Faculty
Meet the full-time physics faculty.
Parviz Ghavamian
I am interested in the multi-wavelength study of shocks in space, from supernova remnants to galaxy clusters. I use spectroscopic observations in the optical, UV and X-rays to understand the plasma physics of the shocks, and how energetic cosmic rays are accelerated at shock transitions. I also use mid-infrared spectroscopy to study how astrophysical dust (both in supernova ejecta and in the interstellar medium) is heated and destroyed in shocks. In my research I use both ground-based observatories and space-based facilities, the latter including the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Herschel Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Phuoc D. Ha
My research interests are in the areas of theoretical physics and high energy physics, with an emphasis on theory of strong interactions, chiral interactions, hadron structure and properties (such as masses and magnetic moments, structure functions in deep inelastic scattering, quark and gluon distributions, and so on), ultra-high energy neutrino scattering on a nucleon, and physics beyond the Standard Model. I am also interested in computational physics, in particular Monte Carlo methods and applications.
Rajeswari Kolagani
My work is in experimental condensed matter physics and materials physics, pricepally investigating the technological applications of metal oxide thin films.
I am the director of the Applied Physics Masters Program and teach several graduate level courses in that program.
James Overduin
I am a theorist in the areas of gravitation, cosmology, astronomy and high-energy physics. I am particularly interested in extensions of General Relativity, attempts to incorporate gravity into the Standard Model of particle physics, and in ways to test those attempts through observation and experiment. I have also worked extensively on cosmic background radiation at all wavelengths, focusing on its implications for cosmic evolution (Olbers' paradox and the intergalactic medium) as well as its potential as a dark-matter detector. I am also a specialist in dark energy (a.k.a. Einstein's cosmological constant), on which he has co-authored a book with Helge Kragh (The Weight of the Vacuum, Springer Briefs in Physics, 2014). Most recently, I have begun to investigate ways to improve the effectiveness of undergraduate physics education through innovative teaching demonstrations. Much of his research is carried out with undergraduate students
David Schaefer
My work is in nanotechnology, including adhesion measurements with atomic force microscopy and STM measurements of material mechanical properties.
Jennifer Scott
My current invetigaions are in the intergalactic medium and quasar absorption lines, the extragalactic ultraviolet background, iIntrinsic absorption in active galactic nuclei, and spectral energy distributions of active galactic nuclei.
Jeff Simpson
I work in the area of experimental condensed matter and nanoscale physics. Recent work has been the study of opto-electronic properties of nano-structured graphitic carbon, especially graphene and carbon nanotubes, and optical properties of strong correlated materials (e.g., magnetoelectric multiferroics).
Vera Smolyaninova
My current research is in metamaterials and the physics of functional oxides. In the area of metamaterials, I am particularly interested in metamaterial superconductors, transformation optics devices and ferrofluid-based self-assembled hyperbolic metamaterials.
Jia-An Yan
My research area focuses on studies of structural, electronic, optical, vibrational, and excited state properties of novel materials at low dimensions (especially at 2D), using first-principles methods based on density-functional theory. By carrying out comprehensive computational simulations, the main goal is to achieve deep understanding of the dimensionality effects on the electronic structures in diverse electronic materials, thus facilitating designs of novel materials with desired properties. Recent projects of 2D materials span from lattice dynamics of graphene, electron-phonon coupling and strain-tunable topological phase transition in silicene, ground state structure of stanene, dimensionality effects on the Fermi surface topology and phonon properties in TaSe2, and Raman spectra of monolayer MoS2 under various uniaxial strains.