Alexander Baker

Portrait of Alexander Baker

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  • Title
    Staff Scientist
  • Email
    baker97@llnl.gov
  • Phone
    (925) 424-3610
  • Organization
    Not Available

Research Interests

I am interested in the application of synchrotron techniques to solve materials science problems such as using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism to determine local magnetic structure or absorption spectroscopy (including microscopy) to track changes in chemical environment. Much of my work at LLNL focuses on energy and resource security, with a particular focus on the development of new functional materials and additive manufacturing methods to fabricate them. This has included extensive work with the Critical Materials Institute, and several Technology Commercialization Fund projects. I am also involved with characterisation of thin films for NIF applications, and the hydrogen storage collaboration HyMARC.

My early research background is primarily in thin-film magnetism with an emphasis on ferromagnetic resonance studies of coupled magnetodynamics of spin valves and magnetic tunnel junctions. I have also worked on micromagnetic simulations, magnetically doped topological insulators, and skyrmion materials.

Ph.D. Condensed Matter Physics, University of Oxford and Diamond Light Source, 2016

M.Phys. Physics, University of Durham, 2012

A. A. Baker, R. C. Thuss, N. Woollett, A. A. Maich, E. Stavrou, S. K. McCall, and H B. Radousky. “Cold spray deposition of thermoelectric materials”. JOM (cover article), (2020)

B. Shen, C. Yu, A. A. Baker, S. K. McCall, Y. Yu, D. Su, Z. Yin, H. Liu, J. Li, S. Sun. “Chemical synthesis of magnetically hard and strong rare earth metal based nanomagnets.” Ange. Chem., 58, 602, (2019)

A. A. Baker, L. B. Bayu Aji, J. H. Bae, E. Stavrou, D. J. Steich, S. K. McCall, and S. O. Kucheyev. “Vapor annealing synthesis of non-epitaxial MgB­2 films on glassy carbon” Supercond. Sci. Technol., 31, 055006 (2018)

Baker A. A. , Figueroa A. I., Love C. J., Cavill, S. A., Hesjedal T., van der Laan G., "Anisotropic Absorption of Pure Spin Currents", Physical Review Letters 116, 047201 (2016)

  • Outstanding Poster Award, Institutional Postdoc Symposium (2019)
  • Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow, PLS Summer Awards (2018)
  • R&D 100 Award: "ACE: The Ageless Aluminum Alloy" (2017)
  • Senior Scholarship, Wadham College, University of Oxford (2014)