Research in Physics

During JanTerm, you will learn to search online for scientific literature in physics and physics-related areas (including astronomy), write a couple of article summaries on a topic of interest to you, read from the primary scientific literature and participate in discussions on current issues in physics research. 

During spring semester of your junior year, with the instructor's help you will select an area of physics in which you are interested in developing an independent project. You will find and read references related to that topic, and write a literature review paper on your topic. You will then develop a specific research question and write a research proposal for how you plan to answer your question. See below for examples of the topics being investigated by the current RPhys seniors. You might also carry out a short mini-project on some topic in physics (not necessarily related to the topic of your literature review and proposal).

You will be expected to participate in the summer research program at NCSSM (SRIP). For most students, the summer program is when much of the important experimentation and troubleshooting of projects occurs. 

During fall semester of your senior year, you will continue collecting data for your project, analyze your data, draw conclusions from your data and write a research paper that summarizes your entire project. You will also create oral and poster presentations of your project. You will have the opportunity to present your completed work in science competitions and at a professional conference. 

Students in this program have a very strong interest in physics. Students are selected based on commitment, work ethic, dependability, skill, experience and ability to work independently. Some prior knowledge of physics is a desirable quality. 

• Comparing Radio and X-Ray Emissions from Repeating FRB 180916.J0158+65

• Analyzing the Effects of High Density Aerosols within a Plume

• Investigating the properties of Gravitational Waves from Compact Binary Coalescences using a Newtonian Model

• Modeling a metal nanoparticle optical biosensor

• Investigating the Orbital Motion of IR Flares about Sagittarius A*

• Implementing a Quantum Algorithm for Solving Systems of Linear Equations

• Modeling the mass distribution of the lensing galaxy of MG1131+0456

• Analyzing the Polarization of Skylight in Relation to the Air Quality Index

• Correlation between Peel Speed and Intensity of Triboluminescence of Adhesive Tape

• Generation of Electricity from the Wind Draft of Cars

• Evaluation of Polyvinyl-Alcohol Polymers as an Effective Shielding Mechanism against Ionizing Radiation Induced Degradation in COTS Microcontroller Devices

• Exploring the Relationships of Optical Blazar and Quasar Variability Through a Range of Redshifts

• Cosmic Radiation Shielding Properties of Lunar Regolith

• Controlling probability distributions in a noise-driven dynamical system with correlated noise sources

• Time domain calculations of scalar self-force and radiation from an orbiting point charge in Schwarzschild spacetime

• Interrelatedness of Frequency, Amplitude, and Velocity in Underwater Undulatory Swimming

• Novel Application of Microwave Power Transfer for the Recharging of Batteries in Biomedical Devices

• Photoexcitation energy transfer enhancement through atomic ligand exchange in a novel graphene-colloidal quantum dot interface

• Experimental Investigation of Wave Energy Conversion in Buoys of Varying Major and Minor Axis Ratios

• Group Halo Mass and Galactic Disk Evolution in the RESOLVE Survey

• Exploration of the correlation of flow rate with number of sides in polygonal hydraulic jumps

• Search for Giant Pulses in three high Edot Pulsars

• Use of Spray Adhesives for the Manufacture of 3-D Capillary Origami Microstructures

• Gravity Wave Disturbances in the F-region Ionosphere Above Large Earthquakes

• Dependence of the Magnus Force on the Velocity and Spin of a Smooth Ball

• Fragment Mass Distributions of Smashed Hollow Objects