Home > Press > Grant winner plans new spin on liquid crystals
 |
| Mark Dalton |
Abstract:
Liquid crystals, used widely in LCD televisions and computer monitors, may play a prominent role in a device being designed by a University of Virginia researcher, who was recently named the recipient of the 2011 JSA Postdoctoral Research Grant at DOE's Jefferson Lab.
Grant winner plans new spin on liquid crystals
Newport News, VA | Posted on February 8th, 2011
Mark Dalton, a research associate at UVa, plans to use the $11,000 JSA grant to develop a so-called Kerr cell. The cell, which may include liquid crystals, will be used in a system to produce spinning electrons for a future experiment to be conducted at Jefferson Lab.
"It feels good; it's exciting. I think the work needs to be done, and I'm glad to have the opportunity to do it. And it's nice to be the master of the destiny of the project," Dalton said.
Dalton, who earned his B.S. and Ph.D. at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, was selected by the Users Group Board of Directors, the governing body of the group that represents scientists who use Jefferson Lab facilities to conduct nuclear physics research. In making the award, the board judged each applicant on his or her record of accomplishment in physics, proposed use of the research grant and the likelihood of further accomplishments in the Jefferson Lab research fields.
Dalton is designing the Kerr cell for what is known as the MOLLER experiment. The experiment will require the delivery of a polarized electron beam - one in which the spins of the electrons are mostly aligned in one direction. The experimenters must also be able to flip that polarization more rapidly and cleanly than the current equipment allows, which is the purpose of the Kerr cell.
"Kerr cells aren't commercially available, so we have to build one," Dalton explained. "It would be a chamber, and inside would be a gas or a liquid, such as liquid crystals, and there would be clear windows on either side, so that the light can get in and out."
Dalton said he'll spend the next year designing and building a prototype of the cell for testing.
####
For more information, please click here
Copyright © Jefferson Lab
If you have a comment, please
Contact us.
Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
News and information
Less is More: Novel Cellulose Structure Requires Fewer Enzymes to Process Biomass to Fuel June 19th, 2013
Sound waves precisely position nanowires June 19th, 2013
Scientists Use Nanotechnology to Increase Thermal Stability of Essential Oils June 19th, 2013
Production of Bioactive Material for Quick Treatment of Bone Damages June 19th, 2013
Display technology/LEDs/SS Lighting/OLEDs
Peratech's new QTC Ultra Touch Screen technology goes behind the display so there is no light loss and longer battery life June 18th, 2013
OLED Lighting developments in Japan June 3rd, 2013
Printing innovations provide 10-fold improvement in organic electronics June 3rd, 2013
Even with Defects, Graphene is Strongest Material in the World: New Study Reveals Strength of CVD Graphene May 31st, 2013
Academic/Education
CNSE Welcomes Record Number of Students, Majority of Whom are New Yorkers, for Prestigious Summer Internship Program June 12th, 2013
FEI and University of Oklahoma Begin Collaboration Research Agreement for Understanding and Developing Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoirs: Collaboration effort will focus on new methods to classify shales in the economic assessment of “tight” resource plays June 7th, 2013
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz obtains new Collaborative Research Center on "Nanodimensional polymer therapeutics for tumor therapy" June 2nd, 2013
Lorraine University uses Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis to characterize biomolecules for agrichemicals, pharmacology and cosmetics May 28th, 2013
Spintronics
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=47679 June 19th, 2013
Which qubit my dear? New method to distinguish between neighbouring quantum bits June 18th, 2013
Controlling magnetic clouds in graphene June 14th, 2013
Study suggests second life for possible spintronic materials: Ohio University research merges manganese, gallium nitride in uniform layer June 6th, 2013
Announcements
Less is More: Novel Cellulose Structure Requires Fewer Enzymes to Process Biomass to Fuel June 19th, 2013
Sound waves precisely position nanowires June 19th, 2013
Scientists Use Nanotechnology to Increase Thermal Stability of Essential Oils June 19th, 2013
Production of Bioactive Material for Quick Treatment of Bone Damages June 19th, 2013
Grants/Awards/Scholarships/Gifts/Contests/Honors/Records
mPhase Technologies Receives 2013 Frost & Sullivan Award for Its Path-Breaking Battery Technology: Unparalleled Battery Shelf Life, Reduction in Toxicity, Cost-Effectiveness, and Small Footprint Distinguish the Cell-Array Battery From Competing Technologies June 19th, 2013
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=47679 June 19th, 2013
European Technology Platform for Nanomedicine and Nanomed2020 European Consortium Launch the Nanomedicine Award June 17th, 2013
Unzipped nanotubes unlock potential for batteries: Rice University lab combines graphene nanoribbons with tin oxide for improved anodes June 13th, 2013