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Gravitation
PI Quentin Bailey
CO-I Andri Gretarsson
CO-I Brennan Hughey
CO-I Michele Zanolin
CO-I Preston Jones
Einstein’s theory of General Relativity offers a remarkable description of gravity as curved space and time. Many of the consequences of this theory have been confirmed, and some are used daily, such as the gravitational redshift effect on GPS satellite atomic clocks. In 2015, the first observation of a gravitational wave from two inspiraling black holes occurred using the gravitational wave observatories as part of the worldwide LIGO-VIRGO collaboration. This discovery won the Nobel prize, and the observations of these events have continued, including a multi-messenger event of two colliding neutron stars.
Embry-Riddle Prescott faculty and student researchers are part of the LIGO-VIRGO collaboration and work on aspects of detecting and studying gravitational waves. Faculty and students also study more broadly tests of the foundational principles of General Relativity, such as spacetime symmetries like Lorentz symmetry. These tests include gravitational wave observation but also solar system tests like short-range gravity and lunar laser ranging. One of the long-standing problems in gravity research is the connection between gravity and quantum field theory. Our faculty is actively working on this problem and, in particular, the relation between gravity and electromagnetism. There are both theorists and experimentalists among the faculty at ERAU Prescott. Most faculty receive funding from the National Science Foundation and regularly publish articles in to journals, many with students involved.
Categories: Faculty-Staff
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Astronomy
PI Pragati Pradhan
CO-I Brian Rachford
CO-I Noel Richardson
Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, as people have been observing and learning from the stars for thousands of years. Astronomy has expanded beyond visible light to include the full spectrum of electromagnetic waves, from radio to x-rays and gamma rays, as well as cosmic messengers beyond the electromagnetic spectrum.
Embry-Riddle Prescott's astronomy research covers a broad range of topics and observation techniques, with a particular focus on binary star systems. Our Campus Observatory includes 20-inch and 16-inch optical telescopes, several radio dishes and cameras for meteor observations. Student and faculty researchers work with data from both space-based satellites spanning the electromagnetic spectrum from the high-energy X-rays through the thermal infrared, as well as ground-based optical and infrared telescopes across the globe. Our astronomy faculty has a strong track record of publications with student authors and receives external funding from various sources, including NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute.Categories: Faculty-Staff
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Astroparticle Physics
PI Darrel Smith
CO-I Brennan Hughey
In the 1950s and 1960s, high-energy and cosmic-ray physics developed into two different fields of research. However, in the last 20 years, they have come together in a most peculiar way. As space physicists explored the sources and mechanisms for producing cosmic rays, they also realized that it was impossible to measure the dynamics of the early universe (i.e., the first 400,000 years).
It is here that particle physics provides a laboratory environment to study the physical processes that occurred in the early universe, a region that cannot be explored directly with the tools of astrophysics. Particle physicists continue to build accelerators with increasing energy densities that simulate the early universe at times less than a microsecond after the "Big Bang." This area of research will investigate how particle physics and astrophysics combine to give us a consistent view of the early universe.Categories: Faculty-Staff
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Exotic Propulsion
PI Darrel Smith
Exotic propulsion has captured the interest of many Embry-Riddle students. As NASA plans its manned mission to Mars, we come face-to-face with a fundamental dilemma — a round trip to Mars will take almost three years with traditional chemical rockets!
Such a journey would be impossible, as it would require the astronauts to live on Mars for almost a year. Furthermore, the long travel time would expose astronauts to lethal doses of radiation and debilitating periods of weightlessness. For the past 30 years, physicists and engineers have been developing exotic propulsion systems with the expectation of reducing the travel time from years down to months. Exotic propulsion systems under current investigation include plasma engines, matter-antimatter engines and nuclear-powered engines.Categories: Faculty-Staff
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