Research at the Physics Department
We strongly believe that exposure to research and a healthy research environment is a very important part of a student's physics education. We provide research opportunities through the research programs of our faculty members, and by helping student to secure summer research internships.
| Recent publications and other scientific work by members of the Physics Department at USF. |
Current areas of research in the Department are
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Biological Physics |
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Computational Physics |
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Experimental Condensed Matter Physics |
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Health and Radiation Physics |
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Optics and Laser Physics |
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Theoretical Physics |
For over 30 years the research group lead by professor Benton has been
involved with NASA and an international group
of scientists with the aim of advancing the health and radiation safety
of astronauts engaged in long-term space habitation. USF radiation measuring
instruments have been flown on many space missions, including Apollo,
Skylab, the Russian Mir space station, and several Space Shuttle missions.
The laboratory is also involved with the Loma Linda University Cancer
Institute in research directed toward achieving a better understanding
of the interaction of high-energy proton beams with tissue and tissue-equivalent
materials.
The laboratory offers to qualified undergraduates a unique opportunity
to engage in research, frequently leading to publication of joint research
papers.
Professor Benton
Back
to top of pageElectric Perception in Biological Systems
Physics and Biology enjoy and ever-expanding overlap where the collaboration is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. And the collaboration is not new -- Crick of Watson and Crick (see DNA) was a physicist. At USF, we investigate the physical principles which contribute to the electric sense in biological systems. Sharks, for instance, can detect minute fluctuations of electric fields in the sea, and this is not well-understood. On one front, we collect an extracellular gel from the electrically sensitive organs, and we measure various thermal and electromagnetic properties of the gel as a form of soft condensed matter. On another front, we mathematically model how a sea creature could use hundreds of these organs in concert to "see" and electrical landscape underwater.Computational Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field of research that tries to understand how the brain works. It ranges from the study of the individual ion channels in neuron membranes, to the modeling of brain functions. As physicists, we use analytical techniques and computational approaches to formulate biophysical models of neurons, synaptic transmissions, and network circuits. Computer simulations and mathematical analysis are combined to study the resulting nonlinear dynamical systems. We study how different conductances contribute to the electrical characteristics of a neuron, how neurons interact to produce functioning neural circuits and how large populations of neurons represent, store and process information. Current areas of interest at the USF Physics Department are modulation of neural networks, dynamical properties of neural networks and their relation to memory and vision, and methods for encoding and processing information in neuronal spike trains.
Professor Camperi
Mathematical physics is the generic name for any research that emphasizes the understanding of the underlying mathematical or formal tools needed in different areas of physics. By its very nature, it is pretty much open-ended and related to all areas of physics.
Quantum field theory is the framework that results from the successful marriage of quantum mechanics and special relativity. Mathematically, it is a relativistic quantum theory of systems with infinitely many degrees of freedom, while physically it is essential for the description of elementary particles, the ultimate building blocks that make up everything in the universe.
Many-body theory is the nonrelativistic counterpart of quantum field theory, and it provides the natural framework for the description of condensed systems of matter (solids and liquids) from a quantum-mechanical viewpoint.
Professor Camblong
Computation is an integral part of modern science, and the ability
to exploit effectively the power offered by modern computers is therefore
essential to a working physicist. In general, phenomena under study are represented by computer models,
which implies no actual analytical solution of equations. These so
called simulations are particularly important and relevant in complex
systems, where the analytical approach may break down. In addition,
a simulation allows for "pseudo-experiment" in which one can ask the
system under study questions that would be impractical or impossible
to ask experimentally.
While no substitute for good analytical and/or experimental work,
the computational approach does complement the other two traditional
approaches to Physics, namely Theoretical and Experimental.
Professor Camperi
Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
Condensed Matter Physics seeks to understand the physical properties of solid materials exposed to all sorts of environments. For example, some condensed matter physicists explore how different materials conduct heat, conduct electricity, or react to an applied magnetic field. Here at USF, we subject ceramic materials to a wide range of temperatures (in many cases cryogenic), magnetic fields, and electric currents. When cooled well below room temperature, some solid materials display an infinite electrical conductivity. Some of these so-called superconductors exhibit magnetic behavior as complex as it is fascinating. The high-temperature superconductors, first discovered in 1987, are some of the most perplexing of all superconductors. In the department's cryogenic laboratory, we probe the magnetic response of high-temperature superconductors.
Professor Brown
Research in this fields at USF center around lasers and high resolution spectroscopy of optical materials. Recent efforts have been devoted to develop and refine the technique of laser frequency stabilization to spectral holes in rare earth doped crystals at cryogenic temperatures. By locking the laser frequency to an ultra-narrow hole, experiments have reached the limits of precision in the optical spectroscopy of solids. Work is also devoted to the development and optimization of rare earth doped optical materials for applications in optical memory, optical processing, and laser frequency.
Professor Böttger