The Faculty History Project documents faculty members who have been associated with the University of Michigan since 1837. Key in this effort is to celebrate the intellectual life of the University. This Faculty History Website is intended as a component of the effort to document the extraordinary academic achievements of Michigan’s faculty in building and sustaining one of the world’s great universities. It provides access to a comprehensive database of information concerning the thousands of faculty members who have served the University of Michigan.
Find out more.
The Bentley Historical Library serves as the official archives for the University.
Bio
Stuart Field
Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Department of Physics
Associate Professor
Education
B.S., Stanford University (1981)
Ph.D., University of Chicago (1986)
Vortices in Superconductors
The main focus of our research is in the area of superconductivity, with a particular interest in the static and dynamic properties of superconducting vortices and other magnetic flux structures. We use the technique of scanning Hall probe microscopy to image the vortices, allowing direct spatial information about their static configurations and dynamic flow patterns.
Recently, we have developed high-speed techniques to detect in real time the passage of individual flux tubes (containing ~100 flux quanta) beneath a fixed Hall sensor. Using this technique, we have measured for the first time clear evidence for the chaotic dynamics of driven flux bundles in a superconductor.
We are also working on the control of vortex motion at the single-vortex level. Using advanced lithographic techniques, we are preparing novel surface-modulated superconductors that will allow us to move vortices in controlled single steps. Such structures may find novel applications in precision metrology.