About

Douglas Natelson is a professor engaged in condensed matter and nanoscale physics, as evidenced by his active blogging on topics related to these fields. His work includes deep explorations into quantum mechanical phenomena at very low temperatures, such as his thesis research involving the quantum states of diatomic hydrogen molecules at millikelvin temperatures. He has a strong interest in the fundamental physics of molecular energy storage, including the quantum mechanical spin isomers of hydrogen and their implications for energy release and molecular behavior. Natelson also follows and comments on contemporary scientific and policy issues, including the politics surrounding the National Science Foundation and the National Science Board, reflecting his engagement with the broader scientific community and research funding landscape. His scientific commentary extends to novel molecular systems for energy storage inspired by biological molecules, demonstrating his interest in interdisciplinary approaches that connect physics, chemistry, and materials science. Overall, Natelson's professional focus encompasses both fundamental nanoscale physics and active participation in science policy discourse.

Research topics

• Optics
• Physics
• Materials science
• Optoelectronics
• Condensed matter physics
• Metallurgy
• Quantum mechanics
• Molecular physics
• Atomic physics
• Nuclear physics

Selected publications

• Quasiparticle properties below coherence onset in YbAl3 nanostructures

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-03-17

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Mesoscopic transport measurements are underexplored as probes of quasiparticles and their properties in correlated metals. The mixed valence compound YbAl$_3$ exhibits a single-ion Kondo temperature of 670 K, while thermodynamic and transport properties (probed with specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, Hall effect, and resistivity) imply the onset of coherence of heavy fermion quasiparticles at T$* \approx$ 37 K. To characterize these quasiparticles, we utilize mesoscopic techniques familiar from weakly correlated conductors. In lithographically-defined nanowires etched from epitaxial films, we observe weak antilocalization magnetoresistance and universal conductance fluctuations, consistent with electronic coherence lengths of tens of nanometers. Additionally, analysis of Johnson-Nyquist noise measurements as a function of bias current reveal, within the context of a range of accepted models, a significant electron-phonon energy loss that increases with decreasing temperature, a finding that we contextualize within the broader properties of YbAl$_3$.

  PublisherDOI

• Theory of Excitonic States and their Fine Structure in Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots

  HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · 2026-03-23

  article

  International audience

  Publisher

• Disparate Quantum Corrections to Conduction in Carbon Nanotube Bundles

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-01-22

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Quantum interference effects such as weak localization (WL) and universal conductance fluctuations (UCF) normally yield consistent electronic phase-coherence lengths in homogeneous conductors. Here we show that in individual carbon nanotube bundles exfoliated from highly conductive solution-spun fibers, different probes, including the field scales and magnitudes of WL and UCF and nonlocal magnetoconductance, lead to strikingly disparate estimates of coherence lengths. WL magnetoconductance measured in a perpendicular magnetic field yields a phase-coherence length of approximately 50 nm. In contrast, UCF amplitudes are comparable to e squared over h even for an 8 micrometer long segment, and nonlocal magnetoconductance persists across a 4 micrometer separation of electrodes, revealing phase-coherent transport over micrometer length scales within a single bundle. The coexistence of short- and long-range coherence implies that locally diffusive electrons remain partially phase-correlated among nanotubes within the same bundle. These findings challenge the conventional single-scale picture of mesoscopic coherence and establish carbon nanotube bundles as a model platform for emergent, network-level quantum transport.

  PublisherDOI

• Quasiparticle properties below coherence onset in YbAl3 nanostructures

  ArXiv.org · 2026-03-17

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Mesoscopic transport measurements are underexplored as probes of quasiparticles and their properties in correlated metals. The mixed valence compound YbAl$_3$ exhibits a single-ion Kondo temperature of 670 K, while thermodynamic and transport properties (probed with specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, Hall effect, and resistivity) imply the onset of coherence of heavy fermion quasiparticles at T$* \approx$ 37 K. To characterize these quasiparticles, we utilize mesoscopic techniques familiar from weakly correlated conductors. In lithographically-defined nanowires etched from epitaxial films, we observe weak antilocalization magnetoresistance and universal conductance fluctuations, consistent with electronic coherence lengths of tens of nanometers. Additionally, analysis of Johnson-Nyquist noise measurements as a function of bias current reveal, within the context of a range of accepted models, a significant electron-phonon energy loss that increases with decreasing temperature, a finding that we contextualize within the broader properties of YbAl$_3$.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Disparate Quantum Corrections to Conduction in Carbon Nanotube Bundles

  ArXiv.org · 2026-01-22

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Quantum interference effects such as weak localization (WL) and universal conductance fluctuations (UCF) normally yield consistent electronic phase-coherence lengths in homogeneous conductors. Here we show that in individual carbon nanotube bundles exfoliated from highly conductive solution-spun fibers, different probes, including the field scales and magnitudes of WL and UCF and nonlocal magnetoconductance, lead to strikingly disparate estimates of coherence lengths. WL magnetoconductance measured in a perpendicular magnetic field yields a phase-coherence length of approximately 50 nm. In contrast, UCF amplitudes are comparable to e squared over h even for an 8 micrometer long segment, and nonlocal magnetoconductance persists across a 4 micrometer separation of electrodes, revealing phase-coherent transport over micrometer length scales within a single bundle. The coexistence of short- and long-range coherence implies that locally diffusive electrons remain partially phase-correlated among nanotubes within the same bundle. These findings challenge the conventional single-scale picture of mesoscopic coherence and establish carbon nanotube bundles as a model platform for emergent, network-level quantum transport.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Data for "Quasiparticle Properties Below Coherence Onset in YbAl3 Nanostructures"

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2025-08-11 · 1 citations

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Theory of Excitonic States and their Fine Structure in Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots

  2025-12-15

  article
  PublisherDOI

• On-chip single-crystal plasmonic optoelectronics for efficient hot carrier collection and photovoltage detection

  Light Science & Applications · 2025-09-16 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Large-area chemically synthesized single-crystal metals with nanometer-scale thickness have emerged as promising materials for on-chip nanophotonic applications, owing to their superior plasmonic properties compared to nanofabricated polycrystalline counterparts. While much recent attention has focused on their optical properties, the combined optimal electrical and optical characteristics, which hold great potential for high-performance optoelectronic functionalities, remain largely unexplored. Here, we present a single-crystal plasmonic optoelectronic platform based on nanowires fabricated from synthesized gold flakes and demonstrate its capabilities for highly enhanced hot carrier collection, electroluminescence, and photovoltage detection. Notably, single-crystal gold nanogap devices exhibit an order of magnitude higher open-circuit photovoltage compared to polycrystalline devices, representing one of the highest reported photovoltage sensing performances in terms of on-chip device density and responsivity per area. Our analysis revealed that this enhancement is attributed mostly to the suppression of electron-phonon scattering and improved hot carrier tunneling efficiency in single-crystal devices. These results highlight the potential of large-scale single-crystal nanostructures for both fundamental studies of nanoscale hot carrier transport and scalable electrically driven nanophotonic applications.

  PublisherDOI

• Overcoming the surface paradox: Buried perovskite quantum dots in wide-bandgap perovskite thin films

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2025-01-10 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Colloidal perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) are an exciting platform for on-demand quantum, and classical optoelectronic and photonic devices. However, their potential success is limited by the extreme sensitivity and low stability arising from their weak intrinsic lattice bond energy and complex surface chemistry. Here we report a novel platform of buried perovskite quantum dots (b-PQDs) in a three-dimensional perovskite thin-film, fabricated using one-step, flash annealing, which overcomes surface related instabilities in colloidal perovskite dots. The b-PQDs demonstrate ultrabright and stable single-dot emission, with resolution-limited linewidths below 130 μeV, photon-antibunching (g^2(0)=0.1), no blinking, suppressed spectral diffusion, and high photon count rates of 10^4/s, consistent with unity quantum yield. The ultrasharp linewidth resolves exciton fine-structures (dark and triplet excitons) and their dynamics under a magnetic field. Additionally, b-PQDs can be electrically driven to emit single photons with 1 meV linewidth and photon-antibunching (g^2(0)=0.4). These results pave the way for on-chip, low-cost single-photon sources for next generation quantum optical communication and sensing.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Spin Seebeck effect in correlated antiferromagnetic <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">V</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:msub> </mml:mrow> </mml:math>

  Physical review. B./Physical review. B · 2025-11-18

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The spin Seebeck effect is useful for probing the spin correlations and magnetic order in magnetic insulators. Here, we report a strong local spin Seebeck effect (LSSE) in antiferromagnetic ${\mathrm{V}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ thin films. The LSSE response at cryogenic temperatures increases as a function of the external magnetic field until it approaches saturation. The response at a given power and field exhibits a nonmonotonic temperature dependence, with a pronounced peak that shifts toward higher temperatures as the field increases. Furthermore, the magnitude of the LSSE signal decreases consistently with increasing thickness, implying that the bulk SSE dominates any interfacial contribution. This negative correlation between the SSE and the thickness implies that the magnon energy relaxation length in ${\mathrm{V}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ is shorter than the thickness of our thinnest film, 50 nm, consistent with the strong spin-lattice coupling in this material.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Thermoelectric metal nanostructures: Disorder, plasmons, and photodetection

  NSF · $360k · 2017–2021

• Angular momentum transport in insulators: Magnons and other emergent excitations

  NSF · $607k · 2021–2025

• Noise, inelastic processes, and coherence in atomic-scale and molecular junctions

  NSF · $405k · 2013–2017

• Noise in 2d topological edges and spin Hall systems

  NSF · $433k · 2017–2021

• Electrically driven plasmonic light emitters strongly coupled to excitons and dielectric resonators

  NSF · $443k · 2023–2026

Frequent coauthors

• James M. Tour

  51 shared

• Jacob W. Ciszek

  Loyola University Chicago

  31 shared

• Z.K. Keane

  22 shared

• Lam H. Yu

  Material Measurement Laboratory

  22 shared

• Heng Ji

  21 shared

• Daniel R. Ward

  20 shared

• Pavlo Zolotavin

  Rice University

  20 shared

• Panpan Zhou

  19 shared

Labs

• Natelson GroupPI

  Condensed matter physics at the nanoscale, including atomic-and molecular-scale junctions, plasmonics, and nanodevices for the study of strongly correlated electronic materials.

Education

• PhD, Physics

  Stanford University

  1998

• BSE, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

  Princeton University

  1993