Aron Pinczuk (1939-2022)

PROFESSOR OF APPLIED PHYSICS AND OF PHYSICS

Aron Pinczuk employs advanced optics methods at very low temperatures to explore frontier topics in condensed-matter science. The focus is on understanding the properties of novel materials and the physics of exotic phases of matter that emerge in semiconductors at extremely low temperatures. His research findings address issues used by scientists seeking to create fundamental and applied science for the development of the next-generation of electronic and opto-electronic devices. These studies rely on advanced semiconductor structures created with state-of-the art perfection. The fabrication of artificial patterns in semiconductor structures allows for the exploration of impact of fine-tuning (engineering) of electron states on device characteristics.

Research Interests

Condensed matter physics, electron fluids in semiconductors, fabrication of nanostructures, fundamental interactions at very low temperatures, characterization of semiconductors.

Pinczuk introduced novel methods that allow the study of physics of mobile electron systems in nearly perfect semiconductor structures of reduced dimensionality. Topics in these experimental studies include the electron quantum fluids that emerge in the famous quantized Hall effect. This research provides access to physics that are not accessible by other more conventional methods. In collaborations with colleagues at Columbia and at other major research institutions Pinczuk is exploring frontiers of basic physics, of fabrication protocols, and of materials science in nanoscale (one-billionth of a meter) artificial patterns. The devices created in this research serve as simulators of novel quantum phenomena and of advanced device concepts.

Pinczuk received a licenciado degree in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires in 1962 and a PhD degree in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, and in 1994 he received the Oliver Buckley Award, which is regarded as one of the top prizes of the society.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • Visiting Scientist, Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ, 1978-1979.
  • Visiting Scientist, IBM Research, Yorktown Height, NY, 1976-1977.
  • Research Scientist, Atomic Energy Commission, Argentina, 1971-1976.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Professor of Applied Physics and of Physics, Columbia University, 1998-
  • Member of Technical Staff, Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ and Murray Hill, NJ, 1979-2006.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • American Physical Society (APS).
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
  • Materials Research Society (MRS).
  • Optical Society of America (OSA).

HONORS & AWARDS

  • SEAS Faculty Excellence Award, Columbia University, 2015.
  • Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2009.
  • Avanessians Diversity Award, Columbia University, 2008.
  • Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2002.
  • Doctorate Degree, "Honoris-Causa", Universidad Autónoma, Madrid, Spain, 1997.
  • Oliver E. Buckley Prize for Condensed Matter Physics, American Physical Society, 1994.
  • Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), 1987.
  • Distinguished Member of Staff Award AT&T Bell Labs, 1985.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • “Observation of new plasmons in the fractional quantum Hall effect: Interplay of topological and nematic orders”, Lingjie Du, Ursula Wurstbauer, K. W. West, L. N. Pfeiffer, S. Fallahi, G. C Gardner, M. J. Manfra, A. Pinczuk, Science Advances, 5, eaav3407 (2019).
  • “Emerging many-body effects in semiconductor artificial graphene with low disorder”, Lingjie Du, Sheng Wang, Diego Scarabelli, L. N. Pfeiffer, K. W. West, S. Fallahi, G. C. Gardner, M. J. Manfra, V. Pellegrini, S. J. Wind, A. Pinczuk, Nature Communications, 9, 3299 (2018)
  • “Observation of Dirac bands in artificial graphene in small-period nanopatterned GaAs quantum wells”, S. Wang, D. Scarabelli, L. J. Du, Y. Kuznetsova, L. N. Pfeiffer, K. West, V. Pellegrini, M. J. Manfra, G. Gardner, S. J. Wind, A. Pinczuk, Nature Nanotechnology, 13, 29 (2018).
  • "Exceptionally large migration length of carbon and topographically-facilitated self-limiting molecular beam epitaxial growth of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride”, A. S. Plaut, U. Wurstbauer, S. Wang, A. L. Levy, L. Fernandes dos Santos, L. Wang, L. N. Pfeiffer, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, C. R. Dean, J. Hone, A. Pinczuk, J. M. Garcia, Carbon, 114, 579 (2017).
  • “Observation of electron sates of small period artificial graphene in nano-patterned GaAs quantum wells”, S. Wang, D. Scarabelli, Y. Kuznetsova, S. J. Wind, A. Pinczuk, V. Pellegrini, M. J. Manfra, G. Gardner, L. N. Pfeiffer, K. West, Applied Physics Letters, 109, 113191 (2016).
  • “Optical Emission Spectroscopy Study of Competing Phases of Electrons in the Second Landau Level”, A. L. Levy, U. Wurstbauer, Y. Kuznetsova, A. Pinczuk, L. N. Pfeiffer, K.  West, M. J. Manfra, G. C. Gardner, and J. D. Watson, Physical Review Letters, 116, 016801 (2016).
  • “Fabrication of artificial graphene in a GaAs quantum heterostructure”, D. Scarabelli, S. Wang, A. Pinczuk, S. J. Wind, Y. Y. Kuznetsova, L. N. Pfeiffer, K. W. West, G. C. Gardner, M. J. Manfra, V. Pellegrini, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B 33, 06FG03 (2015).
  • “Dopant Segregation in Polycrystalline Monolayer Graphene”, Liuyan Zhao, Rui He, Amir Zabet-Khosousi, Keun Soo Kim, Michael Roth, Philip Kim, George W. Flynn, Aron Pinczuk, Abhay N. Pasupathy, Nano Letters, 15, 1428 (2015).
  • “Resonant inelastic light scattering investigation of low-lying gapped excitations in the quantum fluid at nu=5/2”, U. Wurstbauer, K. W. West, L. N. Pfeiffer, A. Pinczuk, Phys.  Rev. Lett., 110, 026801 (2013).
  • “Large Physisorption Strain in CVD Graphene on Copper Substrates”, Rui He, Liuyan Zhao,
  • Nicholas Petrone, Keun Soo Kim, Michael Roth, James Hone, Philip Kim, Abhay Pasupathy, and Aron Pinczuk, Nano Letters, 12, 2408 (2012).
  • “Graphene growth on h-BN by Molecular Beam Epitaxy”, Jorge M. Garcia, Ulrich
  • Wurstbauer, Antonio Levy, Loren N Pfeiffer, Aron Pinczuk, Annette S. Plaut, Lei Wang, Cory R. Dean, Roberto Buizza, Arend Van Der Zande, James Hone, Kenji Watanabe, and Takashi Taniguchi, Solid State Comm. 152, 1289 (2012).
  • “Visualizing Individual Nitrogen Dopants in Monolayer Graphene”, L.Y. Zhao, R. He, K.T.
  • Rim, T. Schiros, K.S. Kim, H. Zhou, C. Gutierrez, S.P. Chockalingam, C.J. Arguello, L. Palova, D. Nordlund, M.S. Hybertsen, D.R. Reichman, T.F. Heinz, P. Kim, A. Pinczuk, G.W. Flynn, A.N. Pasupathy, Science 333, 999 (2011).
  • “Two-Dimensional Mott-Hubbard Electrons in an Artificial Honeycomb Lattice”, A. Singha,
  • M. Gibertini, B. Karmakar, S. Yuan, M. Polini, G. Vignale, M.I. Katsnelson, A. Pinczuk, L.N. Pfeiffer, K.W. West, V. Pellegrini, Science, 332, 1176 (2011).