Opportunities
for undergraduate summer research
in the Department of Physics
and Astronomy
This
is a list of faculty members in the department who currently have undergraduate
students working with them, or would like to have students working with them.
“Current
students” include those signed up for summer 2007, but not those that will
graduate in May 2008.
Calibration of instruments used in cosmic
ray experiments using high altitude balloons. Simulations of cosmic ray air
showers propagating through the atmosphere.
Current students:
Research focuses on studying sub-picosecond dynamics of complex systems. This time scale is
characteristic of atomic motion within both semiconductors as well as
biological samples. Currently, we are constructing a laser based ultrafast x-ray system. Because x-rays are very sensitive
to atomic scale structure, this state-of-the-art system will be able to
directly monitor the atomic motion within complex molecules. Research
opportunities include, constructing laser and x-ray diagnostics, computer
programming, molecular spectroscopy, and vacuum system construction.
Current students: Bill Kardine
We expect to fly a balloon payload from
Current students: Brandon Maas
The potential work for a student in IceCube would be computational. There are several tasks associated
with looking at data being taken at the South Pole. The work would require
computing skills, but offers an insight into some interesting experimental
results on cosmic-ray cascades.
Current students:
Biomagnetics research in the Magnetics
lab is focused on investigations of nanoparticles for
cancer detection and treatment. We look
to synthesize iron nanoparticles with a biopolymer
coating to develop an understanding of how synthesis routes affect the
resulting static and dynamic properties.
In doing this we can look at the nanoparticles
as highly localized sources of magnetic field and heating that are important in
the resolution of MRI imaging and cancer therapy.
Current students: Elisabeth van Wie
We make small structures by patterning thin
metallic films. This type of structures are potentially useful for technologies
such as magnetic recording, electronic devices etc. We characterize the
electronic properties of these structures through electrical measurements,
often in large magnetic fields and at low temperatures.
Current students: Saurabhkumar Patel
Testing models for the heat capacity of
solid cores of stars by comparing these models to actual heat capacity data
obtained in the laboratory.
Current students:
Currently, our research focuses on the
acoustic properties of solid helium at temperatures well below 1K. The work involves mainly construction of
cryogenic machines and experiments, but there is also scope for some numerical
work.
There are several other possible projects.
One involves the development of a compact acoustic resonator to determine the
composition of a gas from the sound speed. A second project, which has been waiting
for someone to work on for some time, is a study of how gases and liquids are
adsorbed in ultra-light porous media such as silica aerogels.
Current students:
Students are involved in numerical
simulations of the propagation of electrons (as quantum mechanical wave
packets) in the recently discovered material graphene.
Current students: Robert Mitchell
Students would be involved in making
electronic devices to detect very small magnetic fields.
Current students: Tom Flanagan
Owocki, Stan
Our group studies how massive stars can
lose mass through both steady stellar "winds" and large, episodic
eruptions. Recent focus has been on modeling the wind and giant eruption of the
very massive star eta Carinae,
comparing results with observations with the Hubble space telescope as well as
from other orbiting and ground-based observatories. Another effort focuses
on the effect of magnetic fields in channeling and confining such wind
outflows. Students can become involved in various projects with theoretical or
computational focus, as well as analyzing and modeling observational data. The
group currently consists of four grad students and one undergrad. http://www.bartol.udel.edu/~owocki/
Current students: Rylan Conway
High speed
photometry of pulsating stars.
(Most of the work is done at UD, students interested in observing may spend time at Mount
Cuba.)
Current students:
Assist in the development of computer code
to simulate the propagation and detection of electromagnetic pulses produced by
energetic cosmic ray particles interacting in Antarctic Ice.
Current students: Pat Stengel, Mat Simmons
Current research topics are:Unified
theories in four and higher dimensions; Supersymmetry signals at LHC (Large Hadron
Collider); Inflationary Cosmology and origin of
matter in the universe; Dark energy and dark matter; Some knowledge of quantum
mechanics and relativity would be helpful. Students will be able to interact
with graduate students and postdocs.
Current students: