Norman O Birge

Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Location: 4224 Biomed Phys Sci

Website: https://web.pa.msu.edu/cmp/birge-group/

Photo of: Norman O Birge

Bio

Our research focuses on "mesoscopic physics", the study of materials on small (submicron) length scales. This size regime lies between the macroscopic world of things we can see and touch, and the microscopic world of single atoms or molecules. Mesoscopic samples often exhibit novel phenomena not observed in larger samples. We study electrical transport in mesoscopic samples consisting of normal, superconducting, and ferromagnetic metals, and their combinations.

Our recent work covers several different topics:
1. spin-triplet electron pair correlations in superconducting/ferromagnetic hybrid systems;
2. how to measure high-order noise correlations using a Josephson junction as a current threshold detector;
3. the use of tunneling spectroscopy to probe electron-electron interactions in carbon nanotubes;
4. nonequilibrium phenomena in superconductor/normal metal hybrid systems.

Our work in the first area listed above was discussed in a recent Physics Today article written by Matthias Eschrig, which can be accessed at this link.

My research group's [web pages are here](https://pa.msu.edu/cmp/birge-group/).

# Education:
* 1986: Ph.D., University of Chicago
* 1979: A.B., Harvard University

Courses

PHY 472: Quantum Physics II

Selected Publications

"Asymmetric noise probed with a Josephson junction," Q. Le Masne, H. Pothier, N.O. Birge, C. Urbina, and D. Esteve, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 067002 (2009).
"Magnetization-Dependent Tc Shift in Ferromagnet / Superconductor / Ferromagnet Trilayers with a Strong Ferromagnet", I.C. Moraru, W.P. Pratt, Jr., and N.O. Birge, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 037004 (2006).
"Nonequilibrium tunneling spectroscopy in carbon nanotubes", Y.F. Chen, T. Dirks, G. Al-Zoubi, N.O. Birge, and N. Mason, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 036804 (2009).
"Observation of spin-triplet superconductivity in Co-based Josephson junctions", T.S. Khaire, M.A. Khasawneh, W.P. Pratt, Jr., and N.O. Birge, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 137002 (2010).
"Supercurrent-induced temperature gradient across a nonequilibrium SNS Josephson junction", M.S. Crosser, Pauli Virtanen, Tero T. Heikkilä, and N.O. Birge, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 167004 (2006).