Professor J. A. Sauls, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University

About me

I received my BSc in Engineering Physics at Colorado School of Mines in Golden (1975), then moved to New York to do graduate work at SUNY-Stony Brook, where I received a Ph.D. in physics in 1980. I did post-doctoral research at Princeton University in New Jersey (1980-83), NORDITA in Copenhagen and Helsinki University of Technology (1983-84), then joined the Princeton physics faculty for four years (1983-1987). Since 1987 I have been a professor of physics at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. [Curriculum Vitae]

What I do

Research: I study the physical world by combining mathematical analysis and observation. I formulate and apply concepts and principles (physical laws) to relate observations of physical phenomena of matter and radiation. The laws of physics are expressed as mathematical equations, so I formulate physical questions as mathematical problems.
Teaching: I teach physics - both the fundamentals as well as developments in current research. For me, teaching and research are entangled.

My field

Theoretical Physics. I started research in the nuclear theory group at Stony Brook investigating matter under conditions thought to exist in the interiors of cold, dense stars called neutron stars. My current research is in the field of condensed matter physics. Theoretical condensed matter research involves the discovery of new concepts related to the collective behavior of enormous numbers of atomic constituents, combined with the application of statistical mechanics and quantum theory to describe the behavior of macroscopic matter. This behavior is clearly revealed at low temperatures, or in the presence of strong electromagnetic or acoustic radiation fields where quantum effects are important. Matter under such conditions is described by quantum field theory. I conduct theoretical studies of matter in which quantum effects are manifest in the observable properties of matter. [More about Condensed Matter Physics]

My articles

Archive

arXiv

Google Scholar

Research Gate

Orchid

Frontiers

CMT News

[archive]

5/8/21: Joseph William Serene -- Joe passed away on May 1, 2021. His academic career was remarkable in its breadth. He was a brilliant physicist, dedicated teacher, skilled administrator, wonderful father, husband and friend who taught and led by example. [read more] .

8/26/20: Northwestern is key partner with Fermilab in a new national Center for Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems, with $115 million from the DOE over five years, to build beyond-state-of-the-art quantum computers based on superconducting technologies, and to develop superconducting quantum sensors that could lead to the discovery of the nature of dark matter. Press Release .

4/21/20: Physicist Jim Sauls takes a dip into the weird world of quantum liquids and ``quantized vortices.'' His findings could lead to advanced technologies based on superfluids, cold atomic gases, and superconductors. Press Release .

4/13/20: CAPST Research: Wave Ngampruetikorn and James Sauls published new theoretical predictions of a Zero-Field Thermal Hall Effect as a signature of a broken P and T ground state in Topological Superconductors. Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 157002 (2020) .

3/15/20: Theory-Experimental Collaboration reports discovery of Broken time-reversal symmetry in the topological superconductor UPt₃, Nature Physics (2020) .

1/27/20: PhD Candidate Robert Regan and J. A. Sauls published new theoretical predictions for the equilibrium and meta-stable vortex phases of rotating superfluid ³He-B, Physical Review B 101, 024517 (2020) .

12/3/19: The Osaka University team led by Professor Takeshi Mizushima in collaboration with J. A. Sauls, publish new theoretical research on a class of Topological superconductors: Chiral Higgs Mode in Nematic Superconductors in Physical Review Letters, 123, 237001 (2019) .

11/8/19: Press Release: ``Dirty'' Superconductors Make Better Particle Accelerators CAPST researchers Wave Ngampruetikorn and Jim Sauls show how impurities infused into the surface of Niobium can increase the maximum accelerating field of superconducting radio-frequency cavities, a finding with huge potential cost advantages. ].

08/29/19: Wave Ngampruetikorn & J. A. Sauls publish Effect of inhomogeneous surface disorder on the superheating field of superconducting RF cavities as a Rapid Communication in the inaugural issue of Physical Review Research 1, 012015 (2019).

08/16/19: Physicists Reveal New Understanding Of Quantum Mechanics In Circuits: Xinyuan You, Jens Koch & J. A. Sauls (CAPST) publish a major advancement on the quantum theory of electrical circuits in Physical Review B. [read more].