Astrophysics
Rutgers astronomers pursue some of the most exciting questions in physics today through active observational and theoretical programs. Projects include searches for the nature and distribution of dark matter, attempts to determine the expansion rate and density of the universe, the origin, evolution, and nature of large galaxy clusters, the formation and evolution of galaxies, and the formation of the elements in supernovae. Objects of study range from "nearby" globular star clusters in our own Galaxy to the most remote galaxies and quasars whose light paths are distorted by the gravitational lensing effect of mass concentrations along the line of sight. Observers and theorists in the group interact closely, and many recent student theses result from both theoretical and observational projects.
In recent years, the nature and volume of biological data is driving a revolution in how biology is done. The activities range from understanding individual molecule to studying evolution of complex multicellular organisms. Our group focuses on such "multi-scale" phenomena that drives research at the fertile junction between biophysics, bioinformatics, systems biology, and theoretical evolutionary biology.
The Rutgers faculty in condensed matter theory have interests spanning many areas including: highly-correlated electron phenomena, such as high-temperature superconductivity, magnetism and heavy-fermion physics; physics at surfaces, including dynamic phenomena and electronic and geometrical structure; quantum liquids; equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics; breakdown phenomena in disordered materials; first-principles calculations of electronic and structural properties; phase transitions and critical phenomena; semiconductor physics; quantum statistical mechanics and field theory; thermodynamics, transport and localization in disordered systems. There is also a strong mathematical physics effort at Rutgers, centered primarily on rigorous results in statistical mechanics and quantum field theory.
High Energy Physics seeks to answer questions about the smallest units of matter. Our current understanding is that everything in the universe is built up from fundamental particles called quarks and leptons, which interact via the exchange of field particles such as the photon (responsible for the electromagnetic force), the Weak Bosons, W and Z (the weak nuclear force), and the gluon (the strong nuclear force).
Theoretical particle physics has advanced its frontiers enormously in recent years. The success of the Weinberg-Salam model of electroweak interactions, culminating in the recent discovery of the W+- and Z , has led to efforts to find a unified theory including quantum chromodynamics and perhaps general relativity as well. A theory of all interactions and particles usually has far-reaching implications, for instance, predicting proton decay, and affecting the development of the universe in the first few moments after the big bang. Thus particle physics now relates to problems in cosmology, such as galaxy formation and the observed predominance of matter over anti-matter. The most ambitious of these unified theories-- superstrings--is being intensively studied at Rutgers, which has one of the strongest particle theory groups in the world. Other problems, such as developing methods to study non- abelian gauge theories in nonperturbative regimes, electroweak baryogenisis, and computational methods, are also being studied. Advances in the understanding of field theory have yielded techniques and predicted phenomena which are relevant to mathematics, statistical mechanics, and condensed matter physics.
Traditional nuclear physics describes nuclear properties in terms of protons and neutrons. Most nuclei are well described as nucleons interacting either through empirical interactions in the shell model, or through a force derived from nucleon-nucleon scattering.
Physics and Astronomy Education Research (PAER) is devoted to studying how students learn and searching for ways to help them learn better. Recognizing the special difficulties that learning physics entails requires a great depth of subject knowledge, so much of this research can be done only by physicists in physics departments. The Rutgers' PAER group, consisting of a number of physicists in the department together with members of the graduate programs in Education and Math, are investigating more effective cognitive approaches, with emphasis on investigation, evaluation, representation, and linguistic issues. We are also doing work on technological innovation in physics teaching.
