Department of Physics
Annual Issue
Fall 2008
Ursa Baylor
The Annual Newsletter of the Department of Physics, Baylor University
Two Faculty Searches Approved for 2008-09
The Department of Physics is pleased to announce that in
the current academic year, we have been given approval to
search for two new faculty colleagues.
Inside this issue:
By the Numbers
2
Chair’s Letter
3
Faculty Profiles
4 - 17
Special Research Focus
18 - 19
Department Highlights
20 - 33
Homecoming Events
33
Alumni News
34 - 36
Special points of interest:
• Research Profiles
• Highlights from the
2008/2009 Newsletters
• Newly completed Research
Facilities in AMO Physics
• Undergraduate and
Graduate Program News
• Packard Physics Returns!
• Baylor Physics News from
around the World
• A New Astronomy Degree?
• Alumni Feedback
We anticipate filling both of these positions during the next
year with two persons of excellent potential, both in research
and teaching, who will expand our department’s research
mission as well as continue the long tradition of excellent
The Department seeks a few good faculty …
instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The Department of Physics, Baylor University, invites applications for two tenuretrack faculty positions at the level of Assistant Professor beginning in August 2009.
The Department is seeking to hire one candidate in experimental high energy physics. Exceptional candidates in other research areas will be considered for the second
tenure-track position. Current areas of departmental research include elementary
particle physics, astrophysics, dusty plasma physics, condensed matter physics, surface physics, nonlinear dynamics, semiconductor physics, experimental atomic and
molecular physics, and theoretical early universe cosmology and string/M theory.
Applicants should submit (1) a cover letter, (2) a curriculum vitae including a list of
refereed papers published and submitted, (3) a statement of current research interests and pursuits, (4) a statement on teaching interests and philosophy, and (5) a list
of three references. Applicants should arrange to have three letters of recommendation sent directly to Chair, Search Committee, Department of Physics, Baylor
University, One Bear Place #97316, Waco, Texas 76798-7316, or e-mailed to
physicsjob@baylor.edu. Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. To ensure full consideration, applications should be completed by
November 1, 2008. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Baylor, the world’s largest Baptist university, holds a Carnegie classification as a
“high-research” institution. Baylor’s mission is to educate men and women for
worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian
commitment within a caring community. Baylor is actively recruiting new faculty
with a strong commitment to the classroom and an equally strong commitment to
discovering new knowledge as Baylor aspires to become a top tier research university while reaffirming and deepening its distinctive Christian mission as described in
Baylor 2012 (http://www.baylor.edu/vision/).
Page 2
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Inside the Department by the Numbers …
Number of Faculty: 19
Tenured or Tenure-Track: 13
Lecturers: 6
Undergraduate Physics Majors: 39
Physics Graduate Students: 28
Postdoctoral Fellows: 3
2007 - 2008 Enrollments
Number of Students Enrolled in Physics Classes: 2322 (+7.3% from the prior year)
Summer 2007: 131 Fall 2007: 1097 Spring 2008: 1094
Number of Students Enrolled in Undergraduate Laboratories: 2085 (+3.7% from the prior year)
Summer 2007: 119 Fall 2007: 984
Spring 2008: 982
Number of Undergraduate Laboratories: 92 (+50.8% from the prior year)
Summer 2007: 6
Fall 2007: 44
Spring 2008: 42
Number of Funded Grants: 21
Scholarly Publications (including Conference Proceedings): 75
Conferences attended by Department Members: 25
US News & World Report’s average ranking of universities from which our
tenured & tenure-track faculty received their PhD degrees: 24.8
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 3
From the Chair …
October 2008
Dear Friends,
Greetings from the Baylor Physics Department! Classes have resumed and professors have returned from summer
research and teaching activities. This fall our department was pleased to welcome twelve new undergraduate majors and
three new graduate students. We currently have 39 undergraduate majors and 28 graduate students. Randy Hall, a graduate
of our Department, has joined us as a lecturer this fall, replacing Bob Farmer. Randy and his wife Cathey are long-time supporters of the university, who have recently “retired” to Waco from Dripping Springs.
Since I last wrote to you there have been new developments in several areas. We have installed new desktop computers in our Undergraduate Study Area (USA) and astronomy laboratory. The USA continues Caption
to be very
popular
describing
picturewith our
undergrads, and the envy of our graduate students! However, there is very good news comingorfor
our grad students: the
graphic.
administration has announced a boost to all TA stipends for PhD students in the sciences, technology, engineering, and
mathematics. For our students, this means a $3,500 increase in their stipends beginning next academic year.
We were pleased to receive approval from the administration for a tenure-track replacement to Darden Powers’ old
position. We are also continuing a search for an experimental particle physicist. When these searches conclude, they will
bring our number of tenured and tenure-track professors in the Department up to 15. This number is still pretty far below
the threshold required to make the top 100 physics departments (about 21); however, it does represent a good step in the
right direction.
In August, the university revealed decisions about the funding of major strategic proposals. I regret to inform you
that the Physics Department proposal was not approved. Our strategy of building the Department by focusing on the development of existing areas of strength was not well received by the executive council—although we did meet or exceed the
mean scores of the other proposals in 9 of 10 evaluation categories. Those making decisions continue to evaluate us poorly
in the “niche” category, which is the route they believe will vault Baylor into greatness. They do not find it compelling that
all of the top 50 universities have top 100 physics programs (of 21 or more faculty) with breadth in several specializations.
One of our goals in the upcoming year is to reform our Advisory Board, with a planned first meeting coming in the
spring semester. We hope that the Advisory Board will be able to advocate for the Department with administration officials.
If you would be interested in serving on the Board (and advocating strongly for us!), please let me know.
Physics has received some special recognition this year. Associate Professor Dwight Russell received an award at the
May commencement for his outstanding teaching. Dwight teaches our introductory astronomy classes—packing out our
300-seat classroom every semester. Dwight also combined with Dr. Jeff Olafsen to produce a “wormhole” video that has
produced thousands of hits on YouTube. In an apparent bending of space and time, a professor walks out one door of an
auditorium and in another door nearly simultaneously! The students loved it! Dr. Jerry Cleaver and grad student Richard
Obousy presented a conference paper on warp drive that warmed the cockles of every Trekkie’s heart! It also was picked up
by the national media, Fox News and Paul Harvey among them.
We again thank you for your interest and support. Please continue to pray with us that we honor God in all of our
work, and that we accomplish goals that are pleasing to Him. We hope to see many of you at our Alumni Colloquium at 3:30
p.m. on October 31st in BSB E.125 and Physics Homecoming Breakfast before the parade on November 1st in BSB E.301.
With warmest best wishes,
Greg Benesh
Professor & Chairman
“When these searches conclude, they will bring our number of
tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Department up to 15.”
Page 4
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Faculty Research Profiles
Wickramasinghe Ariyasinghe
Associate Professor
Research Interests:
Atomic & molecular physics
Auger electron spectroscopy
Electron scattering
Recent Publication:
W. M. Ariyasinghe, P. Wickramarachchi, and P. Palihwadana
Total Electron Scattering Cross Sections of alkanes at intermediate
energies, , Nucl. Inst. and Meth. Phys. Res. B 259 841 - 846 (2007).
Dr. W. Ariyasinghe engages in atomic and molecular physics
experiments. The department has several electron beam facilities
(20 eV to 10 KeV energy) for studying interactions of low energy
and intermediate energy electrons with atoms and molecules. He
utilizes these facilities to measure the total electron scattering cross
sections, the most reliable experimental scattering cross section, of
atoms and molecules at low and intermediate energies. Accurate
measurement in this region of energies requires extremely good
energy and angular resolution to avoid effects due to forwardscattered electrons. With this in mind, he has developed an experimental station to measure the total cross section accurately. Recently, he has been studying the total electron scttering cross section of hydrocarbons and fluorocarbons, research of great importance to astrophysics, atmospheric physics, chemical physics,
plasma physics, bio-medical physics, and semiconductor physics.
His goal in this area of research is to provide an accurate pool of
total electron scattering cross sections for the users in the above
fields and industry.
The past research involves the use of Auger electrons produced
by heavy ion bombardment (protons and He+ ions) of small organic molecules to study the effect of chemical bonding on normal
and satellite lines produced by the impinging ions. The study of
heavy ion induced Auger spectroscopy continued to produce the
K-shell and L-shell ionizations cross sections (an essential tool in
understanding the interaction mechanism between energetic ions
with atoms or molecules) of all second and third raw elements in
the periodic table . In addition, Dr. Ariyasinghe conducted experiments to investigate the isotropic/anisotropic nature of heavy ion
induced Auger emission.
For several years, Dr. W. Ariyasinghe and collaborators have
been involved with the slowing of He+ ions in thin films of vapordeposited elemental matter and in gases to study the degenerate
electron gas model of Jens Lindhard (a student of Niels Bohr in
Copenhagen) in three areas: (i) stopping power, (ii) calculation of
mean ionization potentials, and (iii) energy straggling. The model is
excellent for predicting qualitative features of various parameters,
although certain quantitative limitations are clearly revealed.
Publications:
Total electron scattering cross sections of Kr ans Xe in the energy
range 250 - 4500eV with C. Goains, Phys. Rev. A 70, 1050294
(2005).
Electron scattering cross sections of He, Ne and Ar at intermediate electron energies with C. Goains, D. Powers, T. Wijerathna and P. Phalihawadana, Nucl. Inst and Meth. Phys. Res. B
225 (2004).
Total electron scattering cross sections of CH4 and NH3 molecules in the energy range 400 - 4000eV with T. Wijerathna and
P. Palihawadana, Nucl.Inst and Meth. Phys. Res. B 217 (2004).
Total electron scattering cross sections of PH3 and SiH4 molecules in the energy range 90 – 3500eV with T. Wijerathne and
D. Powers. Phys. Rev. A 68, 032708, (2003).
Total electron scattering cross sections of CF4 and C2F6 in the
energy range 100 – 1500eV Journal of Rad. Phys. Chem. 68, 79
(2003).
Total electron scattering cross seections of CH4, C2H2, C2H4 and
C2H6 in the energy range 200-1400eV with D. Powers, Phys.
Rev. A 66, 052723, (2002).
Absolute K-shell ionization cross-section measurements of B produced by 0.4 - 2.0 MeV H+ and He+ ions and by .6 - 1.2
MeV H2+ ions with D. Powers, Phys. Rev. A 59, 1291 (1999).
K-shell ionization of B,O, and F by 0.4-2.0 MeV He+ ions, with
A. Ghebremedhin and D. Powers. Phys. Rev. A 53, 1537
(1996)
Angular distribution of total LMM Auger electron yields produced
by energetic He+ ions in Ar, Cl, and S with P. Guo, A. Ghebremedin and D. Powers, Physical Review A 51, 2117 (1995).
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 5
Faculty Research Profiles
Gregory A. Benesh
Professor
Chair, Department of Physics
Research Interests:
Surface Electronic Structure
Surface Physics
Gravitational Collapse
Recent Publication:
Homothetic Self-similar Solutions of Three-Dimensional BransDicke Gravity, Gen. Relativ. Gravit. 39, 277-289 (2007).
Professor Greg Benesh's research deals primarily with the study
of metal surfaces with and without adsorbed layers of atoms. The
redistribution of charge upon chemisorption determines the nature
of the surface chemical bond. It also causes a change in the surface
work function and affects the core-level binding energies of atoms
near the adsorption site. Many metal surfaces, such as those of
platinum, tungsten, silver, and gold, display spontaneous phase
transitions from the bulk atomic structure to a new structure once
the surface is created. The role that electrons play in such transitions is under investigation. Metal surfaces also serve as catalysts
for important chemical reactions. The rate at which interactions
progress can often be enhanced by introducing different metal
catalysts or by exposing a different crystal face of the same metal.
Current research focuses on the face-dependent catalytic activity of
various metal surfaces, and on the nature of inter-atomic forces on
surface atoms.
One of the drawbacks of many surface calculations is the problem of interacting surface states across a thin slab; another is the
neglect of bulk electron states which determine surface states and
surface resonances. Professor Benesh and collaborators have developed a computational technique in which these problems are
eliminated by embedding surface atomic layers onto an infinite
bulk substrate. The Surface Embedded Green function (SEGF)
method has proved to be extremely accurate for determining the
energetics of surface states and resonances. Further refinements
and extensions of the method are under development.
Dr. Benesh has been interested in what core-level shifts at surfaces tell us about charge transfer and bonding. An unexpected
result is that adsorbed electropositive atoms, such as cesium, induce smaller surface core-level shifts than electronegative atoms,
such as oxygen. Experimental results such as these have led some
to conclude that electropositive atoms bond more covalently and
less ionically than electronegative atoms.
Currently, Dr. Benesh is focusing attention on several surfaces
of rhodium. The Rh(111) surface is particularly interesting since
the surface and subsurface shifts are in opposite directions! Obviously, contributions other than from charge transfer play an important role, because no charge transfer is expected between
neighboring rhodium atoms. In fact, it is believed that the environmental effect (caused by the reduced coordination of surface
atoms) is at least as important as charge transfer. There is also a
relaxation (final-state) contribution that is caused by the different
screening properties of surface and bulk atoms. Dr. Benesh is
currently calculating all three contributions to the surface and subsurface core-level shifts at the Rh(001), Rh(111), and Rh(110) surfaces.
Dr. Benesh has recently collaborated with Dr. Anzhong Wang in
studying the gravitational collapse of massive stars. They have
been investigating the critical nature of the collapse by finding selfsimilar solutions of the Einstein fluid equations. They are interested in calculating the critical exponents that describe the process.
On the lighter side, Dr. Benesh is also interested in the physics
of everyday phenomena—including the positioning of a gazebo to
mark the summer solstice, the death of Spider-Man’s original girlfriend Gwen Stacy, the drowning of Charlie in the underwater
(Looking Glass) station on the television series LOST, and the
results of various MYTHBUSTERS tests. Dr. Benesh has recently
collaborated with Dr. Jeffrey Olafsen in a theoretical and experimental study of the stability of a can of soda (Dr Pepper, of course!)
on an accelerating plate.
Representative Publications:
Asymptotes of Solutions of a Perfect Fluid Coupled with a Cosmological Constant in Four-Dimensional Spacetime with Toroidal Symmetry, With Anzhong Wang. Gen. Relativ. Gravit. 38,
346 (2006).
Approximating Infinite-k Representations: Surface Relaxations and
Work Functions of Al(001) and Be(0001). With Daniel Gebreselasie. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 9, 8359-8368
(1997).
Surface Embedded Green Function Calculation of Total Energy
and Force Application to Al(001) and Al(110). With Daniel
Gebreselasie. Physical Review B 54, 5940-5945 (1996).
Page 6
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Faculty Research Profiles
Gerald Bryan Cleaver
Associate Professor
Research Interests:
M-theory phenomenology
String Theory
String Cosmology
Dr. Cleaver presented Further Systematic Investigations of the Heterotic String Landscape at the String Vacuum Project Workshop, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, on April 12th and at the annual
April American Physical Society Conference, April 15th, in St.
Louis, MO.
Dr. Gerald Cleaver presented a 60 minute lecture at the Workshop on Cosmology and Theology, August 11th-15th, at the
Wheaton College Science Station near Rapid City, South Dakota.
Cleaver was one of ten who participated in this “by-invitationonly” workshop. Following this, Cleaver travelled to Geneva,
Switzerland to attend the 2008 International Conference on String
Theory at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Additional Scholarly Activities:
Recent Publication:
“Quasi-realistic heterotic-string models with vanishing one-loop
cosmological constant and perturbatively broken supersymmetry?”
with A.E. Faraggi, E. Manno, and C. Timirgaziu Phys.Rev.D 78
(2008) 046009.
Dr. Gerald Cleaver’s research specialty is superstring theory,
which unifies all forces in nature (gravity, electromagnetics, and
the two nuclear forces). In superstring theory each elementary
particle in nature originates as a distinct vibration of a single type
of string (or loop) of energy, much as different musical notes are
produced from a single violin string. Dr. Cleaver's current research
topics in string theory include the construction of phenomenologically realistic superstring models, string/M-theory cosmology, and
the string landscape. Dr. Cleaver is conducting research with lecturer Dr. Tibra Ali and Ph.D. students Richard Obousy, Matt Robinson, Tim Renner, Kristin Pechan, and Jared Greenwald. Drs. Ali
and Cleaver are investigating half-flat manifolds for heterotic
strings. With his students, Dr. Cleaver is conducting a long-term
systematic study of the generic physical properties of the string
landscape in the free-fermionic heterotic region. Richard Obousy
will be defending this Ph.D. dissertation in November and Matt
Robinson will be defending next semester.
Conferences:
Dr. Cleaver was asked to organize the String Theory and the
Multiverse: Philosophical and Theological Implications Science Symposium at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, on
March 26-27. At the Symposium Cleaver presented the 60 minute
plenary lecture The String Landscape, the Multiverse, the Anthropic Principle, and Anselm’s Ontological Argument\. Cleaver also gave a 20 minute talk on String Theory and the Cosmos during the Wheaton College
Chapel. Later that same week, Cleaver also presented The String
Landscape … to the Physics Department at Valparaiso University.
During May-June Gerald taught a “minimester” Graduate Special Topics Course on String Cosmology.
In the last year Dr. Cleaver refereed 16 manuscripts for Physics Essays, 8 manuscripts for web publisher Scientific Journals
International (to which he was appointed to the editorial board),
and 1 project proposal for the Netherlands Organization for Scientific research.
Publications:
“A Note on the standard embedding on half-flat manifolds,” with
Tibra Ali, JHEP 0807 (2008) 121.
“Radius Destabilization in Five Dimensional Orbifolds from Lorentz Violating Fields,” with R. Obousy, arXiv:0805.0019 [gr-qc].
“Warp Drive: A New
arXiv:0712.1649 [gr-qc].
Approach,”
with
R.
Obousy,
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 7
Faculty Research Profiles
Jay R. Dittmann
Assistant Professor
Research Interests:
Experimental Particle Physics
Fermilab Tevatron Collider
Large Hadron Collider at CERN
The Higgs Boson
Recent Publications:
T. Aaltonen, et al. (CDF Collaboration).
Search for new heavy particles decaying to Z0Z0 ➝ eeee in protonantiproton collisions at 1.96 TeV, Phys. Rev. D 78, 012008 (2008).
The Experimental High Energy Physics (HEP) group at Baylor
is engaged in experimental elementary particle physics research at
the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia,
IL, 30 miles west of Chicago. At Fermilab, protons and antiprotons are accelerated to nearly the speed of light by the Tevatron,
an extremely powerful particle accelerator. Beams of protons and
antiprotons collide at the center of two 5,000-ton detectors, and
data recorded from these energetic collisions help physicists to
identify the properties of the elementary particles that make up the
universe.
Led by Dr. Jay Dittmann, the Baylor HEP group participates
on the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) experiment, which
offers opportunities for physics data analysis, detector construction, and detector operation. One of the group’s main projects has
been the upgrade and operation of the eXtremely Fast Tracker
(XFT), an important part of the experimental apparatus that selects interesting proton-antiproton collisions for subsequent data
analysis. Dr. Nils Krumnack, a Postdoctoral Research Associate
working with Dr. Dittmann, led the commissioning of the XFT
project at Fermilab. Dr. Krumnack, who is stationed at Fermilab,
coordinated personnel from six different universities including
Baylor, the University of Illinois, The Ohio State University, Purdue University, U.C. Davis, and the University of Pisa (Italy). The
new tracking system is fully operational and has greatly improved
the quality of the collision data recorded by the CDF experiment.
Baylor’s experimental HEP group currently includes three
graduate students. Sam Hewamanage, a fifth-year graduate student, has made significant contributions by writing a variety of
software diagnostic tools for the XFT system. Currently he is focused on a study of proton-antiproton collisions in which a pho-
ton emerges directly from the collision together with “jets” of energetic particles that indicate the production of quarks and gluons.
Using these data, it is possible to test the predictions of Quantum
Chromodynamics (QCD) and search for “anomalous” physics that
could include the production of new, undiscovered particles. Sam,
together with Drs. Dittmann and Krumnack, recently presented
his analysis in a poster at the 34th International Conference on
High Energy Physics from July 29 – August 5, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA.
Dr. Dittmann is a member of the Executive Board of the CDF
Collaboration at Fermilab. He is a co-author of two Higgs publications that are under internal review at CDF, and he is the chair
of three committees that are presently reviewing other paper
manuscripts for publication in Physical Review D and Physical Review
Letters. Funding for the Experimental High Energy Physics group
at Baylor is provided by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and Baylor University.
Baylor is currently seeking to increase the size of the experimental HEP group by adding an additional faculty member. It is
anticipated that this physicist will work in close collaboration with
Dr. Dittmann to establish a plan and timeline for involvement in
one of the Large Hadron Collider experiments at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.
Publications:
T. Aaltonen, et al. (CDF Collaboration).
Two-particle momentum correlations in jets produced in protonantiproton collisions at 1.96 TeV, Phys. Rev. D 77, 092001 (2008).
The Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). Baylor is one of about
60 universities that study the tiniest particles in nature using this
massive detector.
Page 8
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Faculty Research Profiles
Truell W. Hyde
Professor
Director, CASPER
Vice Provost for Research
Research Interests:
Complex Plasmas
Space Physics
Astrophysics
Recent Publication:
K. Qiao, M. Benesh and T.W. Hyde
Structural Phase Transitions of Three-Dimensional Shielded Coulomb Clusters (Finite Yukawa System), IEEE Transactions on Plasma
Science 35, No. 2, pp. 346-351, April, 2007.
Dr. Hyde’s research groups conduct research within a variety
of theoretical and experimental research areas.
Theoretical
Dispersion Relations in Complex Plasmas. The formation of 2D and
3D coulomb crystals in low temperature plasmas is one of several
interesting problems in a new area of physics called complex plasmas. In a Yukawa system, charged microparticles interact with one
another through a screened Coulomb potential allowing system
ordering ranging from gas→liquid→solid phases. Determining the
dispersion relations of such waves provides a sensitive diagnostic
for use on experimental systems as well as provides data for basic
physics research.
Micro-, Meso- and Nanoscale Formation in Complex Plasmas. The
formation of micro- or mesoscale crystals, clusters and balls in low
temperature plasmas is a recent (and very interesting) problem in
complex plasmas. These particles self assemble into structured
formations depending on the specific boundary conditions. This
research area is of great interest in nanofabrication and manipulation and is on the cutting edge of nanoscience research.
Coagulation of charged micron-sized dust. The coagulation of micronsized dust plays an essential role in the process of protoplanetary
formation. Protoplanets are formed from the gas and dust left in
the circumstellar disk of a newly formed star where the gas and
dust coalesces on a relatively short time scale. Since the dust is
immersed in a plasma environment, it will become charged.
Dynamics of charged grains in Saturn's F Ring. Saturn's F Ring is a
dynamic system as shown in Voyager pictures revealing braids,
kinks, and clumps evolving over a matter of weeks or months. The
plasma conditions in the F Ring are unknown, but it is reasonable
to assume that the micron sized dust contained in the ring is
weakly charged. As such, Saturn's magnetic field imparts a significant perturbation to the orbits of these grains leading to a sizesorting mechanism which may influence the formation of braids
and clumps.
Experimental
Complex Plasmas / Collidal Systems. Micron-sized dust immersed
in a plasma is known as a complex plasmas. Within such plasmas,
the grains can form an ordered (crystalline) lattice when the ratio
of the kinetic energy of the dust grains to their potential energy is
small. A primary instrument for examining such complex plasmas
is a GEC RF Reference Cell modified to allow the formation of
dust crystals. CASPER's two (2) GEC RF cells are currently being
used to study such effects as size distributions of the dust grains,
wave propagation through crystalline lattices, dispersion properties
of the system and interparticle forces between individual grains.
Meso- and Nanoscale Physics. One of the primary instruments for
examining meso- and nanoscale physics is a GEC RF Reference
Cell modified to allow the formation of dust crystals. CASPER's
two (2) GEC RF cells (one of which is equipped with a Zyvex
S100 nanomanipulator system) are currently being used to study
such effects as micro and mesoscale structure formation, wave
propagation through crystalline lattices, dispersion properties of
the system and interparticle forces between individual grains. All
of these areas are of interest in the new field of nanoscale science,
particularly nanofabrication and manipulation.
Fusion Research. Over the past decade, dust particulate contamination has increasingly become an area of concern within the fusion research community. In a burning plasma machine design
like the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
(ITER), dust presents problems for diagnostic integration and
may contribute to tritium safety issues. Since the dynamics of such
dust can in general be explained employing a combination of the
ion drag, Coulomb force, and ion pre-sheath drifts, recent research
in complex (dusty) plasma physics often offers unique insights for
this research area. Research is underway to determine how experimental observations of the dust and plasma parameters within a
GEC RF Reference Cell and the data collected from both impact
and witness plates within the light gas accelerator might be employed to diagnose conditions within fusion reactors, hopefully
providing insight into possible mechanisms for dust detection and
removal.
Low Velocity Impact Studies. Spacecraft and satellites in orbit
around Earth are constantly subject to impacts with dust traveling
at speeds ranging from a few meters per second to a few kilometers per second. At the HIDPL, two Light Gas Accelerators and a
Linear Accelerator are used to study impact craters, conduct research and development on impact detection sensors, and collect
the data necessary to properly assess the durability of materials
used in space.
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 9
Faculty Research Profiles
Lorin Swint Matthews
Assistant Professor
Research Interests:
Complex Plasmas
Theoretical Space Physics
Experimental Space Physics
CASPER
Recent Publications:
Matthews, L., and T. Hyde,
Charging and Growth of Fractal Dust Grains, IEEE Transactions on
Plasma Science, 36(1), 310-314, 2008.
My research interests cover a variety of areas, both theoretical
and experimental, in complex plasmas and space physics. Several
of these projects combine theory and experiment, and most are
collaborative efforts with graduate and undergraduate students,
post-docs, and other faculty members in the Physics Department.
The projects I have been working on most recently are the charging and coagulation of fractal aggregates, the coagulation of magnetic grains, and dynamics of charged grains in Saturn’s F ring.
The coagulation of micrometer sized particles in a complex
(dusty) plasma is a fundamental process that plays an important
role in the early parts of planet formation. Planets form through
mutual collisions of planetesimals, bodies ranging in size from 1 to
10 km. The planetesimals in turn are thought to have formed from
the dominant constituent material of circumstellar disks: gas and
dust. Recent astronomical evidence shows that the coagulation
process must be very efficient to have the planets form on relatively short time scales. The primary factors that affect the coagulation rate are the relative velocity between grains, collisional crosssection, and sticking probability. Several experimental and numerical studies have made it evident that coagulation results in the formation of fluffy fractal aggregates.
In the primordial solar nebula, the dust is imbedded in a plasma
and can become charged. While dust grains usually charge negatively, the arrangement of charge over the dust surface can lead to
dipole moments which actually enhance coagulation. I have been
working with post-docs Victor Land and Ke Qiao and graduate
student Theresa Ma to develop and enhance charging and coagulation models which include the effects of dipole-dipole charge in-
teractions. We’ve also designed laboratory experiments which
used gold-coated (conducting) grains to see if dipole moments on
individual spheres affect the dynamics of dust crystals. (Lab experiments usually use grains made from melamine formaldehyde, a
non-conductor.) Jorge Carmona-Reyes and Bernie Smith have
been coordinating these efforts. Matthew Benesh completed his
senior physics research project under my direction modeling the
thermophoretic force on dust crystals in a laboratory plasma.
The initial dust which is available in protoplanetary disks also
includes magnetic material, which may have magnetic domains
frozen in as they condense from vapor. These grains also have
strong dipole-dipole interactions during collisions and as a result,
the magnetic dipoles are usually aligned in the resulting aggregate
structure. Two undergraduate students, Jonathan Perry and Erik
Remkus, have been working on revising our numerical models to
include these effects.
Eileen Fernandez has also been working on her Senior Honors
Research project under my direction for the last year and a half.
She has been working on translating a code for circumplanetary
Martian dust from Fortran into Matlab. She will then generalize
the program for Saturn’s F Ring to model the effects of grain
charge, Saturn’s magnetic field, the shepherding moons, and solar
radiation pressure and gravity on ring dynamics.
Professional Activities:
Conducting Grains in Dusty Plasmas, Jorge Carmona-Reyes, Lorin
Matthews, Truell Hyde, paper presented at the 37th COSPAR
(Committee on Space Research) Scientific Assembly in Montreal,
Canada, July 13-18, 2008.
Effect of Plasma Distribution Function on the Growth of Fractal
Aggregates, Lorin Matthews, Victor Land, Truell Hyde, paper presented at the 37th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Montreal, Canada, July 13-18, 2008.
Light Gas Gun Testing of PVDF by Undergraduates, Truell Hyde,
Jorge Carmona-Reyes, Lorin Matthews, poster presented at the
37th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Montreal, Canada, July 13-18,
2008.
Developing a Seamless Science Education Program (K-Graduate
School), Bernard Smith, Jorge Carmona-Reyes, Truell Hyde, Lorin
Matthews, paper presented at the 37th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Montreal, Canada, July 13-18, 2008.
Modeling Charging and Coagulation of Fractal Aggregates, seminar presented to the Baylor Physics Department, March 26, 2008.
Smith B., T. Hyde, L. Matthews, J. Reay, M. Cook, and J.
Schmoke, Phase Transitions in a Dusty Plasma with Two Distinct
Particle Sizes, Advances in Space Research, 41(9), 1509-1512, 2008.
A mosaic of 107 images of Saturn’s F ring from the Cassini spacecraft showing some of the unusual dynamic structures seen in the ring.
Page 10
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Faculty Research Profiles
Jeffrey Stuart Olafsen
Associate Professor
Research Interests:
Nonlinear Systems
Biomechanics
Non-equilibrium Physics
Recent Publication:
I. S. Aranson, A. Snezhko, J. S. Olafsen, and J. S. Urbach,
Comment on ‘Long-Lived Giant Number Fluctuations in a
Swarming Granular Nematic.’ Science, 320, 612 (2008).
Dr. Jeffrey Olafsen’s research interests are interdisciplinary in
nature, cutting across scientific disciplines to examine systems at
the interface of physics, chemistry, biology and engineering. In
particular, Dr. Olafsen is interested in processes that are driven far
from equilibrium as well as systems that are inherently nonlinear in
their dynamic behavior.
Unlike most research disciplines in physics, nonlinear dynamics
typically extends across research topics and the investigations tend
to be interdisciplinary by nature. This has advantages of incorporating techniques from many disciplines to attack unanswered
problems. The majority of the research program so far has centered on “table top” investigations of driven granular gases, large
collections of macroscopic particles for which deterministic equations exist but for which unique solutions cannot be determined
for any one single particle.
The results of the investigations are applicable to a variety of
different industrial processes from pharmaceuticals to grain transportation and storage. Granular physics applies to the handling of
any material that is composed of a large number of macroscopic
particles. Common examples are the handling and transportation
of munitions, food grains and sand, and even improving the understanding of the formation of larger structures such as planets in
the early solar system. Even though such media can appear to
flow like a fluid, there are important differences that do not allow
their behavior to be predicted with the Navier-Stokes equation, as
is the case with classical fluids like water and oil. For instance,
granular materials can randomly clog and jam very easily due the
large amount of friction between particle surfaces. These behav-
iors are by definition nonlinear in nature and are extremely difficult
to predict. Because of the lack of a constitutive equation, industrial processes in the past have been created on a case-by-case basis
but the fundamental physics underlying such materials is not well
understood.
The projects themselves are diverse, from insect biomechanics
to granular plasmas, low dimensional chaos, imaging and predicting structural failure of buildings, and developing new sensing
techniques for detecting land mines in shallow sand beds. The
students who work in the nonlinear dynamics lab are thereby
trained in a more interdisciplinary manner to help create the next
generation of researchers who will be called upon to solve the
challenges of an increasingly interdisciplinary research landscape.
The majority of the previous investigations have been pursued by
undergraduate researchers in the lab, a benefit of the experiments
being “table top” in size and scope, perfect for an undergraduate
laboratory research experience . As the pilot projects, originally
pursued by the undergraduates, mature, they are handed over to
graduate student researchers who have longer periods of time to
invest in more thorough scientific investigations.
In the past year, several undergraduate students were hard at
work in Dr. Olafsen’s laboratory. Kristin Combs worked on an
experiment to follow up the lab’s observation of molecular chaos
in a system driven far from equilibrium. During the summer, Kristin continued her work in the lab and undergraduate Jacob Jantzi
developed an experiment to examine mixing in granular flows due
to rotational modes. REU student Kyle Taljan developed a coupled logistic map for the chaotic encryption of image data, and
sophomore Lindsay Buckingham worked to analyze image data
from a photogrammetry project. Work by these students was used
in grant proposals to ACS, NSF, NASA & the Welch Foundation.
Publications:
G. W. Baxter and J. S. Olafsen, “Experimental Evidence for Molecular Chaos in Granular Gases..” Physical Review Letters, 99,
028001 (2007).
G. W. Baxter and J. S. Olafsen, “The temperature of a vibrated
granular gas.” Granular Matter, 9, 135-139 (2007).
X. Zhao, S. M. Williams, J. S. Olafsen, “Water release from shaken
silica substrates in a catalytic reactor.” ASCE Conference Proceedings, 188, 76 (2006).
M. D. Sturge (deceased) and J. S. Olafsen, A Solutions Manual for
Statistical and Thermal Physics: Fundamentals and Applications by M. D. Sturge, Published by A.K. Peters, Ltd. (2005).
Revised (2006).
J. S. Olafsen and J. S. Urbach, “Two-dimensional melting far from
equilibrium in a granular monolayer.” Physical Review Letters,
95, 098002 (2005).
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 11
Faculty Research Profiles
Linda Jean Olafsen
tinues to work on a waveguide model (written in IDL) to match
the spatial profiles we measure in the laboratory.
Associate Professor
Acquisition of a Nano-second Time Resolved Spectroscopy
accessory that interfaces with the step-scan Fourier Transfer Infrared Spectrometer now allows for the measurement of short-pulse
infrared emission spectra. This fast detection system has already
been used to verify the output wavelengths of the optical parametric oscillator used for optically pumping semiconductor materials,
but more importantly has yielded the spectral output of the midinfrared laser materials being studied in the laboratory, opening the
possibilities for a plethora of new experimental characterization
measurements.
Research Interests:
Semiconductor lasers
Mid-IR physics
Biophysics devices
Recent Publication:
Progress in Semiconductor Materials V — Novel Materials and
Electronic and Optoelectronic Applications, edited by Linda J.
Olafsen, Robert M. Biefeld, Michael C. Wanke, Adam W. Saxler
(Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 891, Warrendale, PA, 2006).
Dr. Linda Olafsen leads the semiconductor laser optics laboratory. Students in her group perform experimental research on the
optical and electronic properties of layered semiconductors, particularly antimonide-based quantum well heterostructures designed
to emit or absorb mid-infrared radiation. These “wave-function
engineering” devices have within their structures elaborate combinations of finite quantum wells and tunneling barriers, making
them very practical applications of introductory quantum mechanics. The target wavelength range is between 3 and 5 μm, and these
wavelengths are important for countermeasures and for developing chemical sensors that are at least 100 times more sensitive than
those operating in the near-infrared.
In the spring, Windrik Lynch completed his University Scholar
thesis work, “Laser Beam Profiling from an Electrically Stimulated
W-Well Semiconductor,” culminating over a year of undergraduate
involvement in the laboratory. He is now in his first year of medical school at Texas A&M University.
Ph.D. student Angela Douglass continues her hard work in the
laboratory and has made great strides taking seminal data in the
laboratory. She is now moving from reconciling our measurements with previous work to investigating new optically pumped
semiconductor laser structures using our novel variable pump
wavelength technique to excite these materials at their resonant
wavelength.
Graduate student Alex Price is the newest member of the
group and joined the lab after completing his first year of graduate
studies at Baylor. His work thus far has been focused on profiling
the output of our mid-infrared semiconductor lasers, and he con-
Drs. Jeffrey and Linda Olafsen continued an investigation supported by a Faculty Research Investment Program grant to use an
infrared camera to measure spatial output profiles from midinfrared semiconductor lasers. While still working to optimize and
calibrated these new measurement techniques, they have been able
to observe differences between images of “on” and “off ” states
of the laser. An infrared image is shown below.
After teaching Solid State Physics to the senior Physics majors
in the spring, Dr. Olafsen once again has the privilege of teaching
an honors section of Physics 1420 this fall. The 18 students enrolled are a superposition of University Scholars and majors in
Physics, Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and even
Political Science and Business. Five of the new freshman Physics
majors are in this class.
Publications:
J. T. Olesberg, C. Cao, J. R. Yager, J. P. Prineas, C. Coretsopoulos,
M. A. Arnold, L. J. Olafsen, and M. Santilli, “Optical microsensor for continuous gluclose measurements in interstitial
fluid,” Proceedings of the SPIE, 6094, 609403 (2006).
J. P. Prineas, J. R. Yager, J. T. Olesberg, S. Seydmohamadi, C. Cao,
M. Reddy, C. Coresopoulos, J. L. Hicks, T. F. Boggess, M.
Santilli, and L. J. Olafsen, “PIN versus PN homojunctions in
GaInAsSb 2.0–2.5 micron mesa photodiodes,” Proceedings of the
SPIE, 6119, 611903 (2006).
T. C. McAlpine, K. R. Greene, M. R. Santilli, and L. J. Olafsen, W.
W. Bewley, C. L. Felix, I. Vurgaftman, and J. R. Meyer, H. Lee
and R. U. Martinelli, “Resonantly pumped optical pumping
injection cavity lasers,” Journal of Applied Physics, 96, 4751
(2004).
Left: Infrared image through
a calcium fluoride window of
an electrically pumped semiconductor device mounted on
the cold stage of a dewar. The
image was obtained by a IRcamera used to examine emissions in the 3-12 micron range.
Page 12
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Faculty Research Profiles
Kenneth Taesung Park
Associate Professor
Research Interests:
Surface Defects of
Transition Metal Oxides
Interface between Metal
and Thin Films of
Organic Molecules
that in FePc on Ag(111), the organic thin film forms a commensurate overlayer structure (see Figure below). Moreover, FePc molecules exhibit a distinctive molecular orientation within the unit cell.
The molecules at the opposite corners in the unit cell align and
point their isoindole rings at each other along the unit cell diagonal. In this arrangement, the intermolecular distance is significantly
increased despite of weakening the van der Waals-type intermolecular attraction. The molecular orientation of FePc is in sharp
contrast to that observed from a close-packed square lattice that
many metallo-phthalcyanine (MPc) molecules including CuPc often self-assemble into. This distinctive overlayer structure of FePc
among MPc is attributed to strong interaction of FePc with Ag(111)
through the molecular orbitals centered on Fe2+ (e.g. Fe3dxz,yz) and
the Ag 4dxz,yz valence states [3].
References:
Dr. Park and his collaborators at the Center for Nanophase
Materials Sciences have been working on a single crystal “model
catalyst” such as TiO2 to investigate surface morphology, defects,
local electronic structure, and chemical properties using scanning
tunneling microscopy (STM) and other surface sensitive probes.
The crucial role that Ti interstitials play in surface reconstructions
and formation of sub-stoichiometric defects has been elucidated
[1]. As for the first case study, they have investigated the relationship between distinct local structures and stoichiometry of these Ti
interstitial-based, surface defects and their chemical reactivity, exemplified in the reaction with molecular oxygen [2]. Ab initio molecular dynamics calculations show that the row of Ti interstitials,
as a highly under-coordinated cationic site, readily dissociates molecular oxygen. The dissociated oxygen surrounds a Ti interstitial
to form an oxygen plane of a partial octahedron. On the other
hand, the partially oxidized Ti2O2 strand exhibits much subdued
reactivity. Although the line defect neither dissociates nor adsorbs
molecular oxygen, it serves as a nucleation site for an oxidized Ti
interstitial such as a TiO2 molecule and for further growth of the
line defect. The results from this work should be of broad interest
as the interaction of oxygen with TiO2 is essential in many photochemical and catalytic processes including the oxidation of CO by
gold nanoparticles supported on titania as well as other reducible
oxide supports.
Another active research topic is centered on the thin film formation of organic molecules on surface. Copper phthalocyanine
(CuPc) and its family of Pc molecules have attracted considerable
interest. This interest originates in part from the possibility that the
electrical and optical properties of these organic molecules can be
easily manipulated by systematically altering the metal cations and
ligands. The presence of a surface can affect the thin film morphology and their electronic structure. Kedar Manandhar observed
[2] Re-oxidation of TiO2(110) via Ti interstitials and Line Defects,
K. T. Park, M. Pan, V. Meunier, and E. W. Plummer, Phys. Rev. B
75, 245415 (2007).
[3] Heteroepitaxial Thin Films of Iron Phthalocyanine on Ag(111),
K. Manandhar, K. T. Park, S. Ma and J. Hrbek, in preparation
(2008).
0.5 1
Re-oxidation of TiO2(110) via Ti interstitials and Line Defects, K.
T. Park, M. Pan, V. Meunier, and E. W. Plummer, Phys. Rev. B 75,
245415 (2007).
[1] Surface Reconstructions of TiO2(110) Driven by Sub-Oxides,
K. T. Park, M. Pan, V. Meunier, and E. W. Plummer, Phys. Rev.
Lett. 96, 226105 (2006).
0
0
Recent Publication:
0
1
2
3
4
STM image (Left) and the height profiles (Right) of the ordered
FePc molecules on Ag(111). (40 nm x 40 nm, -1.93 V, 12 pA). a
and b are the overlayer lattice vectors, f is the angle between the
lattice vectors and θ is the angle between [0-11] and a. (Lower
Left) A model showing structure of FePcs unit lattice, compared
to the model showing the more commonly observed, closepacked arrangement of MPc (Lower Right).
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 13
Faculty Research Profiles
Dwight Russell
Associate Professor
Research Interests:
Materials Science
Quantum Solids
Astronomy
Recent Publication:
Role of Surface Dimer and Gas-Phase Excitation Models in Electron Stimulated Desorption of Ions from Sodium Chloride(100)
Crystals, D. P. Russell, W. Durrer, Rad. Eff. and Def. in Solids 160,
151 - 154 (2005).
This year my activities have covered four main areas: teaching
intro astronomy, research on pulsating white dwarf stars, research
on alkali halide surfaces and as past-chair the Texas section of the
American Physical Society (TSAPS).
The introductory astronomy course continues to be a popular
course with class sizes approaching 300 students. The field of
astronomy certainly ‘helps out’ by providing a veritable flood of
new and exciting discoveries. It is easy to say that the last fifteen
years of astronomy are as significant in the increase and impact on
our understanding of the physical universe as at any time in history. Happily, this trend shows no signs of slowing down. It truly
is an exciting time to introduce students to the study of astronomy.
In efforts to improve our astronomy facilities, several of the faculty have begun visiting planetariums in Texas. The technology
for star field projection and incorporating multimedia into planetarium activities is truly revolutionary and maturing rapidly. It
holds real promise as a powerful tool to introduce students to the
universe It was very nice this year to be recognized in the Spring
commencement as outstanding teacher in the College of Arts and
Sciences. Being part of a great department helps one be their best
as well.
In a small way we are contributing to the body of knowledge in
astronomy by participating photometric studies of pulsating white
dwarf stars. This work is done in collaboration with Don Winget’s
group at UT-Austin and the Central Texas Astronomical Society’s
Meyer Observatory. This work involves the study of a unique
instability strip on the HR-diagram. It has provided both summer
students in the REU program and our own seniors with important
interesting research projects. As part of the is project I also visited
Shelly Hynes in Natchitoches LA to set up the camera in the observatory at the Louisiana School for Math/Science/Arts.
In the area of material science, my work on electron irradiation
of alkali halides has continued. This year we have added a com-
puter simulation project. Recent studies by Marek Szymoksi’s
group at the Jagolleon University in Austria has shown the importance of F* defects in the distribution of permanent defects in
alkali halides and has demonstrated the role of surface pitting in
the desorption of alkali metal atoms. Using these new insights, we
have developed a new simulation of the growth of alkali-rich regions on the surface and in the near surface bulk under electron
irradiation. Computer modeling of these process is continuing. In
addition, we have acquired a new sample manipulator capable of
controlling sample temperature from less than 100 K to over 800
K. This provides for the first time the ability to distinguish between normal thermal energy and local heating due to electron
energy deposition.
As past-chair of the Texas Section of the APS (TSAPS), I am
head of two committees for the TSAPS: the Hyer award committee and the ‘Texas Hall of Fame’ committee. The Hyer award is
the premier award for excellence in research to be offered by
TSAPS. It is in its second year and reports from the award judges
are that several outstanding nominations have been submitted.
The ‘Texas Hall of Fame’ which is at present only a working title,
is a new project to establish an advisory committee for TSAPS
consisting of members who have made significant contributions
over and extended period to maintaining and expanding TSAPS.
This serves two purposes. It provides a way to maintain expertise
important to the continuity of the programs supported by TSAPS.
It also provides a much needed way of recognizing the contributions that have been made and affect so many, particularly students, active in the Texas physics community. Finally, the executive committee has worked with the Four corners section of the
APS to form the first ever joint meeting of the two sections. This
meeting will be held at UTEP, El Paso TX, Oct 17-19, 2008.
Publications:
Elastic interactions and the metallurgical and acoustic effects of
carbon in the Caribbean steel drum, Ferreyra E, Murr LE,
Russell DP, Bingert JF, Materials Characterization 47 (2001) 325363.
Electron and Photon-Stimulated Desorption of Atomic Hydrogen
from Radiation-Modified Alkali Halide Surface, L. T. Hudson,
N. H. Tolk, C. Bao, P. Nordlander, D. P. Russell, J. Xu, Phys.
Rev. B 62 (15) 10535 – 10543 (2000).
Materials Science and Metallurgy of the Steel Caribbean Steel
Drum, Parts 1&2, (with L.E. Murr et al.) Journal of Materials
Science 34 967-979 (1999).
Page 14
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Faculty Research Profiles
Anzhong Wang
Professor
Research Interests:
Late Cosmic Acceleration
of the Universe in string/
M-Theory
Advanced Numerical
Analysis of Observational
Data
String/Brane Inflation
High Dimensional Black
Holes & AdS/CFT
Correspondence
Recent Publication:
Y. Gong and A. Wang, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 211301 (2007)
[arXiv:0704.0793].
GCAP (Gravity, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics Group)
is one of the three theoretical research groups in CASPER, and
was formed in the spring of 2006. Currently, it consists of 12
members: Dr. Anzhong Wang (Physics), the head of the group,
Dr. Qin (Tim) Sheng (Mathematics), Dr. Yumei Wu (Physics), Dr.
Rong-Gen Cai, an adjunct professor from the Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Dr. N. O. Santos, an
adjunct professor from the Brazilian National Scientific Computation Lab (LNCC); graduate students, Michael Devin, Te (Hart) Ha,
Yongqing Huang, Preet Sharma, Andreas Tziolas, and Qiang
(Bob) Wu; and one undergraduate student, Erik Lentz.
Recently, research topics include the late cosmic acceleration of
the universe and the early universe in the framework of string/MTheory, advanced and highly effective and efficient numerical fittings of observational data sets, the cosmological constant and
hierarchy problems, higher dimensional black holes, AdS/CFT
correspondence, and their thermodynamics and formation.
One of the remarkable discoveries over the past decade in astronomy is that currently our universe is at its accelerating expansion phase. In Einstein's theory, to account for such an acceleration, a new component to the matter fields of the universe with a
large negative pressure is needed, the dark energy. Recent astronomical observations indicate that our universe is flat and currently consists of approximately 70% dark energy, 25% dark matter, and 5% baryonic matter and radiation.
A fundamental question in this direction is the nature and origin of the dark energy. The hierarchy and cosmological constant
problems are other outstanding problems in particle physics and
cosmology. To solve them, recently brane-world scenarios were
proposed, in which our four-dimensional universe is considered as
a brane embedded in a high dimensional bulk. An important result
of such investigations is that high dimensional black holes are predicted to be produced in the next generation of colliders in laboratories, such as the newly-built Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
In addition, theories of gravity, including general relativity,
predict the existence of black holes and gravitational waves. Black
holes, their thermodynamics and formation from gravitational
collapse have been one of the main focuses in the last couple of
decades. Recently these studies have further been promoted by
several gravitational wave detectors, such as LIGO (USA, 2002),
GE600 (Germany & England, 2002), Virgo (Italy & France, 2002),
and TAM300 (Japan, 2001).
Publications:
Q. Wu, P. Vo, N.O. Santos, A. Wang, JCAP, 09, 004 (2008)
[arXiv:0804.0620].
P. Rocha, A.Y. Miguelote, R. Chan, M.F. da Silva, N.O. Santos, and
A. Wang, JCAP, 06, 025 (2008) [arXiv:0803.4200].
A. Wang and N.O. Santos, The cosmological constant in the brane
world of string theory on S1/Z2, Phys. Lett. B, in press
(2008) [arXiv:0712.3938].
Y.-G. Gong, A. Wang, and Q. Wu, Phys. Lett. B 663, 147 (2008)
[arXiv:0711.1597].
Y.-G. Gong, Q. Wu, and A. Wang, Astrophys. J. 681, 27 (2008)
[arXiv:0708.1817].
Q. Wu, Y. Gong, A. Wang, and J. Alcaniz, Phys. Lett. B 659, 34
(2008) [arXiv:0705.1006].
A. Tziolas and A. Wang, Phys. Lett. B 661, 5 (2008)
[arXiv:0704.1311].
A. Wang, R.-G. Cai, N.O. Santos, Nucl. Phys. B 797, 395 (2008)
[arXiv:astro-ph/0607371].
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 15
Faculty Research Profiles
B. F. L. Ward
Distinguished Professor
Research Interests:
Theoretical Physics
Particle Physics
Relativistic Quantum
Mechanics
Quantum Field Theory
Recent Publication:
B.F.L. Ward
IR -Improved DGLAP-CS Theory: Kernels, Parton Distributions,
Reduced Cross Sections, Annals of Physics 323, (2008) 2147 – 2171.
The goal of theoretical elementary particle physics is to understand the most fundamental laws which govern our universe, and
to understand the structure and nature of the universe at the deepest level. Theorists at Baylor are approaching these questions from
a variety of perspectives.
Standard Model Phenomenology
The interactions of all known subatomic particles can be described by a single theoretical framework known as the "Standard
Model". This model describes matter in terms of leptons
(including electrons, neutrinos, ...) and quarks, together with their
interactions via force-carriers called "gauge bosons", which include
the photon, W and Z bosons, and gluons. The theory is modeled
by a gauge group SU(2)L x U(1) x SU(3)c which encompasses all
known forces except gravity, which is too weak on small scales to
have been observed in any particle physics experiments. An important constituent of the standard model is the Higgs boson, which is
associated with a Higgs field which causes most of the particles in
the standard model to acquire a mass.
Large high-energy physics laboratories such as the ones at Fermilab, SLAC, and CERN, have been very successful in verifying
the predictions of the standard model, with the exception of finding the Higgs boson. Discovering and uncovering the properties of
the Higgs boson is the primary goal of particle colliders currently
under construction, including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at
CERN. Interpreting the results of high-energy collisions in terms
of the standard model requires high precision calculations of the
various processes and backgrounds which are to be observed. The
theoretical high energy physics phenomenology group at Baylor
focuses on rigorous quantum field theoretic investigations an em-
phasis on the theory of higher order radiative corrections to the
SU(2)L x U(1) x SU(3)c model of elementary particle interactions.
Dr. Ward is engaged in constructing computer realizations of the
quantum field theory calculations required for high-precision tests
of the Standard Model.
Collision properties are calculated in the context of realistic detector simulations using "Monte Carlo" event generators, which
randomly generate scattering events based on the predictions of
quantum field theory. The Monte Carlo realization of the radiative
corrections has played an essential role in precision Standard
Model tests and new physics probes in the LEPII final data analysis, and in the preparation of the physics for the CERN LHC.
These calculations also have immediate consequences for the ongoing studies at the lower-energy FNAL Tevatron and for precision Standard Model tests at the B-Factories and at the Φ-Factory.
High precision is achieved via resummation methods based on the
theory of Yennie, Frautschi and Suura (YFS), which have been
extended to non-Abelian gauge theories like QCD.
The YFS methods, which allow one to resum the infrared terms
in quantum field theory, can also be extended and applied to perturbative quantum gravity. Dr. Ward has been investigating this,
and in the process has found a new way to analyze classes of quantum gravity graphs which may otherwise have been expected to
produce divergences. This may provide a fruitful new approach to
the long-standing problem of quantizing gravity.
More recently, this summer Dr. Ward was invited to lecture at
the Werner-Heisenberg-Institut, Max-Planck-Institut, Munich,
Germany, at the 2008 HERA-LHC Workshop in CERN, Geneva,
Switzerland, and at the 34th International Conference on High
Energy Physics (ICHEP08) in Philadelphia, PA. The lecture at the
MPI, as with his poster presentation at ICHEP08, presented a
summary of the new results of his group on their unique platform
for precision LHC physics by MC methods, the only such platform in the world wherein quarks can be massive in the higher
order initial state QCD radiation. His lecture at ICHEP08 presented the latest result of this new UV finite approach to quantum
general relativity.
Page 16
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Faculty Research Profiles
Walter Wilcox
Professor
Research Interests:
My Baylor colleague, Abdou Abdel-Rehim (now moved to
William and Mary University), and I attended the “Lattice 2008”
conference in Williamsburg, VA this past summer. We made two
presentations there involving new deflated hermitian matrix inversions methods as well as some new results for electric polarizability
on the lattice. This work is being done in collaboration with Ron
Morgan of the Baylor mathematics Department.
Lattice QCD
Disconnected Diagrams
Hadron Polarizability
Deflation Algorithms
Finite Quark Matter
The following presentations can be retrieved from the conference site using the links. These three presentations are entitled
(respectively):
Deflated and restarted symmetric Lanczos methods for linear equations in
lattice QCD problems with multiple right-hand side
Recent Publication:
http://conferences.jlab.org/lattice 2008/talks/parallel/walter_wilcox.pdf
With Dean Darnell and Ronald B. Morgan,
Seed methods for linear equations in lattice QCD problems with multiple
right-hand sides
Deflated GMRES for Systems with Multiple Shifts and Multiple
Right-Hand Sides, Linear Algebra and its Applications, 429, (2008),
pp. 2415-2434.
http://conferences.jlab.org/lattice 2008/talks/poster/abdou_abdel-rehim.pdf
Tests of Electric Polarizability on the Lattice
http://conferences.jlab.org/lattice 2008/talks/poster/frank_lee.pdf
Research Area Description
My main area of research is the study of the interactions of
particles known as quarks and gluons; I do extensive numerical
simulations of the theory describing these particles, known as
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Lattice QCD represents a
numerical attempt to solve, and compare to experiment, physically
observable quantities. State of the art numerical methods, including matrix deflation, are used to solve the theory on high performance computers. My field is called “lattice" QCD because I simulate the interactions of the theory on a discrete space-time lattice
using numerical methods on supercomputers. The variables in the
lattice represent the QCD vacuum, the basis of all other particle
states. These variables are determined via a Monte Carlo procedure
in each “configuration” and all physical quantities are then defined
by an average over these configurations. Lattice QCD benefits
from a synergy of field theory, experimental particle physics and
computer technology.
One of my recent areas of activity has been the electric and
magnetic polarizability coefficients, as well as magnetic moments,
of hadronic systems. We do these calculations by putting uniform
electric or magnetic external fields in the lattice simulations and
measuring the changes in energy of the particle. This work is being
done in collaboration with Frank X. Lee at George Washington
University. See the figure to the right, from Phys. Lett. B 627: 71
(2005), giving the magnetic moments of the proton and neutrons
as a function of pion mass squared. The lines are simple extrapolations from the data and the red triangles are experimental values of
these quantities. When I was a graduate student, I never imagined
that one would be able to calculate these quantities. Lattice QCD
is working well!
Recent Publications:
Magnetic moments of vector, axial, and tensor mesons in lattice
QCD, Frank X. Lee, Scott Moerschbacher (George Washington
U.), and Walter Wilcox, arXiv: 0807.4150 (submitted for publication, Phys. Rev. D).
Deflated and restarted symmetric Lanczos methods for eigenvalues and linear equations with multiple right-hand sides, Abdou M.
Abdel-Rehim (Baylor U.) , Ronald B. Morgan, Dywayne A. Nicely
(Baylor U., Math. Dept.), and Walter Wilcox, arXiv: 0806.3477
(submitted for publication, SIAM J. Scientific Computing, special
issue for Copper Mtn conference).
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 17
Lecturer Profiles
Tibra Ali
Born in Bangladesh, Tibra received
his bachelor and masters degrees from
Dhaka University (birthplace of BoseEinstein statistics). He obtained his
PhD in High Energy Physics in the
Department of Applied Mathematics
and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge
University. After a postdoctoral position here at Baylor, Tibra joined the department as a lecturer
teaching PHY 1420 & 1430 and is supervising the introductory
sequence tutorials. In 2008, Tibra published “A Note on the standard embedding on half-flat manifolds” with Dr. Gerald Cleaver in
JHEP, 0807:121 (2008).
Linda Kinslow
Linda Kinslow has been
teaching at Baylor University
for seven years. She also
coordinates the undergraduate physics labs.
Prior to
coming to Baylor she worked
for BP as a exploration geophysicist. Linda earned her
PhD degree from Baylor.
John Vasut
John Vasut received his PhD from
Baylor University in 2001 and has
been working as a full-time
lecturer in the department since
2002.
He was named Advisor of the
Year at the 14th Annual Baylor
Advisor Appreciation Banquet
held on April 16, 2007.
Yumei Wu
Yumei received her PhD from the
University of Ioannina in Greece in
1992.
In addition to lecturing, she continues to
do theoretical research in viscoelastic
systems.
In 2007, Yumei published “Kink Instability of Self-Similar Solutions of Scalar
Field in 2+1 Gravity with A. Wang in
Gen. Relativ. Grav. 39, 663-676 (2007).
Edward Schaub
Ed Schaub has been involved
in the Baylor Physics department for the past 22 years,
first as an instrumentation
engineer on the NASA
CRAF/CoDEM project under the leadership of Dr.
Merle Alexander, and most
recently as a full-time lecturer. Previous to his Baylor
employment, Schaub held a number of positions in industry. He
was a production engineer with Texas Instruments in the Government Products Division and a research engineer with AFS Research Corporation investigating alternate energy resources.
Schaub holds an M.S. in Physics and an M.S. in Environmental
Studies.
… and our latest addition: Randy Hall
The Department is pleased to welcome
Randy Hall as a lecturer this fall. Randy
received his Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Physics and Mathematics from
Baylor in 1971, and an MS in Mathematics from Baylor in 1972). Randy did
additional graduate work in mathematics
and computer science (1973-75) at UT
Austin.
Randy Hall is President and CEO of Digatex, Inc., a developer and
supplier of accounting and management software for soft drink
bottlers and other food and beverage distributors (1978-2007).
He is married to Cathey L Hall (BSEd Baylor 1973) and they have
a daughter Jessica (BBA Baylor 2006) currently a 3rd year law student at Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth. This summer, Randy participated in the First Bytes Workshop given by the computer science department at the University of Texas at Austin.
Page 18
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Special Research Focus: Nano-scale physics
The Quest for Understanding Nanometer-sized Defects
In this new millennium, a greater emphasis is placed on nanoscale science and technology. The need for fundamental science in
this area has been underlined in a DOE report [1]. “The reason that
nanoscale materials and structures are so interesting is that size constraints often produce qualitatively new behavior… Although such
changes can be the dominant effects in nanoscale structures, we still
have remarkably little experience or intuition for the expected phenomena and their practical implication, except for electronic systems…Thus, there is an urgent need for broadly based investigations
of the physical phenomena associated with confined systems, especially in materials and structural contexts where the implications are
not at all well understood.”
A pair of line defects together with two
charged end structures creates perhaps
the smallest capacitor (white lines) in the
world. As expected for quantum confinement, a long-wavelength oscillatory feature is seen.
Titanium dioxide is an example of a system that provides a playground rich with new emergent behaviors stemming from nano-scale
defects. Linear defects on the surface of TiO2(110) form in pairs separated by 1.2 nm creating a quantum dot (Figure). However, the two
charged structures at the ends provide strong electron-electron correlation for electrons injected from an STM tip to “push up” the energy
levels within the confined box from milli-electron volts to the electron
volts range. The consequence of this Coulomb-blockade-like behavior
is to enable the direct observation of charge density oscillation even at
room temperature! [2]
Nano-scale defects also play an important role in chemistry. Ever
since Valden et al. reported the exceptional oxidation reactivity of gold
nanoparticles on TiO2 [3], there have been intensive investigations of
the Au adsorption sites and the origin of the catalytic activity worldwide. Recent STM data analysis by graduate student Nancy Yu has
identified that only certain types of defects, similar to the end structures shown above, attract gold atoms preferentially. These defects are
topographically distinct from the sub-stoichiometric linear defects.
Atomistic modeling of the structure is currently in progress.
[1] D.H. Lowndes (Ed.), Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology Research Directions. Basic Energy Sciences Program, US Department of Energy, ORNL, 1999.
[2] V. Meunier, M.H. Pan, F. Moreau, K.T. Park, and E.W. Plummer,
Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) submitted to PNAS (2008).
[3] M. Valden, X. Lai, and D.W. Goodman, Science 281, 1647 (1998).
at ORNL used for study.
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 19
Special Research Focus: AMO Physics Lab
Above: Dr. Ari’s
new AMO facility
in the E wing of
the BSB.
Left: Fume hood
and workbenches
Right: Student
work area in
adjoining space to
the laboratory.
This year brought the completion of the new Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) laboratory on the third floor E-wing of the BSB.
The laboratory, in support of Dr. Ariyasinghe’s (Ari’s) group, marks the completion of the physics research facilities on the hallway.
Page 20
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Newsletter Highlights:
September/October 2007
The Texas Section of the American Physical Society (TSAPS) held its Fall 2007 meeting at Texas A&M Oct 1820 at Texas A&M. The conference was held jointly by TSAPS, TSAAPT, and SPS zone 13. In recent years the
conference has also been supported by the APS Forum for Industrial and Applied Physics (FIAP), and the National Societies for Black and Hispanic Physicists (NSBP and NSHP).
The local organizers at Texas A&M, lead by Dr. Roland Allen, with support from the Mitchell Institute, organized an excellent conference with an outstanding list of Invited speakers:
Dudley Herschbach, “The Second Einstein Centennial”, Douglas Osheroff, “How Advances in Science Are Made”, Helmut Katzgraber
“The Physics of Diving”, Oscar Vilches, “1, 2 & 3 Dimensional Physics with Films Absorbed on Carbon Nanotube Bundles”, Banquet
Presentation -Fred Jerome and Rodger Taylor “Einstein on Race and Racism”, Laura Smoliar, “Industrial Physics”, Keith Baker,
“Exciting Prospects and New Experiments in both High Energy and Nuclear Physics”, Vy Tran “The Great Observatories: New Windows into the Universe”, Casey Papovich “Probing the Universe in the Infrared with the Spitzer Space Telescope”, Lucas Macri “How to
Measure the Age of the Universe”
Along with the invited speakers nearly 150 contributed talks and posters were presented. Also, TSAAPT sponsored teaching workshops
specializing in demonstrations and new lab equipment. Our department’s own Dwight Russell served as President of the Texas Section
for the 2007 year.
November/December 2007
Dr. Gary White Director, Society of Physics Students, Sigma Pi Sigma Assistant Director of Education, American Institute of Physics gave a special departmental colloquium in the Fall of 2007 entitled,
“The Secret Lives of Hidden Physicists.” The talk highlighted the variety of careers open to physics
students, as well as how physicists end up in the strangest of places.
For those of you unable to attend the talk, a video is available at:
http://jay-dittmann.baylor.edu/garywhite/presentation.mov
Slides of the talk itself are also available at:
Dr. Gary White demonstrates the use http://jay-dittmann.baylor.edu/garywhite/presentation.pdf
of a spandex sheet as an intuitive/
counterintuitive model of the fabric of
space. Several students participated in Editor’s note: Dr. White expressed his enjoyment of the visit to Drs. Linda and Jeffrey Olafsen at the
APS March Meeting in New Orleans, LA a few months later. We’ll be looking forward to his return.
the demonstration.
January/February 2008
Nabita Manandhar, Kedar Manandhar and Ken Park at the
Doctoral Dinner Reception on Saturday, December 14. Also
attending but not pictured were Greg and Dana Benesh and
Ken’s wife, Maria.
The Doctoral Dinner is one of the truly great parts of Commencement Weekend for our PhD students, as is the gauntlet of
faculty that greet and congratulate the new doctor as they leave
the stage at graduation.
Our prayers and best wishes go with Kedar (at the time, our
latest PhD) and wife Nabita.
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 21
Newsletter Highlights:
March/April 2008
Kodiak, the new computational resource on campus, has 128 nodes with 8 processors each, for a total of 1024
processors. From recent results, we have surmised that it runs about 40 times faster than the old Baylor cluster.
This is measured from fermion inversion, using GMRES-DR (Generalized Minimum Residual-Deflated Restarted) on 24 x 24 x 24 x 48 lattices at very small quark masses. One of these runs took about 7.3 seconds on
the Kodiak cluster (432 processors) compared to 281 seconds (48 processors) to complete on the old HP cluster. Once the cooling situation is under control, we will be able to run on twice as many processors. We are told
that this makes the Baylor computer ~300th fastest in the world! Kodiak is expected to run at 4-5 teraflops on
Linpack benchmark and it uses an Infiniband network. (The fastest computer in the world at the moment is the
212,000 processor IBM BlueGene/L machine at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. It runs at 478 Teraflops!)
Currently, we are doing two things with this cluster. First, with Ron Morgan, we do full scale tests of new computer algorithms for solving linear equations. This is the Applied Mathematics part of our work. Second, we use
these algorithms to then solve field theory problems in the field of lattice QCD. The linear equations one finds
there are some of the most difficult systems to solve in all of physics. This is (a) because the matrices are so
large! (on the order of a 10 million by 10 million square matrix) and (b) because the problem is usually "illconditioned". That is, the system of equations are ALMOST singular. We attack this latter problem with a
technique called "deflation", which solves the HARD part of the problem in a special way and makes the complete solution much faster. - Originally submitted by Walter Wilcox, who apparently still is giddy about the new resource!
May/June 2008
Our own Dr. Dwight Russell received recognition at the Spring 2008 Commencement ceremony on May
17th. Dr. Russell was honored with an Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching by Tenured Faculty. Part
of the nomination for Dr. Russell read: “Dr. Russell has taught numerous graduate and undergraduate
courses since he joined the Baylor faculty in 2001. Most notably, he has been teaching PHY 1455, Descriptive Astronomy, since Spring 2002 and it has come to be one of the most popular laboratory science
courses on campus, filling its maximum enrollment of 300 students each semester. However, Dr. Russell is
just as devoted to encouraging and mentoring students in their research activities. He has directed the research efforts of students and teachers in the Physics REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) and
RET (Research Experience for Teachers) programs. Dr. Russell has been very active in the Texas Section
of the American Physical Society (TSAPS), serving as Chair-elect and Chair in the last two years. As part of
these duties he organized the student award competition and helped establish the Robert S. Hyer Award for
students and their research advisor. The wholehearted support of his students and colleagues for his nomination for this honor speak volumes for how deserving he is.”
Summer 2008
Once again the Baylor Department of Physics and
CASPER hosted the NSF REU (Research Experience
for Undergraduates) and RET (Research Experience for
Teachers) programs. This year we had thirteen undergraduate students and three high school teachers participating in the program. Theoretical and experimental
research projects were conducted under the direction of
Mr. Dick Campbell, Dr. Truell Hyde, Dr. Ken Park, Dr.
Lorin Matthews, Dr. Ray Nazzario, Dr. Jeffrey Olafsen,
Dr. Dwight Russell, and Dr. Anzhong Wang.
Page 22
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
The Graduate Program
Dear physics alumni and friends,
It is an exciting and productive time in the Baylor Physics Department and it is a pleasure to share
some of the accomplishments in the graduate program over the past year by our students and professors.
The most important recent development in the graduate program is the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) stipend enhancement agreement worked out and authorized by
former Provost Randall O’Brien and former President John Lilley. This was a landmark decision
recognizing that for Baylor to be competitive in attracting good technically-minded students, a substantially increased stipend was necessary. This was the result of many people acting in agreement on
this issue, including Graduate Dean Larry Lyon, Associate Dean Kenneth Wilkins, and our Chair,
Dr. Greg Benesh. All Baylor STEM Ph.D. students are scheduled to have their base stipends increased from $15,500 per year to $19,000 for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, a 22.6% across the board
increase in just one year! Last year we also received an increased contribution from Baylor for health
insurance for those graduate students with spouses and students. We can now compete with other
Big Twelve Schools in recruiting the best graduate students available, especially considering that additional stipend enhancements are also available for outstanding students from the Graduate School.
We have three new graduate students this year: Jared Greenwald from Brigham Young University,
Brandon Harris from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Ke Zhu, from the Physics School,
Wuhan, China. All three students had outstanding GRE scores and received significant stipend enhancements from the Graduate School. We wish them well in their studies! We also had three
graduations over the past year. Rui Wu, whose advisor was Dr. Anzhong Wang, graduated in December, 2007 with an M.S. degree. Kedar Manandhar also graduated at that time with a Ph.D. under
the direction of Dr. Ken Park. In addition, Michael (Mick) Whitaker, graduated this summer with an
M.A. degree. His oral presentation Chair was Dr. Dwight Russell.
The 13 graduate faculty members in the department are now able to offer 6 graduate courses per
semester in the physics department (7 if you count colloquium), which is a significant help for our
graduate students in getting the courses they need to advance their careers as quickly as possible.
Besides our Ph.D. ”core” courses, this means we can offer two electives in the fall and three in the
spring. Our revised graduate preliminary exam procedures, instituted several years ago, have also
helped to speed their studies.
The research done in the department, as compiled by Gerald Cleaver in the 2006-2007 academic
year, consisted of 72 scholarly publications, 38 conferences attended and 22 grants received. You
may see samplings of recent papers from our professors and graduate students in the wooden display
tray collection in the physics conference room. Read and enjoy!
Very best wishes,
Walter Wilcox
Graduate Program Director for Physics
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
The Undergraduate Program
Dear Alumni and Friends of the Physics Department,
The 2008-09 academic year is now in full swing! The Physics Department has more physics students
than ever before. We especially welcome nearly a dozen new first-year students!
The enrollment in our general physics courses is also at an all-time high. Of these, Descriptive Astronomy (PHY 1455), taught by Dr. Dwight Russell, is running near maximum for several semesters in a
row. The algebra-based General Physics I (PHY 1408) course is also a popular choice among students,
with 5 sections taught by Drs. John Vasut, Yumei Wu, Ed Schaub, and Linda Kinslow.
Based on the success of our honors physics program last year, we are once again offering an honors
section of calculus-based General Physics I (PHY 1420 H1). This section, taught by Dr. Linda Olafsen,
is geared especially for ambitious students with a strong background. This year’s class boasts students
from a variety of majors including physics, math, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, business, political science, and university scholars. Dr. John Vasut will be teaching the honors section of
calculus-based General Physics II (PHY 1430 H1) in the spring semester.
This fall, Modern Physics (PHY 2350) is being taught by Dr. Tibra Ali and boasts an enrollment of 15
students! Even our most seasoned physics faculty members can’t remember Modern Physics with such
a high enrollment.
The growth of the Physics Department is tremendously exciting! This year we will continue to develop
undergraduate research opportunities and complete a careful study of how our curriculum compares to
that of our peers. Finally, we are submitting a proposal for new astronomy and astrophysics degree
options within the department.
With kind regards,
Jay Dittmann
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Our graduating seniors in 2008:
(l - r) Meg Vaitses, Pamela Vo, Kyle Lartigue, and Matthew Benesh (w/bride, Emily)
Page 23
Page 24
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Departmental Scholarships
Baylor University
Department of Physics
Physics Funds
Cy Lynch Physics Scholarship (032 SBUX)
This scholarship is merit-based for graduate students.
Gordon K. Teal Physics Scholarship (032 SBVA)
This scholarship is for physics majors with outstanding grades.
Herbert Schwetman Physics Scholarship (032 SBUZ)
This scholarship is merit-based for physics majors.
Physics Department Special Scholarship (032 SBUY)
Funds to benefit the departmental scholarship program.
Physics Endowment and Excellence Fund (032 MAUN)
Physics general fund to promote excellence within the Department.
Roy W. Stiegler, Jr., Endowed Physics Scholarship Fund (032 SDFN)
This scholarship is need-based for physics undergraduate and graduate students.
Shim and Theresa Park Physics Scholarship (032 SCPS)
This scholarship is merit-based for international students.
People sometimes ask us how they can help us accomplish our goals of growing as a Department. One important way in which all of our alumni and friends can help is to give to the ongoing support of the scholarships that
we offer to students within our Department. A list of these scholarships and their goals are provided here. Last
year, eight undergraduates and six graduate students received awards ranging from several hundred to a few thousand dollars given on the basis of merit and need. One of the great benefits of having these scholarships is the
good that can be accomplished by gifts of any size made to these funds.
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 25
A Very Special Event
Dr. Robert G. Packard,
Emeritus Professor of
Physics, returns in the
Spring 2009 Semester to
teach Physics 1405
(known informally as
“Packard Physics”),
Section 1, TuesdayThursday 12:30-1:45 in
BSB D110.
Page 26
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Baylor Physics in the Future
Planetarium Visits
The Department is seeking
to expand its current
offerings in Astronomy.
Due to the popularity of
our Astronomy classes,
and the interest in
courses beyond the
introductory level, we
foresee a need to
expand our programs
in Astronomy and
Astrophysics at Baylor.
The Department is also
working to add facilities for
a planetarium on campus.
With expanding the astronomy program in our department, the interest in improved facilities is also growing. This includes both observational and educational
facilities. Presently collaboration with the Central Texas Astronomical Society provides our students access to the Meyer observatory with its 24" Richey-Chretien
telescope. For presentation of the night sky and astronomical events, planetariums
provide the best facilities. The need for one at Baylor is also growing. Our interest
has prompted us to visit planetariums in the Central Texas area. It has turned out
to be an interesting time to do so. The advent of computers and digital projection
techniques has ushered in a new generation of planetariums. The traditional starball optical projection systems are being replaced by more modern technologies.
We have visited two planetariums. Dwight Russell, Greg Benesh and Jeff Olafsen first visited the planetarium located at the Museum of Nature & Science at Fair
Park in Dallas. It is in a small 24’ dome but has a Digistar III projection system.
Digistar III is the latest generation of the Digistar projectors. Digistar systems are
produced by Evans and Sutherland in Salt Lake City, Utah. Digistar III systems are
based on sophisticated software for producing star fields combined with motion
picture quality video. There are several Digistar III models differing in the projector
subsystem used. The most common is a CRT based system using 6 CRT projectors
spaced around the edge of the dome to produce the full sky. The CRT system can
generate a 3-4 million-pixel image on the dome. The Fair Park Planetarium instead
uses a laser-based projector capable of producing 13 million pixels. The higher
resolution comes at a cost - the enormous digital video throughput required over a
dozen computers working in concert to provide real-time full dome images. The
system also suffered from lack of uniformity in the black background and planet
projection but gave us a clear idea of the power of the new technology. John Cotton, the technical advisor for the Planetarium, was a wonderful host with plenty
hands on experience with a variety of Planetarium projection methods. It was a
great introduction to modern Planetariums.
Our next visit was to The Cooke Planetarium in Corsicana. Walter Wilcox and
John Vasut joined Dwight and Greg for this trip. The Cooke Planetarium was huge
with a 60’ dome and 200 seats. The projection system was an earlier Digistar II system. It has a raster projector that limits it to projecting points and lines. It is not
capable of full digital video projection but did produce a better star field than the
Fair Park Planetarium. Because it is an older system, lacking new programming,
this is not a viable option but it gave a great perspective on the changing technology
and the impact of the sheer space of a large dome. Our next trip will be to the Mayborn Planetarium in Killeen. The Mayborn Planetarium is using digital projector for
films and a traditional starball for sky fields. Check with Dwight Russell x2273 and
if you have the time - maybe you can join us!
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 27
Baylor Physics in the Nation’s Capital
Dr. Linda Olafsen traveled twice this year to Washington, DC with colleagues from the Materials Research Society (MRS) in order to discuss appropriations of funding for basic research at the
offices of a variety of members of Congress, including Texas Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and
John Cornyn and Representative Chet Edwards.
During the March 5 visit, Members of Congress were encouraged to support the FY09 President’s budget for the National Science
Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and
Department of Defense (DOD) Basic Research to stay on target to double these appropriations over the next 10 years. While the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act–signed into
law in 2007–authorized a doubling of these budgets for basic research, it is still necessary to appropriate the necessary funds in each
budget cycle. Senator Hutchison and Representative Edwards are key members of the appropriations committees in the Senate and
House. The plea to members of Congress also included a request for supplemental appropriations to correct last year’s final Omnibus
appropriation decisions for NSF, DOE Office of Science, and NIST that did not maintain the required doubling track. Supplemental
funding was approved, and while not at the levels in the President’s budget, was of benefit to many programs at NSF and DOE. Dr.
Olafsen was teamed with constituents from California and visited the offices of Senator Boxer, Representative Capps, and Representative
Honda in addition to visiting members of the Texas delegation.
The visit September 17 was in the midst of a hectic season in Washington as members of Congress
prepare to complete necessary business so they could return home to campaign. With many other crises,
partisan politics, and the uncertainty attached to the upcoming presidential election, it was widely believe
that new budgets would not be passed and that a Continuing Resolution would be passed to keep the
government running at FY08 levels either until after the elections or after the new year. Despite that
expectation, MRS representatives visited the offices of many members of Congress, encouraging them to
continue the doubling track for basic research funding so that the country will not be facing a “science
crisis” in the coming years. Dr. Olafsen visited nine offices; in addition to meeting staff from Representative Edwards and Senators Hutchison and Cornyn, she visited the offices of members from Alabama
(Senators Shelby and Sessions, Representative Cramer) and North Carolina (Senators Dole and Burr,
Representative Price).
There are a number of
Baylor
graduates
working for members of
Congress.
Dr. Olafsen
met with one of them,
Sara Butler, who works
in
Senator
Cornyn’s
office.
There are a number of Baylor graduates working for members of Congress, and Dr. Olafsen had the opportunity to meet Sara Butler
in Senator Cornyn’s office and was scheduled to meet with Denise Edwards in Representative Bud Cramer’s office, though Denise was
unfortunately detained in another meeting. A number of other staffers mentioned that they worked with Baylor alumni, making it fun to
see the presence and impact of Baylor graduates in the nation’s capital.
While in Washington, Dr. Olafsen took advantage of several extra hours to meet with
program managers at NSF, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of
Scientific Research. The discussions were beneficial, and program managers made very
useful suggestions about opportunities at their respective funding agencies.
More information about America COMPETES Act:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.110HR2272
http://science.house.gov/legislation/leg_highlights_detail.aspx?NewsID=1938
Dr. Linda Olafsen meets Representative Chet Edwards
May 2007
Page 28
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Baylor Physics in the World
Distinguished Professor B.F.L. Ward (third row, just to the right of center) gave the presentation, “Exact Amplitude - Based Resummation Approach to Precision QCD: Recent Results” at the Approaches to Quantum Chromodynamics Physics Symposium in Oberwolz,
Austria from September 7 - 13, 2008.
A new agreement with the University of Stuttgart in Germany will provide new opportunities for Baylor faculty and staff. The intent of
the agreement is to bridge the gap between discoveries in our research laboratories and the practical application of those discoveries in
industry. The Baylor Advanced Research Institute, under the direction of Dr. Truell W. Hyde, vice provost for research at Baylor, will
oversee the relationship, which will include:
•
exchange visits for faculty and students;
•
joint research activities and projects;
•
exchange of research students and young scientists; and
•
exchange of academic materials and other information.
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 29
Baylor Physics in the υ’s, Nu’s, News
Dr. Gerald Cleaver, Associate Professor of Physics, and his Ph.D. student Richard Obousy, received national and international attention
for their recent articles, Warp Drive: A New Approach, to appear in the peer-reviewed Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, and Putting the Warp into Warp Drive, written at the request of the editors of Spaceflight magazine. Cleaver and Obousy were interviewed live on
BBC radio and interviewed for articles about their papers by FoxNews.com, Discovery Channel, Space.com, MSNBC.com, and UPI.com.
Reports on Cleaver’s and Obousy’s papers also appeared on numerous science websites including PhysicsWorld.com, LiveScience, and
itwire, and in several international newspapers, as afar away as Australia and Russia. Their papers are either reviewed or discussed on over
2700 websites.
In addition to his appearance in the Baylor Lariat discussing the developing ELG on computational learning, Jeffrey Olafsen continues to
receive a good bit of publicity concerning his Physical Review Letter with G. William Baxter last August on “Experimental Evidence for
Molecular Chaos in Granular Gases.” Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 028001 (2007). Several on-line news organizations including Science Daily,
Newswise, Softpedia and RealScience have picked up the story that originally was published by Baylor Marketing & Communications and
authored by Matt Pene.
Editor’s note: This story was taken from a Baylor press release authored by Matt Pene
Dr. Bennie F.L Ward, distinguished professor of physics at Baylor University, has received an honorable mention in an international essay
competition conducted by the Gravity Research Foundation. The year-long competition seeks “the most pioneering essays in research on
the subject of gravitation, its theory, application or effects.”
“Resummed Quantum Gravity” presents a new solution to the famous problem that Albert Einstein could not solve - the union of the
quantum mechanics theory of Bohr and the fundamental general theory of relativity by Einstein. “I am excited and honored to have been
recognized in this exceedingly strong competition,” Ward said. “The recognition shows that Baylor's physics department is creating physics on the cutting-edge, something essential for any physics department that hopes to become a top-tier department.”
Baylor grad students Samantha Hewamanage and Martin Frank, along with Dr. Jay Dittmann, attended the April Meeting of the American Physical Society in St. Louis, Missouri, from April 12-15, 2008. Sam gave a presentation entitled “Search for Anomalous Production
of Gamma + Jets + Missing Transverse Energy,” which describes a signature-based, model-independent search for physics beyond the
Standard Model at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. This analysis is being peformed by Sam with Nils Krumnack, Jay Dittmann, Ray Culbertson, and Sasha Pronko. Sam was awarded a $300 Graduate School Travel Award to provide partial support for travel expenses. Martin Frank and Sam Hewamanage each recently completed a 3-month term of duty as “ACE” for the Collder Detector at Fermilab experiment. The CDF experiment collects data from proton-antiproton collisions almost constantly, and a three-person shift crew is on duty
24 hours a day to operate the detector, monitor the experimental apparatus, and verify the data quality. The “ACE” is the member of the
shift crew in charge of controlling the data-taking systems for the 5000-ton detector. Not an easy job! Congratulations, Martin and Sam!
Jay Dittmann, leader of the Experimental High Energy Physics group, was awarded a 3-year grant renewal totaling $240,000 from the U.S.
Department of Energy. This grant provides support for Baylor's participation on the CDF experiment at the Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory in Batavia, IL. Jay recently served as the leader of the review committee for an analysis of momentum correlations of particles
in hadronic jets produced in proton-antiproton collisions. This measurement, entitled “Two-particle momentum correlations in jets produced in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.96 TeV” was recently accepted for publication in Physical Review D. As leader of the review
committee, Dr. Dittmann thoroughly reviewed the data analysis and edited significant portions of the publication.
Mike Hutcheson is working on configuring the HP cluster (Kodiak) for submitting performance data to the “Top 500” list of the world’s
fastest computers. The additional air conditioning capacity has been installed to enable running on all 1024 processors.
Page 30
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Baylor Physics on the Web
New Undergraduate Research Webpage
Visitors to the Physics Department Webpage will notice a new link and page devoted to Undergraduate Research Opportunities
within the Department here at Baylor University. While the specific information for the webpage is still being gathered, we encourage our
majors and other students interested in opportunities in physics research to feel welcome to speak with any of the following faculty who
want to involve undergraduate students with work in their research laboratories.
The list of faculty includes: Professors Ariyasinghe, Benesh, Cleaver, Dittmann, Hyde, Matthews, both Jeffrey and Linda Olafsen, and Park. Students should feel welcome to visit and discuss research opportunities with any of these faculty. More information
about each of their specific research opportunities will be forthcoming on the webpage in the near future.
The web has allowed Drs. Dwight Russell and Jeffrey Olafsen to have a good bit of fun on April Fool’s Day “demonstrating” how a
wormhole works, theoretically allowing nearly instantaneous travel between two distant points in space. The demonstration involved the
two doors at the front of the lecture hall. For those of you who would like to see the demonstration, the department has posted a video
of it to YouTube. You can either visit the YouTube website and search for “Baylor wormhole” or type in/follow this link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi1ZGL3bMV4
The video currently has had over 7000 hits.
Editor’s note: That’s better than some NASA videos!
Visit us on the web!
http://www.baylor.edu/physics
In addition to the other materials discussed above, on our website, we keep an archive of the prior monthly and annual newsletters.
We welcome you to download these and use them to keep track of what is going on in the Department of Physics.
Additionally, we know that many of you would like to be kept up to date when we publish a current issue of the Newsletter, so we
have started a mailing list. An email will go out approximately every other month alerting you to when we have published a new issue and
letting you know some of the highlights of its content. Participation in the Newsletter email is completely voluntarily and can be started
(or stopped) at any time simply by sending an email to Physics_Newsletter@baylor.edu from the email address that you would like to
have added to our emailing list. (If you are mailing from a different email address than the one you would like to have used for the mailing, please simply tell us what email address to use.)
Finally, Dr. Walter Wilcox is supervising an upgrade to the Baylor Physics Webpage with the help of ITS, the Information Technology
Services here at Baylor University. If all goes as envisioned, potential graduate students will be able to apply for graduate work in our
department through a form that will be available on the Baylor Physics Webpage. This effort represents the latest in a list of current upgrades to create more technologically convenient ways for people to interact (especially at a distance) with our department.
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 31
Baylor Physics Fun
Right: “It couldn’t hurt Dr.
Linda Olafsen’s head, they’re
elastic balls - no energy is lost
in collision. Here, try using the
soccer ball, Sterling.”-Miss Jane
Left: Material for tunic: $25
Phaser off E-bay: $15
Batteries:
$ 4
Making physics fun: Priceless
Right: Paul Dittmann teaches a pre-K class on
combinatorics: “Okay, Jane, you can do this,
three balls, two red and one orange; four kids,
two girls and two boys; how many unique combinations? Anyone? Anyone?”
Above: The easiest way to enjoy a cold drink in
the Texas summer is through the use of liquid
nitrogen - and lots of it!
Right: Assuming a constant coefficient of
friction, determine the height of the slide from
the electrostatic repulsion on John’s head.
Page 32
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
ELG Development continues on into 2009
Editor’s note: The following story is partially reproduced from a Lariat article by Shannon Daily augmented with additional information from Jeffrey Olafsen,
Director of the new ELG on computational learning entitled “Envisioning Information.” It is also updated for more recent developments.
Three new Engaged Learning Groups (ELGs) were approved in February to start up this coming fall. The new ELGs consist of a Computational Learning group within the Department of
Physics and the School of Engineering and Computer Sciences; a Global Community group
within the Modern Foreign Languages and Journalism Departments; and an Entrepreneurship and
Creative Leadership group within the Entrepreneurship and Theater Arts Departments.
More information about the ELGs
Dr. Frank Shushok, Dean for Student Learning and Engagement, said each ELG proposal was (Engaged Learning Groups) is
reviewed and these three were selected because they represented the several different aspects an available on the Baylor website at
ELG should incorporate. ELGs should integrate interdisciplinary learning, research and interac- http://www.baylor.edu/elg/
tion both in and out of the classroom with faculty, Shushok said. “They really are grassroots,”
Shushok said of the ELGs.
Dr. Jeffrey Olafsen, an Associate Professor of Physics who will be directing the Computational Learning ELG (recently renamed
“Envisioning Information”), said the group's focus will be on the numerical analysis and graphical representation of data. Olafsen
said they will look at “What makes a graph a good graph? Why does USA Today show graphs that have absolutely nothing to do
with anything but people think they mean something because they use cute colors?”
Based upon feedback obtained through the review process, the updated name and description of the Engaged Learning Group are
presented here:
Envisioning Information
The advent of the personal computer has changed the manner in which information is collected, analyzed, and presented in both print
media, such as newspapers and magazines, and electronic formats, such as television and the Internet. The computer, as a tool for
both the collection and the presentation of information, has also become a part of nearly every academic discipline on the modern
college campus. The effective presentation of information has the potential to affect public opinion as powerfully as the misrepresentation of the same information. In this ELG, we will discuss the analysis, representation, and delivery of information in both written and electronic formats as applied to a wide variety of statistical, observational, and empirically measured data. The goal of the
course is to prepare students to effectively present graphical information in other courses, undergraduate research, and their eventual
careers. Software for the course will be provided to the participants. Other course activities will include guest speakers, a series of
video lectures on probability and statistics, community-building social events, and opportunities to engage in undergraduate research.
The ELGs are designed for entering freshman students, will run for four consecutive semesters with the same 49 students in each
group, and the 147 students will live together in Kokernot residence hall, which was renovated during summer 2008 exclusively for
the participants.
Updates:
During the spring semester, it because clear that there were manpower issues associated with offering the ELG. The decision was
made to postpone the offering of the ELG for another year. There have already been substantial changes since then. Drs. Linda J.
Olafsen and Jeffrey S. Olafsen applied for supplemental funding to the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) program.
The proposal, if successful, will allow us to address support of the ELG through stipends for two graduate student teaching assistants.
Meanwhile, the ELG is being updated and will be resubmitted for this year’s competition and, hopefully, selection as an ELG for
the 2009-2010 academic year.
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 33
A Devotional
“God is our refuge and
strength, an ever-present
help in trouble” Psalm 46:1
In his book, Michael Faraday: Sandemanian and Scientist, Geoffrey Cantor argues convincingly
that Faraday’s many successes in the scientific community were the result of his active Christian faith,
lived in fellowship with a small group of believers in Europe known as Glasites or Sandemanians.
Influenced by the writings of John Glas and his son-in-law, Robert Sandeman, the little known group
had no small effect on the Second Great Awakening religious revival that occurred in America in the
1800’s. Throughout Faraday’s life, it would be God speaking through the holy scriptures that would
give balance and direction to all of his endeavors. Witnesses to his last few days on earth reported
that it was not to his many achievements in science that the venerable old man would draw comfort,
but to the profound, ancient words of the Psalmist who wrote: “God is our refuge and strength, an
ever-present help in trouble.” (Ps 46:1) These words, along with Psalm 23, were frequently on his
lips, right up to the end of his life. In his conclusion, Cantor sums up Faraday’s attitude toward life
in the scientist’s own words: “the natural works of God can never by any possibility come into contradiction with the higher things that belong to our future existence, and must with everything concerning Him, ever glorify the Father.”
The Editor would like to thank Ed Schaub for providing this year’s Newsletter Devotional.
Homecoming Events
We do hope that all our of alumni and friends will plan on attending the following events associated
with Homecoming at Baylor University on October 31 and November 1, 2008:
Friday, October 31:
The next time you visit the
department, you’ll find we’ve
added several bulletin boards to
the research hallway so that
guides and visitors may learn
more about the research that is
currently being pursued within
the department.
•
3:00 - 3:30 Informal Meet-N-Greet with our speaker, John Alred, Physics Conference Room
•
3:30 - 4:30 Special Colloquium: Homecoming Speaker, John Alred, NASA Johnson Space Ctr
•
4:30 - 5:30 Reception in honor of John Alred, BSB Tower Room E.301
Saturday, November 1:
•
Homecoming Breakfast, 8:30 a.m. (30 minutes before the parade reaches campus).
•
Note on the Breakfast: If the parade schedule is moved up to accommodate a changed game
time for football, the breakfast will also be moved up to 8:00 a.m. as well.
Transitions
As a department and family, we know both the joys of welcoming new members to our circle and
the bittersweet partings that life brings to us as well. In the last year, we had to say our farewells to
Milton Lee Luedke, our valued friend and machinist who passed away on December 24, 2007.
On Wednesday, October 1, 2008, the department held a reception to honor Dr. Bob Farmer’s many
years of service to the department as a lecturer. Bob was presented at his reception with a Bluetooth
accessory for his cell phone as a small token of the department’s appreciation.
Page 34
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Alumni Information
Name: Amy Robertson
Graduating Class: Spring 2006
Present Position: Graduate Student, U. of Washington Physics Department
Comments about my work:
I am currently finishing the required courses for a Ph.D. at the UW. I have officially immersed myself in the work of the Physics Education Group here and lead
the Tutorial curriculum for the third quarter of the Introductory Sequence. I have
also begun to lay the groundwork for what will become my dissertation(!) topic teacher and student understanding of the particulate nature of matter. My ultimate
goal is to write curriculum for prospective and practicing teachers that will address
this topic; this will include expanding upon existing curriculum as well as adding
sections that do not yet exist! What a blessing it is! I started an 'organization' within
the Physics Department that is focused on community-building through community
service. Once a month, students, staff, and faculty have the opportunity to plant
trees, serve in a soup kitchen, work in a shelter, etc., and it has been a huge success!
In the picture on the right, myself and about ten faculty/staff/students went to a
nursery to plant trees and pull weeds; this month, eighteen of us served lunch at a
Men's Shelter and Women's and Children's Shelter downtown It has been such an
amazing experience leading this group. I have had the opportunity to share Christ's
love in a unique and dynamic way; I have watched people sincerely get to know one
another; and I have been so encouraged by the ways in which we are impacting the
community and building a strong and lasting reputation for our Department. I had
to share my excitement with you all because I know you will be excited with me!
Name: Samuel (Sam) E. Matteson
Graduating Class: 1969
Present Position: Physics Professor & Interim Chair of Dept. of Speech & Hearing
Sciences, University of North Texas
Comments about my work: Physics has encouraged me to develop habits of mind that
permit [me to find] the solutions to problems, often far afield from the discipline [of physics]. My education in our favorite science has empowered me to take a quantitative and
systematic look at everything from faculty salary distributions to the optimum way to get to
work to why footpaths develop on campus.
Name: Charles (Chuck) E. Willingham, Jr.
Graduating Class: BS degree in Mathematics and Minor in Physics in 1975
Present Positiion: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington
Comments about my work: I followed my Baylor degrees with an MS in Engineering at UT Austin in 1977. I then spent 12 years at TXU Energy in Dallas, TX performing reactor physics analysis
and providing reactor operations support for the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant near Fort
Worth, TX. For the past 19 years, I have been working at the PNL in Richland, Washington, focusing on proliferation issues of foreign nuclear materials and international border security. I have
completed over twenty publications and presentations on nuclear related topics including papers for
the Nuclear Science and Engineering Journal and International Reactor Physics meetings. My wife
was recently (2006) back in Waco as part of a reunion. The website at www.pnl.gov has many interesting links, including job opportunities as well as Breakthroughs, their online magazine. Articles include telling the difference between earthquakes and explosions that occur across the globe.
Ursa Baylor
Fall 2008
Page 35
Alumni News & Feedback
What have you done with your Physics Degree?
Please fill out this survey because we’d really like to know how Physics has shaped your career, so we can better communicate the options
to our current and potential Physics Majors and graduates.
Name:
______________________________________________________________________
Graduating Class: _______________________________________________________________
Address:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
E-mail address:
_______________________________________________________________
Phone Number(s):_______________________________________________________________
Present Position: _______________________________________________________________
Family and/or Work News:
Comments about our idea of building an Astronomy Program within the Department:
(please give a short answer here, or if you have more information please submit it to our newsletter at: Physics_Newsletter@baylor.edu)
Place
Stamp
Here
Department of Physics
Baylor University
One Bear Place #97316
Waco, TX 76798-7316
Phone: (254) 710 - 2511
Fax: (254) 710 - 3878
Physics_Newsletter@baylor.edu
Dr. Gregory A. Benesh, Professor and Chair
Department of Physics
Baylor University
One Bear Place #97316
Waco, TX 76798-7316
Visit us on the web !
http://www.baylor.edu/physics
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We really want to hear from you - so this is how easy we’re going to make it. Detach this last page of the newsletter, give us your
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