CU Denver Physics Professor Martin Huber is taking a Fulbright-funded sabbatical in Israel to use super conducting quantum interference devices -- or SQUIDs -- to measure atomic-scale magnetic vortices.
"We're looking at things in the nano scale," Huber says of the work. SQUIDs can be used "in experiments from the very small to the very large," he adds. At CU Denver, his focus is on the search for dark matter, a quest Huber says is more "cosmological" in scale.
"Both projects are very exciting," says Huber.
The Fulbright Award "was created to create cultural awareness and exchange between many different countries," says Huber, noting that the awards cover the arts, science and business. "The lab I'm going to is very international. It's a very culturally diverse lab."
Huber will work from October 2013 to May 2014 at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Huber has worked at the Institute several times in the past. "It's always been a productive time," he says.
SQUIDs are extremely sensitive magnetometers that operate at temperatures near absolute zero. While Huber's focus is on using them to detect the presence of dark matter in far reaches of the universe, "nanoSQUIDs" can be used to detect the very small magnetic vortex activity that's the specialty of researchers at the Weizmann Institute.
Huber says his partnership with scientists in Israel has been a collaborative win-win. "I've been transferring expertise about the SQUID and I've been learning about their scanning microscopes," he says.
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Eric Peterson with tips and leads for future stories at eric@confluence-denver.com.
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