Biosketch
Growing up in southern California, I went to Pomona College to play football and study physics. After getting my BA, I moved to Seattle where I earned my Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Washington. From there, I moved to the opposite coast, where I took up a postdoc with a participating research team building an x-ray beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory. In 1986, I accepted a job in the Physics Department at Brookhaven, where I quickly migrated to the Neutron Scattering Group, eventually becoming group leader and Distinguished Physicist, now in the Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Division. I am a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Neutron Scattering Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Research Interests
As an experimental condensed-matter physicist, I use neutron scattering techniques to explore magnetic and structural modulations in crystals, especially in high temperature superconductors such as the layered copper oxides. I am particularly interested in the surprising spatial modulations of charge and spin that can occur in materials with strong electronic correlations and the connection between these textures and superconductivity. I also collaborate on x-ray scattering, optical conductivity, and transport studies of such systems; fitting together the information provided by different techniques can lead to an improved perspective on emergent behaviors.
Membership Type
Member
Election Year
2023
Primary Section
Section 13: Physics
Secondary Section
Section 33: Applied Physical Sciences