Physics Research at Mississippi State University

Astrophysics

The astrophysics group is actively involved in two areas: high
energy astrophysics and comet science. A strong collaboration
with the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and with the Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements in Toulouse, France, is concentrating on the analysis and interpretation of data from the Gamma-Ray Observatory satellite. Research in comet science involves analysis of ground-based and flyby data from recent comet missions and observing campaigns.

Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

In atomic and molecular physics, we are involved in a large interdisciplinary project for the development of optical-, imaging- and laser-based techniques and instrumentation systems to address pressing environmental problems. The project includes applications of spectroscopy to the real-time quantitative measurements of species concentration and location. State-of-the-art techniques, such as cavity ringdown spectrometry, laser-induced breakdown spectrometry, optical fiber sensor measurements, and quantitative and spectral imaging techniques, are being employed. In theoretical optics, we are studying energy flow patterns near interfaces with nanoscale resolution. Of particular interest is the case were the medium is a metamaterial, which is an artificially structured composite with a negative index of refraction.

Computational Physics

The computational physics group, our newest research area, performs research on algorithm development and applications of large-scale calculations to better understand both static and dynamic processes in complex systems and in materials. Much of this interdisciplinary work is carried out at the MSU HPCC Center for Computational Sciences. The HPCC houses both the massively parallel computers with thousands of processing elements that provide the computer cycles for these studies and the interdisciplinary teams that study these problems.

Nuclear Physics

In our nuclear physics group, emphasis is on experimental and theoretical investigations of the structures and decay modes of nuclei in high spin states or far from stability, relativistic hydrodynamics, and data acquisition and analysis software. Experiment planning and data analysis are performed on campus, while experiments are carried out at national nuclear physics laboratories across the country.