Research
I am an experimental physicist working on condensed matter and solid state physics.
I received my PhD in 2007 under the joint supervision of Prof AM Cucolo at Salerno (Italy) and Prof MG Blamire at Cambridge (UK). I was investigating the symmetry of the order parameter in unconventional and high temperature superconductors with point contact Andreev Reflection techniques. During my visit at Cambridge (Nov 05-Oct 06), I fabricated and characterised ferromagnetic Josephson junctions, with potential applications for spintronics and quantum computing. Results from the latter topic [Phys.Rev.Lett. 97, 177003 (2006)] have attracted >100 citations.
During my two-year postdoctoral period (2007-08) in Salerno, I analysed the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism by scanning probe microscopy and I carried out an electrical characterisation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, demonstrating their functionality as practical temperature nanosensors [Patent N: WO 2010/016024 A1 (February 2010); Patent N: US 2011/0210415 A1 (September 2011)].
In 2009 I was awarded a Marie Curie IEF Fellowship (score: 97/100) by the European Commission, hosted by the Semiconductor Spintronics Group (Prof B Gallagher) at the University of Nottingham. I provided the first accurate measurement of the spin polarisation of the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As by combining scanning probe microscopy experiments (in a setup which I built at Nottingham) with a new theoretical modelling developed in collaboration with Prof M Eschrig, now at Royal Holloway London [Phys.Rev.B 83, 081305(Rapid) (2011)]. I also carried out the first detailed surface analysis of (Ga,Mn)As by atomic force microscopy, revealing the presence of self-organised periodic ripples. In collaboration with Prof V Holy at Prague, I unveiled a correlation between these structures and the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, which had been observed in (Ga,Mn)As since a decade without a satisfactory microscopic explanation. This result has been praised as a potential cornerstone for the field [Appl.Phys.Lett. 98, 152503 (2011)].
In 2011 I won a Nottingham Advance Research Fellowship with an original project aimed at developing probes for magnetic materials using ultracold atoms. This included the design and construction of a new laboratory at Nottingham, which I am now completing. In collaboration with my fellow colleagues, I have obtained the magneto-optical trapping of 87Rb atoms by using two sets of overlapping laser beams to cool and trap 87Rb atoms. With a dual color MOT we are able to double the atoms number and this shows that this technique is very useful in experiments where both high vacuum level and large atom number are required. In March 2013 I convened a successful exploratory meeting on cold atoms-solid state interfaces, very topical for the proposed project, http://coldsolidmeeting.weebly.com .
In parallel I am collaborating with colleagues in the School of Mathematical Science on a theoretical work involving the study of genuine tripartite entanglement in Gaussian States.
In 2015 I was appointed as an Assistant professor at the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, at the University of Nottingham. My research interest is to develop optical techniques for high-resolution 3D precision measurements to be used in industrial applications.
I received my PhD in 2007 under the joint supervision of Prof AM Cucolo at Salerno (Italy) and Prof MG Blamire at Cambridge (UK). I was investigating the symmetry of the order parameter in unconventional and high temperature superconductors with point contact Andreev Reflection techniques. During my visit at Cambridge (Nov 05-Oct 06), I fabricated and characterised ferromagnetic Josephson junctions, with potential applications for spintronics and quantum computing. Results from the latter topic [Phys.Rev.Lett. 97, 177003 (2006)] have attracted >100 citations.
During my two-year postdoctoral period (2007-08) in Salerno, I analysed the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism by scanning probe microscopy and I carried out an electrical characterisation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, demonstrating their functionality as practical temperature nanosensors [Patent N: WO 2010/016024 A1 (February 2010); Patent N: US 2011/0210415 A1 (September 2011)].
In 2009 I was awarded a Marie Curie IEF Fellowship (score: 97/100) by the European Commission, hosted by the Semiconductor Spintronics Group (Prof B Gallagher) at the University of Nottingham. I provided the first accurate measurement of the spin polarisation of the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As by combining scanning probe microscopy experiments (in a setup which I built at Nottingham) with a new theoretical modelling developed in collaboration with Prof M Eschrig, now at Royal Holloway London [Phys.Rev.B 83, 081305(Rapid) (2011)]. I also carried out the first detailed surface analysis of (Ga,Mn)As by atomic force microscopy, revealing the presence of self-organised periodic ripples. In collaboration with Prof V Holy at Prague, I unveiled a correlation between these structures and the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, which had been observed in (Ga,Mn)As since a decade without a satisfactory microscopic explanation. This result has been praised as a potential cornerstone for the field [Appl.Phys.Lett. 98, 152503 (2011)].
In 2011 I won a Nottingham Advance Research Fellowship with an original project aimed at developing probes for magnetic materials using ultracold atoms. This included the design and construction of a new laboratory at Nottingham, which I am now completing. In collaboration with my fellow colleagues, I have obtained the magneto-optical trapping of 87Rb atoms by using two sets of overlapping laser beams to cool and trap 87Rb atoms. With a dual color MOT we are able to double the atoms number and this shows that this technique is very useful in experiments where both high vacuum level and large atom number are required. In March 2013 I convened a successful exploratory meeting on cold atoms-solid state interfaces, very topical for the proposed project, http://coldsolidmeeting.weebly.com .
In parallel I am collaborating with colleagues in the School of Mathematical Science on a theoretical work involving the study of genuine tripartite entanglement in Gaussian States.
In 2015 I was appointed as an Assistant professor at the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, at the University of Nottingham. My research interest is to develop optical techniques for high-resolution 3D precision measurements to be used in industrial applications.