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Research Summaries

Astronomy and Astrophysics

[Chandran, Gayley, Ignace, Mutel, Neff, Spangler]
Main research efforts:

• Observational radio astronomy
• Radio wave propagation through plasmas in the interstellar medium, interplanetary medium, and solar corona
• Studies of the galactic magnetic field
• Radiative transfer, dynamics, and polarization in stellar winds and atmospheres
• Cosmic-ray propagation in the inter-stellar medium
• Heat and particle transport in intra-cluster gas
• Observational multiwavelength studies of massive Wolf-Rayet stars

Atomic and Molecular Physics

[Kleiber]
Main research efforts:

• Laser spectroscopic studies of atomic and molecular collision and reaction dynamics, and of the structure and dynamics of molecular clusters; of particular interest are systems relevant to atmospheric physics and chemistry, combustion, and catalysis

Condensed Matter Physics

[Flatté, Schweitzer]
Main research efforts:

• Physics of high-temperature superconductors
• Study of optical and electronic properties of semiconductor nanostructures
• Phase transitions in transition-metal-sulfide alloys

Elementary Particle Experiment

[Mallik, McCliment, Newsom, Onel]
Main research efforts:

• Forward calorimetry on the CMS collider at CERN [Higgs search]
• Detector development and data analysis on E781 at Fermilab [studies of charmed baryons]
• Development of trigger software on BABAR experiment at SLAC [source of CP violation], and physics analysis
• Central detector design for the Fermilab BTeV collider experiment

Elementary Particle Theory

[Meurice, Reno, Rodgers]
Main research efforts:

• Nonperturbative methods in scalar field theories based application of renormalization group equations and new computational methods
• Perturbative methods in a standard model applied to problems in modern experimental collaborations, with recent emphasis on neutrino physics
• Developing theories of gravitation using superstring theory and infinite-dimensional groups, with the hope of understanding issues related to dark matter, early universe, and quantum gravity

Mathematical Physics

[Klink, Meurice, Polyzou, Rodgers]
Main research efforts:

• C* algebras, representation theory
• Poincaré invariant quantum models
• Quantum field theory
• Infinite dimensional Lie algebras
• Coadjoint representations of graded Lie algebras

Medical Physics

[Hichwa, Madsen]
Main research efforts:

• Development of radiation detectors for medical imaging
• Application of new image processing techniques for the analysis of medical images
• Synthesis of reconstruction algorithms and attenuation correction methods for quatitative image formation in nuclear medicine
• Development of novel nuclear targetry systems for the production of positron nuclides with a medical cyclotron
• Application of physics methodology and experimental techniques to solve real-world problems in positron emission tomography

Nuclear Physics

[Carlson, Klink, Norbeck, Payne, Polyzou]
Main research efforts:

• Numerical computations of structure and reactions of few-nucleon and few-quark systems
• Fundamental developments in relativistic quantum mechanics and applications to few-body systems
• Experimental studies of nuclear reactions involving ion beams and nuclear targets

Photonics and Quantum Electronics

[Andersen, Boggess, Flatté, Hasenberg, Smirl]
Main research efforts:

• Development of state of the art semiconductor devices using molecular beam epitaxy
• Theoretical studies of fundamental physical processes in novel semiconductor materials and devices
• Nonlinear optical phenomena and devices, including nonlinear optical waveguides and spatial solitons
• Application of ultrafast optical techniques to investigate coherent phenomena, hot carrier relaxation, transport, recombination, and space charge formation in semiconductor quantum wells, superlattices, and quantum dots

Plasma Physics

[Bhattacharjee, Carpenter, D'Angelo, Goree, Knorr, Merlino, Skiff]
Main research efforts:

• Theoretical and experimental studies of waves, instabilities, and nonlinear phenomena in laboratory plasmas
• Theoretical and experimental studies of exotic processes in dusty plasmas
• Magnetospheric and ionospheric plasmas, with emphasis on reconnection, nonlinear waves, and MHD turbulence
• Studies of free electron lasers
• Plasma processing discharges

Space Physics

[Frank, Gurnett, Kletzing, Scudder, Van Allen]
Main research efforts:

• Studies of magnetospheres of planets, the solar wind, the solar corona, transport of charged particles, and galactic cosmic radiation
• Boundary layers and shocks in space plasmas
• Mechanisms for generating magnetospheric plasma waves and radio emissions
• Studies of small comets