Xiao-Xiao Zhang, PhD
Xiao-Xiao Zhang Receives Department of Energy Early Career Award
Xiao-Xiao Zhang, assistant professor of physics at the University of Florida, received a prestigious Early Career Research Award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), supporting her efforts to develop an entirely optical way to control the spin of subatomic particles.
Zhang’s research aims to further the development of modern information technology, using new material systems to achieve low-power and high-speed operations not possible with the conventional technique. She was named among 83 recipients of the award this funding year, spanning 47 universities and 13 national labs in 29 different states, totaling $110 million in awarded funds. Her research was selected for funding by the Office of Science’s Basic Energy Sciences program as part of the DOE’s commitment to bolster the next generation of exceptional researchers.
Zhang will seek a non-invasive, ultrafast method for manipulating electronic spin, which plays an important role in information processing. Her work is focused on van der Waals heterostructures, which are made up of layers of atomically-thin, two-dimensional crystals. These layered crystals have unusual magnetic and optical properties that present new possibilities for an all-optical control.
“Optical manipulation allows contactless, non-invasive control of the spin states. The research outcome will open up new avenues for both fundamental physics and photonic device design ” Zhang said. “The grant will boost the infrastructure development of my lab to enable new types of ultrafast measurements, and allow me to dedicate more personnel to work on this interesting idea.”
Zhang said she is excited by the prospect of discovering the potential of this new material system, paving the way for technology that was not previously possible.
DOE’s Early Career Research Program aims to advance innovation in the United States by recognizing rising leaders in a range of scientific fields for promising research projects.
“Supporting America’s scientists and researchers early in their careers will ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of scientific discovery and develops the solutions to our most pressing challenges,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in a statement. “The funding announced today will allow the recipients the freedom to find the answers to some of the most complex questions as they establish themselves as experts in their fields.”
The DOE award comes just months after the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced Zhang among the recipients of its much sought-after CAREER Award for early-career faculty. Zhang’s NSF project looks into the many-body correlations of the quantum two-dimensional materials.
