John Lacy

Assistant Professor, Physics

Curriculum Vitae
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Dr. Lacy is an Assistant Professor of Physics at Furman University and an experimental physicist with research interests in applied superconductivity and atomic physics.

Originally from the UK, Dr. Lacy earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Cambridge before spending nearly two years as a patent attorney in London, during which he earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Intellectual Property Law from Queen Mary University of London. Dr. Lacy then returned to physics for a PhD at the University of Sussex, where he developed a novel ion trap for quantum technology applications. Following his PhD, Dr. Lacy spent six years at Williams College performing precision measurements of atomic structure in heavy atoms using laser spectroscopy.

Dr. Lacy has broad teaching experience across a range of institutions and settings. This includes undergraduate laboratory teaching at the University of Sussex, private tutoring for students applying to Oxford and Cambridge, and lecturing at Williams College in courses including introductory physics and quantum laboratory physics. At Williams, he also developed a new undergraduate course in electronics from the ground up.

Outside of academia, Dr. Lacy enjoys boxing and darts, brewing beer, and spending time with horses.

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Sussex
  • P.G.Cert (Intellectual Property Law), Queen Mary University of London
  • M.A. (Cantab), University of Cambridge
  • M.Sci, University of Cambridge

Research Interests

Dr. Lacy’s research is in experimental physics, with a primary interest in applied superconductivity. He is particularly interested in the physics and applications of superconducting circuits made from high-temperature superconductors, and in how the interaction between flux vortices and transport currents can be exploited to energize superconducting magnets through flux pumping. Such techniques have a wide range of potential applications, including nuclear fusion, electric aviation, and MRI. Dr. Lacy has a particular interest in exploring novel applications and compact superconducting devices, especially those relating to quantum technologies and those that can serve as benchmark tests for numerical models.

In addition to his work in applied superconductivity, Dr. Lacy has a background in studying the atomic structure of heavy, multivalent atoms and how precision measurements of these species can be used to test state-of-the-art atomic wavefunction models. He is also developing a line of research based on accessible experimental projects that engage undergraduate students, including projects exploring the physics of boxing and human motion.

Publications

  • J. H. Lacy, A. C. Kinney,* and P. K. Majumder, “High-precision measurements of electric-dipole-transition amplitudes in excited states of 208Pb using Faraday rotation spectroscopy,” Phys. Rev. A , 111, 042808 (2025).
  • J. H. Lacy and J. Verdú, “Circuit model for switchless high-temperature superconducting coated conductor flux pump using flux conservation and E-J power law,” IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 1-5, May 2024, Art no. 5201405.
  • J. H. Lacy, G. E. Patenotte,* A. Kinney,* P. K. Majumder, “Broadband Faraday rotation spectroscopy with uniaxial single crystal CeF3 modulator”, Photonics 2024, 11(4), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11040304
  • A. J. Uribe, A. Cridland-Mathad, J. H. Lacy, J. Pinder, R. Willetts, and J. Verdú, “High frequency properties of a planar ion trap fabricated on a chip,” Rev. Sci. Instrum. 93 083202, 2022.
  • J. H. Lacy, A. Cridland, J. Pinder, A. Uribe, R. Willetts and J. Verdú, "Flux Pumping of Multiple Double-Loop Superconducting Structures for a Planar Magnetic Field Source," in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, vol. 32, no. 7, pp. 1-11, Oct. 2022, Art no. 4901511
  • J. Pinder, J. H. Lacy, R. Willetts, A. Cridland-Mathad, A. Uribe, and J. Verdú, “Planar, Strong Magnetic Field Source for A Chip Ion Trap”, Review of Scientific Instruments 91, 103201 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0024735
  • A. Cridland-Mathad, J. H. Lacy, J. Pinder, A. Uribe, R. Willetts, R. Alvarez, and J. Verdú, “Coherent coupling of a trapped electron to a distant superconducting microwave cavity”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 117, 154001 (2020), https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0023002
  • J. H. Lacy,† A. Cridland, J. Pinder, A. Uribe, R. Willetts and J. Verdú, "Superconducting Flux Pump for a Planar Magnetic Field Source," in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, vol. 30, no. 8, pp. 1-12, Dec. 2020, Art no. 4902412, doi: 10.1109/TASC.2020.3004768.
  • Cridland, A.; Lacy, J.H.; Pinder, J.; Verdú, J., “Single Microwave Photon Detection with a Trapped Electron”, Photonics 2016, 3, 59. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics3040059

    *undergraduate co-authors
    † papers with non-author undergraduate contributions

 

Additional Professional Activities

Dr. Lacy regularly attends and presents his work at conferences internationally, including meetings in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, the USA, and Italy. He is also a regular reviewer for recognized journals, including Physical Review Research, Journal of Superconductivity and Novel Magnetism, Journal of the Optical Society of America B, and Optics Express.

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