NQPI Director Dr. Art Smith recently returned from five weeks in Germany, where he provided scientific discussion and direction for an Ohio University-University of Hamburg collaboration in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) that he said is “gaining momentum.”

The collaboration is in part the outgrowth of the National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) grant, which has allowed NQPI members and others to collaborate with scientists from Hamburg, Germany to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

During his trip to Hamburg, Smith coordinated an informal site visit with a National Science Foundation representative, served as an on-site advisor to Ohio University student Andrew Dilullo in Hamburg and discussed ways to strengthen the collaboration with researchers at the University of Hamburg. One student from Hamburg is already in Athens, and four to five OU students hope to join the Hamburg research group next summer.

Because the techniques, tools and methods used in STM are so specialized, sharing knowledge and skills can help researchers leap forward in their work. For example, Dr. Saw-Wai Hla, who is an active NQPI member, shares his expertise about molecules on surfaces and the use of STM tips for atom manipulation with researchers in Hamburg. Smith plans to develop samples at OU for use on specialized machinery in Hamburg.

The research team in Hamburg provides world-renowned expertise in the use of spin polarized STM. “We have benefitted a lot just by having a student there. . . .We’ve learned a lot of technique and design concepts that are helpful to our research here,” Smith said.

The Ohio University-University of Hamburg collaboration will begin its fourth year in September. For additional information about this partnership, visit http://www.phy.ohiou.edu/spire/SPIRE/Welcome.html.