Physicist Uses Award to Study Magnetic Oxide

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- John Cerne, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University at Buffalo, has received a $75,000 Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation to study the fundamental physics of materials that are revolutionizing the understanding of metals.

Cerne was one of just 11 young scientists in the U.S. chosen to receive a Cottrell Award, which recognizes research and teaching in astronomy, chemistry and physics.

He and his colleagues are using magneto-spectroscopy -- the study of the interaction between light and matter in magnetic fields -- to examine novel effects in magnetic oxides, which are related to high-temperature superconductors.

According to Cerne, a better understanding of the mechanisms behind their behavior may lead to electronic and optical materials with new capabilities, such as faster and higher density memory in computers, as well as new functions, such as devices with both superconducting and magnetic properties.

Cerne's work focuses on the infrared region of the spectrum.

"It turns out that if you go to longer wavelengths, around 10 to 20 times the wavelength of visible light, you can gain critical new insight in these materials," he said.

The Research Corporation of Tucson, Ariz., is a private foundation that aids basic research in the physical sciences at U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities.

Cerne lives in East Amherst.