Stephen Renda, Art Reimer, Mitch Sillaste and Nathan Hawkins of the Brock University Machine Shop have been recognized with the Brock University Outstanding Team Service Award for their outstanding contribution, beyond what is normally expected. They were selected for their commitment to enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of research and teaching activities across the University. Their commitment to excellence has been recognized by prestigious research facilities around the world, contributing to Brock’s research reputation.
Articles by author: clee2
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Phil Boseglav of Brock University’s Physics Department Awarded the President’s Distinguished Staff Service Award
Brock President Lesley Rigg honoured outstanding staff and employees on Thursday December 12th for the President’s Staff Recognition and Award Celebration held in Pond Inlet. Among those awards, was Phil Boseglav, a member of the Brock Physics Department. Phil was awarded with the President’s Distinguished Staff Service Award for Outstanding Contributions for their exemplary service and significant contributions to the working environment
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Physics Seminar – Professor Shohini Ghose on Preparing for Quantum 2.0
Please join us on Tuesday November 12th, 2024 in TH147 from 3:00-4:00pm for Professor Shohini Ghose’s seminar on Preparing for Quantum 2.0
Physics Department Seminar
Prof. Shohini Ghose
Wilfrid Laurier UniversityTuesday November 12th, 2024
3:00-4:00pm, Room: TH 147Preparing for Quantum 2.0
The first quantum revolution, powered by the development of lasers, electronics and atomic clocks, has transformed our modern technological society. Now, the rapid development of new quantum technologies such as quantum computers, sensors and communications networks, offers the promise of a second quantum revolution. This presentation will provide a tour of the emerging quantum technology landscape, explore potential applications of quantum technologies in healthcare, security, and other sectors, and discuss the impact of Quantum 2.0 on society. -
Ontario Investing More Than $200 Million in Post secondary Infrastructure
Whether a new component for science research or improved product design, students will soon have access to state of the art workshops, thanks to the Ontario Government’s $625,000 Training Equipment and Renewal Fund. We’re unpacking the boxes for our new Design Studio benefiting Physics, Engineering, and other Faculty of Math and Science students in creating their projects.Read more about this amazing opportunity at the link below.
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Physics Seminar – Patrick Clancy on what we can learn about new materials using neutron beams
Please join us on Tuesday October 1st, 2024 in MC H313 from 3:30-4:30pm for Patrick Clancy’s seminary on What can we learn about new materials using neutron beams?
Physics Department Seminar
Patrick Clancy
McMaster UniversityTuesday October 1st, 2024
3:30-4:30pm, Room: MC H313What can we learn about new materials using neutron beams?
Neutron beams are an incredibly powerful tool for materials research, providing a unique window into the structure and dynamics of novel materials. In particular, the fundamental properties of the neutron (mass, charge, spin) make it an ideal probe for studying magnetism (e.g. quantum materials and superconductors), bulk properties (e.g. structural materials and industrial components), and materials rich in light elements (e.g. biological membranes, batteries, and hydrogen storage materials). However, there are very few facilities in North America which provide access to neutron beam research techniques. In this talk, I will describe our ongoing efforts to build a new neutron user facility at the McMaster Neclear Reactor, a 5MW research reactor based at McMaster University. I will also highlight several recent examples of how we can use neutron beams to investigate the structural and magnetic properties of copper-based quantum magnets and high Tc superconductors. -
Physics Seminar – Dr. Lee Rozema on Photonic Quantum Computing: Finding Science Behind the Engineering
Please join us on Wednesday July 24th, from 11:00am-12:00pm in GSB 306 for Dr. Lee Rozema’s seminar on Photonic Quantum Computing: Finding Science Behind the Engineering.
Physics Department Seminar
Lee Rozema
University of Vienna
Wednesday July 24th, 2024
11:00am – 12:00pm, Room: GSB 306Photonic Quantum Computing: Finding Science behind the Engineering
There is currently a race to build useful quantum devices, such as quantum computers or quantum communication systems, which promise to accomplish certain tasks in a way that classical systems cannot. For example, companies such as Google and IBM are pursuing quantum computers based on superconducting qubits, while Psi Quantum and Xanadu are attempting the same with photonic devices. In this presentation, I will review the physical requirements of quantum computing and discuss the pros and cons of the photonic approach. While some aspects of realizing a full-scale photonic quantum computer are well-understood and entering the realm of engineering, many interesting scientific questions remain. Some of these topics must be addressed to enable quantum computing, and others are of fundamental interest. To this end, I will present our recent work developing single-photon sources using ultra- thin nonlinear media [1,2], and, if time permits, present a recent line of research exploring alternative models of quantum computation based on superpositions of quantum processes [3,4]. Both of these research directions have potential applications, but they also highlight that the fields quantum information and quantum optics contain many open scientific questions. -
Physics Seminar – Shengqiang Zhou on Pushing the Tellurium doping limit in Si by ion implantation for infrared optoelectronics
Please join us on Thursday July 25th, from 11:00am-12:00pm in GSB 306 for Shengqiang Zhou’s seminar on Pushing the Tellurium doping limit in Si by ion implantation for infrared optoelectronics.
Physics Department Seminar
Shengqiang Zhou
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-RossendorfThursday July 25th, 2024
11:00am – 12:00pm, Room: GSB 306Pushing the Tellurium doping limit in Si by ion implantation for infrared optoelectronics
Tellurium is one of the deep-level impurities in Si, leading to states of 200-400 meV below the conduction band. Non-equilibrium methods allow for doping deep-level impurities in Si well above the solubility limit, referred as hyperdoping, that can result in exotic properties, such as extrinsic photo-absorption well below the Si bandgap [1]. The hyperdoping is realized by ion implantation and pulsed laser melting. We will present the resulting optical and electrical properties as well as perspective applications for infrared photodetectors. With increasing the Te concentration, the samples undergo an insulator to metal transition [2]. The electron concentration obtained in Te-hyperdoped Si is approaching 1021 cm-3 and does not show saturation [3]. It is even higher than that of P or As doped Si, and mid-infrared localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) are also observed [4]. Using Te-doped Si, we demonstrate the room-temperature operation of infrared photodetectors with both vertical and planar device geometries (see Figure 1) [5,6]. The key parameters, such as the detectivity, the bandwidth and the rise/fall time, show competitiveness with commercial products. To understand the microscopic picture, we have performed Rutherford backscattering/channeling angular scans and hard x-ray spectroscopies [4, 7]. The Te-dimer complex sitting on adjacent Si lattice sites is the most preferred configuration at high doping concentration. Those substitutional Te-dimers are effective donors, leading to the insulator-to-metal transition, the non-saturating carrier concentration as well as the sub-band photoresponse. Our results are promising for the integration of active and passive photonic elements on a single Si chip, leveraging the advantages of planar CMOS technology.
This work was financially supported by the German Research Foundation (WA4804/1-1, 445049905). -
Assistant Professor Barak Shoshany’s Open-Source Work Looks to Accelerate Scientific Computing
Assistant Professor of Physics Barak Shoshany, has created a free open-source package that enables researchers to improve the performance of their scientific software with a C++17 thread pool for high-performance scientific computing.
Researcher’s open-source work looks to accelerate scientific computing
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Brock University Physics Student Connor Wilson is the recipient of the 2024 Faculty of Math and Science Best MSc Thesis Award!
A big congratulations to Brock Physics student Connor Wilson who is the recipient of the 2024 Faculty of Math and Science Best MSc Thesis Award in recognition of exceptional contributions in student research.
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2025 Proclaimed as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology!
Brock Physics and the Canadian Association of Physicists are excited that on June 7, the United Nations proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), increasing public awareness of the importance of quantum science and applications.The research at Brock Physics is centered on developing quantum materials for industry and infrastructure, clean energy and economic growth. Keep an eye out for public activities here at Brock during this year-long, worldwide initiative!