Spatially Varying Liquid Crystal Order: Theory and Simulations
Gavin-Rae Barnaby with Rolfe Petschek
Hard Tetrahedra and shapes close to hard tetrahedra pack well when they are oriented in ways different from their neighbors. The Petschek group has hypothesized that long-range periodic orientation or liquid crystal order explains the complicated crystalline structures...
Condensed Matter Theory
Yuheng Liu with Walter Lambrecht
Study of the vibrational modes in BeSiN2 and BeGeN2
The heterovalent, ternary, II-IV-N2 compounds BeGeN2 and BeSiN2 are related to GaN. Conceptually, one can replace two of the four group-III cations surrounding each nitrogen anion by a group II element, and the other two by a...
Mechanical Topological Insulators
Jacob Moran with Harsh Mathur
In this project we will study mechanical topological insulators. Yu and Mathur have found that the elastic modes of bilayer graphene are analogous to the electronic states of topological insulators. Using a continuum elasticity model they find that the elastic waves are...
Cole Roberg with Rolfe Petschek
Calculation of Magnetic Interactions Between Magnetic Nanoparticles
One problem yet to be completely solved in the world of physics and material science is the ferromagnetic fluid or fluid that has a magnetization outside of external magnetic fields. Fluids that respond to magnetic fields have been studied...
Joseph Flannery with Harsh MathurDirac theory of topological insulator boundariesA topological insulator is a material that behaves as an insulator in its interior but whose surface contains bound conducting states. The bulk of a topological insulator may be described by a massive Dirac model while the gapless surface states follow the massless Dirac...
Edwin Bernardoni with Rolfe Petschek
Optimization of the Static First Hyperpolarizibility of Many Non-Interacting Fermions
Large non-linear electronic polarizabilities would be advantageous for a variety of devices and have been intensely studied for around three decades. This project will examine theoretical limits on the static first non-linear electronic susceptibility of...
Mason Eastman with Harsh Mathur
Conductors as a model for elliptical coffee stains
In electrostatics, conductors exhibit a number of interesting properties. Among these is the ‘lightning rod’ effect, whereby electric fields are significantly greater near areas of high curvature. In 1997, Nagel et al. published a paper likening the behavior...