Physics’ Meyers granted NSF CAREER award for crystal structure research

Physics' Meyers granted NSF CAREER award for crystal structure research

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | [email protected]

Dr. Derek Meyers, an assistant professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Physics, has been awarded an NSF CAREER award totaling $740,000 to fund his research on synthesizing and analyzing artificial crystal structures with behaviors called topological orders.

"Our group specializes in growing crystals one atomic layer at a time, controlling the atoms in each layer, which allows us to create unique materials that do not exist naturally," Meyers said. "For the NSF project, we are planning to use this technique to create artificial Ruthenium-based crystals that have special properties called topological orders. We will then be using state-of-the-art techniques to measure their behavior."

Using the NSF dollars, Meyers and his student research team are working towardsbecoming leaders in next-generation electronics and quantum computers.

"The topological orders we aim to generate could be the building blocks for quantum bits, or qubits, that are combined to form a functioning quantum computer," Meyers said. "Most excitingly, these topological orders have been theoretically predicted to exist at temperatures exceeding room temperature. Current quantum computers must be cooled to well below the temperature of liquid helium and completely isolated from their environment to function at all due to the fragility of the information contained in the qubits."

By developing a summer camp and opening opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students, Meyers said OSU's land-grant mission is thriving within the physics department.

"I will be developing new courses on topological physics for our students so they can learn about this very new paradigm in physics research, which is being used in areas well beyond the scope of our research," Meyers said. "We will also be running a summer camp for underrepresented minority middle school students to spend a week in the lab performing the same experiments we do to learn about the scientific process and get hands- on experience. This camp will run each summer for the next five years."

Physics head Dr. Flera Rizatdinova said expanding access to physics education and working towardsnovel research topics sets OSU apart in the research landscape.

"For our department, CAS and the university it is important to develop programs that are of high importance at the national level, and Dr. Meyers' research is answering exactly this call," Rizatdinova said. "His research will further develop a strong collaboration between our department, several national laboratories and top universities across the U.S.

"New faculty members are inspired by Dr. Meyers' success and having such interesting research in our department will attract students into our programs."

Learn more about Meyers by visiting his experts page.

Story By: Erin Weaver, CAS Communications Coordinator | [email protected]

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