| First IGERT Semester: Spring 2007 |
| IGERT Project Focus: I received a BA in economics and physics at Grinnell College and am
currently pursuing a PhD in physics at the University of Texas at Austin. My
research, under the guidance of Professor John Markert, is developing
magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) to study the properties of thin
films. MRFM is a scanning probe microscopy technique that combines the
cantilever based detection of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and pulsed
magnetic fields of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The synthesis of these
two techniques yields nanometer scale spin resolution of various materials.
I will use MRFM to obtain 3D spin images and relaxation times of organic and
inorganic electronic materials. Down the road I intend to perform single
nuclear spin detection feasibility studies by implementing high sensitivity
cantilevers, novel forms of active feedback control, and millikelvin
temperatures. |