Scientists at the James Franck Institute uncover the fundamental principles that govern matter--from atoms and molecules to living organisms and quantum materials--combining physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science to understand, control, and design complex systems with transformative scientific and technological potential. The following are areas of research emphasis.
Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics at the JFI centers on cooling atoms and molecules to within a fraction of a degree above absolute zero, where their behavior is governed by quantum mechanics and can be precisely controlled with lasers, magnetic fields, and optical traps. The research spans three main directions: using ultracold molecules—which interact strongly through their electric dipole moments—as a tunable platform for studying quantum many-body physics and chemistry; arranging individual atoms in optical tweezer arrays for quantum information science, such as quantum computing, precise atomic clocks, and photonic quantum networks; and using ultracold quantum gases, with tools like Feshbach resonances and single-atom imaging, to explore collective phenomena like pattern formation, superfluidity, and quantum phase transitions. The unifying goal is to harness the controllability of ultracold matter to simulate complex systems, test fundamental physics, and develop new quantum technologies.
Experimental Faculty: Chin, Covey, Yan, Young
Theory Faculty: K. Levin
Biophysics, Biotechnology & Physics of Living Systems
The JFI brings together researchers interested in understanding and engineering living matter—from molecular evolution and quantum sensing to bioelectricity and immune dynamics. Spectroscopy, single-molecule imaging, and microscopy is employed to query the nature of biological dynamics from molecular to organ scales. Researchers investigate how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces, how cellular networks generate motion and adapt to their environment, and how nanoscale materials interface with biological systems for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. These questions connect naturally to the Institute's broader interest in active and driven matter—systems that consume energy to produce collective behavior far from equilibrium.
The JFI unites researchers who are pursuing collaborative experimental and theoretical studies of biological systems with the goal of discovering new principles of complex matter. Spectroscopy and single-molecule imaging yield detailed molecular information that, together with simulation and statistical mechanical theory, sheds light on the function of cellular assemblies. Living systems harness energy for growth, reproduction, movement, and directed changes in state. Studies of such active matter contribute to a broader effort in the Institute to understand nonequilibrium phenomena.
Experimental Faculty: Engel, Gardel, Jerison, Lee, Murugan, Scherer, Squires,Tian, Tokmakoff
Theory Faculty: Dinner, Murugan, Vaikuntanathan, Vitelli, Voth, Witten
Nanomaterials Synthesis and Characterization
JFI researchers create nanostructured materials with novel chemical and physical properties using a variety of methods, including chemical synthesis, self-assembly, and thin-film growth. Characterization and structural control of nanomaterials is provided by specialized equipment that is available in both individual faculty laboratories and shared facilities. The JFI has the capabilities for X-ray photoemission and diffraction, SEM, TEM, cryogenic scanning probe STM/AFM, optical tweezing, nanolithography, and ultrafast infrared/visible/UV pump-probe spectroscopy. While our focus is on the fundamental science of nanomaterials, potential applications of the research include light harvesting, thermoelectric generation, electronic transport, catalysis, materials passivation, plasmonics, biological interfaces, photo-luminescence, and water purification.
Faculty: Alivisatos, Engel, Guyot-Sionnest, King, Klein, Park, Scherer, Shevchenko, Sibener, Talapin, Tian
Quantum Condensed Matter
Quantum (or “hard”) condensed matter physics explores the exotic behaviors that emerge in large quantum systems. Exciting topics span the physics of two-dimensional quantum materials, many-body physics in engineered quantum systems, topological phases of matter, and strongly correlated and superconducting electron systems.
Experimental Faculty: Guyot-Sionnest, Higginbotham, King, Klein, Park
Theory Faculty: Delacrétaz, Gagliardi, Jasrasaria, K. Levin, M. Levin, Mazziotti, Son, Wiegmann
Soft Condensed Matter and Active Matter
The JFI is at the forefront of soft condensed matter research, with collaborative experimental and theoretical efforts focusing on active materials, biophysical assemblies, fluids, granular materials, and polymers. In addition to investigating each of these areas in depth, JFI researchers seek cross-cutting principles that govern the organization of this class of matter.
Experimental Faculty: Gardel, Hunt, Irvine, Jaeger, Jerison, Lee, Murugan, Nagel, Talapin, Tokmakoff
Theory Faculty: Dinner, Murugan, Vaikuntanathan, Vitelli, Voth, Witten
Spectroscopy and Chemical Dynamics
The JFI’s research in spectroscopy and chemical dynamics reveals the microscopic properties of molecules, fluids, interfaces, and nanoscale materials. Ultrafast optical pulses, atomic scale imaging, molecular dynamics simulations, and scattering are used to interrogate interactions between the constituent particles of these systems (electrons, atoms, chemical bonds, molecules, and lattices) to gain insight into the origins of their functional properties and complex behaviors. These techniques are not only passive observers of microscopic behavior, but also seek to drive and control molecular scale interactions far from equilibrium.
Experimental Faculty: Engel, Guyot-Sionnest, Lee, King, Klein, Park, Scherer, Sibener, Squires, Tian, Tokmakoff, Young
Theory Faculty: Gagliardi, Jasrasaria, Voth
Statistical and Nonequilibrium Physics & AI
A central goal of the JFI is quantitatively describing how the structure and dynamics of complex systems emerge from their constituent elements. Because such systems often involve randomness, either in their preparation or their microscopic transitions between states, probability theory and statistics are a natural language. JFI researchers are applying these mathematical tools to understanding scaling, phase transitions, and hydrodynamics theoretically, as well as for designing and analyzing efficient simulation algorithms.
Experimental Faculty: Jerison, Murugan, Nagel
Theory Faculty: Dinner, Jasrasaria, Murugan, Vaikuntanathan, Vitelli, Voth, Witten