Serena Eley
Assistant Professor, Department of Physics

Serena EleyThe overarching goal of the Eley Quantum Materials Group is understand the role of disorder on the electronic and magnetic properties of quantum materials and devices.  Specifically, we study vortex-defect interactions in superconductors, skyrmion-defect interactions in magnetic materials, and the effects of the  material microstructure on energy loss in superconducting circuits. Vortices are topological excitations that appear in many different systems, including superconductors, magnets, superfluids, liquid crystals, and Bose-Einstein condensates. In superconductors, vortices are typically unwanted as their motion greatly limits the current carrying capacity and induces microwave energy loss. On the contrary, in certain chiral magnets and magnetic multilayers, vortex-like excitations called skyrmions are beneficial for use as information carriers in next-generation low-energy spintronic devices. We seek to develop a microscopic understanding of the complex interplay between vortices, material disorder, and thermal energy to mitigate the deleterious effects of superconducting vortices and exploit skyrmions in spintronics. Superconducting quantum circuits are limited by energy losses due to parasitic two-level fluctuators (TLFs), quasiparticle poisoning, and dissipative vortex motion. Despite numerous studies that have successfully tuned the effects of these decoherence mechanisms, the microscopic origin of TLFs and source of quasiparticles is usually unknown and no methods exist to eliminate these loss mechanisms.  To achieve these goals, our lab is capable of magnetometry, electrical transport measurements, and magnetic force microscopy (coming soon) in variable temperatures (down to the millikelvin range) and magnetic fields (up to several tesla).

Contact

CoorsTek 315
303-384-2360

Education

  • PhD, Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
  • BS, Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Professional Experience

  • COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
    • Assistant Professor of Physics, August 2018 to present
  • LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY, LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO
    • Postdoctoral Researcher, February 2015 to February 2018
  • SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORY, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
    • Senior Member of the Technical Staff, December 2012 to February 2015
  • INTERNATIONAL SUPERCONDUCTIVITY TECHNOLOGY CENTER, TOKYO, JAPAN
    • Research Assistant, 2002 to 2003
    • Henry Luce Scholar

SCIENTIFIC AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

  • American Physical Society
  • Materials Research Society

AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

  • John Bardeen Award (University of Illinois, outstanding dissertation)
  • Goddard Award for Best Research Contribution (NASA Academy GSFC)
  • International Achievement Summit Delegate (Academy of Achievement)
  • Luce Scholar (Henry Luce Foundation)

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Low temperature condensed matter physics
  • Superconductivity, Materials issues for qubits, Disorder in quantum materials

PUBLICATIONS

Select publications:

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GRANTS

  1. Skyrmion-Vortex Interactions in Ferromagnet-Superconductor Heterostructures, National Science foundation Award Abstract # 2046925
  2. Superconducting quantum circuits based on epitaxial nitrides (2020-2022), NREL Laboratory Directed Research and Development (Co-PI)
  3. MRI: Acquisition of an Automated, Variable Temperature and Magnetic Field Multi-property Measurement System, National Science Foundation, (2019-2022)  Award # 1917860 (PI)
  4. Quantum and Thermal Creep of Skyrmions and Superconducting Vortices (2019-2022), National Science Foundation, Award # 1905909 (PI)
  5. QLCI-CG: The Open Quantum Frontier Institute (Conceptualization Grant) 2020-2021, National Science Foundation, Award # 1936835(Co-PI)  — you probably already have this one, Lincoln Carr is PI