Angela R. Hight Walker (Fed)

Dr. Angela R. Hight Walker, a senior scientist at NIST, is renowned for pioneering optical spectroscopies, both Raman and Photoluminescence (PL) to characterize quantum materials. A current focus area is using optical signatures to study magnetic order. Over three decades, she has led research on low-dimensional materials, contributing nearly 200 publications at the intersection of physics, chemistry, and materials science. A Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and Sigma Xi, she also plays a key role in international nanotechnology and Raman standardization efforts as a technical expert and scientific diplomate.

An issue of great importance to Dr. Hight Walker is encouraging the young to participate in science. Through on and offsite demonstrations, lectures, and conferences she activity engages in promoting the excitement of science. Recruiting, encouraging and mentoring high school and undergraduate students and postdoctoral researchers is a passion of Angela’s, having hosted over 50 during her tenure at NIST.

• ORCID ID #: 0000-0003-1385-0672
• Google Scholar

Research details

Novel Instrumentation for Quantum Material Characterization: 
Combined Magneto-Optical Magneto-Transport

Raman spectroscopy, imaging, and mapping are powerful non-contact, non-destructive optical probes of quasiparticles and fundamental physics in graphene and other related two-dimensional (2D) materials, including layered, quantum materials. An amazing amount of information can be quantified from the Raman spectra, including layer thickness, disorder, edge and grain boundaries, doping, strain, thermal conductivity, magnetic ordering, and features from unique excitations such as magnons and charge density waves can be observed. Most interestingly for quantum materials is that Raman efficiently probes the evolution of the electronic structure and the electron-phonon, spin-phonon, and magnon-phonon interactions as a function of laser energy and polarization, temperature, and applied magnetic field. Our unique magneto-Raman spectroscopic capabilities enable spatially-resolved, diffraction-limited optical measurements (either Raman or photoluminescence) while simultaneously supporting electrical magneto-transport measurements including quantum Hall.

Upcoming Invited Talks in 2025

• Quantum Matters in Materials Science Workshop
• Wellesley College, Department of Chemistry Colloquium
• ETH Raman Workshop
• MRS Fall Meeting 2025