r Frano X Lab

X Lab

X-ray Laboratory for Research on Quantum Materials

Welcome!


Welcome to the Frano X Lab (a.k.a The X-ray Laboratory for Research on Quantum Materials). Based at the University of California, San Diego near the sunny beaches of La Jolla, CA, our group studies the fascinating properties of materials with strongly correlated electrons. We are interested in investigating long-range periodicities in the spin, charge, and orbital quantum states observed in transition-metal-oxide films, superlattices, heterostructures and single crystals. To explore these spatially periodic behaviors we operate in Fourier space by performing modern x-ray scattering experiments at synchrotrons around the world. Feel free to explore our website for more information.


News



Non-local synaptic interactions discovered in nickelate neuromorphic devices in our latest paper Nano Letters (2023).


In collaboration with Eduardo da Silva Neto and Fabio Boschini, our latest paper features low-energy correlations that could be connected to the strange metal phenomenon in the cuprates (2023).


This summer (2023), our group is welcoming many undergraduate students!


The Process

how is it done?


Imagine It

  • Determine material components of heterostructure
  • Grow it using PLD
  • Characterize the sample here at UCSD using x rays and other in-house facilities

Synchrotron It

  • Apply for beam time
  • Bring sample to the synchrotron
  • Use synchrotron x rays to characterize material and discover new periodicities

Write It

  • Analyze the data
  • Python, Matlab, Mathematica
  • Write and share our discoveries

Repeat!

Publications


Publication highlights:

Members


Alex Frano

Principal Investigator

Sarmistha Das

Postdoctoral Researcher

Brandon Gunn

Graduate Student

Rourav Basak

Graduate Student

Elliot Kisiel

Graduate Student

Biswajit Sahoo

Graduate Student

Mayia Vranas

Graduate Student

Dong Le

Graduate Student

Robin Glefke

Graduate Student

Kate Matthews

Graduate Student

Ahsley Corey

Graduate Student

Wei "Francis" He

Graduate Student

Joshua Evans

Undergraduate Student

Quinn Picard

Undergraduate Student

Adolfo Partida-Lizaga

Undergraduate Student

Jinyi "Selina" Zhu

Undergraduate Student

Xiaoke "Amy" Li

Undergraduate Student

Carlos Mendes

Undergraduate Student

Ethan Berg

Undergraduate Student

Ashley Thorshov

Undergraduate Student

Holden Bauer

Undergraduate Student

Nakshatra Bansal

Undergraduate Student

Contact us


If you have any questions about our research, or about condensed matter physics, please email us: afrano physics [dot] ucsd [dot] edu


CREDITS

Website Design: Ashley Nicole Warner

Logo and Cartoon Designs: Mario Rojas

Text Proofreading/Editing: Rock Paper Editing