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Student and faculty collaborative work in experimental
physics research uses the vacuum system shown to the left to study the
properties of groups of atoms (2-100 atoms) called clusters. Undergraduate
students helped build the apparatus, working on everything from electronic
circuitry to plumbing for water cooling lines. In general, cluster
science research helps students to better understand the connection
between individual atoms and bulk materials (how many aluminum atoms does
it take for a group of them to act like a piece of aluminum that you can
see without any type of microscope). Students in this lab, in particular,
are studying the properties of thin films produced by depositing
these clusters on a surface with potential applications in
microelectronics. |
