Research Groups

Ames Laboratory Neutron and X-ray Scattering Group

The Ames Laboratory neutron and x-ray scattering group is dedicated to the use of neutron and x-ray scattering for the study of condensed matter physics and materials science.

Novel Materials and Ground States

Dr. Canfield's research group of faculty, staff, post-docs, graduate and undergraduate students is mostly dedicated to the design, discovery, growth and characterization of novel electronic and magnetic compounds - often in single crystal form - and the study of their interesting physical properties.

Superconductivity & Magnetism Low-temperature Laboratory

Laboratory activities focus on experimental studies of superconductivity, magnetism, and their coexistence in novel materials at low temperatures.

Surface Neutron & Magnetic Scattering

Development of techniques to create artificial macromolecular membranes and to determine their structure and physical properties on the molecular length scale. Our studies are multi-disciplinary, encompassing surface chemistry by mimicking biomineralization and recognition processes, adsorption and crystallization of unique monomolecular membranes formed from solutions. Another discipline is low dimensional physics to study membranes at aqueous surfaces of highly two-dimensional systems, that can be used as model systems to shed light on theoretical models. A third discipline is biological systems to investigate the physical and structural properties of lipid and protein membranes as related to their function in living organisms.

Magnetic Neutron Scattering

Interfacial neutron and x-ray scattering studies at Ames Laboratory.

Photonic Bandgap Structures

Photonic Band Gap structures are periodic dielectric structures that forbid propagation of electromagnetic waves in a certain frequency range.

Magnetic Molecules

An interdisciplinary research effort on the physics and chemistry of molecular spin arrays supported by the U.S Department of Energy.

Strongly Correlated Electron Systems

Dr. Johnston's experimental solid state physics research group synthesizes and studies polycrystalline and single crystal samples of materials with potentially interesting novel physical physical properties and ground states. His group emphasizes studies on transition metal oxide compounds and magnetic property measurements and modeling. His group has been heavily involved in the high temperature superconductivity field and more recently in the new field of d-electron heavy fermion physics which his group helped to pioneer.