Arthur R. Smith is a physicist working in the field of condensed matter
experiment. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of
Texas at Austin in 1995, then went on to do postdoctoral work at Carnegie
Mellon University until 1998, at which time he joined the faculty at Ohio
University. His primary work focuses on scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)
of surfaces, investigating the structural, magnetic, and electronic
properties at atomic or nanometer length scales. STM is an important tool
with the capability to directly image and resolve individual atoms. A recent
important development is the use of spin-polarized STM, which can resolve
the magnetic spin structure of a surface down to the atomic scale.
A main goal of Smith's research is to study the fundamental physics of new materials, in the form of thin film layers and nanostructures anywhere from 1 atom to 1 micrometer thick, prepared using atom deposition techniques. A related goal is to explore these films and film surfaces with an eye to future potential device applications. His main focus over the last ten years has been on nitride-based materials, which have wide-ranging and amazing properties.
Smith was awarded the U.S. Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE) in 2000 for his work on gallium nitride surfaces, and educational commitments.
Besides physics, Smith enjoys strength training, bicycling, downhill skiing, and fly fishing for trout in high Colorado mountain streams.
