Research Interests

Broadly speaking my interests lie in 4 overlapping topics

1. Dielectric and Terahertz Science.
2. Soft Condenced Matter
3. Anomalous behaviors in Condensed Matter
4. Biophysics.

Dielectric and Terahertz Science

The title covers a broad range of interactions between matter and electromagentic radiation in the freqeuncy range 10^-6 Hz to 10 THz.  Here the charactersitic mode is one of the relaxation rather than the oscillation  of charged particles and dipoles.  These modes are by nature cooperative and cover an enormous range of phenomena; Phase transitions of various kind (ferroelectric, strucutral, glass and overs), Cluster relaxations, ionic transport mechanisms,  double layer formations in electrolytes, pecolations.....  The list is as long and the types of systems to be studied.

While some to these systems are more akin to condensed matter, the temperature involved are usually such that quantum phenomena can be ignored.  Systems like ferroelectric crystals stochastically doped with guest ions can sometimes exhibit unusual glass like behaviours. Ceramics can have strain induced ferroelectric transitions. Domain boundary motions exhibit anomalous relaxations.  However, under the extreme conditions in some materials (for instance in extreme Ultra-confinement in molecular channels) quantum effects can come into effect at reasonably “hot” temperatures of Liquid Nitrogen (97 K).

Classical Soft Condensed Matter is especially amenable to dielectric research.  These systems can be liquid emulsions, microemulsions and other micellar systems.  Biological cell membranes and especially aqueous solutions.

THz spectroscopy takes our investigations into the important twilight zone where relaxation dynamics then fades and oscillations along bonds takes over.  This is especially important in the study of the H-bonded network of water and aqueous solutions.  We apply these techniques to the study of Protein solutions, in order to understand the interplay between the protein and its bioactivity and the water environment that enables it.

The list of projects just goes on………………….