Research InterestsOur group investigates phenomena in diverse areas of atomic and molecular physics using theoretical and computational techniques. Research by myself and immediate collaborators has concentrated in five areas: Rydberg atoms in strong fields, frozen Rydberg gas, ultracold plasma, antimatter, and two or more continuum electrons. In our studies, we develop new theoretical formulations of basic atomic processes while also attempting to push our treatments to the point where we can compare our calculations to past experimental results or provide predictions for experiments that could be performed in the near future.
This drive to obtain specific, quantitative results is facilitated by our development of computer programs for use on workstations, CRAY supercomputers, and massively parallel machines. One of the strengths of our group is our intense collaboration with experimental programs and one of our hopes is to form a collaboration with a new experimental group each year. We are part of the ALPHA collaboration which is attempting to trap the antimatter version of the hydrogen atom.
The current crew (l to r: FR, Graham, Patrick, Matt, Brian, Michael, Phillip, Matthew (emeritus member), Qianxia). Only Graham knows why he ordered shirts celebrating Rubidium charge exchange.