Adventures in Nanoworld

Richard Feynman famously said, "There's plenty of room at the bottom," about the possibility of building molecular-size machines operating according to Quantum Mechanics. Scientists are now learning the art, and students in this course will use basic physics and simple mathematical models to understand the phenomena and materials in the nanoworld. Non-science concentrators and potential science concentrators alike will learn about important classes of nanosystems such as macromolecules, nanotubes, quantum dots, quantum wires, and films. We will learn how people make nanosystems and characterize them. We will consider existing and potential applications of nanotechnology, including molecular motors, nanoelectronics, spintronics, and quantum information. Enrollment limited to 19 first year students.