The Awschalom Group

Group Photo 2008

Our group has active research activities in optical and magnetic interactions in semiconductor quantum structures, spin dynamics and coherence in condensed matter systems ("spintronics"), macroscopic quantum phenomena in nanometer-scale magnets, and implementations of quantum computation in the solid state. We have developed a variety of low temperature femtosecond-resolved magneto-optical spatiotemporal spectroscopies aimed at exploring charge and spin motion in the quantum domain. Our work focuses on the physics of newly-developed mesoscopic magnetic/semiconducting systems, such as hybrid magnetic semiconductor heterostructures, chemically- synthesized nanostructures, zero-dimensional matter, and molecular systems.

Recent Publications

  • "Gigahertz Dynamics of a Strongly Driven Single Quantum Spin", G. D. Fuchs, V. V. Dobrovitski, D. M. Toyli, F. J. Heremans, and D. D. Awschalom, Published online in Science Express on 19 November 2009 (DOI: 10.1126/science.1181193).
  • "Caught at the finishing line", Bob B. Buckley & David D. Awschalom, Nature 461, 1217 (2009).
  • "Ultrafast optical manipulation of single electron spins in quantum dots", M. H. Mikkelsen, J. Berezovsky, and D. D. Awschalom, Invited Article, Special Issue on Fundamental Phenomena and Applications of Quantum Dots, Solid State Commun. 149, 1451 (2009).
  • “Current-induced spin polarization in gallium nitride”, W. F. Koehl, M. H. Wong, C. Poblenz, B. Swenson, U. K. Mishra, J. S. Speck, and D. D. Awschalom, Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 072110 (2009).