Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Undergraduate students in the physics department have the opportunity to get hands-on experience working with our faculty members. Below are some current projects open to interested students.
For additional information on internship and research opportunities for undergraduates, visit our undergraduate careers page.
2023-2024 Research Openings / Opportunities
Accelerator Based Particle Physics
The High Energy Particle Physics group of the University of Tennessee (UTK) searches for new fundamental particles and forces with the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.
Projects within our group involve particle detector development, data analysis and visualization in searches for new phenomena, simulation of collider physics processes, software development, and electronics development and testing. No prior particle physics experience is required, but experience with programming and scientific computing are helpful.
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Our searches for particles Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) are particularly focused on new long-lived particles, dark sectors, supersymmetric signatures, and unexpected couplings of the Higgs boson.
The group is actively involved in the operation of the CMS detector and is one of the primary groups responsible for the Pixel Luminosity Telescope system of CMS. In preparation for the High-Luminosity LHC, we are helping to build a new silicon tracking system for CMS, with UTK involvement in the sensor studies, as well as the electronics for the readout, control, and triggering systems. In addition to activities at the LHC, our group is involved in studies for future generations of particle colliders.
Our group has a strong presence at CERN, Fermilab, and at the UTK campus with members frequently traveling and/or based around the world.
Accelerator Physics at the Spallation Neutron Source
The accelerator physics group at the Spallation Neutron Source project is seeking interested candidates for undergraduate research internships. The project will involve simulations of high intensity particles beams in the SNS accelerator, and beam loss and radiation deposition calculations, using existing software. This work is a critical part of a larger project focused on designing, fabricating, and installing a laser-based ion stripping system in the SNS accelerator.
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The SNS is the most powerful pulsed neutron source in the world, and is driven by the only superconducting proton linac in existence. The combination of new technology and record-breaking beam intensity make the SNS an exciting place to conduct research for students at all levels.
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Astrophysics
- Theoretical astrophysics, with particular emphasis on computer modeling of stellar explosions: supernova explosions, nova outbursts, X-ray bursts, gamma-ray bursts, calculation of gravitational wave signatures in such events, element production in stellar explosions (r process and rp process) … Involves collaboration with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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Dark Matter
Search of Mirror Dark Matter with cold neutrons at ORNL HFIR reactor
Dark Matter is one of the biggest puzzles of the modern physics. It is known definitely that Dark Matter exists in the universe; it is even more abundant than the regular matter; however, the nature of Dark Matter is not understood. This research project will be focused on the design of new planned experiment for detection of Dark Mirror neutrons and on the analysis of experimental data from the previous experiment.
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To be learned: physics of atomic collisions, computational Monte-Carlo methods, FORTRAN programming, statistics, data analysis and presentations of the results. Students interested in physics and computational methods are welcome to contact for interview Prof. Yuri Kamyshkov.
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Exotic 2D Superfluid Phases on Graphene
Strongly correlated bosons deposited on an atomic mono-layer substrate are an exciting playground to engineer two-dimensional quantum phases not possible in the bulk. It is known that the first layer of 4He adsorbed on graphene is a strongly correlated insulator, with subsequent layers displaying superfluid, and even possibly supersolid-like order. Recent experimental measurements have hinted at the possibility of an exotic hexatic phase in the second layer possessing intertwined superfluid and density wave order.
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In this project, large scale ab initio quantum Monte Carlo simulations will be employed to study the effects of corrugation in the graphene potential on the realization and stabilization of this new state of matter.
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Experimental Condensed Matter Physics – X-ray spectroscopy Data Analysis
The activity of Dr. Mannella’s group is based on the study of the electronic structure of strongly correlated electron systems such as high Tc superconductors, thermoelectric materials and giant magnetoresistive materials. Experiments are carried out at synchrotron radiation facilities due to the availability of different soft x-ray spectroscopy such as Angle Resolved Phototemission (ARPES), x-ray absorption (XAS) and x-ray emission (XES).
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At present, the data analysis is based on a collection of macros running under IGOR software, one of the most common data analysis software. All these macros have been independently developed by the various group that manage the the end stations at synchrotron facilities such as the ALS (Berkeley, CA), APS (Argonne, IL) and Elettra (Trieste, Italy). It is desirable to compile a user-friendly software that could handle the analysis of the data collected in different experiments in only one workbench. Available is a position for a motivated undergraduate student who will be responsible for the design and testing of such as a user-friendly interface, and for writing a new collection of macros based on the existing ones. The project constitutes an opportunity for undergraduate students to learn how different soft x-ray spectroscopic experiments are used to unveil different properties of solids. This experience would also constitute an opportunity for students to acquire a sound knowledge of the basis of data treatment, possibly turning in the near future in an RA position for a Ph.D. degree at UT to study complex electron systems with x-ray based spectroscopies.
Contact
See Dr. Mannella’s profile for more information.
Experimental Nuclear Physics
The research of the low-energy experimental nuclear physics group is focused on the properties of exotic short-lived nuclei and their reactions which are of consequence for the synthesis of the elements in the cosmos. Our group is very active in detector development and has played a leading role in developing charged-particle detector arrays such as ORRUBA, a neutron detector array; VANDLE; and high efficiency gamma-ray array MTAS.
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We are currently developing a scintillator array for detecting gamma rays called HAGRiD, based on new generation scintillator material LaBr3(Ce). A particular strength of the group is the tradition of use of digital data acquisition techniques. Students entering the group will be involved in both hardware development and cutting-edge nuclear physics experiments.
Our experiments are run at national user facilities such as the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University, with new experimental programs starting at TRIUMF in Canada, and Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois.
Decay of the most exotic nuclei
One main focus of our group is exploratory research on the most exotic nuclei that can be synthesized. We develop ultra-sensitive detection techniques, and then employ them in discovery experiments at very low production rates. We investigate phenomena that occur only in very unstable isotopes, for example, beta-delayed neutron emission using the VANDLE detector. Our expertise in digital electronics has allowed us to engage recently in the super-heavy element research program, a newly re-open nuclear physics frontier.
Direct reactions
Direct reaction techniques include transferring a single nucleon or multiple nucleons, knocking out a nucleon, or simply scattering a nucleus on a target, and are very sensitive to the structure of the nucleus. Recent developments have allowed these techniques to be used with beams of exotic nuclei, some of which are important to understand reactions in stars or in explosive scenarios, such as novae or supernovae.
Interactive Animations in Science
Development of state-of-the-art programming for interactive animation in the sciences. Present efforts center on object-oriented programming in languages like Java and Flash + Actionscript in the fields of astronomy, physics, biology, and genetics. These efforts underlie the development of a next generation of interactive and web-deliverable interactive textbooks in these fields for several major publishers.
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They also provide the basis for a variety of practical applications such as demonstration for non-specialist audiences of how drugs work in the body, the principles of DNA fingerprinting, science issues in bioterrorism, or how various high-tech medical devices function. Students will participate in the development of those interactive projects and gain extensive practical scientific and programming experience in the process. These projects can have strong overlap with areas 2, 3, and 4 listed under Topics in Computational Science, and the scientific problem depends partially on the interests of the student. Involves programming in some combination of Java, Flash Actionscript, JavaScript, XML technologies such as XML, SVG, or MathML, and database technologies such as PostGresSQL.
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Mathematical Physics: Symmetries and Algebras
Symmetry in mathematical physics: application of algebraic symmetry principles to the understanding of problems in various fields of physics (condensed matter, particle physics, nuclear physics). Present efforts center on a new theory of high-temperature superconductivity based on Lie algebras defined in the fermion degrees of freedom, and other possible applications in condensed matter physics.
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Nuclear Many-Body Theory
We use ideas from effective field theory and tools from classical and quantum computing to describe atomic nuclei. Effective field theory provides us with a systematic and largely model-independent approach to nuclear interactions based on symmetry principles alone. Our group uses effective field theory to constrain nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon forces and for the description of heavy nuclei.
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Quantum computers have started to solve real-world problems., and our group performed the first computation of an atomic nucleus on quantum chips. Undergraduate students who want to participate in these projects should have an interest in theory, a basic understanding of quantum mechanics, and some numerical skills (e.g. python, matlab).
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Nuclear Physics Detector Construction (Majorana Project)
Looking for a student who likes to get extensive experience in particle detector construction. During 2012-2013 we will build large aria veto system for the Majorana experiment. Majorana is a major USA based initiative to look for a neutrino less double beta decay. Veto system after construction and testing at UT will be relocated into Underground laboratory at the Homestake mine at South Dakota.
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Particle Physics Detectors
Study of re-emission of Cherenkov radiation in the liquid scintillator for NOνA neutrino experiment.
Velocity of light in the liquid scintillator in smaller that velocity of light in vacuum. Thus, relativistic particles can move in the scintillator faster than in the vacuum.
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When it happens, the electro-magnetic shock wave arises, called Cherenkov radiation, mostly with a spectrum in ultraviolet (UV). Research project will include measurements of re-emission of UV radiation which makes it detectable in the visible spectrum of light. UV vacuum monochromator will be used to simulate the Cherenkov radiation. To be learned: optical properties of the materials, liquid scintillator detectors, WLS fibers, vacuum, electrical measurements, amplifiers, LabVIEW, programming, data analysis and presentations of the results. Students interested in physics and particularly in optics and particle detectors (not necessarily only physics majors) are welcome to contact for interview Prof. Yuri Kamyshkov at kamyshkov@utk.edu.
Undergraduate Research Opportunity in High Energy Particle Physics
The high energy particle physics group of Dr. Spanier is searching for rare decays of the Higgs boson, which if found not to be rare are a sign of physics beyond the Standard Model. These searches require very high beam intensities to collide protons at very high frequencies and creating many particles at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). For this the LHC will be upgraded to the so-called High-Luminosity LHC. The central device for imaging such events in the CMS detector is the silicon pixel detector that is under development. It is a combination of pure silicon material that is bump-bonded to a fast custom readout chip. Charged particles create charge signals in the silicon that are registered in many individual channels of the chip. You can be involved in measurements with particles from radioactive sources and accelerator particle beams (at Fermilab, Chicago) to define the new device. First design options exist and we set up a data acquisition test stand in the SERF building. It has the flexibility to analyze different prototypes. It uses FPGA (free programmable gate array) boards which give you the opportunity to get in touch with this technology. Interested in novel detector readout for the LHC, make it work, and take measurements?
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Quantum Magnetism in Materials and Devices
Our group is motivated to establish a research program in the interdisciplinary area of physics, materials science, and electrical engineering. More specifically, we seek to bring the manifestation of quantum mechanics from atomic to macroscopic scale, i.e., in materials, and to apply these so-called quantum materials to designing next-generation devices.
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The building block of the materials-based phenomena that we study is electron spin (instead of the commonly employed charge), which could demonstrate novel collective behaviors when many of them interact. Examples of topics we are interested in include (1) spin fluctuations across electronic phase transitions, such as superconductivity and metal-to-insulator transitions; (2) emergent/fractional quasiparticles in frustrated magnets and strongly correlated metals; (3) quantum-magnets-based spintronics devices. We command and develop a broad array of experimental techniques, such as neutron scattering with time-, momentum- and energy-resolutions, x-ray magnetic diffraction and optical Raman spectroscopy under high pressure, audio-frequency electrical and magnetic transport down to millikelvin(mK)-range, and spintronic devices tailored for one-dimensional spin-chain systems. We perform experiments both in our own lab and on large-scale facilities in national labs such as Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Argonne National Lab (ANL).
As a new research group that seeks to establish a diverse and creative working environment, we set no strict requirements for background training. Especially for undergraduate RAs, the projects and training we offer are highly flexible and well-tailored for students. For your information, skills and knowledge that are particularly helpful for research in our group include:
- Basic-level design of mechanical parts and electrical circuits;
- AC-frequency electronics;
- Micro- and nano-fabrication skills/interests;
- Scientific programming for large-scale data analysis.
If none of the above fits your background but you are interested in research of quantum materials and devices in general, please still do not hesitate to reach out. We welcome new ideas and design projects that serve common interests for the group and individual members. You are always encouraged to join our reading group and/or pick a small side project before making official commitment.
Contact
If you are interested in more information, please contact Assistant Professor Yishu Wang directly through emails to wangyishu@utk.edu. We look forward to talking to you.
Quantum Materials Synthesis and Characterization
Quantum materials, in general, are materials whose electronics properties are understood by laws of quantum mechanics. Interactions between electrons at the atomic and subatomic scales result in exotic quantum phenomena, such as interference, tunneling, quantum fluctuations, quantum entanglement, and topologically non-trivial behaviors.
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We have a strong team (Haidong Zhou, Jian Liu, Joon Sue Lee, and Wonhee Ko) working on quantum materials synthesis including bulk single crystal growth, thin film growth, and heterostructure deposition, physical properties characterization, evidencing the quantum phenomena, and manipulation of the quantum behavior for potential applications. We welcome highly motivated students to contribute to our efforts and enjoy the scientific adventure with us.
Zhou’s research interests are to discovery new materials possessing abnormal physical properties, such as geometrically frustrated magnetism showing quantum spin behaviors, multiferroicity, orbital ordering, and metal-insulator transitions. The strategies are to grow bulk single crystals of them using various methods including floating zone technique in image furnace, flux method, and chemical vapor transport method, and thereafter study them by x-ray scattering, low temperature and high magnetic field measurements, and neutron scattering measurements.
Liu’s projects span various topics, such as topology-correlation interplay, quantum critical phenomena, quantum magnetism, metal-insulator transition, and unconventional superconductivity. The focus is to identify, design, and create toy-model materials where we can tailor the dimensionality and the symmetry operations to capture fundamental physics of model Hamiltonians, such as the Hubbard model and Heisenberg model. This goal is achieved by exploiting advanced bottom-up synthesis technique, novel elastic strain engineering, multi-modal synchrotron x-ray scattering, and ultralow temperature high magnetic field measurements. In many cases, the observed unusual quantum phenomena also afford unparalleled functionalities for potential applications. Liu’s work involves broad collaborations within the department both experimentally and theoretically. Multiple positions are currently available for students to join Liu’s research on emergent phenomenain quantum condensed matters, which include atomically engineered quantum heterostructures and quantum materials.
Lee employs molecular beam epitaxy to synthesize high-quality thin films and nanostructures of quantum materials, by precise control over layer-by-layer growth in ultrahigh vacuum environment. His research group develops low-dimensional semiconductor systems, such as 1D nanowires, 2D electron gases, and networks of quantum wires by selective area growth, as well as topological materials including topological insulators and semimetals. His research extends to studies on quantum devices based on the grown quantum materials for unveiling fundamental quantum phenomena and exploring future device applications.
Ko’s research focuses on nanoscale to atomic-scale characterization of the quantum materials using novel microscopy techniques.
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We welcome highly motivated students to contribute to our efforts and enjoy the scientific adventure with us.
Relativistic Heavy Ion Physics
The relativistic heavy ion group studies the properties of the Quark Gluon Plasma produced in high energy heavy ion collisions. The hot, dense medium produced in these collisions reaches temperatures over a million times hotter than the core of the sun and energy densities approximately 60 times those of normal nuclear matter.
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The QGP, dubbed the Perfect Liquid, has the lowest viscosity to entropy density of any fluid ever measured. Our group works on both the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Students working with our group will primarily do data analysis using the C++-based program ROOT. While the details of the project may be adapted depending on the interests and skills of the student and the needs of the group, we envision students studying jet production either in data or simulations. A jet is the collimated spray of particles created when a high energy parton (quark or gluon) hadronizes, or breaks down into lower mass and energy particles. By reconstructing jets the energy of the parton can be partially or wholly reconstructed.
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Topics in Computational Science
- Development of parallel programming for scientific applications. Students will participate in developing code and implementing it on our parallel cluster, using Message Passing Interface (MPI) with Linux running on the nodes. Possible programming languages include F90, C, C++, and Java.The particular scientific application depends partially on the interests of the student. Depending on application, students may also be given access to larger supercomputers at Oak Ridge National Lab and other high-performance computational centers.
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