Dr. Steven D. Karlen

Northwestern University
2190 Campus Drive
Evanston, IL 60208-3113

E-mail:
s-karlen[at]northwestern.edu

Phone: (847) 467-4948

Office: Ryan Hall 1033

Current Employment

2010-present
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Center (ANSER)
Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois2010-present

Previous Employment

2007-2009
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration in Quantum Information Processing (QIP-IRC)
University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

2006
Visiting Scholar
École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France

2001-2002
Research Assistant
Ames Laboratory / Iowa state University, Ames, Iowa

1998-2001
Research Assistant
National Soil Tilth, Laboratory, Ames, Iowa

Education

2002-2007
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, University of California, Los Angles
Advisor: Miguel A. Garcia-Garibay
Thesis title: Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Amphidynamic Materials

1997-2001
B.S. in Chemistry, Minor in Mathematics, Iowa State University
Advisors: Peter W. Rabideau and Tom Steinheimer

Research Description

My research focuses on the design and synthesis of organic compounds to study fundamental questions in physics and biology, as well as to tap into alternative sources of energy. I am currently developing a family of organic donor-bridge-acceptor molecules designed to demonstrate quantum teleportation of the spin state of a stable free radical to a photo-generated radical cation. The design of these molecules is inspired by the photosynthetic reaction centers; photosystem I and II.

During the course of this project, we are studying the fundamentals of electron transfer in solution and solid state using a combination of femtosecond (fs) and nanosecond (ns) transient absorption (TA) and magnetic resonance (EPR and MFE) spectroscopes. Preliminary data from my current project are forming the basis for the design of new molecular systems to capture and store solar irradiation in the form of hydrogen.

Publications

"Symmetry and Dynamics of Molecular Rotors in Amphidynamic Molecular Crystals" S. D. Karlen, H. Reyes, R. E. Taylor, S. I. Khan, M. F. Hawthorne, M. A. Garcia-Garibay Proceed. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 2010, 107, 14973 – 14977.

"A Cyclic Porphyrin Trimer as a Receptor for Fullerenes" G. Gil-Ramírez, S. D. Karlen, A. Shundo, K. Porfyrakis, Y. Ito, G. A. D. Briggs, J. J. L. Morton, H. L. Anderson Org. Lett. 2010, 12, 3544 – 3547.

"Entangling Remote Nuclear Spins Linked by a Chromophore" M. Schaffry, V. Filidou, S. D. Karlen, E. M. Gauger, S. C. Benjamin, H. L. Anderson, A. Ardavan, G. A. D. Briggs, K. Maeda, K. B. Henbest, F. Giustino, J. J. L. Morton, B. W. Lovett, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2010, 104, 200501.

"Magnetic Field Sensing Beyond the Standard Quantum Limit Using 10-Spin NOON States" J. A. Jones, S. D. Karlen, J. Fitzsimons, A. Ardavan, S. C. Benjamin, G. A. D. Briggs, J. J. L. Morton, J. J. L. Science, 2009, 29, 1166 – 1168.

"Dipolar Rotor-Rotor Interactions in a Fluorobenzene Molecular Rotor Crystal" R. D. Horansky, L. I. Clarke, E. B. Winston, J. C. Price, S. D. Karlen, P. D. Jarowski, R. Santillan, M. A. Garcia-Garibay, Phys. Rev. B. 2006, 74, 054306

"Molecular Compasses and Gyroscopes: Rotational Dynamics Relationship to the Rotor’s Symmetry" Karlen, S. D.; Ortiz, R.; Chapman, O.; Garcia-Garibay, M. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 6554 – 6555.