Fankang Li
It’s Fankang Li’s job to dream up new ways to see into the dynamics at play on the subatomic level. As a neutron method development scientist in the Neutron Technologies Division, Li creates new techniques and instruments.
“Continually working toward the development of the most advanced neutron instruments allows ORNL to be a world leader in providing the best instruments for the scientific community,” he said.
Li’s Early Career Research Program award project seeks to develop a neutron probe with unprecedented resolution to obtain deeper insights into quantum materials.
This unique platform, which would boost the resolution of existing neutron scattering instruments at ORNL and across the United States, “adds a new layer to conventional neutron techniques to make the best use of neutrons, with which we could identify a very tiny change in a neutron’s behavior,” he said.
Fundamental research to comprehensively understand the interplay of quasiparticle dynamics and the discovery of new electronic phases is critical for explaining materials’ physical–chemical properties. Developing new instrumentation is necessary to drive quantum sciences forward.
“Science is based on ideas, but the relationship between science and instruments is an integral part of the story. Scientific instruments have been and will always be devices of power: Those who have the best ones can see and imagine the most,” he said. “When a new instrument comes along, new vistas open up.”
Li joined ORNL in 2016 as a Shull Fellow after receiving his doctorate in physics from Indiana University under the guidance of his advisor and mentor, Roger Pynn.
“The reason I like physics is because it is trying to explain how nature works. What’s fascinating is that physics is both consistent and cooperative. Once you understand the physical laws, they are always the same, no matter where you are or what subject you’re working on,” Li said.
"For human beings, a lot depends on culture; people speak differently and think differently. But physics is the language of nature. You may not understand a phenomenon, but it is always there, and you just need to find the way to understand it.”
At the Spallation Neutron Source, Li’s ability to drill down into a problem to get at its root provides the user community with techniques to investigate scientific questions.
“It’s a great feeling to provide a unique capability and help someone see something they would not have found otherwise,” he said.
