Overview of Research

The Department of Physics and Astronomy provides opportunities for research in six areas:

• Acoustics
• Astronomy
• Atomic, Molecular, and Optical
• Plasma
• Solid State
• Theoretical and Mathematical

Use the menu on the left to view detailed information about the various research groups. The list below shows the faculty members in each research area along with some research projects they are currently working on.

Acoustics

Kent Gee

Nonlinear acoustics, physical acoustics, aeroacoustics, active noise control

• No research projects currently available. Interested students should attend Acoustics Group meetings.

Timothy W. Leishman

Excitation, measurement, modeling, and control of sound fields; audio acoustics, architectural acoustics, active noise and vibration control, energy-based acoustics, and acoustical measurements.

• Advanced Modeling and Measurement of Loudspeakers
• Directivity of Live Acoustic Sources
• Energy-Based Acoustical Measurements
• Modeling, Design, Construction, and Measurement of Quasi-Omnidirectional Sources of Sound

Scott D. Sommerfeldt

Active noise control and energy-based acoustics

Derek Thomas

Astronomy

Clark G. Christensen

Eric Hintz

Variable stars across the HR diagram (Observational), Astronomy Education Research

• Period Changes in Medium Amplitude delta Scuti Variables
• Variable Star Search in Open Clusters
• Spectroscopic Survey of Northern Sky delta Scuti Variables
• Calibration of the Calcium II HK Narrow Filters
• Spectrophotometic Comparison of H-alpha and H-beta Index
• Observations of High Mass X-ray Binaries
• Astronomy Education
• delta Scuti stars in the Kepler field

Michael Joner

Stellar photometry (Observational)

• Photometric Reverberation Mapping

Victor Migenes

Radio Astronomy, MASERs, Star Formation and Evolution, Galaxy merger evolution

• Low and High Mass Star Formation Processes
• Mass Loss Processes in Late-type Stars
• The Evolution of Galaxy Mergers

J. Ward Moody

Galaxy nuclear variability, remote observing, large-scale galaxy distribution

• Testing the standard model of active galactic nuclei through automated multi-color broadband CCD imaging

Denise Stephens

Brown Dwarfs, Kuiper Belt Objects, Transiting Planets

• Photometry of Kuiper Belt Objects
• Brown Dwarf Binary Systems
• High resoluion spectra of T dwarfs
• Variability in Brown Dwarfs

Atomic, Molecular, and Optical

David D. Allred

Thin films, Extreme Ultraviolet Optics, Nanostructures-MEMS, Mars Simulations, alternate energy issues (solar. batteries etc.)

• Mirror for Lunar Observatory
• University Rover Challenge
• Yttrium oxide films increase in thickness when exposed to VUV light in air. Why?
• Atomic layer and chemical vapor infiltration of carbon nanotube forests.
• Ultrahigh Temperature Black Coatings for Optical Fiber Temperature Measurement

Scott D. Bergeson

Laser cooling, ultracold plasmas, biophotonics (experimental)

• Ultra-cold Plasmas

Dallin Durfee

Matterwave interferometry and Laser Cooling (Experimental)

• Matterwave Interferometry

Justin B. Peatross

High-Intensity Laser Physics (experimental)

Lawrence B. Rees

Nuclear Physics: neutron detector development

R. Steven Turley

Extreme ultraviolet optics and thin films

• Extreme Ultraviolet Optics
• Effects of Roughness of Reflectance

Michael J. Ware

Quantum Optics

• Computing non-collinear phase matching in non-linear crystals
• Single electron radiation
• Two-photon, two-slit interference

Condensed Matter

Branton Campbell

Materials physics - nanoscale structure property relationships (Experimental)

• X-ray scattering from embedded nanostructures
• Magnetic structures from neutron diffraction
• Structural phase transitions
• Binary alloys

Karine Chesnel

Magnetic nanostructures

• Magnetic properties in nanomaterials

John Colton

Optical investigations of electron spin in semiconductors

• Optical investigations of electron spin in semiconductors

Robert Davis

Micro and Nanoscale Materials (experimental)

• Biomolecular electronics
• Nanoscale chemical patterning
• Nanotube Micromachines
• Vertical Photovoltaics

Gus Hart

Computational Condensed Matter

• Modeling alloys & materials simulation

Bret C. Hess

Calculation of excited state spectra, electronic properties and transport in nanostructures.

Harold T. Stokes

Structural phase transitions in solids (computational)

• Structural Phase Transitions

Richard Vanfleet

Atomic and near atomic scale studies of materials by transmission electron microscopy (experimental)

• Atomic and near atomic scale studies of materials by Transmission Electron Microscopy.

Plasma

Grant W. Hart

Experimental investigation of non-neutral plasma physics

Grant W. Mason

Computational modeling of non-neutral plasmas in traps

• Computational Modeling of Nonneutral Plasmas in Traps

Bryan G. Peterson

Experimental investigation of non-neutral plasma physics

• Measuring the decay rate of ionized beryllium-7

Ross L. Spencer

Theory and computation in plasmas and gas dynamic simulation

• Theory and Computation in plasmas, including waves, instabilities, and fluid flow.

Theoretical and Mathematical

Manuel Berrondo

QFT, Quantum Dynamics, Quantum Chemistry, Holistic Dynamics

• consensus and frustration

Eric Hirschmann

General relativity, nonlinear field theories, computational physics

David Neilsen

General relativity; astrophysics; fluid dynamics

• General Relativity
• Relativistic fluid dynamics (RFD)
• Numerical methods

Jean-Francois Van Huele

all aspects of quantum theory