Physics Research at NIP

The Institute is the leading center of scientific resarch in physics and applied physics in the Philippines. The NIP research groups are autonomous clusters within the institute that help realize our objective to become one of the best school of physics in this region of the Pacific. Utilizing a comprehensive training via an apprenticeship scheme, thesis work (required for undergraduate and graduate degree) is carried out under the supervision of professors and staff. Each laboratory is managed by a program coordinator who is chosen by the NIP Executive Council after the recommendation of the NIP Director.

NIP Research Agenda

Condensed Matter Physics

Program Coordinator: Roland V. Sarmago, Ph.D.

The Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory is interested in materials growth (III-V semiconductors and quantum structures, oxide semiconductors, high purity metal alloys, high Tc superconductors, and magnetic materials) and device fabrication (micro-electromechanical system (MEMS), vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), field effect transistor (FET), piezoelectric micro machined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) and photoconductive antenna (PCA)). The CMPL has ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) facilities for thin film deposition such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), e-beam deposition, thermal evaporator, and magnetron sputtering. We also perform high-temperature processing including annealing, sintering, and alloying. We are also capable of characterizing the quality of grown materials using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and morphology using an atomic force microscope (AFM), Mossbauer spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy. The optical properties are measured using photoluminescence, ellipsometry, and Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, electrical properties are tested with current-voltage, Hall, resistivity, deep-level transient spectroscopy, and Magnetic susceptibility. For device fabrication, the CMPL is equipped with a probe station, spin coater, metallization, mask aligner, and wire bonder. Our experimental research activities are complemented by numerical studies such as ab initio calculations, Finite Difference Time-Domain (FDTD), Density Functional Theory (DFT), and COMSOL.

Research Areas: material synthesis, physical properties, and applications of high-temperature superconductors; UV, X-ray, and gamma-ray studies of defect structures, synthesis and optical characterization of ZnO; high-pressure studies of magnetic materials, electronic and optical properties of III-V semiconductors in bulk, quantum wells, and dots; and optoelectronic devices; nanomaterials and solar cells; ultrafast and terahertz spectroscopy; graphene; sun simulator; COMSOL, DFT.

Instrumentation Physics

Program Coordinator: Maricor N. Soriano, Ph.D.

The Instrumentation Physics Laboratory Group (IPL) applies established physical principles and theories to deeply explore novel physical phenomena through the development of advanced measurement techniques that improve the accuracy, precision, and efficiency of signal sampling and data gathering, information processing, and signal recovery. Cutting-edge scientific research and development is not possible without accurate and precise measurement techniques.  IPL researchers are developing novel optical and computational hybrid techniques in photonic fabrication, multidimensional analysis and manipulation of micro-structures and complex adaptive system analysis. IPL provides its students with an enabling and nurturing environment that fosters independent thinking and promotes meaningful research collaboration across disciplines.

Research Areas: optical microscopy; optical trapping and fabrication; complex adaptive systems; signal processing, data analytics; modeling dynamical systems; noise-aided image and time-series analysis; granular materials dynamics; image and video analysis.

Photonics Research

Program Coordinator: Myles Allen H. Zosa, Ph.D.

The Photonics Research Laboratory (PRL) is the leading expert in the field of generation, transmission, modulation, amplification and frequency conversion, detection and the use of light in the Philippines. As the former Laser Physics Laboratory, the PRL still involves itself in the development of high-impact laser physics research. Many of our research are also in the frontier of studying the very nature of light with the aim of using it in various applications such as in metrology. PRL is equipped with cutting edge lasers and optical setups used in studying light-matter interaction and its applications to various fields such as quantitative phase imaging, structured light engineering and thin film fabrication and characterization.

Research Areas: astrophotonics, Goos-Hänchen and Imbert-Fedorov shifts, catastrophe optics, optical cloaking, digital holography, fringe processing, imaging techniques such as single pixel imaging and fluorescence imaging, intense magnetic field generation, ion acceleration, laser ablation and plasma dynamics, laser-driven plasma compression and laser-produced plasma, optical angular momentum, optical information storage, spectroscopy, phase retrieval, profilometry, pulsed laser deposition, relativistic laser-plasma interactions, speckle interferometry, shearography, structured light generation and detection, tailored polarization and polarization measurements, use and control of partially coherent light sources.

Structure and Dynamics

Program Coordinator: Noel M. Lamsen, Ph.D.

The Structure and Dynamics Group (SanD) trains students to do research using numerical modeling and theoretical techniques to solve a wide range of problems in computational physics, solid state physics, and many-body physics. SanD focuses on the basic physics principles of how a system’s structure affects its dynamical behavior. For instance, SanD researchers investigate the effects of spin-orbit coupling and disorder in two-dimensional electron systems and the interplay between spin fluctuations, quantum correlations, and entanglement in magnetic lattices. Computational physics problems include spatio-temporal modeling of biological processes, quantum search algorithms, density matrix renormalization group methods, molecular dynamics, machine learning, and first-principles material science simulations.

Theoretical Physics

Program Coordinator: Kristian Hauser A. Villegas, Ph.D.

Research in the Theoretical Physics Group addresses a wide range of physics problems, spanning from single-body to many-body systems and from the classical to the quantum limit. The current research strengths of the group are in the areas of statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, condensed matter theory, and aspects of mathematics that are broadly applicable to the analysis of a wide range of physical systems.

Research  Areas: Foundations of quantum  mechanics, quantum measurements theory, quantum tunneling time, quantum arrival time, quantum entanglement, mathematical physics, computational physics and numerical methods, statistical mechanics, random walks and diffusion, physical applications  of fractional calculus, semiclassical approximation of quantum dynamics, dynamics of many-body quantum systems, cold atom physics, driven-dissipative systems, time crystals, unconventional superconductivity, strongly correlated electron systems, disordered systems, topological phases of matter, topology and geometry in quantum systems, multi-band superconductivity, Bose-Fermi mixtures, analogue gravity in condensed matter systems.

Gravity, Astronomy, Nuclear and Particle Physics

Program Coordinator: Marvin M. Flores, Ph.D.

The Gravity, Astronomy, Nuclear and Particle Physics Group (GANAP) is the only research group in the Philippines dedicated to exploring these specialized fields. Our focus is deeply rooted in fundamental theory, while harnessing the power of data analysis and machine learning techniques to gain insights into the mysteries of the natural world and to unearth novel phenomena. Within our group, aspiring researchers and students receive comprehensive training in a diverse array of analytical and computational tools, empowering them to contribute significantly to our fields of study. Members of GANAP belong to the ATLAS Collaboration in CERN and the Asian Nuclear Physics Association.

Research Areas: gravitational physics; relativistic astrophysics: black holes, gravitational waves, and cosmology; nonlinear dynamics and chaos; applications of geometry in physics; hadron physics; nuclear structure; application of deep learning in nuclear and hadron physics; amplitude analysis; high energy physics; particle physics phenomenology; collider physics; physics beyond the Standard Model; data-driven astrophysics and cosmology; applications of machine learning in astrophysics; applications of white noise analysis in astrophysics.