RUI: Interactions in Quantum and Biophysical Systems

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:

This award is made on a Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) proposal. It supports theoretical and computational research and education on experimentally measurable properties of quantum mechanical and biophysical interacting systems. The PI plans to calculate the static and dynamic behavior of rapidly rotating Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), and model the electronic properties of bilayer electron and hole systems. In the biological physics area, the PI plans to study the structure and stability of membrane vesicles in solution, and model the electrostatic and short-range interactions between membrane vesicles and cell walls.

The research is organized into two well-defined areas chosen by the criteria that they: (1) address important problems in the physics of interacting systems, either quantum or biophysical, (2) make extensive use of undergraduate contributions to the research, primarily in modeling physical systems and carrying out computer-based physics calculations, and (3) benefit from a new NSF-funded Beowulf parallel supercomputer cluster at the PI's university.

Research on Bose-Einstein Condensation will focus on calculating the static and dynamic properties of trapped multicomponent condensates in the lowest-Landau-level approximation. The work on electronic bilayer systems includes modeling the capacitive properties of bilayer systems in the regime where exchange and correlation effects are important. The work is in collaboration with an international experimental group. The computational biological physics research on physical interactions with outer cell membranes will be carried out in collaboration with the group of D. Pink at St. Francis Xavier University. The PI and the PI's students will model membrane vesicles and their interactions using Monte Carlo and dissipative particle dynamics techniques using the Beowulf computer cluster at the PI's university.

This award helps to:

(1) Make possible a thriving research program in condensed-matter theory at the PI's primarily undergraduate institution. It will not only provide research opportunities for undergraduates, but will also sustain the PI's vitality in the classroom and active participation in the larger physics research community through conferences and refereed publications.

(2) Strengthen the research environment in the PI's department, university, and state. The PI is the sole academic condensed-matter theorist in Idaho. Condensed-matter research provides important on-campus and in-state scientific expertise that enhances the environment for technological research and the development and preparation of a scientifically trained workforce.

(3) Promote the integration of research and education. This awardprovides mentored research opportunities that vitally enhance the educational experience of physics majors, and that encourage undergraduates to pursue graduate studies and careers in science and technology. Undergraduates will benefit from presenting their work at conferences and by co-authoring scientific papers. The

PI's research program with undergraduates has also led the PI to take a leading role in improving or creating new undergraduate course offerings, including Biophysics, Solid-State Physics, and Quantum Mechanics.

(4) Support increased participation of underrepresented groups. The first two Hispanic physics majors at the PI's university were recruited by the PI and supported in large part by NSF-RUI funding. The PI is currently mentoring and funding two undergraduates from underrepresented groups who will be research collaborators in the research projects supported under this award.

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:

This award is made on a Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) proposal. It supports theoretical and computational research and education on experimentally measurable properties of quantum mechanical and biophysical interacting systems. Quantum mechanical systems include systems of trapped atoms cooled to ultralow temperature and double layer systems of electrons confined to two dimensions in a strong magnetic field known as quantum Hall bilayers. The former system exhibits a quantum mechanical phenomenon that reflects the wave nature of matter known as Bose Einstein Condensation, where below a critical temperature the matter waves of individual atoms overlap and give rise to a single giant matter wave. When this system is rotated, vortices appear and form a regular lattice. The PI will study the vortices that arise in various trapped atom systems. These have analogs to other phenomena in condensed matter physics and have the potential to illuminate other poorly understood phenomena, including the quantum Hall bilayer system. The PI will also apply concepts of condensed matter theory to study the role of electrostatic interactions in determining the structure and stability of biological membranes and their interactions with cell walls.

The PI is the only academic condensed-matter theorist in Idaho. His research is designed to effectively involve undergraduates and expose them as much as possible to scientific frontiers including those accessible to computation. The inclusion of research at the interface of condensed matter physics with biology opens new opportunities for students in emerging fields. This award also supports the continuing participation of underrepresented groups in the PI's research and collaborations with researchers in Canada and Australia.