The Physics Faculty and Their Research

Department of Physics Graduate Program - 103-33 - Pasadena - California - 91125

The Physics Faculty & Their Research

ADHIKARI, Rana rana@caltech	Assistant Professor of Physics Ph.D., MIT, 2004 Gravitational wave detection, LIGO
BARISH, Barry C. barish@ligo	Ronald and Maxine Linde Professor of Physics Emeritus Ph.D., Berkeley, 1962 Experimental high-energy physics; gravitational wave detection
CHEN, Yanbei yanbei@tapir	Assistant Professor of Physics Ph.D., Caltech, 2003 Theoretical astrophysics, gravitational wave detection
CROSS, Michael C. mcc@caltech	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Cambridge, 1975 Condensed matter theory; nonequilibrium physics
DREVER, Ronald W.P. rdrever@caltech	Professor of Physics Emeritus Ph.D., Glasgow, 1958 Experimental gravitation; gravitational wave detection
EISENSTEIN, James P. jpe@caltech	Frank J. Roschek Professor of Physics Ph.D., Berkeley, 1980 Experimental condensed matter, low dimensional electronic systems
FILIPPONE, Bradley W. brad@krl	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Chicago, 1982 Experimental nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics
FRAUTSCHI, Steven C. scf@theory	Professor of Physics Ph.D, Stanford, 1958 Theoretical particle physics
GOLDREICH, Peter M. pmg@gps	Lee A. DuBridge Professor of Astrophysics and Planetary Physics Emeritus Ph.D., Cornell, 1960 Theoretical astrophysics
GOODSTEIN, David L. dg@caltech	Frank J. Gilloon Distinguished Teaching and Service Professor Ph.D., Washington, 1965 Two-dimensional matter, surfaces and interfaces, equilibrium and dynamical behavior at phase transitions
GOLWALA, Sunil golwala@caltech	Assistant Professor of Physics Ph.D. Berkeley, 2000 Observational cosmology, particle astrophysics
HARRISON, Fiona A. fiona@srl	Professor of Physics and Astronomy Ph.D. Berkeley, 1993 X-ray and gamma-ray astrophysics and instrumentation
HIRATA, Christopher M. hchirata@tapir	Assistant Professor of Astrophysics Ph.D., Princeton, 2005 Theory of high-redshift universe; cosmic microwave background data analysis; high redshift 21 cm radiation; weak gravitation lensing
HITLIN, David G. hitlin@hep	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Columbia, 1968 Experimental high-energy physics
KAMIONKOWSKI, Marc kamion@tapir	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Chicago, 1991 Theoretical astrophysics, cosmology, cosmic microwave background anisotropies
KAPUSTIN, Anton kapustin@theory	Associate Professor of Physics Ph.D., Caltech, 1997 Theoretical high-energy physics, superstring theory
KIMBLE, H. Jeff hjkimble@caltech	William L. Valentine Professor of Physics Ph.D., Rochester, 1978 Experimental quantum optics
KITAEV, Alexei kitaev@iqi	Professor of Physics & Computer Science Ph.D., L.D. Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, 1989 Theoretical physics, computer science
LANGE, Andrew E. ael@astro	Marvin L. Goldberger Professor of Physics Ph.D., Berkeley, 1987 Experimental cosmology
LIBBRECHT, Kenneth G. kgl@caltech	Executive Officer for Physics, Professor of Physics Ph.D., Princeton, 1984 Gravitational wave detection; crystal growth
MARTIN, Christopher R. cmartin@srl	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Berkeley, 1986 Experimental UV, optical and x-ray astrophysics
MCKEOWN, Robert D. bmck@krl	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Princeton, 1979 Experimental nuclear particle physics; parity-violating electron scattering, neutrino oscillations, ultra-cold neutrons, ultra-high energy cosmic rays
MOTRUNICH, Olexei I. motrunch@caltech	Assistant Professor of Physics Ph.D., Princeton, 2001 Theoretical condensed matter physics
NEWMAN, Harvey B. newman@hep	Professor of Physics Sc.D., MIT, 1973 Experimental high-energy physics
OOGURI, Hirosi ooguri@theory	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Tokyo, 1989 Theoretical high-energy physics, superstring theory
PECK, Charles W. peck@hep	Professor of Physics Emeritus Ph.D., Caltech, 1964 Experimental high-energy physics
PHILLIPS, Thomas tgp@submm	Director, Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, Altair Professor of Physics D.Phil., Oxford, 1965 Submillimeter-wave astronomy
PHINNEY, E. Sterl esp@tapir	Professor of Physics, Ph.D., Cambridge, 1983 Active galactic nuclei; high-energy and relativistic astrophysics
PINE, Jerome jpmail@capsi	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Cornell, 1956 Biophysics, experimental physics
POLITZER, H. David politzer@theory	Nobel Laureate, Richard Chace Tolman Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics Ph.D., Harvard, 1974 Theoretical physics
PORTER, Frank C. fcp@hep	Option Representative for Physics, Professor of Physics Ph.D., Berkeley, 1977 Experimental high-energy physics, e+e- collisions
PRESKILL, John P. preskill@theory	John D. MacArthur Professor of Theoretical Physics Ph.D., Harvard, 1980 Quantum information, quantum computation and quantum coding theory; theoretical elementary particle physics, gravitation and cosmology
PRINCE, Thomas A. prince@srl	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Chicago, 1978 Gamma-ray astronomy, ground-based optical interferometry; concurrent computing
REFAEL, Gil refael@caltech	Assistant Professor of Physics Ph.D. Harvard, 2003 Quantum condensed matter theory
ROUKES, Michael L. roukes@caltech	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Cornell, 1985 Experimental condensed-matter physics, mesoscopic systems at ultralow temperatures, biophysics with nanostructures
SARI, Re'em sari@tapir	Associate Professor of Physics and Planetary Science Ph.D. Hebrew University, 1998 Theoretical astrophysics and planetary science
SCHERER, Axel etcher@caltech	Director, Kavli Nanoscience Institute Bernard Neches Professor of Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics & Physics Ph.D., New Mexico Institute, 1985 Nanofabrication, microoptics and integrated optoelectronics, surface micromachining
SCHWARZ, John H. jhs@theory	Harold Brown Professor of Theoretical Physics Ph.D., Berkeley, 1966 Theoretical high-energy physics, especially superstring theory
SIMON, Barry M. bsimon@caltech	IBM Professor of Mathematics & Theoretical Physics Ph.D., Princeton, 1970 Mathematical physics
SOIFER, B. Thomas bts@mop	Director, Spitzer Science Center, Professor of Physics Ph.D., Cornell, 1972 Infrared astronomy
STONE, Edward C. ecs@srl	David Morrisroe Professor of Physics Ph.D., Chicago, 1963 Experimental galactic and solar cosmic rays, magnetosphere physics
THORNE, Kip S. kip@tapir	Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics Ph.D., Princeton, 1965 Relativistic astrophysics; gravitational physics
TOMBRELLO, Thomas A. tat@caltech	William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Physics Chair, Division of Physics, Mathematics & Astronomy Ph.D., Rice, 1961 Application of ion beam techniques to material science and surface science, modeling of geophysical processes, radiation damage
VOGT, Rochus E. vogt@caltech	R. Stanton Avery Distinguished Service Professor of Physics Emeritus Ph.D., Chicago, 1961 Experimental astrophysics, experimental gravitation, gravitational wave detection
WEINSTEIN, Alan J. ajw@caltech	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Harvard, 1983 Experimental high-energy physics, gravitational wave detection
WISE, Mark. B. wise@theory	John A. McCone Professor of High Energy Physics Ph.D., Stanford, 1980 Theoretical particle physics, cosmology
YEH, Nai-Chang ncyeh@caltech	Professor of Physics Ph.D., MIT, 1988 Experimental condensed-matter physics, superconductivity, magnetism, phase transitions
ZEWAIL, Ahmed H. zewail@caltech	Nobel Laureate, Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Physics Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1974 Chemical physics
ZMUIDZINAS, Jonas jonas@caltech	Professor of Physics Ph.D., Berkeley, 1987 Submillimeter astronomy and instrumentation

Interdivisional Research:
The sections of the on-line physics brochure summarize the major research areas in physics. Positions for new students are normally available in all these fields. Each section lists not only the major research topics, but also the professorial and research faculty and some recent publications.
Some students admitted into one option later find that their interests are better served by one of the many research groups outside their initially chosen field. It is usually quite easy to carry out physics-related research in another department while still working on a physics Ph.D. Some of the wide range of related fields available at Caltech are the following:
Applied Nuclear Physics - Radiation damage and surface physics; neutron physics and nuclear reactors.
Chemical Physics - Surface chemistry and physics; many-body effects in molecules and solids; laser spectroscopy. Ultra-fast laser techniques. Behavior of polymers.
Fluid Physics - Molecular and continuum fluid dynamics; superfluidity, turbulence, vapor explosions; rarefied gas dynamics. Pattern formation in multi-component systems.
Geophysics and Mineralogy - Optical, infrared, and magnetic properties of minerals; their behavior under high shock pressures; planetary interiors.
Materials Science - Diffusion in solids; dislocations, fracture, and crystal growth; electronic and magnetic properties of metals and alloys, and amorphous metallic materials; polymers and visco-elasticity; thin film reactions and epitaxial growth. Development of analytical techniques in electron microscopy.
Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy - Theoretical and experimental plasma physics; plasma waves, microwave techniques, tokamaks.
Quantum Electronics and Optics - Physics of chemical and semiconductor lasers; integrated optics; nonlinear optics; microwave, submillimeter-wave, far-infrared, and optical devices. Micro-fabrication of detector arrays.
Semiconductor Physics - Semiconductor physics, with emphasis on surfaces, interfaces, and defects; superlattices; novel devices. Fabrication and application of compound semiconductor materials.
Computation and Neural Systems - Studies in biological and applied neural networks centered on an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program involving aspects of neurobiology, computer science and statistical physics.
Planetary Science - Studies in nucleosynthesis and nucleocosmochronology, and isotopic effects. Observational and theoretical research on planet and atmosphere formation and evolution.
Applied Mathematics - Nonlinear waves; theoretical fluid dynamics; numerical analysis and scientific computation; perturbation theory; bifurcation theory; numerical fluid dynamics.
Quantum Chemistry - Ab initio calculations of wavefunctions for molecules and solids. Molecular dynamics simulations based on forces derived from the ab initio calculations.

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