Frank Pinski

Research: Condensed Matter Theory, Electronic Structure of Metals and Alloys
Prof. Pinski is currently studying the properties of metallic alloys from a quantum-mechanical viewpoint. He is trying to extract the microscopic origin of chemical ordering or clustering in alloys composed of iron, nickel, copper, zinc or other transition metals. This theoretical approach is based on a description of the behavior of the electrons in the high-temperature "solid-solution phase" of the alloy. In this phase, an underlying ordered array of sites exist, with the probability of occupation of any sites by any one species being random. By calculating the response of the electrons to various types of orderings, Prof. Pinski is able to learn about the quantum- mechanical origin of the ordering or clustering tendencies. These studies rely heavily on large numeric calculations performed on large machines, such as the Cray at the Ohio Supercomputer Center.