20 Feb 2017
The Lee Osheroff Richardson (LOR) Science Prize promotes and recognises the novel work of young scientists working in the fields of low temperatures and/or high magnetic fields in the Americas. Oxford Instruments is delighted to announce Dr Brad Ramshaw, Assistant Professor at Cornell University as the winner of the 2017 LOR Science Prize.
“I am truly honoured to have been awarded this prize. As I build my new lab in Clark Hall in the same basement where Lee, Osheroff, and Richardson did their ground-breaking work, I am continually reminded of and humbled by their legacy in low-temperature physics. Their work also reminds me that science is a collaborative effort, and I want to thank the mentors and colleagues who have made these experiments possible and who have immeasurably influenced my approach to science”, commented Ramshaw.
Dr Ramshaw is one of the most gifted young experimentalists currently active in the field of strongly correlated electron systems. Ramshaw’s technical contributions to condensed matter physics have focused on improving measurement techniques for pulsed magnetic fields up to 100 T, and on improving resonant ultrasound spectroscopy for low-temperature applications. He has applied these techniques to solve significant problems in both high-temperature and unconventional superconductivity. Most notably he has used quantum oscillation measurements to provide the first direct observation of the effects of quantum criticality on the electronic normal state of cuprate superconductors, and to determine that the Fermi surface of the cuprates is not reconstructed by magnetic order in high fields.
The technique developments made by Ramshaw have had an impact beyond his own research—he has taken part in many collaborative pulsed-field research projects including the investigation of 2-D electrons in graphene and oxide heterostructures, symmetry breaking in heavy Fermions, and unconventional thermodynamics in topological semimetals. His most recent technique advancement, for which he was awarded a $430,000 development grant at Los Alamos National Labs, was the design and construction of an all-digital pulse-echo ultrasound apparatus for use in pulsed magnetic fields up to 100 Tesla. This has increased the relatively small number of thermodynamic probes available in these extreme magnetic fields, and will be particularly helpful for studying phase transitions in metals where magnetization signals can be swamped by noise and transport signatures are difficult to interpret.
The Lee Osheroff Richardson Science Prize selection committee was very pleased to recognise Ramshaw’s outstanding achievements. The committee consists of leading American physicists and is chaired by Professor Bruce Gaulin of McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Dr Ramshaw will be presented with the trophy and $8000 prize amount at Oxford Instruments’ “Socialize with Science” event on March 14th, 2017 during the 2017 APS March Meeting in New Orleans, LA, USA.
Oxford Instruments is aware that there is a critical and often difficult stage for many between completing a PhD and gaining a permanent research position. The company has therefore been helping individuals who are producing innovative work by offering assistance both financially and through promotion of their research work, through sponsoring the Lee Osheroff Richardson Science Prize for research in physical science. The Prize is named in honour of Professors David M. Lee, Douglas D. Osheroff and the late Robert C. Richardson, joint recipients of The Nobel Prize in Physics 1996 "for their discovery of superfluidity in helium-3".
The previous winners of the Lee Osheroff Richardson Science Prize, which celebrated its 10th year in 2015, are Dr Christian Lupien, Dr Jason Petta, Dr Suchitra Sebastian, Dr Eunseong Kim, Dr Vivien Zapf, Dr Jing Xia, Dr Kenneth Burch, Dr Lu Li, Dr Chiara Tarantini, Dr Cory Dean and Dr Mohammad Hamidian.