Research Labs

Clouds are an integral part of the Earth’s environment—providing the water we drink, cleaning the air we breathe, and influencing the climate in which we live. By distilling complex atmospheric processes into essential elements, researchers in this lab study cloud phenomena in a reproducible way. Through suspension of individual cloud or aerosol particles in an electrodynamic trap, researchers study the detailed physics of the particle–air interface or the spontaneous formation of ice in liquid droplets at low temperatures. Researchers in this lab have developed a turbulent cloud chamber to study the interactions between particles and turbulent flows. The chamber—a cube with subwoofers on each corner—allows researchers to control the rate at which kinetic energy is dissipated by turbulence, and measure particle spatial distributions with digital in-line holography.

Location: Fisher Hall B019
Contact: Raymond Shaw

Learn More About the Cloud Physics Lab

From the Stone Age to the present Silicon Era, civilization has relied on the use of new materials to move forward. Research in this lab aims to understand the physics and chemistry of materials synthesis that allows control of materials formation properties, and also the preparation, characterization, and application of novel materials in thin films and nanostructures. The ability to control the growth and properties of materials is important for advances in electronics and photonics, and for optimizing their applications in chemical, electrochemical, and biological devices. The lab features four research rooms—each with cutting-edge research equipment. Researchers have access to materials synthesis facilities, a micro-Raman spectrometer, a micro-FTIR spectrometer, a UV-VIS spectrometer, a cryogenic storage system, a phase-contrast fluorescence inverted microscope, and more.

Location: Fisher Hall B009/B013/B031/B034
Contact: Yoke Khin Yap

Learn more about the Material Physics and Laser Physics Lab

This laboratory allows for the fabrication, testing, and analysis of photonic structures, materials, and film-based devices. Research in this lab has focused on the use of magneto-optic and electro-optic materials. Recent projects have centered on the development and fabrication of magneto-photonic crystals and waveguide structures, as well as ion implantation-induced defect generation in single-crystal oxides. The lab holds a variety of research equipment, including an RF magnetron sputtering system for the fabrication of magneto-optic films, a Woollam ellipsometer for refractive index and thickness characterization of thin films, a metal evaporator for the deposition of electrodes, and a prism-coupler system for the study of refractive and waveguide mode indices and film thickness.

Location: Fisher Hall B005
Contact: Miguel Levy

Learn more about the Integrated Magneto-Photonics Lab