Physics Department Personnel

Fr. Cyril P. Opeil, S.J.

Assistant Professor

617-552-8450
Higgins Hall 330K
opeil@bc.edu

Education

• Post-Doctoral Research Assistant
  Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2004-2006
  (Advisers: J. L. Smith and R. K. Schulze)
• Ph.D., Experimental Physics 
  Boston College, 2004
  (Adviser: M. J. Graf)
• S.T.M.,  Masters in Theological Anthropology
  Graduate Theological Union,
  Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, 1994
• M. Div., Master of Divinity
  Graduate Theological Union,
  Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, 1993
• B.S., Electronics Engineering
  University of Scranton, Scranton,  1982

Research Interests

Electron Structure in the light actinides:

My current research using x-ray and electron photoemission spectroscopy at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) focuses on exploring the electron structure of the valence (d and f ) electrons in single crystal Uranium.  Current band structure model calculations such as WIEN2K can not fully account for the actinide valence electron behaviors.  By comparing experimental data and model calculations, we endeavor to create a new band model that will better predict electron valence behaviors across the actinide series.

Building a Laboratory:

My experiment laboratory, currently under development/construction in Higgins 130D, will enable low-temperature ~ 2 – 350 K resistance, dilatometry and resonant ultrasound (RUS) measurements under magnetic fields of 9T.  Magnetic field and low temperatures will be attained by utilizing a Quantum Design Evercool PPMS.  RUS measurements are planned using a Quasar International RUSpec apparatus adapted for high (2000 K) and low temperature (2 -350 K) measurements. The ultrasound technique utilizes high frequency sound and monitors mechanical response to determine fundamental thermodynamic properties (elastic moduli) of a material characteristics. 

Future Research:

My research plans are directed at avalanche transitions (see: Perkovic, et al., PRL 75, 4528, 1995) probed by ultrasonic techniques in magnetic fields such as: ultrasonic attenuation (see: Stenger, et al., PRB 57, 2735, 1998), pulse-echo (Keck, et al., PR 185, 1083, 1969), and resonant ultrasound spectroscopy, (Migliori, et al., PRL 64 , 2458, 1990).  In particular, RUS is a technique by which the complete elastic tensor is determined from the spectrum of the mechanical resonances of an object.  A numerical procedure is used to generate the expected frequency spectrum for a given set of elastic moduli, cij, and comparison with data of known crystal symmetries and orientations provides the matrix cij consistent with the measurement.

My future research will focus on two specific classes of multiferroic materials: magnetoelectrics and thermoelastics.  These two classes are related in that they undergo structural phase transformations and both unit cell strain and intra-unit cell distortions (shuffles) are essential for understanding materials behavior. Whereas thermoelastics provide a deeper insight into the role of strain and shuffle modes, multiferroics underline the interplay between spin and charge.  For example, the series RMnO3, (where: R = Tb, Dy, Gd, Ho) has strong magnetoelectric coupling and exhibits giant magnetoelectric and capacitive effects.  It is possible to search for new magnetoelectric materials by focusing on previously identified insulating magnetic systems, especially compounds with higher temperature transitions that may be integrated into potential device applications.  The thermoelastic alloys (transition based -phase binary alloys such as AuZn, AuCd, AgZn) display signatures of the interplay of strains and shuffles with electronic properties and the strength of this coupling has recently been determined (see: Goddard et. al., PRL 94, 116401, 2005).  Thus, a mechanism for the role of conduction electrons through a metastable transition is understood, particularly in the presence of high magnetic fields.  As part of this project I will investigate new thermoelastic alloys that have enhanced properties such as deformability, greater recoverability of transformation strain, and transition temperature, all of which are controlled by the conduction electrons in external fields.

Publications

• "Evidence for the Existence of a Magnetic Quantum Critical Point in U(Pt1-x,Pdx)3," C. P. Opeil and M. J. Graf, Physica B 319, 246-250 (2002).
• "Onset of Antiferromagnetism in UPt3 via Th-Substitution: Studied by Muon Spin Spectroscopy," M. J. Graf,  A. de Visser, C. P. Opeil, J. C. Cooley, J. L. Smith, A. Amato, C. Baines, F. Gygax, and A. Schenck,  Physical Review B 68, 224421 (2003).
• "Crossover from Anomalous to Conventional Antiferromagnetism in Pd-doped UPt3 Studied via Cantilever Magnetometry," C. P. Opeil, A. de Visser, M. J. Naughton, and M. J. Graf  Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 272-276, 244-245 (2004).
• "Magnetic Anisotropy and de Haas-van Alphen Oscillations in a Bi Microwire Array Studied via Cantilever Magnetometry at Low Temperatures," M. J. Graf, C. P. Opeil, T. Huber,  Journal of Low Temperature Physics 134, No. 516, March 2004.
• "Inhomogeneous magnetic order in Th doped UPt3 detected by mSR," A. de Visser, M. J. Graf, C. P. Opeil, J. C. Cooley, J. L. Smith, A. Amato, C. Baines, F. Gygax, A. Schenck,  Physica B 359-361, 1063-1065 (2005).
• Photoemission Spectroscopy on Single Crystal Uranium (001)," R. K. Schulze, C. P. Opeil, R. C. Albers, B. Mihaila, K. B. Blagoev, M. E. Manley, J. C. Lashley, J. L. Smith (Los Alamos National Laboratory), P. B. Littlewood (Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge) Austria Institute für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Wien, Austria and MSI, Materials Science International Services GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany, May, 2005, Conference Proceedings: 2005 Journées des Actinides, Schloss Weikersdorf, Baden/Wien, Austria. ISBN: 3-932120-46-9.
• Low-dimensional phonon specific heat of titanium dioxide nanotubes," C. Dames, B. Poudel, W. Z. Wang, J. Y. Huang, Z. F. Ren, Y. Sun, J. I. Oh, C. P. Opeil, M. J. Naughton and G. Chen, Applied Physics Letters 87, 031901 (2005).
• "Pinning frequencies of the collective modes in α-uranium," B. Mihaila, C. P. Opeil, F. R. Drymiotis, J. L. Smith, J. C. Cooley, A. Migliori, C. Mielke, T. Lookman, A. Saxena, A. R. Bishop, K. B. Blagoev, D. J. Thoma, P. Goddard, and J. C. Lashley (Los Alamos National Laboratory)  B. E. Lang, J. Boerio-Goates, and B. F. Woodfield (Brigham Young University),  G. M. Schmiedeshoff (Occidental College), Physical Review Letters 96, 076401 (2006).
• "Valence-band UPS, 6p core-level XPS, and LEED of a uranium (001) single crystal,"  C. P. Opeil, R. K. Schulze, M. E. Manley, J. C. Lashley,  W. L. Hults, R. J. Hanrahan, Jr., J. L. Smith, B. Mihaila, K. B. Blagoev, R. C. Albers (Los Alamos National Laboratory), P. B. Littlewood (Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge), Physical Review B 73, 165109 (2006).
• "Photoelectric Effect in Uranium," C. P. Opeil, R. C. Albers, K. B. Blagoev, M. Gulácsi, J. C. Lashley, P. B. Littlewood,   M. E. Manley, B. Mihaila, P. S. Riseborough, R. K. Schulze, D. J. Thoma, H. M. Volz and J. L. Smith,  Journal of the Physical Society of Japan Vol. 75, 56-57 (2006).
• " Tricritical Phenomenon at the Cerium γ→α Transition," J. C. Lashley, A. C. Lawson, J. C. Cooley, B. Mihaila, C. P. Opeil, L. Pham, W. L. Hults, J. L. Smith (Los Alamos National Laboratory), G. M. Schmiedeshoff (Occidental College), F. R. Drymiotis (Clemson University), G. Chapline (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), S. Basu, and P. S. Riseborough (Temple University), (Submitted on 17 March 2006 to Physical Review Letters).

Invited Talks

2006 University of Barcelona, Spain, Topic: ARPES on U and the Pseudogap in Ni2MnGa, 03 June 2006. 

2006 Georgetown University Science Lecture Series, Topic: LEED, ARPES and WIEN2K Band Structure Calculation of  a - Uranium (001) 31 January 2006, Georgetown University, Reiss Science Building.

2005 LANL Workshop on Correlated Electron Effects for Anomalous Properties of Elemental Actinides (May 23-25, 2005) Los Alamos, NM  Topic: ARPES on Single Crystal Uranium and Other New Results (Workshop Organizers:  K. B. Blagoev, B. Mihaila, C.P. Opeil & J. L. Smith).

2004 CalCon - The 59th Calorimetry Conference (June 27 - July 1, 2004) Santa Fe, NM,
Topic:Specific Heat, Antiferromagnetism and Quantum Critical Behavior in U(Pt1-xPdx)3.

Return to Directory