Research Area:

Experimental Solid State Physics

Experiment / Theory:

Experiment

Research Summary:

My research deals with electronic, magnetic and thermal properties of novel solid state materials.   Most recently, I have been developing better tools to characterize what are known as “quantum phase transitions” in conducting oxides.  At a quantum phase transition, fundamental electronic properties can undergo large changes with a very small change in, say, the density of mobile charge carriers.    We measure atomically-perfect oxide films grown at Brookhaven National Laboratory.    The films are made to have a slight and continuous gradient of the carrier density and are etched into 31 distinct samples.   At Miami University, my research students and I built a one-of-a-kind system that can automatically measure both the Hall effect and the resistance in 31 samples as a function of temperature in just a few hours. 
 
My lab also measures the thermal properties of novel magnetic systems and filled porous lattice materials.

Last 3 Publications:

“Combinatorial measurements of Hall effect and resistivity in oxide films,” J. A. Clayhold,
B. M. Kerns, M. D. Schroer, D.W. Rench, G. Logvenov, A. T. Bollinger, I. Bozovic,
Rev. Sci. Instrum. 79 033908 (2008)

“Automated heat capacity apparatus on a circuit board,” J. Clayhold and J. Priest, Am. J. Phys. 75 379 (2007).

Magnetic properties of the low-dimensional cuprate Na5RbCu4(AsO4)4Cl2
J. A. Clayhold, M. Ulutagay-Kartin, S.-J. Hwu, H.-J. Koo, M.-H. Whangbo, A. Voigt,
and K. Eaiprasertsak, Phys. Rev. B 66 052403, 2002