show that the otherwise invisible impact of selection rules on three-phonon scattering can be exposed through anomalous signatures in the pressure and temperature dependence of the thermal conductivities of certain compounds. Professor David Broido
https://iisc.ac.in/identifying-new-materials-with-novel-thermal-properties/
"Temperature-dependent renormalization of magnetic interactions by thermal, magnetic, and lattice disorder from first principles”
05-11-2021
We put forth an ab initio framework to calculate local moment magnetic interaction parameters, renormalized to treat both the lattice and magnetic systems as a function of temperature .
Sophomore Scholars 2021
05-10-2021
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected academically distinguished members of the Sophomore Class, who are ranked in the top three percent of their class, to receive this award. Congratulations to Andrew Cole and John Marangola on being named 2021 Sophomore Scholars and being honored as the most academically distinguished members of the Sophomore class. This award recognizes their current distinction and their promise for the future.
Professor Michael Naughton Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award
05-06-2021
The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board are pleased to announce that Professor Michael J. Naughton of Boston College, Department of Physics, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Ireland, commencing in the Fall of 2021. Dr. Naughton will undergo collaborative research at the AMBER Centre (Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research) at Trinity College Dublin, in support of projects on bioelectronics and nanostructured perovskite photovoltaics.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Naughton will share knowledge and foster meaningful connections across communities in the United States and Ireland. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad. As Fulbright Scholar alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields.
Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 86 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.
Donald J. White Teaching Award Winners 2021
05-04-2021
Congratulations to Linden Hayes, Jared Rogers, and Alenna Streeter, graduate students in the Department of Physics who were awarded the Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award. The Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Awards program was established to underscore and reinforce the importance of the pursuit of teaching excellence of graduate Teaching Fellows and Teaching Assistants.
Awards are for students who have assisted in laboratories in the sciences, and for those students in other disciplines who assist in teaching by leading discussion groups.
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Goldsmith Award 2021
05-04-2021
Congratulations to Physics major and graduating senior Roy Forestano for his achievement in receiving the 2021 George J. Goldsmith award. Named in memory of longtime Physics Department faculty member George J. Goldsmith, who is remembered for both his scholarship and his selfless dedication to the students of Boston College, this award is given annually to a graduating physics major in recognition of excellence in academic achievement and research.
BC Physics Graduate Amelia Culp receives 2021 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
04-06-2021
Amelia Culp (BS ’19), pictured here next to Prof. Zeljkovic, has been awarded a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, which supports outstanding graduate students in research and service. Amelia was co-president of the Society of Physics Students at Boston College and is currently pursuing a PhD in bioinformatics at the Vollum Institute.
The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Qiong Ma as an Assistant Professor
02-10-2021
The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Qiong Ma as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Ma earned her Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Ma's area of research is condensed matter experiment; 2D and moiré heterostructures; topological and correlated physics; low-temperature electronic transport; nonlinear, ultrafast, and near-field optoelectronic microscopies and spectroscopies.
The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Xiao Chen as an Assistant Professor
02-01-2021
Dr. Chen's research focuses on the interplay between condensed matter and quantum information. Read more about his research.
Assistant Professor Brian Zhou receives NSF CAREER award
01-21-2021
Prof. Zhou receives a 5-year NSF CAREER grant to develop newly-emerged quantum sensors as probes for the optoelectronic properties of technologically promising materials. His project will place a single quantum system – an electron spin in diamond – near material samples and resolve the flow of photocurrents inside these materials. Prof. Zhou’s technique isolates the effect of photocurrents on the coherent dynamics of a spin superposition, while protecting the spin from environmental noise. Read More
Topological Superconductors and Kagome Magnets
12-16-2020
Recently, Prof. Ziqiang Wang and Dr. Kun Jiang, and collaborators from Princeton University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Institute of Physics, and Peking University reported their research findings in the area of topological quantum materials. These include the discovery of chiral topological superconductivity in heavy fermion superconductor UTe2 published in Nature; incipient topological superconductor and Majorana zero modes at both ends of atomic line defects in monolayer Fe(Te,Se) superconducting films in Nature Physics; and Majorana zero modes at magnetic Fe adatoms in Science Advances, supporting their theory of the quantum anomalous vortex. They also reported that the Kagome lattice TbMn6Sn6 is a topological Chern magnet in Nature, exhibiting a Chern gap and topological edge states; the discovery of magnetic spin-orbit polarons at atomic S-vacancies in Kagome magnetic Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2 in Nature Communications; and spin-orbit coupled magnetic resonances in Co3Sn2S2 in Nature Communications.
Floquet-engineering topological transitions in a twisted transition metal dichalcogenide homobilayer
12-04-2020
Motivated by the recent experimental realization of twisted transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers, Prof. Benedetta Flebus and colleagues study a simplified model driven by different forms of monochromatic light. Read more.
Emergent conformal symmetry in nonunitary random dynamics of free fermions
12-02-2020
New approach to generate critical quantum wave function through many-body non-equilibrium quantum dynamics. Read more.
Operator Lévy Flight: Light Cones in Chaotic Long-Range Interacting Systems
12-02-2020
Chaotic power-law interacting systems have emergent limits on information propagation, analogous to relativistic light cones, which depend on the spatial dimension and the exponent governing the decay of interactions. Read more.
Non-Hermitian topology of one-dimensional spin-torque oscillator arrays
11-24-2020
Magnetic systems have been extensively studied from both a fundamental physics perspective and as technological building blocks. Read more
Professor David Broido named to Clarivate Web of Science "Highly Cited Researchers of 2020"
11-23-2020
Pioneers in their fields.
Recognized by their peers.
Applauded by the world.
Atomic Control of Charge
11-11-2020
Two-dimensional nanoelectronics, plasmonics, and emergent phases require clean and local charge control. A collaboration led by Boston College Professor Kenneth Burch reported a new means at achieving control of charge in single atomic layers. As reported in their recent Nano Letters article, “Modulation Doping via a Two-Dimensional Atomic Crystalline Acceptor”, they demonstrate RuCl3 can effective soak charge from an array of other materials. They further provide evidence this works even when separated by insulating layers of hBN. Their discovery will enable emergent quantum phases, nanoscale electronic, photonics and optoelectronic devices.
A new spin on magnetism
08-03-2020
A new approach developed by Boston College physics researchers creates synthetic layered magnets with a unprecedented level of control over their magnetic properties.
The Department of Physics at Boston College seeks a dynamic and creative leader for the position of Department Chair
08-02-2020
Please visit the Positions Available page for more information.
George J. Goldsmith Award 2020
05-07-2020
Congratulations to Physics major and graduating seniors Marisa Romanelli and Cole Tamburri for their achievement in receiving the 2020 George J. Goldsmith award. Named in memory of longtime Physics Department faculty member George J.Goldsmith, who is remembered for both his scholarship and his selfless dedication to the students of Boston College, this award is given annually to a graduating physics major in recognition of excellence in academic achievement and research.
Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award 2020
05-06-2020
Congratulations to Michael Geiwitz and Faranak Bahrami for being awarded the 2020 Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award.
Three Physics Students Elected to Phi Beta Kappa
05-04-2020
Please congratulate the three Physics Majors elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Elected in 2019
Cole Tamburri ‘20,
Marisa Romanelli ‘20
Elected in 2020
Chun An Wang '20
https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/mcas/sites/phi-beta-kappa/student-initiates.html
Dean's Scholars Department of Physics Boston College 2020
04-28-2020
Dean's Scholars
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected the brightest scholars from the junior class based on their overall academic performance, recommendations from their departmental faculty, co-curricular initiatives, and their sense of purpose in how they approach their future. Congratulations to Roy Forestano and Alex Wasilkoff on being named Dean’s Scholars
2020 Sophomore Scholars
04-28-2020
Sophomore Scholars
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected academically distinguished members of the Sophomore Class, who are ranked in the top three percent of their class, to receive this award. Congratulations to John Almeida, Kemal Atay, and Bailey Renger on being named 2020 Sophomore Scholars and being honored as the most academically distinguished members of the sophomore class. This award recognizes their current distinction and their promise for the future.
Graphene underpins a new platform to selectively ID deadly strains of bacteria
03-24-2020
Team demonstrates the first electrical detection of two pathogenic bacteria species
The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Xiao Chen as an Assistant Professor
03-24-2020
The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Xiao Chen as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Chen earned his Ph.D. at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Chen's course of study is non-equilibrium many-body quantum dynamics in closed and open systems, such as transport properties and quantum information dynamics; topoligical phases of matter, such as topological insulators, topological ordered phase, and topological defect.
The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Benedetta Flebus as an Assistant Professor
03-01-2020
The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Benedetta Flebus as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Flebus earned her Ph.D. at University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. Dr. Flebus' area of study is condensed matter theory; non-Hermitian topological classifications, twistronics and Floquet engineering in magnetic systems, quantum-impurity relaxometry and collective spin and heat transport as probes of magnetization dynamics.
If You Want to Catch More Light, Twist It
02-04-2020
https://www.eurekalert.org/features/doe/2020-01/ddoe-iyw013120.php
An enriched conductor Report by BC Professor of Physics David Broido and international colleagues confirm high thermal conductivity predicted for isotopically enriched cubic boron nitride
01-30-2020
Fragmented magnetism Researchers from Boston College, MIT, and UC Santa Barbara reveal an elusive atomic-scale magnetic 'signal' in a Mott insulator
10-23-2019
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - Probing the properties of a Mott insulator, a team of researchers from Boston College, MIT, and U.C. Santa Barbara has revealed an elusive atomic-scale magnetic signal in the unique material as it transitions from insulator to a metal, the team reported recently in the journal Nature Physics.
Working with a compound in the class of materials known as Mott insulators, the team used spin-polarizing scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) to detail at the atomic level the underlying physics of one example of these insulators, which can be manipulated into a metallic state through the addition of an electronic charge, a process called doping, said Boston College Assistant Professor of Physics Ilija Zeljkovic, a lead author of the report.
Manipulating non-magnetic atoms in a chromium halide enables tuning of magnetic properties
09-29-2019
New approach creates synthetic layered magnets with unprecedented level of control over their magnetic properties Read more.
Ilija Zeljkovic receives DOE Research Award
08-15-2019
Assistant professor of physics will receive $150,000 annually over the next five years for research into new quantum materials
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Position in Physics and Materials Science
08-15-2019
Boston College is entering a new era in scientific research, with the recent creation of the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society. This $300 million investment into the sciences will include the hiring of more than 20 new faculty and a new 150,000 square foot science center, currently under construction. The Physics Department is a leader in this effort, and continues to expand its highly collaborative and interdisciplinary efforts across quantum materials and information, nanophotonics, plasmonics, materials science, nonlinear optics and biological physics. Beyond the 5 new hires since 2014, we are pleased to continue these investments by inviting applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position. Candidates with expertise in condensed matter, materials science, bio-materials interfaces, biosensing, quantum computing, quantum information or optics are strongly encouraged to apply. We are particularly interested in diverse candidates with collaborative research programs, be they theoretical, experimental, computational or a combination thereof.
More information.
Physics major Noah Barnett '19 awarded a Fulbright Scholarship
05-23-2019
Ten members of the Class of 2019 and three Boston College alumni have received Fulbright Scholarships, which support a year’s post-baccalaureate study abroad.
Four Physics Students Elected to Phi Beta Kappa
05-06-2019
Please congratulate the four Physics Majors elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Matt Bonidie ‘19,
Amelia Culp ’19,
Cole Tamburri ‘20,
Marisa Romanelli ‘20
https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/mcas/sites/phi-beta-kappa/student-initiates.html
George J. Goldsmith Award 2019
05-03-2019
Congratulations to Physics major and graduating senior Ryan O'Connor for his achievement in receiving the 2019 George J. Goldsmith award. Named in memory of longtime Physics Department faculty member George J.Goldsmith, who is remembered for both his scholarship and his selfless dedication to the students of Boston College, this award is given annually to a graduating physics major in recognition of excellence in academic achievement and research.
Seven students inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma
04-25-2019
The Department of Physics is thrilled to announce the induction of seven undergraduate students into Sigma Pi Sigma, this Spring. Sigma Pi Sigma exists to honor outstanding scholarship in physics; to encourage interest in physics among students at all levels; to promote an attitude of service of its members towards their fellow students, colleagues, and the public; to provide a fellowship of persons who have excelled in physics. Sigma Pi Sigma’s mission is not completed in the induction ceremony with the recognition of academic accomplishment. In the four dimensions of Honor, Encouragement, Service, and Fellowship, the mission of Sigma Pi Sigma takes a longer view. Founded in 1921, Sigma Pi Sigma is a member honor society of the Association of College Honor Societies. The society has 75,000 historical members. Election to Sigma Pi Sigma is a lifetime membership.
The seven students are:
Roy Forestano '21 (Major: Physics, Math)
Max Lavey '21 (Major: Physics)
Nicole Menkart '20 (Major: Physics, Minor: Hispanic Studies)
Eva Pontrelli '20 (Major: Physics, Minor: Music)
Joseph Schulz '21 (Major: Physics, Math)
Fengdan Shi '21 (Major: Math, Minor: Physics, Finance)
Thomas Tartaglia '21 (Major: Physics)
Chirality yields colossal photocurrent
04-03-2019
A recently discovered Weyl semimetal delivers the largest intrinsic conversion of light to electricity of any material, an international team led by a group of Boston College researchers reported in the March 2019 edition of the journal Nature Materials. Read the full story.
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2019 Physics Scholars
04-03-2019
(LtoR: Roy Forestano, Chun An Wang, Cole Tamburri, Eva Pontrelli, and Marisa Romanelli; Qinzi Zhang is missing)
Dean's Scholars
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected the brightest scholars from the junior class based on their overall academic performance, recommendations from their departmental faculty, co-curricular initiatives, and their sense of purpose in how they approach their future. Congratulations to Eva Pontrelli, Marisa Romanelli, Cole Tamburri, Chun An Wang on being named Dean’s Scholars.
Sophomore Scholars
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected academically distinguished members of the Sophomore Class, who are ranked in the top three percent of their class, to receive this award. Congratulations to Qinzi Zhang, and Roy Forestano on being named 2019 Sophomore Scholars and being honored as the most academically distinguished members of the sophomore class. This award recognizes their current distinction and their promise for the future.
2019 Dissertation Fellowship Award
03-29-2019
Dissertation Fellowship Award
We would like to congratulate Gavin Osterhoudt for being awarded Dissertation Fellowship Awards. This Award is in recognition of the excellence of Gavin's research project and will fund him as he continues his research next year.
2019 Dean's Scholars
03-28-2019
Dean's Scholars
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected the brightest scholars from the junior class based on their overall academic performance, recommendations from their departmental faculty, co-curricular initiatives, and their sense of purpose in how they approach their future. Congratulations to Eva Pontrelli, Marisa Romanelli, Cole Tamburri, Chun An Wang on being named Dean’s Scholars
2019 Sophomore Scholars
03-28-2019
Sophomore Scholars
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected academically distinguished members of the Sophomore Class, who are ranked in the top three percent of their class, to receive this award. Congratulations to Qinzi Zhang, and Roy Forestano on being named 2019 Sophomore Scholars and being honored as the most academically distinguished members of the sophomore class. This award recognizes their current distinction and their promise for the future.
Art of Physics Offered in Parma Italy June 2019
02-28-2019
The Department of Physics is offering a unique opportunity to participate in a physics course abroad in the summer of 2019! The Art of Physics, PHYS 1400, will be taught in June 2019 in Parma, Italy. This course is taught in English and is open to all, including adventurous students in the humanities, business, education, and sciences. It may satisfy the requirement for a Science Core Class or Physics Elective. View the Syallabus Here To Learn More View the OIP course page or Contact Prof. Andrzej Herczyński at andrzej@bc.edu.
Researchers observe charge-stripe crystal phase in an insulating cuprate
02-13-2019
Researchers from Boston College and Brookhaven National Laboratory have succeeded in modifying a cuprate high-temperature superconductor material into an insulating state, where they found an exotic liquid crystal phase.
A new 'spin' on kagome lattices
12-14-2018
Professor Ziqiang Wang and Dr. Jiang, shed new light on the presence of spin-orbit coupling and topological spin textures in kagome lattices Read the full article here
CREATION New Materials from the Physics Lab of Ilija Zeljkovic
09-13-2018
Ilija Zeljkovic, assistant professor of physics, opens a heavy door in the basement of Higgins Hall to show off his prized research instrument: a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). It extends about eight feet into the ground and looks, at surface level, like a plumbing project run amok, a bathtub-size tangle of stainless-steel and genuine aluminum-foil piping. But it operates at almost unimaginable extremes of physics and precision.
Read more
http://bcm.bc.edu/issues/summer_2018/inquiring_minds/creation.html
The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Brian Zhou as an Assistant Professor
09-01-2018
The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Brian Zhou as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Zhou earned his Ph.D. at Princeton University working with Dr. Prof. Ali Yazdani and was a Post Doctoral Scholar in David D. Awschalom’s Group at the Institute for Molecular Engineering of the University of Chicago. He is an experimental condensed matter physicist interested in studying new tools using resonant optical fields that manipulate single nitrogen vacancy (NV) center spins with high efficiency and spatial resolution. In his research, Dr. Zhou engineers ‘superadiabatic’ dynamics to overcome conventional speed limits to adiabatic protocols, thereby hybridizing their robustness with speed.
Boston College physicists, Prof. Fazel Tafti and Prof. Ken Burch, develop a method to control the direction of atomic magnetism in layered materials—a leap of progress for the optical and magnetic device industry
07-17-2018
In a new report in Advanced Materials, researchers from Boston College demonstrate that magnetic anisotropy can be continuously tuned between the two limits of in-plane and out-of-plane. The team reports it achieved this advance in the arena of ultrathin magnetic devices by successfully pointing the magnetization toward any direction of space instead of only in-plane or out-of-plane.
Read More
A new, promising cooling material is developed based on theoretical work by BC physicist David Broido and colleagues
07-16-2018
In 2013, a group of scientists theorized that a unique compound could offer thermal conductivity to rival that of diamond, known as the best material for conducting heat. The theory, developed by David Broido, a profesor of physics at Boston College, and collaborators Tom Reinecke of the Naval Research Lab and Lucas Lindsay Ph.D. ’10 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, showed significant promise.
To read the full article, click on the link below.
http://www.bc.edu/bc-web/bcnews/science-tech-and-health/physics/theory-and-practice.html
Dissertation Fellowship Award 2018
07-12-2018
We would like to congratulate Matt Heine, Wentao Hou and Xueyuan Wu for being awarded Dissertation Fellowship Awards. This Award is in recognition of the excellence of Matt's, Wentao's and Xueyuan's research projects and will fund them as they continue their research next year.
Sophomore Scholars 2018
07-12-2018
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected academically distinguished members of the Sophomore Class, who are ranked in the top three percent of their class, to receive this award. Congratulations to John McDonough, Marisa Romanelli, Cole Tamburri and Chun-An Wang on being named 2018 Sophomore Scholars and being honored as the most academically distinguished members of the Sophomore class. This award recognizes their current distinction and their promise for the future.
Dean's Scholars 2018
07-12-2018
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected the brightest scholars from the junior class based on their overall academic performance, recommendations from their departmental faculty, co-curricular initiatives, and their sense of purpose in how they approach their future. Congratulations to Matthew Bonidie, Amelia Culp and Ryan O'Connor on being named Dean’s Scholars.
Phi Beta Kappa 2018
07-12-2018
Congratulations to Christopher Noyes for being invited to join Phi Beta Kappa. Chris was nominated for membership based on the excellence of his academic performance here at Boston College. Phi Beta Kappa is the most prestigious academic honorary society in the United States, the Society is currently established at 262 of the foremost colleges and universities in the nation. Annually it elects to membership the most outstanding seniors, and a handful of truly exceptional juniors, who have followed curricula in the liberal arts and sciences. The criteria for election are superior scholarship and good character.
Goldsmith Award 2018
07-12-2018
Congratulations to Physics major and graduating senior Paul Menker for his achievement in receiving the 2018 George J. Goldsmith award. Named in memory of longtime Physics Department faculty member George J. Goldsmith, who is remembered for both his scholarship and his selfless dedication to the students of Boston College, this award is given annually to a graduating physics major in recognition of excellence in academic achievement and research.
Professor Ken Burch Receives $447,000 DOE Grant
06-27-2018
Professor Ken Burch was recently awarded a grant from the Basic Energy Sciences division of the Department of Energy to study Weyl Semimetals. These exotic materials offer exciting new opportunities for high speed electronics, new optical converters of light to electricity, fundamental exploration of topics in high energy physics and quantum mechanics. He will use novel onto-electronic means to uncover the physical processes leading to their high speed behavior and potential use in the future photo-thermal energy generation.
Sabine Stanley Gives Talk
05-25-2018
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Professor Kris Kempa Named Presidential Professor in Poland
05-21-2018
On February 6, 2018, Professor Krzysztof Kempa was named a Belvedere Professor, the highest academic title in Poland. This title was officially conferred by Andrzej Duda, the President of Poland (pictured).
Professor Andrzej Herczyński leads research program at the Isaac Newton Institute
12-21-2017
Together with colleagues from the UK, France, and the US, Professor Herczyński organized a research program on Growth, Form, and Self-Organisation, held at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) in Cambridge, England. Read more here.
Asst. Prof. Fazel Tafti Receives NSF Grant
11-07-2017
Assistant Professor Fazel Tafti has been awarded a prestigious grant from the Division of Materials Research at the National Science Foundation (NSF) to search for new topological materials. “The project is about a shift of paradigm in searching for new topological materials in the presence of magnetic order, a regime that was originally thought to break topological order,” says Tafti. Read More.
Test Headline Training
10-20-2017
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Professor Ziqiang Wang elected a 2017 Fellow of the American Physical Society
10-18-2017
Professor Ziqiang Wang has been elected a 2017 Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in the Division of Condensed Matter Physics (DCMP). The number of APS Fellows elected each year is limited to no more than one half of one percent of the membership. It is a prestigious recognition by Prof. Wang's peers of his outstanding contributions to physics.
The citation that will appear on his fellowship certificate is:
"For contributions to the understanding of strongly correlated electron systems, particularly the role of local disorder due to doping, and for his successful collaborations with experimental groups to apply his ideas to novel materials including transition metal oxides, pnictides and chalcogenides."
Please join us in congratulating Professor Wang.
Zeljkovic Receives Three Early Career Awards
10-07-2017
Three research agencies – the National Science Foundation, DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), and the Army Research Office – have awarded Boston College Assistant Professor of Physics Ilija Zeljkovic early-career grants totaling approximately $1.5 million for his research into superconductors and another unique class of materials known as topological insulators.
The five-year, $650,000 CAREER award from the NSF will support Zeljkovic’s project “Nanoscale Synthesis and Imaging of Novel Topological Phases.” This project combines two advanced atomic-scale techniques to create and characterize new topological materials.
The project aims to fundamentally advance the understanding of topological materials, as well as to craft new materials for their eventual use in technology, such as in spintronics and quantum computing.
The education goals of this project utilize Zeljkovic's expertise in materials growth and microscopy imaging, and are targeted to impact a wide range of students, including middle school, high school, undergraduate and graduate students.
“I am extremely grateful to the National Science Foundation, DARPA, and the Army Research Office for their support of my lab’s work and to Boston College for providing the necessary internal framework to jumpstart the projects,” said Zeljkovic, who joined the physics faculty in 2015. “During the past two years, my students have worked very hard to set up a unique combination of growth and characterization experimental facilities in my lab, and obtain preliminary data demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed research.
“I have benefitted immensely from the assistance of many of my colleagues here in the department, who provided advice and helped me shape the proposal both in terms of research and outreach activities,” he continued. “I am thankful to my faculty mentor and Department Chairman, Prof. Michael J. Naughton who offered encouragement and provided feedback during this process.”
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA, awarded Zeljkovic a two-year, $500,000 Young Faculty Award for his project "3D Printing of Novel High-Temperature Superconductors."
The research focuses on creating new high-temperature superconductors using molecular beam epitaxy film growth and studying the materials using scanning tunneling microscopy and electrical transport. The award will support the addition of state-of-the-art synthesis and characterization equipment, as well as two graduate students who will work on the project.
“By stacking different two-dimensional materials with distinct properties, our project aims to create new systems with superior superconducting properties that a single bulk material cannot achieve,” Zeljkovic said.
Finally, a three-year, $360,000 Young Investigator Award from the Army Research Office will support the project "Nanoscale Engineering of Superconducting Proximity Effect in Topological Insulator Thin Films."
The project will try to engineer a topological superconductor by creating and optimizing interfaces between topological insulators and “conventional” superconductors.
"We're all very proud of Ilija - he is the first faculty member in BC's history to win three young investigator awards from our federal agencies, and I dare say he's not done yet,” said Naughton, the Evelyn J. and Robert A. Ferris Professor of Physics. “A great addition to this department and University, Ilija is an engaging teacher pursuing research on the fundamental physics of novel materials that is both careful and daring. Tunneling microscopy demands extreme patience and skill, and Ilija is among the best in the world at his craft."
Associate Professor Ken Burch Receives Award From NSF
09-29-2017
The NSF Division of Materials Research has awarded Professor Ken Burch over $450,000 for three years. The award supports his ongoing work to create novel heterostructures where new forms of superconductivity could be found. If successful, this work could enable the next generation of quantum computers, as well as improve our understanding of and capabilities to engineer new properties at interfaces.
Colloquium September 13, 2017 - Higgins Hall 310 - 4:00PM - Professor Isaac Silvera - Dept. of Physics - Harvard University
09-13-2017
"Metallic Hydrogen"
Hydrogen is the simplest and most abundant element in the Universe. There are two pathways for creating metallic hydrogen under high pressures. Over 80 years ago Wigner and Huntington predicted that if solid molecular hydrogen was sufficiently compressed in the T=0 K limit, molecules would dissociate to form atomic metallic hydrogen. We have observed this transition at a pressure of 4.95 megabars. MH in this form has probably never existed on Earth or in the Universe; it may be a room temperature superconductor and is predicted to be metastable. If metastable it will have an important technological impact.
Hydrogen makes up ~90% of the planet Jupiter. It is believed to occur as a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen surrounding Jupiter’s core, responsible for Jupiter’s magnetic field, with molecular hydrogen as the outermost layer. Descending through the atmosphere, a phase transition from liquid molecular to liquid atomic metallic hydrogen occurs as the pressure and temperature increase. This first-order phase transition to liquid metallic hydrogen is at intermediate pressures (~1-2 megabars) and temperatures of ~1000-2000 K. We have also observed this liquid-liquid transition, known as the plasma phase transition. We shall discuss the methods used to observe these phases of hydrogen at extreme conditions of static pressure in the laboratory, extending our understanding of the phase diagram of the simplest atom in the periodic table.
Department of Physics. Colloquium Series
09-06-2017
Speaker: Guo-qing Zheng;
Department of Physics,
Okayama University, Japan
Wednesday, September 6, 2017, 4:00PM
Higgins 310
Topological Superconducting States Revealed by NMR
Topological Insulators (TIs) are materials in which the bulk is insulating but the surface hosts gapless metallic states due to non-zero topological invariants of the bulk band structure. A topological superconductor is analogous to a TI in that the superconducting gap function has a nontrivial topological invariant. The gapless quasiparticle states on the surface (called Majorana fermions) of a topological superconductor have potential applications in topological quantum computing.
Although a great success has been achieved in the study of topological insulators, progress in establishing bulk topological superconductivity has been slow until recently [1]. In this colloquium, I will present some of our results in the quest of topological superconductivity in doped topological insulators CuxBi2Se3 [1] and Sn1-xInxTe [2,3], as well as in strongly-correlated superconductors (K,Rb)2Cr3As3 [4].
In Cu0.3Bi2Se3, our 77Se nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements indicate that spin rotation symmetry is spontaneously broken in the hexagonal plane below the superconducting transition temperature Tc=3.4 K [1]. This is the first evidence for such symmetry breaking found in any superconductors. Our results not only establish spin-triplet (odd parity) superconductivity in this compound, but also show that it is a topological superconductor belonging to DIII class. I will also discuss our most recent effort to obtain single crystals of CuxBi2Se3 with various doping contents.
In Rb2Cr3As3 (Tc=4.8 K ), we found strong ferromagnetic spin fluctuations in the normal state and point nodes in the superconducting gap [4], which suggest that this compound may be a solid-state analogue of superfluid 3He.
[1] K. Matano, M. Kriener, K. Segawa, Y. Ando and G.-q. Zheng, Nature Physics 12, 852 (2016).
[2] S. Maeda, S. Katsube, and G.-q. Zheng, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 86, 024702 (2017)
[3] S. Maeda, R. Hirose, K. Matano, M. Novak, Y. Ando, G.-q. Zheng, arXiv:1705.08636
[4] J. Yang, Z. T. Tang, G. H. Cao and G.-q. Zheng, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 147002 (2015).
Zeljkovic receives 2017 DARPA Young Faculty Award
08-16-2017
Ilija Zeljkovic, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics, has won the 2017 Young Faculty Award (YFA) from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The objective of the YFA program is to identify rising stars in junior faculty positions in the US and introduce them to the Department of Defense current and future needs.
Zeljkovic will use the two-year ~ $500,000 grant to create new high-temperature superconductors using molecular beam epitaxy film growth and study these materials using scanning tunneling microscopy and electrical transport. The award will support the addition of state-of-the-art synthesis and characterization equipment, as well as two graduate students who will work on the project.
“By stacking different two-dimensional materials with distinct properties, our project aims to create new systems with superior superconducting properties that a single bulk material cannot achieve”, Zeljkovic says. “We are extremely grateful to DARPA for supporting this project and to Boston College for providing the necessary internal framework to jumpstart the project.”
The Department of Physics congratulates the Class of 2017!
06-01-2017
Faculty and staff celebrated the achievements of the Physics Class of 2017 at our annual commencement reception, May 22, 2017. The reception was organized by Physics staff members Nancy Chevry, Síle Power and Scott Bortolotto.
Graduate
- Hogan, Tom
- Jiang, Shenghan
- LaFauci, Amanda
- Shi, Albert
- Ye, Bing
Undergraduate
- Bolan, Patricia
- Carelli, Ryan
- Carter, Brittany
- Conrad, Ryan
- Gross, Andrew
- Harrington, Andrew
- Hughes, Eleni
- Johnson, Samantha
- Kessler, Thomas
- Kwon, Spencer
- Martz, Jacob
- O'Boyle, Thomas
- Seed, Caitlin
- Steiger, Sarah
- Whapham, Emily
- Wing, Melissa
Minors
- Bednarz, Natasha
- Frost, Alden
- Horan, John
Sarah Steiger, Class of 2017, recipient of the George J. Goldsmith Award
05-03-2017
Congratulations to Physics major and graduating senior Sarah Steiger for her achievement in receiving the 2017 George J. Goldsmith award. Named in memory of longtime Physics Department faculty member George J. Goldsmith, who is remembered for both his scholarship and his selfless dedication to the students of Boston College, this award is given annually to a graduating physics major in recognition of excellence in academic achievement and research.
Assistant Professor Ilija Zeljkovic has received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation
04-10-2017
Boston College Assistant Professor of Physics Ilija Zeljkovic, whose research explores emergent phenomena in novel quantum materials, has received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation, the agency’s most prestigious grant for early-career faculty who best exemplify the role of teacher-scholar.
The five-year, $650,000 grant will support Prof. Zeljkovic’s project “Nanoscale Synthesis and Imaging of Novel Topological Phases.” This project combines two advanced atomic-scale techniques to create and characterize new topological materials: molecular beam epitaxy to create the materials a single atomic layer at a time, and scanning tunneling microscopy to visualize their atomic and electronic structure.
The project aims to provide a fundamental advancement in the understanding of topological materials, as well as to craft new materials for their eventual use in technology, such as in spintronics and quantum computing. The education goals of this project utilize Prof. Zeljkovic's expertise in materials growth and microscopy imaging, and are targeted to impact a wide range of students, including middle school, high school, undergraduate and graduate students.
“I am extremely grateful to the National Science Foundation and the agency’s support of my lab’s work,” said Prof. Zeljkovic, who joined the physics faculty at BC in 2015. “During the past two years, my students have worked very hard to set up a unique combination of growth and characterization experimental facilities in my lab, and obtain preliminary data demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed research. Along the way, I have benefitted immensely from the assistance of many of my colleagues here in the department, who provided advice and helped me shape the proposal both in terms of research and outreach activities. Finally, I am thankful to my faculty mentor and Department Chairman, Prof. Michael J. Naughton who offered encouragement and provided feedback during this process.”
Luciano Silvestri awarded the Dissertation Fellowship
03-31-2017
Congratulations to Luciano Silvestri, a graduate student in the Department of Physics who was recently awarded the Dissertation Fellowship. Dissertation Fellowships are awarded to advanced graduate students based on the excellence of their research project and will fund Luciano as he continues his research during the next year.
Physics Majors win Undergraduate Awards
03-24-2017
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected the brightest scholars from the junior class based on their overall academic performance, recommendations from their departmental faculty, co-curricular initiatives, and their sense of purpose in how they approach their future.
The Department of Physics congratulates the following students for being named Dean’s Scholars: Andrew McCrossan and Christopher Noyes. The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences selected academically distinguished members of the Sophomore Class, who are ranked in the top three percent of their class, to receive this award. The Department of Physics congratulates the following students for being named Sophomore Scholars: Matthew Bonidie, Amelia Culp, Kaimin Liu and Ryan O’Connor.
Joshuah Heath and Aaron Rose recipients of Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award
03-24-2017
Congratulations to Joshuah Heath and Aaron Rose, graduate students in the Department of Physics who were awarded the Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award. The Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Awards program was established to underscore and reinforce the importance of the pursuit of teaching excellence of graduate Teaching Fellows and Teaching Assistants.
Awards are for students who have assisted in laboratories in the sciences, and for those students in other disciplines who assist in teaching by leading discussion groups.
Professor Baldassare Di Bartolo has been awarded the Centennial Outstanding Achievement Award
11-01-2016
Professor Baldassare (Rino) Di Bartolo has been awarded the Centennial Outstanding Achievement Award from the Luminescence and Display Materials Division of the Electrochemical Society.
This award was established in 2002 to encourage excellence in luminescence and display materials research and outstanding technical contributions to the field. For the purposes of this award, luminescence and display materials science is defined as that area of knowledge that encompasses the physics, chemistry, and materials technology of luminescence and display materials and devices.
Professor Di Bartolo has been a member of the BC Physics department since 1968, and has run a highly successful international, spectroscopy summer school at Ettore Majorana in Sicily since 1973. "We are happy to congratulate Rino on this Outstanding Achievement Award from the ECS, honoring him for a career of contributions to his field", said Physics chairman and Ferris Professor, Michael J. Naughton.
The Electrochemical Society (ECS) is an international, non-profit, scientific educational organization founded for the advancement of the theory and practice of electrochemistry, electrothermics, electronics, and allied subjects. The Society was founded in Philadelphia in 1902 and incorporated in 1930. There are currently over 7,000 scientists and engineers from more than 70 countries who hold individual membership; the Society is also supported by more than 100 corporations.
Professor Di Bartolo was not able to attend the ECS centennial conference, so a member of the Society came to Boston College to present him with a plaque and an honorary award. A link to the abstract of his award talk can be found at http://ma.ecsdl.org/content/MA2016-02/42/3122.abstract.
Professors Kempa and Herczyński coauthor a paper in Nature Communications
11-01-2016
A paper by professors Kempa and Herczyński, with collaborators at South China Normal University (Gaungzhou), was recently published in journal Nature Communications. The paper, titled Optimization of hierarchical structure and nanoscale-enabled plasmonic refraction for window electrodes in photovoltaics, is the second by the team in this prestigious journal.
The first, published in 2014, demonstrated superior optoelectronic performance of electrodes based on leaf venation systems, spider webs, and other natural networks. In the sequel, it is shown theoretically and experimentally that quasi-fractal networks, such as leaf veins, provide a near-perfect practical realization of an ideal electrode. More broadly, the work indicates that hierarchal topology, rather than details of the branching geometry, are of primary importance in photovoltaic applications, which establishes a new paradigm for designing optimal solar cells and other optoelectronic devices. The paper is available online at www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12825
Prof. Krzysztof Kempa has been elected a 2016 Fellow of the American Physical Society
10-12-2016
Krzysztof (Kris) Kempa, Professor of Physics at Boston College, has been elected a 2016 Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS).
The APS's Fellowship Program recognizes members who have made exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise; e.g., outstanding physics research, important applications of physics, leadership in or service to physics, or significant contributions to physics education. Election to Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one’s peers and limited to no more than one half of one percent of the over 50,000 APS members.
Professor Kempa was cited by the APS Division of Condensed Matter Physics (DCMP) for his outstanding research, which is focused on the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with novel materials and architectures, in particular on optical and plasmonic effects. The APS citation, which can be found at www.aps.org/units/dcmp/fellowship, is for “pioneering contributions to understanding basic physics of plasmons in condensed matter systems.”
On behalf of the department, chairman and Ferris Professor Michael J. Naughton congratulates Prof. Kempa, adding that “Kris is entirely deserving of this honor. He has been a sustained, leading presence in the department, with creative, high level theoretical research that engages many aspects of novel materials physics and phenomena, including its overlap with other disciplines such as engineering and biology - the very essence of integrated science.”
BC Physics now has five of its faculty, constituting nearly 30% of the department, selected for this highly competitive honor, with Professor Kempa joining Distinguished Research Professor Gabor Kalman, Rourke Professor Kevin Bedell, Professor Naughton and Professor David Broido.
Professor Broido awarded grant
09-11-2016
Professor Broido is part of a team awarded a MURI grant to study high thermal conductivity materials
Delegation from the South China Normal University visited the Department of Physics
06-02-2016
A delegation from the South China Normal University, led by the university president Prof. Ming Liu visited Boston College on May 11, 2016. Boston College and the BC Physics Department hosted the visit, culminating with the ceremony of signing the collaboration agreement between universities by President Liu and BC Provost Prof. David Quigley.
The Department of Physics has collaborated with the Institute for Advanced Materials (IAM) at SCNU since 2010, facilitating faculty and student exchanges. The new agreement will enhance this collaboration. A current demonstration of the relationship between the two institutions includes two physics graduate students spending summer 2016 conducting research in the labs of SCNU.
Professor Andrzej Herczyński to lead a research program at the Isaac Newton Institute in 2017
11-04-2015
Together with colleagues from the UK, France, and the US, Professor Herczyński will be organizing a research program on Growth, Form, and Self-Organisation, to be held at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) in Cambridge, England. The program, first proposed in February 2014, was recently approved.
The GFS program, which will run between 22nd August and 20th December 2017, is timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the publication of the groundbreaking treatise On Growth and Form by D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1860-1948). Thompson’s book, still in print, was the first to bring the tools of mathematics to analyze form of living organisms, from the shape of leaves, shells, and fish to bones, horns, and the human face.
GFS program will host over 100 scientists, who will be working at INI for periods of up to four months, and will include four specialized workshops. It will endeavor to bring diverse aspects of research related to shape selection, deformations, and self-organization into focus, aiming to stimulate new collaborations between mathematicians, biologists, physicists, and other scholars – as well as artists – whose work addresses or depends on the evolution of form, broadly understood.
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