About Us
Since LASSP's inception in 1959, our faculty have been leading the way in the fields of condensed matter, biological physics, and optics. Together with a dynamic group of graduate students and researchers, we are evolving new methods and deepening our fundamental understanding of the world.
Message from the Director
Welcome to the Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics (LASSP) at Cornell, where we are building on our proud history of scientific discovery. Current research in LASSP spans a broad spectrum of areas, including quantum materials, spintronics, soft matter, biophysics, low-temperature physics, ultracold atoms, x-ray physics, and quantum information. Our seminal achievements include the discovery of superfluid helium-3 (1996 Nobel Prize in Physics), and the development of the renormalization group method (1982 Nobel Prize in Physics).
In order to perform the best science possible, we strive to foster a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive environment where faculty, researchers, students, and staff enjoy an open atmosphere of communication and collaboration.
Who We Are
LASSP operates as part of Cornell's Research Division, and works in partnership with the Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences. While the Department of Physics provides primary support for academic matters, LASSP handles all of the fundamental support for research and human resources for faculty and students affiliated with Lab of Atomic and Solid State Physics.
Our diverse group of faculty, graduate students, researchers, and staff is comprised of:
- 30 faculty (who have teaching appointments in the Department of Physics, with some additionally affiliated with the fields of Applied and Engineering Physics, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Biophysics),
- 19 administrative and technical staff,
- 55-65 graduate student researchers, and
- 50+ other academic research professionals.
To support our scientific mission, LASSP sustains a variety of facilities, including professional and student machine shops, computing clusters, cryogenic liquids distribution (helium and nitrogen), and a scientific stock room.
If you have any questions about LASSP that are not answered by this website, please contact Associate Director Brenda Smith.