Prof. Manoj Harbola

I am a faculty member in the department of Physics at IIT Kanpur; Professor (2012 onwards); Associate Professor (2007 - 2012) and Assistant Professor (2004 - 2007).I was a feinberg postdoctoral fellow : Between 2000 - 2004, in the Dept. of condensed matter physics at Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.Ph.D.-2000, obtained my Ph.D degree from the Department of Condensed matter physics and materials science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India.Being an experimental condensed matter physicist, one of my major interests lies in trying to develop different imaging techniques for use as an experimental tools. At IIT Kanpur we have developed a high sensitivity magneto-optical imaging setup which is the only setup of its kind in India. The setup is being used to optically image the distribution of magnetic field with high sensitivity, inside a variety of materials ranging from superconductors to magnetic materials. The aim is to understand the magnetic and transport properties of some of the above materials and their novel hetero structures. Apart from my interest in imaging as applied to different topics in condenser matter physics , we are also interested in seeking novel routes towards making nano structured materials and developing new tools for investigating their properties at low dimensions. Some of my other interests lie in investigating the equilibrium as well as non-equilibrium phases of vortex matter in superconductors, behavior of superconductivity and magnetism under extreme conditions viz., of strong confinement or high magnetic fields, hetero structures of superconducting and magnetic materials as well as the competition of these two phenomena in natural systems.