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Department of Physics & Astronomy College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics

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Research

The Physics and Astronomy faculty bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to our department. They continue to be active in research and participate in the advancement of science through scholarly papers, talks, and attending national meetings. We have a number of on campus reasearch activities; many of them are well suited for undergraduate participation. Listed below are a number of projects ongoing in our department.

Faculty Research

Areas of Research Faculty
Astronomy / Astrophysics  Barniol Duran, Margoniner, Taylor
Atomic, Molecular, and Chemical Physics DeGraffenreid, Ray, T. Sergan, V. Sergan
Biophysics  Jensen, Morris
Computational Physics Barniol Duran, Block, Buerki
Condensed Matter Physics Block, Buerki
Electro-Optics  T. Sergan, V. Sergan
Environmental Physics Morris
Exotic Materials Block, Ray, Shoemaker
High Energy Physics Moss
Instrumentation DeGraffenreid, Moss, Ray, V. Sergan
Nanophysics Buerki
Liquid Crystal Applications T. Sergan, V. Sergan
Low Temperature Physics Ray
Physics Education Block, Buerki, Margoniner, Tashiro
Soft Condensed Matter Jensen, Morris, T. Sergan, V. Sergan
Scientific Ethics and Professionalism DeGraffenreid
Spectroscopy  DeGraffenreid

Publications and Patents

Department faculty are active scholars, publishing their work in some of the world's most recognized journals and receiving patents for their work. Underlined names are undergraduate students who were co-authors on the paper.

Recent Publications

  • E. Morris: "Minimizing context-dependency of gene networks using artificial cells." ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces (2018).
  • R. Barniol Duran: "First ALMA Light Curve Constrains Refreshed Reverse Shocks and Jet Magnetization in GRB 161219B." The Astrophysical Journal (2018).
  • T. Sergan, V. Sergan, and R. Herrera: "Control of liquid crystal alignment using surface-localized low-density polymer networks and its applications to electro-optical devices." Journal of Molecular Liquids (2018).
  • R. Barniol Duran: "Marginally fast cooling synchrotron models for prompt GRBs." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2018).
  • R. Barniol Duran: "Modeling the High-energy Emission in GRB 110721A and Implications on the EarlyMultiwavelength and Polarimetric Observations." The Astrophysical Journal (2017).
  • R. Barniol Duran: "Off-axis short GRBs from structured jets as counterparts to GW events." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2017).
  • R. Barniol Duran: "Theoretical Description of GRB 160625B with Wind-to-ISM Transition and Implications for a Magnetized Outflow." The Astrophysical Journal (2017).
  • M. Jensen: "Cell volume change through water efflux impacts cell stiffness and stem cell fate." Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (2017).
  • T. Sergan, V. Sergan, and R. Voss: "Comparative study of the anchoring strength of reactive mesogens and industrial polyimides used for the alignment of liquid crystals." Physical Review E (2017).
  • J. Moss: "Measurement of the ZZ production cross section in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV using the ZZ→ℓ-ℓ+ℓ'-ℓ'+ and ZZ→ℓ-ℓ+νν decay channels with the ATLAS detector." Journal of High Energy Physics (2017).
  • M. Ray: "Tying Quantum Knots." Nature Physics (2016).
  • M. Block: "Numerical studies of various Néel-VBS transitions in SU(N) anti-ferromagnets." Journal of Physics - Conference Series (2015).
  • M. Jensen: "Mechanics and dynamics of reconstituted cytoskeletal systems." Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Cell Research (2015).
  • M. Block: "Rényi entanglement entropy of critical SU(N) spin chains." Physical Review B (2015).
  • J. Bürki: "Lifetimes of Metal Nanowires with Broken Axial Symmetry." P hysical Review B (2015).
  • C. Taylor: "High-resolution Observations of Molecular Gas in the Early-type Dwarf Galaxy NGC 404." The Astronomical Journal (2015).
  • V. Margoniner: "Learning Gains in Introductory Astronomy: Online Can Be as Good as Face-to-Face." The Physics Teacher (2014).
  • S. Hillbrand: "The Next Generation BLAST Experiment." Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation (2014).
  • S. Hillbrand:"The Detector System for the Stratospheric Kinetic Inductance Polarimeter (SKIP)." Journal of Low Temperature Physics (2014).
  • V. Sergan: "Surface localized polymer aligned liquid crystal lens." Optics Express (2013).
  • V. Sergan: "Mechanism of electric-field-induced segregation of additives in a liquid-crystal host." Physical Review E (2012).
  • J. Bürki: "A Nano-Transistor Based on Gate-Induced Thermal Switching." International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Nanotechnology (2012).
  • H. Partovi: "Entanglement Detection Using Majorization Uncertainty Bounds." Physical Review A (2012).
  • T. Sergan and V. Sergan: "Spatial and orientational control of liquid crystal alignment using a surface localized polymer layer." Applied Physics Letters (2012).
  • V. Margoniner: "Galaxy-Mass Correlations on 10 Mpc Scales in the Deep Lens Survey." The Astrophysical Journal (2012).
  • T. Sergan, V. Sergan, and R. Herrera: "In situ control of surface molecular order in liquid crystals using a localised polymer network and its application to electro-optical devices." Liquid Crystals (2012).
  • V. Sergan: "Tunable Polymer Localized Liquid Crystal Lenses for Autostereoscopic 3D Displays." Society for Informational Display International Symposium Digest (2012).
  • V. Margoniner: "Discovery of a Dissociative Galaxy Cluster Merger with Large Physical Separation." The Astrophysical Journal (2012).
  • W. DeGraffenreid: "Reference lines in the optogalvanic spectra of uranium and thorium in the wavelength range 422 nm to 462 nm." Journal of the Optical Society of America B (2012).
  • H. Partovi: "Majorization Formulation of Uncertainty in Quantum Mechanics." Physical Review A (2011).
  • J. Bürki: "The Nanoscale Free-Electron Model." Chapter published in Handbook of Nanophysics: Principles and Methods (2010).
  • T. Sergan: "Application of Commercially Available Liquid Crystal Polymer Films for Improvement of Color and Viewing angle Performance of Twisted Nematic Devices." Japanese Journal of Applied Physics (2010).
  • J. Bürki: "Determining the Energy Barrier for Decay out of Superdeformed Bands." Physics Letters B (2010).
  • T. Sergan and V. Sergan: "Control of the molecular pretilt angle in liquid crystal devices by using a low-density localized polymer network." Chemical Physics Letters (2010).
  • H. Partovi: "Equilibrium Charge Density on a Thin Curved Wire." American Journal of Physics (2009).
  • V. Margoniner: "Shear-selected Clusters from the Deep Lens Survey. III. Masses from Weak Lensing." Astrophysical Journal (2009).
  • H. Partovi: "Correlative Capacity of Composite Quantum States." Physical Review Letters (2009).
  • H. Partovi: "Verschränkung versus Stosszahlansatz : Disappearance of the Thermodynamic Arrow in a High-Correlation Environment." Physical Review E (2008).
  • V. Margoniner: "Photometric Redshifts and Signal-to-Noise Ratios." Astrophysical Journal (2008).
  • V. Margoniner: "Probing the Relation Between X-Ray-Derived and Weak-Lensing-Derived Masses for Shear-Selected Galaxy Clusters. I. A781." Astrophysical Journal (2008).
  • T. Sergan and V. Sergan: "High-Performance Active Liquid Crystalline Shutters for Stereo Computer Graphics and Other 3-D Technologies." Journal of Display Technology (2007).
  • V. Sergan and H. Garcia: "Wide-angle achromatic prism beam steering for infrared countermeasures and imaging applications: solving the singularity problem in the two-prism design." Optical Engineering (2007).
  • H. Partovi: "Intrinsic comparative statics of a general class of profit-maximizing rate-of-return regulated firms." Oxford Economic Papers (2007).
  • E. Gibson: "The HKS experiment on Λ-hypernuclear spectroscopy via electroproduction at JLab." Nuclear Physics A (2007).
  • H. Partovi: " Existence of a Universal Comparative Statics Matrix for Differentiable Optimization Problems." Economic Theory (2007).
  • E. Gibson: "Determination of the Pion Charge Form Factor at Q2 = 1.60 and 2.45 (GeV/c)2." Physical Review Letters (2006).
  • E. Gibson: "Pionic charge exchange on the proton from 40 to 250 MeV." Physics Letters B (2006).
  • H. Partovi: "A Complete Theory of Comparative Statics for Differentiable Optimization Problems." Metroeconomica (2006).
  • H. Partovi and Eliza Morris: "Electrodynamics of a Magnet Moving through a Metallic Pipe." Canadian Journal of Physic s (2006).
  • E. Gibson: "π±p differential cross sections at low energies." Physics Letters B (2006).
  • R. Phelps: "CCD Photometry of the Globular Cluster ESO 452-SC11." The Astronomical Journal (2006).
  • C. Taylor: "The Faint End Luminosity Function of Compact Galaxy Groups." Astronomy & Astrophysics (2006).
  • R. Phelps: "Photometry and Spectroscopy of Old, Outer Disk Star Clusters: vdB-Hagen 176, Berkeley 29, and Saurer 1." The Astronomical Journal (2006).
  • E. Gibson: "The π→ππ process in nuclei and the restoration of chiral symmetry." Nuclear Physics A (2005).
  • W. DeGraffenreid: "Coincidence in the two-photon spectra of Li and Li2 at 735 nm." Journal of Physics B (2005).
  • C. Taylor: "A High-Resolution Mosaic of Molecular Gas in Stephan's Quintet." The Astrophysical Journal (2005).
  • R. Phelps and Jason Ybarra: "A Parsec-Scale Outflow in the Rosette Molecular Cloud?" The Astrophysical Journal (2005).
  • H. Partovi: "Universal Measure of Entanglement." Physical Review Letters (2004).
  • W. DeGraffenreid: "Beam-loss Spectroscopy of Cold Collisions in a Brightened Sodium Beam." Physical Review A (2004).
  • V. Sergan: "FAST SWITCHING POLYMER STABILIZED SPLAY CELL (PSSC)." Molecular Crystals Liquid Crystals (2004).
  • E. Gibson: "General properties of the pion production reaction in nuclear matter." Nuclear Physics A (2004).
  • R. Phelps and Jason Ybarra: "An [S II] Survey of the Rosette Molecular Cloud." The Astronomical Journal (2004).
  • T. Sergan: "Switchable Broadband Achromatic Half-wave plate with Nematic Liquid Crystals." Optics Letters (2004).
  • T. Sergan: "Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals for Optical Applications – an Optical Retardation plate for Twisted Nematic Cells." Molecular Crystals Liquid Crystals (2004).
  • H. Partovi: "Prinicple Portfolios: Recasting the Efficient Frontier." Economics Bulletin (2004).
  • T. Sergan: "Liquid Crystalline Device with Reflective Wire Grid Polarizer." Molecular Crystals Liquid Crystals (2004).
  • T. Sergan: "Negative Birefringence Films from Non-Traditional Materials." Molecular Crystals Liquid Crystals (2004).

Patents

  • V. Sergan and T. Sergan: "Photo-Patterned Pre-Tilt Liquid Crystal cells, Lenses, and Methods" US Patent 8654281 (2014).
  • J. Bürki: "Nanoscale variable resistor/electromechanical transistor." US Patent 8492231 (2013)
  • T. Sergan: "Elliptically polarizing plate and liquid crystal display." US Patent 6839103 (2005)
  • T. Sergan: "Optical Compensation film for Liquid Crystal Display." US Patent 6,822,713 B1 (2004).