For further information on any particular research topics, check with the individual faculty members:

Manuel Berrondo
This man studies cutoff potentials, a condition which is not a limitation for the calculation of physical systems, the S-matrix is meromorphic. We can express it in terms of its poles, and then calculate the quantum mechanical second virial coefficient of a neutral gas. Here, we take another look at this approach, and discuss the feasibility, attraction and problems of the method. Among concerns are the rate of convergence of the 'pole' expansion and the physical significance of the 'higher' poles.

Understanding Spin Relaxation using Conformal Transformations

Eric Hirschmann
This man studies gravitational collapse of a complex scalar field at the threshold for black hole formation, assuming that the collapse is spherically symmetric and continuously self-similar. A new solution of the coupled Einstein-scalar field equations is derived, after a small amount of numerical work with ordinary differential equations. The universal scaling and echoing behavior discovered by Choptuik in spherically symmetrical gravitational collapse appear in a somewhat different form. Properties of the endstate of the collapse are derived: The collapse leaves behind an irregular outgoing pulse of scalar radiation, with exactly flat spacetime within it.

David Neilsen
Neutron star collapse, supernovae, gamma-ray sources, etc., are some of the exciting topics in relativistic astrophysics, and the perfect fluid is the fundamental model for all of these. I study relativistic perfect fluids near black holes using computational methods. In particular, Eric Hirschmann, Steven Millward and I at BYU are studying a magnetized fluid around a black hole with computational Magneto-Hydrodynamics (MHD). Various computational projects are available in RFD and MHD, which require writing, testing and running computer programs to model relativistic fluids.

Jean-Francois Van Huele
In this paper presented at the Idaho Academy of Science, Jared Stenson and Jean-Francois Van Huele argue for including spin in the Bohmian description of hydrogen, and for exposing students of physics to the Bohmian picture of quantum mechanics.

Selected Papers