物理研究
Each student is encouraged to do individual experimental or theoretical research in an area of his/her special interest in conjunction with a faculty member. The department has a rigorous student-faculty research program in a wide variety of fields in experimental and theoretical physics. Current student-faculty research areas include: observational astronomy, 天体物理学, 生物物理学, 地球物理学, 激光与原子物理, 量子理论, 固体物理学, 弦理论.
光学相干显微镜(OCM)
The OCM enables researchers to study biological systems as they grow, because it can see through highly scattering (milky) media such as a frog embryo (collaboration with 教授. 斯科特·弗雷泽(加州理工学院). The group is now using GPUs to cut image acquisition time by a factor of 100, making possible real-time three-dimensional imaging with sub-10-micrometer resolution.
自旋电子学
教授. 埃克特, 火花, and Chen study magnetic multilayer structures using over $1 million of equipment that includes two PPMS (physical property measurement systems) and a sputtering system (to create samples). Collaborators include alum Matt Carey at Hitachi Labs (formerly IBM Almaden), Eric Fullerton在加州大学圣地亚哥分校, as well as faculty at the University of Minnesota and staff scientists at NIST/Gaithersburg.Stephanie Moyerman won HMC’s third Apker Award in 2006; 教授. 埃克特’s research program was recognized by the American Physical Society in 2008.
Laser-driven融合
教授. 唐纳利与教授. Todd Ditmire of UT Austin on a droplet-fusion project, in which tiny liquid droplets of heavy water are blasted by extremely intense femtosecond laser pulses. If high enough temperatures can be achieved in the sub-micron droplets, it is possible that deuterium nuclei can fuse, 就像它们在阳光下一样. The challenges include producing droplets with just the right size by an ultrasonic atomization technique.
Statistical Mechanics You Can Actually See
教授. Gerbode studies micron-sized colloidal particles suspended in water between closely spaced glass plates, 观察晶体形成, 缺陷传播, and phase transitions in mesoscopic systems.
带教授的弦理论. 萨哈金
HMC is one of the few colleges where students have the opportunity to conduct original research in string theory, and to publish their results in leading journals.
地球物理学
教授. Lyzenga studies the crustal deformations in the Los Angeles region following the 1993 Northridge earthquake using the GPS system of satellites, 还有其他技巧, and many observation posts scattered throughout the region. By making very precise measurements of the position of the markers at these posts over many years, he and his students track ground movements. 教授. Lyzenga also conducts computer simulations of tectonic processes and studies the motions of asteroids.
恒星的诞生
教授. Esin studies the birth of stars, using both an observational and a computational approach. Astrophysics students use the 1-meter telescope at Table Mountain Observatory, near Wrightwood (about an hour away, 后面太. 秃子). This facility is shared between HMC, Pomona, and JPL.
Quantum Optics and Quantum Information:
教授. Lynn studies quantum information and communication through the avenue of hyperentangled photon pairs, which are pairs of photons with correlations in more than a single degree of freedom (both polarization and orbital angular momentum).
Enhancing Optical Absorption in Thin-film Solar Cells
教授. Saeta explores the interaction between metal particles and photovoltaic multilayer structures to persuade incident light to propagate over long distances parallel to the surface.