Carlo U. Segre

Classes: Fall 2014

• PHYS 406 - Fundamentals of Quantum Theory II
  Applications of quantum mechanics, including: time-independent perturbation theory, the variational method, the WKB approximation, time-dependent perturbation theory, the adiabatic approximation, scattering, quantum paradoxes and other advanced topics as time permits. Tuesday and Thursday 13:50-15:05 in room 239 Stuart Building. An Internet section is also available.
• PHYS 485 - Physics Colloquium for Undergraduate Students
  Lectures by invited scientists in areas of physics generally not covered in the department. The class meets Thursdays 15:30-17:00 in room 111 Life Sciences Building. Undergraduate students registered for PHYS 485 must sign in and complete all assigned work as detailed in the course web page
• PHYS 585/685 - Physics Colloquium for Graduate Students
  Lectures by invited scientists in areas of physics generally not covered in the department. The class meets Thursdays 15:30-17:00 in room 111 Life Sciences Building. Graduate students registered for PHYS 585 or 685 must sign in and complete all assigned work as detailed in the course web page
• PHYS 570 - Introduction to Synchrotron Radiation
  This is a graduate course which introduces advanced students to the production, manupulation and use of synchrotron radiation in research. The course will include visits to beamlines at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. Students will be expected to give presentations and a final project is required. The class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays 17:00-18:15 in room 204 Stuart Building. An Internet section is also available.

Questions and Answers about studying physics

Are you interested in studying physics or becoming a physicist? As an advisor to undergraduate and graduate physics students, I have heard and answered many questions over the years. You can ask your questions directly at AllExperts or read my posts on College Confidential as "xraymancs".

Topics might include:

• Can I get involved in research as an undergraduate?
• How do I choose a graduate program?
• I am interested in X, can I specialize as an undergraduate?

History of physics at Illinois Tech

Since 2009, I have been interested in the history of physics at Illinois Institute of Technology including its predecessors, Armour Institute of Technology and Lewis Institute. Through the work of my Introduction to the Profession class each year, we have been able to flesh out a timeline of physics faculty and we are building biographies of as many as possible. The results can be found in the Illinois Tech Physics Faculty Timeline.

Recent research presentations from my group

I attended XAFS15 in Beijing, China and presented the following research from my group at IIT.

• EXAFS Study of PtRu Core-Shell Nanoparticles as Electrocatalysts for DMFC's
• Iron Incorporation Into Ferroelectric Lead Titanate
• Lattice relaxation in Zn_1-xCd_xS binary alloy: An Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) Study

We are working on the nanoelectrofuel project funded by the ARPA-e RANGE program. This project is in close collaboration with researchers at Argonne National Laboratory. I recently presented a colloquium for the IIT MMAE and Chemistry Departments on the state of the project and latest results.

Our research was highlighted in the September 2013 issue of International Innovation - North America, published by Research Media, the leading global dissemination resource for the wider scientific, technology and research communities, dedicated to disseminating the latest science, research and technological innovations on a global level. More information and a complimentary subscription offer to the publication can be found at: www.international-innovation-northamerica.com.

Biographical Information

I am a "midwesterner", having spent my early years in Lincoln, Nebraska; Madison, Wisconsin; and Urbana, Illinois. I received my B.S. in physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1976. I then entered my bi-coastal period, first obtaining a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, San Diego in 1981 Professors Bernd Matthias and M. Brian Maple and then spending two years as a post-doc with Prof. Mark Croft at Rutgers University in New Jersey. I have been on the IIT faculty since 1983 with a one-year sabbatical in Trieste, Italy at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics. I have over 110 refereed publications. A full Curriculum Vitae is also available.

Education:
B.S. in Physics, 1976, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
B.S. in Chemistry, 1976, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
M.S. in Physics, 1977, University of California, San Diego
Ph.D. in Physics, 1981, University of California, San Diego

Professional Societies:
American Physical Society
American Chemical Society
American Association for the Advancement of Science (Fellow)
Sigma Xi (President of IIT Chapter)
International Centre for Diffraction Data (Fellow)

Research Interests:
My research centers around the structure and electronic properties of complex materials including superconducting, magnetic, catalytic, and energy storage materials.
Experimental techniques used in my research include; material synthesis through arc-melting, powder metallurgy, and advanced chemical methods; structural characterization of the samples performed by x-ray powder diffraction and xray absorption fine structure; and measurement of electronic properties by resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. Specific topics of interest include:

• structural and electrochemical properties of advanced battery materials;
• in-situ structural studies of catalytic materials for use in fuel cells;
• structural and electronic properties of magnetoelectric materials and other perovskite materials prepared in the form of nanoparticles and thin films;
• local structural studies of structural materials for use in nuclear reactors, including in-situ corrosion studies and characterization of nano-crystalline inclusions in steels;
• development of x-ray optics for synchrotron radiation experimentation.

I also am an active participant in the IIT Center for Synchrotron Radiation Research and Instrumentation (CSRRI), serving as Center Director and Deputy Director of the Materials Research Collaborative Access Team (MRCAT) which operates an experimental facility for materials research at the Advanced Photon Source (APS). I have been involved in the development of crystal optic devices for delivery and detection of x-rays at synchrotron beamlines.

Finally, I am a Debian Developer. I package scientific data analysis software for the Debian GNU/Linux Project.

Last Update Nov. 26, 2013 by segre@iit.edu