Physics & Astronomy News
New results from T2K conclusively show muon neutrinos transform to electron neutrinos
The T2K experiment, involving Thomas Kutter, Martin Tzanov, William Metcalf, and their research group of postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, has announced definitive evidence of muon to electron neutrino oscillations. A muon neutrino beam produced at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) on the east coast of Japan was detected by the giant Super-K underground detector in Kamioka 185 miles away from Tokai. A total of 28 events were observed compared to 4.6 events without nu-mu to nu-e oscillations. Nu-mu to nu-e oscillations may be a key to charge-parity (CP) violation, which may in turn be responsible for the observation that the Universe is composed of matter and not antimatter
2012 LSU Rainmaker Mid-Career Scholar
Congratulations to Rongying Jin, who has been named a 2012 LSU Rainmaker Mid-Career Scholar in the area of Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics. This recognizes a faculty member at the Associate Professor level or recently promoted to full professor who exhibits a sustained program of excellence. The Rainmaker program is sponsored by Campus Federal Credit Union, and awardees were selected by the Council on Research from the pool of nominations they received earlier this year.
Montevideo interpretation
Jorge Pullin of the LSU Relativity Group and Hearne Institute and Adjunct Professor Rodolfo Gambini of Universidad de la Republica in Montevideo, Uruguay, have made a step forward in reconciling quantum mechanics with gravity using a new interpretation - the Montevideo interpretation - that eliminates the need for outside observers. This new view of the meaning of measurements in quantum mechanics may yield insights into the development of a quantum theory of gravity, a major unresolved issue in theoretical physics. It may also allow improved connection between a possible quantum mechanical phase early in the history of the universe and imprints of that phase on today's classical universe.
Singh Paper Made Classical and Quantum Gravity Highlights 2011-2012 List
Research paper by Parampreet Singh has made the Highlights 2011-2012 list of the journal of Classical and Quantum Gravity. The LSU Gravity Group has made the Highlights list every since 2001.
Rongying Jin Named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Congratulations to Rongying Jin, who has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her "significant contributions to materials physics, including science-driven materials development and pioneering studies of their underlying physics" and to Kenneth Schafer for his "seminal contributions in the field of laser-matter interactions through extensive theoretical studies of high quality and great innovation"
Blackmon Name a Fellow of the American Physical Society
Congratulations to Jeffrey Blackmon, who has been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society "for his vision and innovation in exploiting radioactive nuclear beams to advance our understanding of nuclear processes that govern astrophysical phenomena."
Steldt Leaves $1 million Trust to LSU Foundation
Alumnus Frank Richard "Rick" Steldt (Ph.D., 1971) is leaving a trust to the LSU Foundation valued at more than $1 million dollars to be used for graduate student support in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Exploding Stars
LSU astrophysicists are featured in "Exploding Stars" in the Fall 2012 issue of the LSU Research magazine published by the Office of Research and Economic Development.
Claudill Paper Makes Classical and Quantum Gravity Highlights of 2011-2012 List
A research paper by Sarah Caudill, former graduate student and current postedoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin, has made the Highlights of 2011-2012 list of the journal of Classical and Quantum Gravity.
Comeaux Flight Director for the Landing of NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover
Keith Comeaux, graduate of LSU Physics & Astronomy and Mechanical Engineering in 1989, was Flight Director for the landing of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on August 5, 2012.
Gonzalez will participate in 2012 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate
Gabriela Gonzalez will participate in the 2012 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate: Faster than the Speed of Light, that will take place at the American Museum of Natural History. Popular Mechanics: " . . . the Debate Rages On"
New Instructors
WELCOME!! to our two new Instructors: Will McElgin and Aaron Grocholski.
Sheehy Receives NSF Career Award
Daniel Sheehy has received an NSF CAREER Award for his project "Phases and Dynamics of Cold Atomic Gases".
INSPIRE Program Awards
The National Science Foundation has announced the first set of awards under its new INSPIRE program. INSPIRE (Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education) was established to address some of the most complicated and pressing scientific problems at the intersections of traditional disciplines. Hartmut Kaiser, Geoff Clayton, Juhan Frank, Jan Staff, and Patrick Motl's proposal "STAR: Scalable toolkit for Transformative Astrophysics Research" was one of only 11 awards made nationally.
Ashley Pagnotta is the recipient of the Charles E. Coates Outstanding Dissertation Award
Her thesis, entitled "Recurrent Novae and Type Ia Supernova Progenitors" was a study of two different types of stellar explosions, recurrent novae and Type Ia supernovae, looking to better understand the origins of type 1A supernovae. She is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, working on a comprehensive study of the long-term evolution of cataclysmic variables and classical novae.