Meet Physicist ZapperZ - Meet a Mentor Series

[Greg Bernhardt]

Meet a Mentor is a biweekly (twice a week) series to help you get to know your wonderful Mentors better.

Constructive questions and comments are welcome!

Today we meet: ZapperZ

https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/interview-physicist-zapperz/

 

[Mentalist]

ZapperZ's bio is pretty interesting. Good interview.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I'm one of a very few who has seen the Disney pin collection and it is awesome!

 

[lisab]

If funding wasn't an issue, what kind of research would you do? What's your dream project?

 

[ZapperZ]

If funding wasn't an issue, what kind of research would you do? What's your dream project?

I know exactly what I want, because I've discussed this with several people already.

I want a suite of instruments, all connected together to allow for the transfer from one instrument to another, all in ultra-high vacuum environment. The first instrument that I want is a deposition chamber that houses (i) thermal evaporation units; (ii) a sputtering system; and (iii) a laser ablation system. The sample holder has the capability of heating the substrate and the sample from LHe temperature all the way to 1000 C. The chamber also has RHEED/LEED and an XPS system to allow for monitoring the deposition.

The second chamber is an ARPES system with an electron analyzer having better than 5 meV energy resolution. This will allow the study of the low-energy band structure of a material. This chamber is also equipped with the instrument to perform time-of-flight measurement that will give a measure of the photocathode's electronic intrinsic emittance.

The third chamber houses a STM/AFM/KPFM instrument to perform microscopy on a sample's surface and also to map the surface potential/work function.

The final chamber has instruments to measure the quantum efficiency of a photocathode.

All of these chambers are connected to a central distribution chamber that will allow samples to be transferred from one chamber to another, and will also allow a vacuum load-lock transfer in and out of the system.

Do you have about $1.3 million to spare?

Zz.

 

[Kholdstare]

I received my B.Sc and Ph.D in physics. My Ph.D research was in tunneling spectroscopy of High-Tc superconductors, which back in the 90s, was still a very hot area of research. As I was about to complete my education, I was at a proverbial fork in the road. I had a job offer at a semiconductor high-tech company, or a postdoc position to do work at Brookhaven. The former meant moving to another state and a generous paycheck (when compared to the measly stipend as a graduate student), while the latter also required a move to another state with a more modest income, and a temporary position. It took a lot of soul-searching, and it was the hardest decision that I had to make. While to others, it was almost a no-brainer on which to accept. deep down inside, I really wanted to pursue a career in research and investigation, even though that career path would not be easy. So I turned down a more lucrative offer and lived the life of a poor postdoc for the next 3 years. This was one of the most productive years of my life. We published 2 PRL papers, 1 Nature paper, and a couple of other papers in smaller journals. I also got to learn a whole slew of experimental techniques and diagnostics that became the most important skills of my career.

^ This. I did my own soul-searching while being in chip design industry and I got to say it sucx for me to be here. I came here to gain industry exposure and can't wait to get back on academia/other things with lower income.

 

[Evo]

Awesome Bio Zz! But I feel it misses telling about how much fun you are and how well rounded you are. You are a great physicist, but you are a gourmet cook with an incredible palate and appreciation for a wide variety of ethnic foods.

You've got a green thumb for orchids and bulbs that most people consider as plants that never live after the bloom they came with from the greenhouse.

I think a lot people might feel intimidated by you, but they don't know you. Not that people shouldn't feel intimidated by you.

 

[ZapperZ]

... but you are a gourmet cook with an incredible palate and appreciation for a wide variety of ethnic foods.

You mean that I put fish sauce in my hot cocoa drink?

:)

Zz.

 

[ChiralWaltz]

Brookhaven? Awesome! What was life like there, outside of work?

Curious, Just who is your favorite Looney Tunes Director?

 

[Monique]

Could you give an example of the attention to detail at Disney that struck you most? The story is rather abstract to me, I've only visited DisneyLand CA and didn't pay much attention.

 

[russ_watters]

I think I may know/have my own perception: Disney is every bit as complex, planned and coordinated as a major industry that also happens to be a city. I know it is a nerdy way to enjoy it, but that fascinates me.

 

[HeLiXe]

You mean that I put fish sauce in my hot cocoa drink?

:)

Zz.

Barf-o-rama!

Great interview tho Thanks for sharing!

 

[PhizKid]

Would it be possible for you to divulge more on why you changed majors to physics during college?

 

[Borg]

Great interview ZapperZ. I am in awe of the people on this forum who have perservered in physics like you have. Thanks for sharing even if it did leave me feeling like I lost more than a few points off my IQ.

 

[ZapperZ]

Could you give an example of the attention to detail at Disney that struck you most? The story is rather abstract to me, I've only visited DisneyLand CA and didn't pay much attention.

I'm currently out of town on Easter break, and will respond to the other queries after I get back. However, I can respond to this one.

I can give you one particular example of this attention to detail. Look at this picture:

This is at the World Showcase in Epcot. It is a view at the Morocco pavilion from across the World Showcase lagoon. Look at it carefully. Can you see a slight problem here?

Most guests do not notice it. Look at the tallest tower in the picture. Now look slightly to the right of it. There is a building a bit further in the background. This building, believe it or not, is the Hollywood Tower of Terror in Disney's Hollywood Studios! The building can clearly be seen from another park.

This is a problem, because it will not only stick out like a sore thumb, but also destroy the theming when viewed from the World Showcase. So what Disney did was to design the Hollywood Tower of Terror with almost the same Moorish architecture at the top of the building, AND, paint it almost the same color as the Morocco pavilion. The result here is that the building blends perfectly when the scenery when viewed from this angle.

Guests don't notice this. Most people who are looking in this direction do not realize that they are seeing a part of a building that does not belong there. If the Hollywood Tower of Terror was of any other color or design, it would not have been easily ignored.

This attention to such detail and the obsessive need to maintain the integrity of the whole experience can be found all over the parks. Many of us Disney park fans love to discover such things.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Brookhaven? Awesome! What was life like there, outside of work?

There was life outside of work? :)

As a postdoc, my life then was almost 80% work. Outside of work, there aren't that much to do in the middle of Long Island. I some time go out with friends from work (all of my personal friends were back in Chicago). Most of the time, we go out to dinner. There used to be a rather good Indian restaurant called the Curry Club in Stony Brook. One of the dining room was in an old train car. But last time I was on Long Island, that restaurant had closed down.

On almost every other weekend, I would spend a day in NYC. I would take the LIRR into Manhattan, and basically explored the city, do a food tour, and see Broadway/Off-Broadway shows. I was still at BNL when Sept 11 happened, so I remembered the first time I went back into the city after that (3 weeks later). Needless to say, that first visit after the event was quite emotional.

Curious, Just who is your favorite Looney Tunes Director?

Director? Who pays attention to such thing? :)

I always like Fritz Freeling. I am not sure if he is one of the directors, but his work on Looney Tunes have always been hysterical.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Would it be possible for you to divulge more on why you changed majors to physics during college?

I think I joined the Physics Club after my first semester there (they let anyone in, whether you were a physics major or not). So I got to talk to other more senior students, and also some faculty members during our informal get-together. Learning what they were doing and learning more about what "physics" was, to me, was an eye-opener. I realized that I could study a lot more stuff in physics than I can with nuclear engineering.

That's what made switched.

Zz.

 

[dlgoff]

Wow. Just awesome. Thank you so much for sharing. And helping to mold THIS fine community.

 

[Monique]

This attention to such detail and the obsessive need to maintain the integrity of the whole experience can be found all over the parks. Many of us Disney park fans love to discover such things.

Thanks for sharing, that indeed is an interesting example.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Interview has been moved to Insights
https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/interview-physicist-zapperz/

 

[UncertaintyAjay]

Argonne? Man, I am in awe!

 

[Silicon Waffle]

Argonne? Man, I am in awe!

Yes I doubted from the start, people with analytical answers and unique mindset would usually work in very well-known labs and top institutes . I'm glad he is here so we can dig him.

Edit: just joking, otherwise I will probably scare him away with it.