Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
NMR Lab Femto-Laser Lab Ultra-Low Temperature Lab BEC and Photons Lab Cosmology String Theory General Relativity Correlated & Disordered Electron Systems Nonlinear Dynamics & Complex Systems Quantum Computing Novel Materials Lab Statistical Physics Soft Matter Physics Biophysics Condensed Matter Physics Laser Physics Quantum Thermodynamics Physical Sciences IISER Mohali The Department of Physical Sciences has witnessed exciting growth in a short period of eight years. This brochure represents, in a nutshell, this young and vibrant department. Our mission is to contribute to the advancement of the understanding of our physical world through basic and applied research, and engage students in the excitement in the world of physics. Our Department provides a challenging, yet supportive environment, in which to pursue research and teaching goals, and we have strived to create an atmosphere of collaboration and collegiality. Research in this Department covers incredible range, encompassing phenomena spanning length scales from nanometers to megaparsecs, and time scales from attoseconds to billions of years! There is great variety in the Department, and we house many state-ofthe-art research laboratories. The Department has been pro-active in running a successful teaching program, and my colleagues are seeking bright and energetic students to further strengthen and sustain the activities of the research groups, through the Integrated PhD, PhD and post-doctoral programs. Members of this Department are part of national bodies and they have received significant external funding and awards from several sponsored projects from DST, DBT and CSIR. Hope you enjoy this virtual walk through our Department! Prof. J. S. Bagla 8 September 2015 Quantum Information Dr. Arvind Professor Arvind is a theoretical physicist whose research interests span the areas of quantum information processing, quantum optics, foundations of quantum mechanics and research in physics education. Research Interests Quantum Computing: Quantum computers when functional, are expected to qualitatively outperform their classical counterparts. Characterising quantum entanglement and tracing its exact role in quantum algorithms remains a challenging open problem. I have worked on issues related to quantum entanglement in the context of the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm and Parity Determining algorithm, quantum dissipation and its control, optical schemes for quantum computers and NMR implementations of quantum information processors. My current research interests in quantum information include characterisation of bound state entanglement, role of entanglement in quantum computation, quantum crytography and physical implementations of quantum computers. Foundations of Quantum Mechanics: I have also been working on connection of Bell's inequalities with non-classicality of states of the radiation field, formulation of Bell's inequalities for multi-photon sources, geometric phases in quantum mechanics, different approaches to the quantum measurement problem and in particular understanding weak measurements. Quantum Optics: My research in quantum optics includes signatures of nonclassical behaviour for the radiation field such as squeezing, sub-Poissonian photon statistics and antibunching, and application of group theoretic methods in quantum optics. Physics Education: I am working on building new experiments for physics teaching which are designed around a certain conceptual theme. Experiments developed so far include random sampling of an AC source with a DC meter, a demonstration of Coriolis force, normal modes and symmetry breaking in a 2D pendulum using a single oscillator, and a quantitative study of ion diffusion. Current Phd students in my group: Shruti Dogra (joint with Dr Dorai), Debmalya Das, Aakash Sharawat, Chandan, Harpreet Singh (joint with Dr Dorai), Varinder Singh, Jaskaran Singh Selected Recent Publications • Vikesh Siddhu and Arvind, Quantum Information Processing, vol 14, 3005 (2015). • Debmalya Das, Shruti Dogra, Kavita Dorai, and Arvind, Physical Review A, 92, 022307 (2015). • R Sengupta, Arvind and Ajit Iqbal Singh Physical Review A Vol 90, 062323 (2014). • Harpreet Singh, Arvind, and Kavita Dorai, Physical Review A, 90, 052329 (2014). • Debmalya Das and Arvind Physical Review A Vol 89, 062121 (2014). • R. Sengupta and Arvind Physical Review A Vol 87, 012318 (2013). Minimal Renormalizable Susy SO(10) GUTS Non Renormalizable Susy SO(10) GUTs Unstrung Large irreps but few (210,126,..) Asymptotically Strong #Parameters Minimal(26/38) R_p :No ad hoc discrete symmetries Falsifiable (Occam, Popper) Matter Parity in SO(10) Higgs Matter distinct Only Two Models a) 210 + 126 + 126bar b) 54 + 45 +126+126bar Explicit SSB, Spectra , Threshold effects 3 Gen GUT SSB specific realistic Fermion fits Dynamical Solution of Proton decay problem String motivated Small irreps but many (10,16,45,54...) Asymptotically Free ? Unlimited # parameters, Baroque ? Ad-hoc /String inspired discrete to replace R_p Unfalsifiable ? R-parity broken. Higgs-Matter mix Plethora of Models a) 16H+ 16bar+10+45x 4 +54 + 1x 4 b) 16H + 16barH=10+45+54 +1x 3 c) 16H+144H+16bar+144bar .... Non-renormalizable operators for fermion fit. Ad-hoc suppression of proton decay . Susy GUTs Charanjit S. Aulakh Professor Charanjit Singh Aulakh obtained an M.Sc from Delhi University in 1975 and a PhD from the City University of New York in 1983. He has been a postdoctoral fellow at ICTP, Trieste and Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen and a member of the faculty at IOP, Bhubaneshwar and the Physics Department, Panjab University : where he served as Department Chair during 2010-2013. He was appointed Adjunct Professor, IISER Mohali in 2008 and joined the institute in 2014. Research Interests Supersymmetric Grand unification, its Phenomenology and Cosmology, Grand Unified Flavour unification, Grand Unification-Gravity links. The two most compelling reasons for new theoretical structures beyond the Standard Model (BSM) are neutrino masses (as seen in neutrino oscillations ) and gauge coupling convergence in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model at Grand Unified scales (10^{16} GeV). Supersymmetric (Susy) SO(10) GUTs are the ideal, ample yet minimal, framework for models of BSM physics. They exhibit deep links between Baryon and Lepton violation and have a host of novel phenomenological and cosmological implications. Minimal SGUTs invoke only the logic of SO(10) gauge symmetry without additional ad hoc symmetries. The Susy SO(10) GUT based on the 210 + 126 + 126bar Higgs set that we proposed in 1983 emerged as the minimal realistic and calculable model of Grand Unification compatible with Seesaw mechanisms for neutrino mass and gauged R-Parity. Our work thereafter used the completely soluble symmetry breaking and mass spectra of MSGUTs to calculate threshold effects at TeV and GUT scales and thereby find completely realistic fits of MSSM data that predict novel Susy spectra. We anticipated(2008) the current Higgs Discovery(2012) driven acceptance of large squark masses and soft Susy breaking parameter (A0). We gave a novel resolution of the long standing problem of fast proton decay in Susy GUTs based on wave function renormalization of MSSM Higgs by superheavy particles. Susy Seesaw Inflation, Dynamical Yukawa generation with gauged flavour, and GUT-Gravity connections are other novel directions we are currently exploring in the context of the MSGUT. Selected Recent Publications •NMSGUT emergence and Trans-Unification RG flows, Charanjit S. Aulakh, Ila Garg, Charanjit K. Khosa. arXiv:1509.00422 [hep-ph]. • Bajc-Melfo vacua enable Yukawon ultraminimal grand unified theories Charanjit S. Aulakh, Phys.Rev. D91 (2015) 055012. • Baryon stability on the Higgs dissolution edge: threshold corrections and suppression of baryon violation in the NMSGUT, Charanjit S. Aulakh, Ila Garg, Charanjit K. Khosa, Nucl.Phys. B882 (2014) 397-449. • SO(10) grand unified theories with dynamical Yukawa couplings, Charanjit S. Aulakh, Charanjit K. Khosa, Phys.Rev. D90 (2014) 4, 045008. Cosmology Prof. J. S. Bagla Prof. J. S Bagla completed his PhD from IUCAA, Pune in 1996. He worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge for two years, and then at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics for slightly over a year before joining the Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, as a faculty member in 1999. He joined IISER Mohali in 2010. Research Interests I work on questions related formation of galaxies and large scale structure within the framework of the standard cosmological model. It is believed that the large scale structure forms due to gravitational collapse around over dense regions. This process amplifies tiny fluctuations in density and leads to formation of highly over dense regions called halos. Galaxies are believed to form when gas in halos cools and undergoes further collapse to form stars. The process of gravitational collapse in an expanding universe is fairly complex and we are required to simulate this on super computers in order to follow relevant details. My contribution in this field has been in development of highly optimized methods for doing cosmological N-Body simulations. We have used these simulations to study the process of gravitational clustering and demonstrate that this process erases differences between different types of initial fluctuations. Suites of simulations have also been used to point out deviations from certain strong assumptions Computer simulations of galaxy formation allow us to develop strategies for observations that require a large amount of time. We have used simulations to propose efficient ways to detect galaxies using emission in the hyperfine transition of neutral Hydrogen at high redshifts. Contrary to the received wisdom, we were able to demonstrate that direct detection may be easier than a statistical detection of the large scale structure. I also work on new probes of the high redshift universe. We have shown that the hyperfine transition in singly ionized Helium-3 is a potential probe of the inter-galactic medium. Efforts are underway to observe certain promising regions in the inter-galactic medium at high redshifts. Pictures in the top panel show a sequence where galaxy formation leads to reionization of the inter-galactic medium. The colours show the fraction of gas in the form of singly ionized Helium. Regions marked in red and orange have almost all the Helium in this form whereas in the regions marked blue there is little singly ionized Helium: it is either in the neutral or fully ionized form. These simulations are used to calculate the expected signal in the hyperfine transition of Helium-3. This work is being done in collaboration with Dr. Benedetta Ciardi, Dr. James Bolton and others. Selected Recent Publications • Yadav Jaswant, Bagla J. S. and Khandai Nishikanta, MNRAS 405, 2009 (2010). • Bagla J. S., Khandai Nishikanta and Datta Kanan K., 2010, MNRAS 407, 567 (2010). • Bagla J. S. and Prasad Jayanti 2006, MNRAS 370, 993 (2006). • Bagla J. S., Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy 23, 185 (2002). • Bagla J. S., Jassal H. K. and Padmanabhan T. 2003, Phys.Rev.D 67, 063504 (2003). Condensed Matter Theory : Soft and Biological Matter Dr. Abhishek Chaudhuri Assistant Professor Dr. A. Chaudhuri completed his PhD from S. N. Bose National Center for Basic Sciences India in Soft Condensed Matter Physics. He has done postdocs at University of Oxford and University of Sheffield, UK, Raman Research Institute and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. He joined the institute in 2012. Research Interests The aim of our group is to understand the physical properties of biological and soft condensed matter systems that are driven out of equilibrium. We use both analytical approaches (Equilibrium and Non-equilibrium Statistical Mechanics, Hydrodynamics) and computational methods (Molecular Dynamics, Brownian Dynamics, Monte Carlo) to investigate the dynamics of systems ranging from the cell membrane and the cell cytoskeleton to polymers and colloids in confinement. Currently the group has three PhD students and two MS students. The cell is an active dynamical medium, constantly generating and dissipating energy to sustain the various life processes. It is subject to active stresses arising from a meshwork of filaments (cell cytoskeleton), which is driven out of equilibrium. In order to understand how this cytoskeleton network comprising of the filaments, motor proteins and cross linkers, generate, transmit and respond to mechanical stresses in both in vitro and in vivo situations, we are developing a mesoscopic molecular dynamics scheme. We use an active hydrodynamics approach for the coupled dynamics of these filaments and the motor proteins to determine the organization of molecules on the cell surface. We study the consequences of such organization on signalling platforms and the uptake of material by the cell. We also study the response of cytoskeletal filaments to exteternal perturbations. In soft condensed matter, our aim is to understand the emergent properties of colloids and polymers in confinement or otherwise, when they are subjected to time dependent external drives. Selected Publications S. Chandel, A. Chaudhuri and S. Muhuri, EPL 110, 18002 (2015). A. Chaudhuri, B. Bhattacharya, K. Gowrishankar, S. Mayor and M. Rao, PNAS 108, 14825 (2011). A. Chaudhuri, G. Battaglia and R. Golestanian , Phys. Biol. 8, 046002 (2011) Selected as highlights of 2011 in Physical Biology. J. Cohen, A. Chaudhuri and R. Golestanian, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 238102 (2011). A. Chaudhuri, A. Kundu, D. Roy, A. Dhar, J. L. Lebowitz and H. Spohn, Phys. Rev. B. 81, 064301 (2010). A. Chaudhuri, S. Sengupta and M. Rao, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 266103 (2005). Soft Matter Physics Dr. Dipanjan Chakraborty Dr. Dipanjan Chakraborty completed his Ph.D from Indian Association for the Cultivation of Sciences, Kolkata, India. He was an Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Leipizig, Germany and a Max-Planck research fellow at the Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Sytems in Stuttgart. Research Interests The broad research interest of Dr. Chakraborty is in the physics of soft matter and out of equilibrium systems. The realm of soft matter comprises of a multitude of systems with important technological applications, with model examples ranging from colloidal suspensions, polymer gels and solutions, granular media to more complex systems of biological matter. Soft matter systems are characterised by the large length and time scales (compared to microscopic lengths) and the thermal fluctuations governing the dynamics of the constituent macromolecules. A wide range of collective phenomena, resulting in complex structure and dynamics, emerge at such mesoscopic length scales. He is also interested in out of equilibrium systems, specifically in the problem of survival probability in non-stationary processes. Molecular dynamics simulation snapshot of a heated colloidal particle in a solvent. Research in pictures: a collage of research interests of Dr. Chakraborty Large Scale Simulations: Microscopic simulations of soft matter and out of equilibrium systems provides a wealth of information as to how macroscopic dynamics emerge from the microscopic degrees of freedom. With the advent of powerful computing resources, such large scale particle based simulations are becoming increasingly popular. The research activities of Dipanjan strongly build on largescale coarse-grained simulations of soft matter systems, with a goal to understand the rich physics at such mesoscopic length scales. Selected Recent Publications ✦ Dipanjan Chakraborty and Debasish Chaudhuri, Physical Review E(Rapid Communications) 91, 05301(R) (2015). ✦ Olivier Bénichou, Anna Bodrova, Dipanjan Chakraborty, Pierre Illien, Adam Law, Carlos Mejía-Monasterio, Gleb Oshanin and Raphaël Volituriez, Physical Review Letters,111, 260601 (2013). ✦ D. Chakraborty, Physical Review E 85, 051101 (2012). ✦ D. Rings, D. Chakraborty and K. Kroy, New Journal of Physics 14, 053012 (2012). ✦ D. Chakraborty, M. V. Gnann, D. Rings, J. Glaser, F. Otto, F. Cichos and K. Kroy, EPL (Europhysics Lett.) 96(6), 60009 (2011). ✦ J. Glaser, D. Chakraborty, K. Kroy, I. Lauter,M. Degawa,N. Kirchgeßner, B. Hoffmann, R. Merkel and M. Giesen., Physical Review Letters,105, 037801 (2010). ✦ D. Chakraborty, Phys. Rev. E 79, 031112 (2009). NMR group Dr. Kavita Dorai Associate Professor Dr Kavita Dorai is an experimental physicist working on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, whose research is poised at the interface of Physics and Biology. Her current research interests include NMR Quantum Computing, NMR Metabolomics and Diffusion Studies of Nanoparticles in Biomaterials using Gradient NMR. Dr Dorai obtained her PhD from IISc Bangalore in 2000. After post-doctoral stints at Frankfurt University and Dortmund University Germany and at Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh USA, she joined the faculty of IITMadras. She moved to IISER Mohali in August 2007 when the institute was established, and has set up the NMR Research Facility. NMR Research Facility: The Dorai group maintains the NMR Research Facility at IISER Mohali, which currently houses two high-field FT-NMR spectrometers, 400 MHz and 600 MHz, both from Bruker Biospin Switzerland. Research Interests NMR Quantum Computing : Quantum computers exploit the intrinsic quantum nature of particles and have the power to solve computational problems intractable on any classical computer. Our research in this area focuses on demonstrations of entanglement on an NMR quantum computer and reconstruction of multi-party entanglement from two-qubit tomographs, implementation of the quantum Fourier transform on qubit and hybrid qubitqutrit systems, protection of an entangled subspace using the quantum super-Zeno effect, and construction of an ensemble witness operator on an NMR quantum information processor. NMR Metabolomics: Metabolomics is the new kid on the `omics' block and metabolites can be used as biomarkers of environmental stress or change. Our research in this area focuses on plant-pathogen interactions, plant-insect interactions, human diseases such as diabetes and the impact of aging on immunity, using fruitflies, beetles and plant tissue as model systems. (Note: Images to be used for NMR Metabolomics: metabolomics.eps,2d-hsqc.jpg). Diffusion NMR: Diffusion NMR has wide-ranging applications in physics, biology and medicine. Our research in this area focuses on the development of novel 2D and 3D DOSY-based diffusion pulse sequences to separate individual components of a molecular mixture, to study the diffusion of gold and silver nanoparticles inside biomembranes such as lipid bilayers, and to model protein diffusion using a combination of pulsed-field gradient NMR experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. Current PhD students: Shruti Dogra, Harpreet Singh, Navdeep Gogna, Satnam Singh, Amandeep Singh, Rakesh Sharma, Jyotsana Ojha Former PhD students: Begam Elavarasi (now faculty at Abdur Rahman University, TN India) Amrita Kumari (now postdoc at Shanghai University, China) M. Shukla (now postdoc at Glasgow University, Scotland) Selected Recent Publications • Navdeep Gogna, Neda Hamid and Kavita Dorai, J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal., 115, 74-85 (2015). • Chris A. Brosey, Sarah E. Soss, Sonja Brooks, Chunli Yan, Ivaylo Ivanov, Kavita Dorai, Walter J. Chazin, Structure, 23, 1028-1038 (2015). • Shruti Dogra, Kavita Dorai, and Arvind Physical Review A, 91, 022312 (2015). • Debmalya Das, Shruti Dogra, Kavita Dorai, and Arvind, Physical Review A, 92, 022307 (2015). • Navdeep Gogna, K. Murahari, Anup Mammen Oommen and Kavita Dorai, Molecular BioSystems, 11, 595-606 (2015). Selected as Hot Article in 2015 in Molecular BioSystems by RSC publishing. • Harpreet Singh, Arvind, and Kavita Dorai, Physical Review A, 90, 052329 (2014). • Shruti Dogra, Arvind and Kavita Dorai, Phys. Lett. A, 378, 3452 (2014). • Amrita Kumari and Kavita Dorai, J. Mol. Struct., 1041, 200 (2013). • Matsyendranath Shukla and Kavita Dorai, Applied Magnetic Resonance, 43, 485 (2012). General Relativity & Cosmology Dr. H. K. Jassal Assist. Professor Dr. H. K. Jassal completed her PhD from Delhi University. She was a postdoctoral fellow at IUCAA Pune and HRI Allahabad. She joined the institute in 2011. Research Interests The observations in the last decade and a half have lead us to believe that the expansion of our universe is getting faster. To explain this acceleration, we need an exotic form of matter called the dark energy, the nature of which is unknown (The fractions of the components of the universe are displayed in Fig. 1.). The dark energy component has negative pressure unlike ordinary matter which is pressureless and radiation which has positive pressure. Many models for Dark Energy have been proposed, including the cosmological constant. Observations at present and the ones in the future are expected to throw light on nature of dark energy and in general on the cosmological parameters. The universe has only 4% of ordinary matter, the kind we are made of. The rest is composed of largely unknown types of matter. About 24% of which is Dark Matter, which is pressureless and interacts only via gravitational forces. The most dominant component of the universe is the mysterious Dark Energy which drives the acceleration of the universe. I am interested in using different observations to constrain cosmological parameters, in particular the dark energy equation of state. The constraints on dark energy parameters using different observations are shown in Fig. 2. I am also working on implications of dark energy on structures in the universe if dark energy itself actively contributes. In recent work, I have shown that taking dark energy perturbations into account is important as these perturbations affect how normal matter perturbations grow. In particular, the observable effect of these perturbations is in the Integrated Sachs Wolfe effect, which is zero if the universe is composed only of nonrelativistic matter and in presence of dark energy has a nonzero value. I show that there are significant differences in the way structures form (see Fig. 3) for different models and future observations should be able to rule out some of the many models of dark energy. Selected Recent Publications • • • • • H. K. Jassal Phys. Rev. D 86, 043529 (2012). H. K. Jassal, J. S. Bagla, T. Padmanabhan MNRAS 405, 2639 (2010). H. K. Jassal Phys. Rev. D 81, 083513 (2010). H. K. Jassal Phys. Rev. D 79, 127301 (2009). H. K. Jassal Phys. Rev. D 78, 123504 (2008). Quantum Thermodynamics Dr. Ramandeep S. Johal Associate Professor Dr. Ramandeep Johal did his PhD in theoretical physics from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He was Alexander von Humboldt fellow at Technical University of Dresden, Germany. He did a second post-doc at University of Barcelona, Spain. He joined the institute in 2008. Research Interests The main research interests of the group are in the foundational issues in thermodynamics and quantum theory. The connection between information-theoretic concepts and thermodynamics is explored. The current interests include Quantum Thermodynamics and different formulations of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Some questions for reflection relate to the nature of probability in physics and the use of Bayesian inference in physical theories. The past research interests include deformed algebras, generalized statistical mechanics and long-range interactions. Quantum Thermodynamics: This rather novel area refers to the interplay between thermodynamics and quantum theory. It provides the theoretical backbone to understand the functioning of miniature thermal machines and information processing devies. The techniques of quantum systems interacting with thermal environments provide a useful tool. The classical thermodynamic processes can be reformulated for quantum media. We have studied quantum heat cycles such as Otto cycle, and characterized its efficiency and work extraction. Cycles in finite time are studied and effect of quantum interactions between the components of the system are investigated. Dissipation and irreversibility are analysed with friction-like effects in the quantum regime. Sometimes, we also conduct thought experiments using age-old models like Szilard engine, exploiting Maxwell's demon to understand the role of information-theoretic ideas in thermodynamic settings. Maxwell’s Demon at work Inference and physical theory: Inference may be regarded as common-sense reasoning in the face of incomplete information. The philosophical perspective central to this investigation is that prior information can play useful role to characterise uncertainty. Taking thermodynamics as the substrate physical theory, we estimate the performance of idealized heat engines with incomplete information, in terms of their efficiency and obtained novel correspondence with irreversible finite-time heat engines. We seek to understand the interplay of subjective/objective information in the formulation and interpretation of physical theories, in general. Techniques like maximum entropy principle, Bayesian statistics and information-theoretic quantifiers play useful role. Selected Recent Publications G. Thomas and R.S. Johal, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 48, 335002 (2015). R.S. Johal, R. Rai, and G. Mahler, Found. Phys. 45, 158 (2015). P. Aneja and R. S. Johal, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 46, 365002 (2013). G. Thomas and R. S. Johal, Phys. Rev. E 83, 031135 (2011). 100 G=1 (a) 10−1 10−5 10−4 10−3 10−2 10−1 G=3 () 100 100 10−5 10−4 10−3 ω 10−2 10−1 100 ω 0.6 32 32 64 128 0.4 64 3 128 256 256 512 512 Aloop /N δ Aloop /N δ G(ω) 0.2 2 1 G=1 (b) G=3 (d) 0 0 π 2π 3π ωN z Statistical Mechanics Soft Matter Physics 4π 5π π 2π 3π 4π 5π ωN z Dr. Rajeev Kapri Assistant Professor Dr. Rajeev Kapri was a doctoral scholar at Institute of Physics Bhubaneswar and obtained his Ph.D. in Physics from Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI) Mumbai, India. Before joining the institute in 2009, he was a visiting fellow at Department of Theoretical Physics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Mumbai. Research Interests His broad research interests are in developing simple models of complex biological processes and study them by using tools of statistical physics like generating functions, exact transfer matrix, Brownian dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. Dynamic transitions in DNA: The unzipping of a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is carried out by enzymes that exert an external force on the strands of the DNA. When a pulling force is applied on a dsDNA, the two strands unzip if the force exceeds a critical value. Below the critical force the DNA is in the zipped phase while above it the DNA is in the unzipped phase. We have studied the unzipping of a dsDNA whose ends are subjected to a time dependent periodic force with frequency ω and amplitude G. We found that the DNA can be taken dynamically from the zipped to an unzipped phase (or vice versa) either by changing the frequency of the force at fixed amplitude, or by changing the amplitude of the force at fixed frequency. In both the cases a hysteresis is observed. It was found that the hysteresis loop area, which is a dynamical order parameter, shows different scaling at lower and higher frequencies. In the high frequency regime, the loop area decreases monotonically for lower force amplitudes but shows oscillatory behavior for higher force amplitudes (see the top panel). We gave a simple analysis to obtain the frequencies at which the loop area is extermum. T = 1.0 160 120 <x> <x> 160 200 (a) 80 40 200 (b) T = 1.0 120 80 40 T = 1.0 120 80 40 ∆t = 5000 ∆t = 10000 0 ∆t = 12000 0 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 (c) 160 <x> 200 1 0 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 g 1 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 g 1 g Nonequilibrium work theorem : In the last decade many remarkable identities, known as nonequilibrium work or fluctuation theorems, are developed that bridges the gap between the nonequilibrium and equilibrium statistical mechanics. One of them is the Jarzynski equality, which connects the thermodynamic free-energy differences between the two equilibrium states and the irreversible work done in taking the system from one equilibrium state to a nonequilibrium state having the same external conditions as that of the other equilibrium state. 240 N = 128 T = 1.0 ∆t = 1 200 160 <x> Recently, we have developed a technique to extract the equilibrium force versus separation isotherm for the DNA unzipping problem by combining the multiple histogram method and the Jarzynski equality on repeated non-equilibrium force measurements (top panel). We found that this method is capable of reproducing the equilibrium and the non-equilibrium force-separation isotherms even for the spontaneous rezipping of a dsDNA (side panel). gm = 0.725 120 80 Exact g0 = 0.0 g0 = 0.2 g0 = 0.4 g0 = 0.6 40 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 g Polymer translocation: We are exploring the polymer translocation through a functionalized pore using a particle-based mesoscale simulation technique for complex fluids known as multi-particle collision dynamics (MPC) or stochastic rotation dynamics (SRD), which incorporates the thermal fluctuations and the hydrodynamic interactions. Selected Recent Publications • Rajeev Kapri, Phys. Rev. E 90, 062719 (2014). • Rajeev Kapri, Phys. Rev. E 86, 041906 (2012). • K. P. Singh, Rajeev Kapri and S. Sinha, EPL 98, 60004 (2012). • Rajeev Kapri, J. Chem. Phys. 130, 14510 (2009). Correlated and Disordered Electron Systems Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Asst. Prof. & DST Ramanujan Fellow ([email protected]) Dr. S. Kumar completed his PhD from Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, India. He held post-doctoral positions at the University of Augsburg in Germany, Leiden University in The Netherlands, and IFW Dresden in Germany before joining IISER Mohali in 2010. Research Interests The research group is interested in the study of correlated and disordered quantum systems using a combination of theoretical and computations methods. The specific topics of current interest are, frustrated itinerant magnets, multiferroic materials and disordered superconductors. One of the research themes is to search for unconventional ordering of charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom in materialspecific microscopic model Hamiltonians, and to study their consequences for macroscopic physical properties of the relevant materials. Currently, the group has one postdoctoral fellow, five PhD students and one MS students. High-temperature multiferroicty in CuO: In a recent work, we predict that cupric oxide (CuO) under pressure can be a room-temperature multiferroic with strong coupling between magnetic and electric order parameters. The study combines ab-initio DFT calculations, and Monte Carlo simulations of the resulting magnetic Hamiltonian. The ferroelectricity in this material is driven by spin-spiral states. Our calculations predict that under pressure , this material will show room-temperature ferroelectric and magnetic order with strong coupling between the two order parameters. Magneto-electric phase diagram of CuO Selected pictures from publications highlighting research theme of the group Frustrated iteinerant magnets: In recent studies we have shown that the competition between ferromagnetic doubleexchange and antiferromagnetic superexchange on geometrically frustrated lattices stabilizes exotic magnetic order. For example, on a 2D checkerboard lattice we find that magnetic moments organize in a way that introduces fictitious magnetic fields for the electrons and leads to a graphene-like electronic dispersion. We show that a realization of the famous Haldane state in graphene is realized in this system with electrons coupled to localized magnetic moments. Disordered superconductors: Often the most interesting electronic properties, such as superconductivity, giant magnetoresistance, anomalous Hall effect etc., appear upon doping some parents material with electrons or holes. This introduces disorder in the system arising from the random locations of the dopant ions. Therefore, understanding the effects of disorder on various long-range ordering phenomena is a very important and active field of research. We have recently studied the effect of site and bond disorder on swave superconductivity using Bogoliubov-deGennes selfconsistent approach, and we are continuing to study the effect of other classes of disorder on superconductivity. Magnetic flux phase on checkerboard lattice Distribution of pairing amplitudes Selected Recent Publications • S. Reja, R. Ray, J. v. d. Brink and S. Kumar, Phys. Rev. B 91, 140403(R) (2015). • • • • K. Pasrija and S. Kumar, Phys. Rev. B 88, 188814 (2013). X. Rocquefelte, K. Swartz, P. Blaha, S. Kumar and J. v. d. Brink, Nature Comm. 4, 2511 (2013) J. Venderbos, M. Daghofer, J. v. d. Brink and S. Kumar, Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 166405 (2012). J. Venderbos, M. Daghofer, J. v. d. Brink and S. Kumar, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 076405 (2011). Condensed Matter Physics Dr. Goutam Sheet Ramanujan Fellow Dr. Goutam Sheet completed his PhD from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai in condensed matter physics. He has done two postdocs at Northwestern university, Chicago, USA and Argonne national Laboratory, Argonne, USA. He joined the institute in 2012. Research Interests: The principal research interest of the group is the investigation of systems exhibiting novel physical phenomena like superconductivity, ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism, multiferroicity etc. using scanning probe microscopy and transport spectroscopy at low temperatures and high magnetic fields. In superconductors, the interest is to study the nature of the superconducting gap(s) by point-contact spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy at low temperatures. The group also investigates the physics of the magnetic vortices in unconventional superconductors by magnetic force microscopy at low temperatures and in magnetic fields. Using these techniques one can also probe the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials. Ferroelectric Lithography on PZT using an AFM tip Particle ejection from a hard superconductor due to pulsed laser irradiation Plasma formed on the surface of copper target during sputtering in the device lab Human red blood cell imaged by AFM The lab dedicates significant amount of time developing new measurement techniques. A state of the art scanning tunneling microscope for low temperature and high magnetic field applications is being designed and fabricated in house. The final design of the STM head is shown below: Selected Recent Publications • L. Fang, Y. Jia, C. Chaparro, G. Sheet, H. Claus, M. A. Kirk, A. E. Koshelev, U. Welp, G. W. Crabtree, W. K. Kwok et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 012601 (2012). • Goutam Sheet, Manan Mehta, D. A. Dikin, S. Lee, C. W. Bark, J. Jiang, J. D. Weiss, E. E. Hellstrom, M. S. Rzchowski, C. B. Eom, and V. Chandrasekhar Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 167003 (2010). • Goutam Sheet, Alexandra R. Cunliffe, Erik J. Offerman, Chad M. Folkman, Chang-Beom Eom, and Venkat Chandrasekhar, J. App. Phys. 107, 104309 (2010). • Goutam Sheet and Pratap Raychaudhuri, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 259701 (2006). Femtosecond Laser Lab Dr. K. P. Singh Ramanujan Fellow Dr. K. P. Singh did his PhD from Univ. of Rennes1, France, in Laser Physics. He did two postdocs at MPIPKS Dresden & JRM Lab. Kansas State University USA before joining IISER Mohali in 2009. Research Interests • Laser Science • Attosecond Physics • Femtosecond Nanoprocessing of materials • Ultrasensitive optical techniques • Biophotonics Group Members • • • • • • • Dr. M. S. Sidhu (Postdoc) Gopal Verma (PhD) Sumit Mishra (PhD) Pooja Munjal (Int. PhD) Anita Devi (Int. PhD) Biplob Nandi (MS) Gyanendra Yadav (MS) Attosecond XUV setup: Attosecond laser set-up fully designed and developed at IISER Mohali. White light filamentation • Attosecond XUV pulses will be generated by focusing phase stabilized 2 mJ pulses@ 1 kHz rep rate. • This unique setup will allow: as time-resolved spectroscopy, coherent control of matter & diffractive imaging of nanometer scale structures and phenomena. Twist-superelasticity and fatigueless of silk: We unveiled torsional superelasticity and fatiguess response of silk. This new physical property is due to its unique molecular structure that allows reversible molecular defirmation. Optical nanoprocessing of spider silk with femtosecond pulses: Using short femtosecond laser pulses, we demonstrated a framework to make nanoscale processing of silk. Integration of silk with artificial materials towards realization of novel heterostructures is also demonstrated. Biophotonics: We exploited diffraction based optical techniques to probe long-range correlations and symmetry in the biophotonic architecture of transparent insect wings. Time-resolved Liquid drop interferometer Nanometric bending of water with light : We demonstrated bending of fluid-fluid and air-fluid interfaces by radiation pressure in total-internal reflection geometry. This sheds light onto nature of photons momentum in medium that may find potential applications. Photons momentum: on solids is also being investigated using new ultrasensitive approaches. Selected Recent Publications Gopal Verma and K. P. Singh, Phys. Rev. Lett. Accepted (2015). Kamal P. Singh and Jan M. Rost, Phys Rev. A 91, 013415 (2015). P. Kumar et al., Laser Physics Letters 12, 025901 (2015). B. Kumar and Kamal P. Singh, Appl. Phys. Lett. 105, 213704 (2014). G. Verma and Kamal P. Singh, Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 244106 (2014). A. Pradhan et al , Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 063702 (2014). B. Kumar, A. Thakur, B. Panda & K. P. Singh, Appl. Phys. Lett. 103, 201910 (2013). G. Verma, J. Nair, Kamal P. Singh, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 079401 (2013). K. P. Singh, R. Kapri, Sudeshna Sinha, Euro Phys. Lett. 98, 60004 (2012). K. P. Singh and Sudeshna Sinha, Phys. Rev. E 83,046219 (2011). Quantum Research Laboratory Dr. Mandip Singh Assist. Professor Research Interests: Quantum mechanics, quantum optics, Bose-Einstein condensation and general physics. Quantum superposition principle is the heart of quantum mechanics. All quantum mechanical processes, known at present, rely on quantum superposition principle. In the classical situation, if a system is prepared in a given state (configuration) then it acquires only that state at a time. For example, a stationary object can exist only at a single location in space and if we displace this object to a new location then its existence from its previous location vanishes. This signifies a classical reality which we observe everyday. In sharp contrast to the classical description of reality the quantum mechanics defies such notions. The quantum superposition principle says, If a quantum system can exist in one or the other state at a time then the same system can also be prepared to exist in both the states at a same instance of time. Henceforth, the object can be prepared to exist at two or more than two locations at a same instance of time. Superposition of quantum states has been experimentally realized in various quantum systems consisting of few photons, atoms, molecules, macromolecules and superconducting devices. Since every object that we observe everyday is made of atoms and molecules then why do we not observe macroscopic objects existing at two or more than two locations at a time. According to one interpretation of quantum mechanics, as soon as one observes the quantum superposition of an object the state of the object collapses to one of the superposed states. Therefore, if unobserved, can one prepare a macroscopic object in a quantum superposition state. This is one of my research direction where I am exploring the fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics both theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical work: A flux-qubit-cantilever [1] consists of a flux qubit in the form of a cantilever as shown in Figure 1. The mechanical deflection of the cantilever can be coupled to the net magnetic flux, passing through the closed loop of the flux-qubit-cantilever, by applying an external magnetic field. Under suitable baising conditions the ground state of the flux-qubit-cantilever corresponds to an entangled quantum state of macroscopic observables. A particular case of the flux-qubitcantilever is a superconducting-loop-oscillator. The ground state of such an oscillator is a quantum superposition state of distinct deflections. ! dc-SQUID # " Cantilever % B" A $ θ Figure 1. Flux-qubit-cantilever [1] Experiments: The main component of research is focused on experiments based on Bose-Einstein condensation. Laser cooling (magneto-optical-trap) of neutral atoms has been realized in an ultra high vacuum environment where pressure is less than 7.5 x 10-12 Torr. An image of laser cold atoms is shown in Figure-2. The temperature of the cold cloud is few hundred milli-kelvin. The experiment is in progress towards realization of Bose-Einstein condensation. These experiments are aiming to study quantum entanglement. Figure 2. Magneto-optical-trap of neutral atoms. References: 1. Macroscopic quantum oscillator based on a flux-qubit. Mandip Singh, Phys. Lett. A. 379, 2001-2006 (2015). Na2Ir1-xRuxO3 OsB2 Dr. Yogesh Singh Assistant Professor and DST Ramanujan Fellow Novel Materials Group 1 postdoc, 5 PhD’s, 1 MSc Dr. Yogesh Singh completed his PhD from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai. He did postdoctaral work at Ames Lab, Iowa, USA (2005 – 2009) and at the University of Goettingen, Germany as a Humboldt postdoctioral fellow (2009 – 2011) before joining IISER Mohali in 2011. Research Interests: • Single Crystal Growth of correlated materials • Magnetically frustrated materials • Quantum Spin systems • Unconventional Superconductivity • Topological Materials Recent Highlights : Robust Spin Liquid Behavior in the Hyper-Kagome Iridate Na4Ir3O8 • • • • Highly frustrated lattice of corner sharing triangles q= -650 K, no order T > 100 mK Susceptibility and heat capacity point to gapless excitations: Spinon Fermi Surface!! SL state robust against large chemical perturbations Kitaev Physics in the Layered Iridate Na2IrO3 Direct evidence of bond-dependent (Kitaev) exchange interactions in Na2IrO3 Multi-gap Superconductivity in the layered Boride OsB2 • • • Superconductivity below Tc = 2.1 K Fermi-surface made up of one tubular and two ellipsoidal sheets Unusual Heat Capacity in magnetic field Selected Recent Publications • S. Yoon, S.-H. Baek, Ashiwini Balodhi, W.-J. Lee, K.-Y. Choi, Y. I. Watanabe, J. Lord, B. Buchner, Yogesh Singh, and B. J. Suh, J. Phys. Cond. Mat., in press (2015) • Ashiwini Balodhi, A. Thamizhavel, and Yogesh Singh, Phys. Rev. B 91, 224409 (2015). • S. H. Chun, et al.. Nature Physics 11, 462 (2015) • Yogesh Singh, Y. Tokiwa, J. Dong, and P. Gegenwart, Phys. Rev. B 88, 220413(R) (2013) • S. K. Choi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 127204 (2012). • Yogesh Singh, S. Manni, J. Reuther, T. Berlijn, R. Thomale, W. Ku, S. Trebst, and P. Gegenwart , Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 127203 (2012). Cover Image: Chaos (Focus Issue on Intrinsic and Designed Computation: Information Processing in Dynamical Systems) (2010) Nonlinear Dynamics & Complex Systems Sudeshna Sinha FASc, FNA Prof. Sudeshna Sinha completed her PhD from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. She has been a member of the physics faculty of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore (1994-1996) and The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai (1996-2011). She joined IISER Mohali in 2009. Research Interests Control of Chaotic Systems: This group is interested in strategies to control the dynamical behaviour of complex systems. In particular we have introduced the method of threshold control, and demonstrated its success in simulations, such as for the case of neuronal spiking and smart matter applications. We have also realized the idea in several experiments, including most recently on time-delayed systems. We have also proposed distributed adaptive schemes capable of stabilising complex spatio-temporal patterns in extended systems. Lastly, we have also introduced adaptive “anticontrol” schemes for enhancement and maintenance of chaos. This has relevance in contexts where enhanced chaos leads to improved performance, such as mixing flows in chemical reactions. Synchronization of Complex Networks: We work on problems of synchronization in a wide variety of dynamical networks, ranging from epidemic spreading models to networks of neurons and coupled cell pathways. Most recently, we have focused on investigating the influence of dynamic and quenched random connections, on pattern formation in the network. Dynamics Based Computation: In recent years we have proposed the novel concept of chaos computing. This paradigm has been realized in many electronic circuit experiments, and forms the basis of a reconfigurable chip design, which is expected to yield a dynamic computer architecture more flexible than the current static framework. Currently, we are exploring this idea in a genetic ring oscillator network with quorum sensing feedback Interplay of noise and nonlinearity: The constructive effect of of noise in enhancing performance is a focus of recent work. For instance, we find how noise is crucial to the emergence of robust logic behaviour. This phenomena, called Logical Stochastic Resonance, is studied in systems ranging from nano-mechanical oscillators to electronics circuits. Simulation of complex networks Work on Synthetic Gene Networks as potential Flexible Parallel Logic Gates: Cover of Europhysics Letters (2011) Nano-Scale Mechanical and Electronic Systems @ Ultra-low Temperatures Dr. Ananth Venkatesan Ramanujan Fellow Dr. Ananth Venkatesan completed his PhD in Physics from Northeastern University, Boston working on 2-D electron systems. He did a Post-Doc un UBC, Canada followed by a Post-Doc at the University of Nottingham, U.K. Research Interests We study mesoscopic devices like nano-electromechanical systems(NEMS) and 2-D electron gas systems (2-DEGS) at ultra low temperatures. Out activities revolve around i) A state of the are Ultra low temperature lab that can reach thermodynamic temperatures ~ 10 mK and ii) A nano-scale Fabrication facility that includes tools like e-beam lithography, a plasma etch system. Currently, the lab. has two PhD students, two MS students and a Post-Doc who is joining us shortly. What is NEMS ? Why Study NEMS @ low temp? At T < 4.2 K almost everything except Liquid helium freezes. Still a nano-scale beam Shows a significant change in quality Factor with temp. Shown below is the time domain Response of ananoscale gold beam at 20 mK and 600 mK A nanoscale guitar string? A Super-conducting material Sample fabricated at University of Regensburg by the PI. We will be able to make similar and even more complex devices at IISER A 5micron long 180 nm wide Au beam Data by PI from NottinghamResponse of the beam@ 20 mK & 600 mK a C b Image Gallery from the low temp lab a) Microwave waveguide circuits b)A Vacuum probe (c)The workhorse of our lab a dilution fridge that reaches 10m K It is interesting to note that mechanical propeties change significantly below 4.2K. In principle NEMS Devices vibrate at high frequenices from RF to Microwave regime. The typical temperatures of 10 mK we can reach in a dilution fridge (like the one if (c) of the gallery in the regime hw >> KBT one can hope to see macroscopic quantum phenomena. In reality higher frequency devices have low Q-factor making it difficult to measure anything sensible We try to understand the low temperature quantum dissipation scenario and also engineer high –Q devices. 2-DEGS & other electronic systems: 6 5 250n m Width g (e2/h) 4 A 250 nm wide Split gate defines a ballistic 1-D Conductor on a 2-DEG ______ B = 0T In 2-DEGS we are specifically Interested in spin current transport And also electronic correlations. We are also interested in piezo Electric behaviour to produce Hybrid NEMS devices. ______ B =10T 3 2 T =200mK 1 -120 -100 -80 -60 -40 Gate voltage (mV) The data shows quantized conductance and spin splitting in B fields. Data by PI when at UBC Selected Recent Publications • K.J Lulla, R B Cousins, A Venkatesan, M J Patton, A D Armour, C J Mellor and J R Owers-Bradley, New J. Phys. 14 113040 (2012 ) • A. Venkatesan, K. J. Lulla, M. J. Patton, A. D. Armour, C. J. Mellor, and J. R. Owers-Bradley Phys. Rev. B 81, 073410 ( 2010) . • S. M. Frolov, A. Venkatesan, W. Yu, J. A. Folk, and W. Wegscheider Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 116802 – ( 2009) • S. Anissimova, A. Venkatesan, A. A. Shashkin, M. R. Sakr, S. V. Kravchenko, and T. M. Klapwijk Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 046409 ( 2006 ) String Theory Dr. K. P. Yogendran Assistant Professor Dr. K. P. Yogendran completed his PhD from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. He has been a postdoctoral fellow at HRI, Allahabad, Cquest Korea and HIP Finlend. He joined the institute in 2009. Research Interests In recent years, there has been a flurry of activities in applying ideas originating from string theory to systems that involve strong interactions, implying that perturbative calculations often give misleading results. My research has been focused on one system which exhibits superfluidity due to the spontaneous breaking of a global symmetry. The current objective in this program is to explore how gapped fermions make their appearance in these systems. An enduring puzzle in quantum gravity has been to identify the degrees of freedom that "constitute" a black hole. I am trying to build an analogy in a manner that will hopefully enlarge the difference between a burning lump of coal and a black hole. An effective analogy should capture the unitarity of the process of burning coal at the same time as incorporating the salient features of black hole thermodynamics which might shed some light on the information paradox in black hole physics. A holographic dark soliton: The soliton seen in the lab is (roughly) the z=0 slice of this picture In course of building the analogy, we are led to understand bound states as entangled states of their multiparticle quantum constituents. We are therefore studying the hydrogen atom from this perspective at varying levels of sophistication (as part of a student summer project) which casts some light on the difference between bound and scattering states. A future direction would be to explore the Kohn Sham theorems from the point of view of entanglement entropy. Selected Recent Publications • P. Chingangbam, C. Park, K.P. Yogendran, Rien van de Weygaert, Astrophys. J. 755, 122 (2012). • V. Keranen, E. Keski-Vakkuri, S. Nowling, K.P. Yogendran, New J.Phys. 13, 065003 (2011). • V. Keranen, E. Keski-Vakkuri, S. Nowling, K. P. Yogendran Phys.Rev. D 81 126012 (2010) . • V. Keranen, E. Keski-Vakkuri, S. Nowling, K. P. Yogendran, Phys.Rev. D 81, 126011 (2010). • V. Keranen, E. Keski-Vakkuri, S. Nowling, K.P. Yogendran, Phys.Rev. D 80, 121901 (2009). Physics Faculty by Research Area Prof. Arvind Prof. C. S. Aulakh Prof. Bagla, Jasjeet Quaqntum Information Theoretical High Energy Physics Cosmology Dr. Chakraborty, Dipanjan Soft Matter Physics Dr. Choudhary, Abhishek Soft and Biological Matter Dr. Dorai, Kavita Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Lab Dr. Jassal, Harvinder General Relativity and Cosmology Dr. Johal, Ramandeep Quantum Thermodynamics Dr. Kapri, Rajeev Statistical Mechanics and Soft Matter Physics Dr. Sanjeev, Kumar Correlated and Disordered Electron Systems Prof. Mahajan, C. G. Laser Physics Dr. Manimala Maitra Theoretical High Energy Physics Dr. Sheet, Goutam Condensed Matter Physics Dr. Singh, Kamal Femtosecond Laser Lab Dr. Singh, Mandip Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC) and Photons Lab Dr. Singh, Yogesh Novel Material Group Prof. Sinha, Sudeshna Nonlinear Dynamcis and Complex Systems Dr. Venkatesan, Ananth Dr. Yogendran, K. P. Nanoscale Mechanical & Electronic systems at ultralow Temperature String Theory IISER Physics Faculty