Julius de Rojas

Quick BIo:

Hi! I'm an experimentalist working in the field of condensed matter physics. I'm generally interested in studying emergent phenomena in complex, nanoscale materials and metamaterials with potential applications in future information technologies.

I received my BS in Physics from UCLA, followed by a PhD in Physics at UC Davis working under the supervision of Kai Liu, where I studied high anisotropy magnetic materials. From there, I moved to the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in Spain to study energy efficient magnetoelectric materials as a postdoc in the Gnm³ group led by Jordi Sort. I follwed this with a second postdoc at Durham University in England as a member of Adekunle Adeyeye's NanoMagnonics group, where I investigated artificial spin ice structures for microwave and magnonic applications. I've been building the Adaptive Magnetic Metamaterials Group at Oklahoma State since Fall 2023. 

Research Interests:

I'm generally interested in new, collective behavior in magnetic systems driven by the interplay between chemical complexity, interfacial coupling, geometric complexity. My lab's expertise is focused on advanced nanofabrication and spectrocopy techniques. My current interests include:

• Magnonics: We study magnetic excitations (spin-waves or 'magnons') in engineered metamaterials operating in the GHz-THz range, with potential applications in adaptive computing and 6G communication.
• Magnetoelectrics: We explore how layered heterostructures can offer low-power coupling between an applied electric field and magnetic propoerties. Our lab focuses on ionic conductors and ferroelectric materials couple to magnetic layers in spintronic devices.
• High Entropy Alloys: We explore how chemical complexity in compositional 'cocktails' of 5 or more elements in near equiatomic ratios can offer superior mechinical properties alongside tunable magnetic behavior, ranging from soft to hard magnetic materials. Our work focuses on moving from bulk compositions to tailored nanoscale structures.
• Artificial Spin Ice: We use periodic arrays of ferromagnetic nanomagnets as a sandbox for understanding geometric frustration, order, entropy, and phase transitions. They can also serve as a platfrom for in materia neuromorphic computing,