John R. Kirtley
Encyclopedia
John Robert Kirtley is an American condensed matter physicist and a Consulting Professor at the Center for Probing the Nanoscale
in the Department of Applied Physics at Stanford University
. He shared the 1998 Oliver E. Buckley Prize of the American Physical Society
, and is a Fellow
of both the American Physical Society
and the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.
He received his BA
in Physics in 1971 and his PhD
in Physics in 1976, both from the University of California, Santa Barbara
. His PhD topic was inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy
, with Paul Hansma as his thesis advisor. He was then a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania
from 1976–1978, working in the group of Donald N. Langenberg
on non-equilibrium superconductivity
. From 1978 to 2006 he was a Research Staff Member at the IBM
Thomas J. Watson Research Center
in Yorktown Heights, New York
. Since 2006 he has worked at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, been a Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Forschungspreis winner at the University of Augsburg in Germany, a Jubileum Professor at Chalmers University of Technology
in Sweden, and currently holds a Chaire d'Excellence from the NanoSciences Fondation in Grenoble
, France.
He has worked in the fields of Surface Enhanced Raman scattering
, light emission from tunnel
junctions and electron injection devices, noise in semiconducting devices, scanning tunneling microscopy and scanning SQUID microscopy
. He is married to Kathryn Barr Kirtley, who received her PhD from UCSB in quantum chemistry
in 1977. They have one son, the writer David Barr Kirtley
.
Kirtley shared the 1998 Oliver E. Buckley Prize with C.C. Tsuei, Donald Ginsberg
, and D.J. van Harlingen. The citation was for "using phase-sensitive experiments in the elucidation of the orbital symmetry of the pairing function
in high-Tc superconductor
s". Kirtley, Tsuei, and co-workers used scanning SQUID imaging of the half-integer flux quantum effect in tricrystal samples
to demonstrate that cuprate high temperature superconductors have predominantly d-wave pairing symmetry.
Center for Probing the Nanoscale
The Center for Probing the Nanoscale at Stanford University was founded in 2004 by researchers from Stanford University and IBM. The center is one of the National Science Foundation Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers...
in the Department of Applied Physics at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He shared the 1998 Oliver E. Buckley Prize of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, and is a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of both the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
and the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.
He received his BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Physics in 1971 and his PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Physics in 1976, both from the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
. His PhD topic was inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
, with Paul Hansma as his thesis advisor. He was then a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
from 1976–1978, working in the group of Donald N. Langenberg
Donald N. Langenberg
Donald Newton Langenberg is a physicist and college professor. He formerly served as chancellor of the University System of Maryland and the University of Illinois, Chicago...
on non-equilibrium superconductivity
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
. From 1978 to 2006 he was a Research Staff Member at the IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
Thomas J. Watson Research Center
Thomas J. Watson Research Center
The Thomas J. Watson Research Center is the headquarters for the IBM Research Division.The center is on three sites, with the main laboratory in Yorktown Heights, New York, 38 miles north of New York City, a building in Hawthorne, New York, and offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts.- Overview :The...
in Yorktown Heights, New York
Yorktown Heights, New York
Yorktown Heights is a census-designated place in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Yorktown Heights is located at ....
. Since 2006 he has worked at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, been a Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a foundation set-up by the government of the Federal Republic and funded by the German Foreign Office, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and others for the promotion of international co-operation...
Forschungspreis winner at the University of Augsburg in Germany, a Jubileum Professor at Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology , is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that focuses on research and education in technology, natural science and architecture.-History:...
in Sweden, and currently holds a Chaire d'Excellence from the NanoSciences Fondation in Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, France.
He has worked in the fields of Surface Enhanced Raman scattering
Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy or surface enhanced Raman scattering is a surface-sensitive technique that enhances Raman scattering by molecules adsorbed on rough metal surfaces...
, light emission from tunnel
Quantum tunnelling
Quantum tunnelling refers to the quantum mechanical phenomenon where a particle tunnels through a barrier that it classically could not surmount. This plays an essential role in several physical phenomena, such as the nuclear fusion that occurs in main sequence stars like the sun, and has important...
junctions and electron injection devices, noise in semiconducting devices, scanning tunneling microscopy and scanning SQUID microscopy
Scanning SQUID microscopy
Scanning SQUID microscopy is a technique where a superconducting quantum interference device is used to image surface magnetic field strength with micrometre scale resolution. A tiny SQUID is mounted onto a tip which is then rastered near the surface of the sample to be measured...
. He is married to Kathryn Barr Kirtley, who received her PhD from UCSB in quantum chemistry
Quantum chemistry
Quantum chemistry is a branch of chemistry whose primary focus is the application of quantum mechanics in physical models and experiments of chemical systems...
in 1977. They have one son, the writer David Barr Kirtley
David Barr Kirtley
David Barr Kirtley is an American short story writer and the co-host of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. His short fiction appears in magazines such as Realms of Fantasy and Weird Tales, in online magazines such as Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show and Lightspeed, and on...
.
Kirtley shared the 1998 Oliver E. Buckley Prize with C.C. Tsuei, Donald Ginsberg
Donald Ginsberg
Donald Maurice Ginsberg was an American physicist and expert on superconductors.Born in Chicago, Ginsberg attended University of Chicago, earning a bachelor of arts in 1952, a bachelor of science in 1955, and a master of science in 1956. He then earned his doctorate in physics from the University...
, and D.J. van Harlingen. The citation was for "using phase-sensitive experiments in the elucidation of the orbital symmetry of the pairing function
Pairing function
In mathematics a pairing function is a process to uniquely encode two natural numbers into a single natural number.Any pairing function can be used in set theory to prove that integers and rational numbers have the same cardinality as natural numbers...
in high-Tc superconductor
High-temperature superconductivity
High-temperature superconductors are materials that have a superconducting transition temperature above . From 1960 to 1980, 30 K was thought to be the highest theoretically possible Tc...
s". Kirtley, Tsuei, and co-workers used scanning SQUID imaging of the half-integer flux quantum effect in tricrystal samples
to demonstrate that cuprate high temperature superconductors have predominantly d-wave pairing symmetry.