The Department of Physical Sciences is home to several degree programs: Bachelor of Science in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics; Bachelor of Science in Space Physics; Master of Science in Engineering Physics; and Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Physics.
The programs offer a unique balance of engineering and physics curriculum, so students can focus on the scientific challenges and planning associated with mission design and space exploration, along with engineering fundamentals.
These programs prepare students to make positive scientific and technological contributions to our increasingly complex society. This highly research-oriented department has one of the oldest and largest Engineering Physics programs in the nation. Students are involved in all the research, which includes grants funded by NASA, the National Security Agency (NSA), and other agencies.
Submissions from 2015
A Statistical Study of the Dawn-Dusk Asymmetry of Ion Temperature Anistrophy and Mirror Mode Occurrence in the Terrestrial Dayside Magnetosheath Using THEMIS Data, A. P. Dimmock, A. Osmane, T. I. Pulkkinen, and K. Nykyri
Self-Accleration and Instability of Gravity Wave Packets: 1. Effects of Temporal Localization, David C. Fritts, Brian Laughman, Thomas S. Lund, and Jonathan B. Snively
Gravity Wave Propagation Through a Vertically and Horizontally Inhomogeneous Background Wind, C. J. Heale and J. B. Snively
The Life Cycle of Instability Features Measured from the Andes Lidar Observatory Over Cerro Pachon on 24 March 2012, J. H. Hecht; K. Wan; Lynette Gelinas; David Fritts; R. L. Walterscheid; R. J. Rudy; Alan Liu; Steven J. Franke; Fabio Vargas; P. -D. Pautet; Michael Taylor; and Gary Swenson,
Unmanned Aerial Systems Research, Development, Education and Training at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Michael P. Hickey Ph.D.
A Full-Wave Model For a Binary Gas Thermosphere: Effects of Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity, Michael P. Hickey Ph.D., R. L. Walterscheid, and G. Schubert
Bayesian Investigation of Isochrone Consistency Using the Old Open Cluster Ngc 188, Shane Hills, Ted von Hippel, Stéphane Courteau, and Aaron M. Geller
Observational Evidence of Quasi-27-Day Oscillation Propagating from the Lower Atmosphere to the Mesosphere over 20° N, K.M. Huang, Alan Liu, S.D. Zhang, F. Yi, and C.M. Huang
Asymmetric Kelvin-Helmholtz Propagation at Saturn's Dayside Magnetopause, X. Ma, B. Stauffer, P. A. Delamere, and A. Otto
The Impact of Solar Wind ULF Bz Fluctuations on Geomagnetic Activity for Viscous Timescales During Strongly Northward and Southward IMF, A. Osmane, A. P. Dimmock, R. Naderpour, T. I. Pulkkinen, and K. Nykyri
Book Review: The Scientific Exploration of Venus, T. D. Oswalt
Solar Wind Energy Input to the Magnetosheath and at the Magnetopause, T. I. Pulkkinen, A. P. Dimmock, A. Osmane, and K. Nykyri
A Sliding Mode LCO Regulation Strategy for Dual-Parallel Underactuated UAV Systems Using Synthetic Jet Actuators, N. Ramos-Pedroza, W. MacKunis, and M. Reyhanoglu
Interpreting Ulysses Data Using Inverse Scattering Theory: Oblique Alfvén Waves, Mark Anthony Reynolds, Henry R. Wheeler IV, and R.L. Hamilton
Observer-Based Sliding Mode Control of Rijke-Type Combustion Instability, Jaime Rubio-Hervas, Mahmut Reyhanoglu, and William MacKunis
Impact of Declining Proposal Success Rates on Scientific Productivity, Ted Von Hippel; Priscilla Cushman; Todd Hoeksema; Chryssa Kouveliotou; James Lowenthal; Bradley Peterson; and Keivan G. Stassun,
To Apply or Not to Apply: A Survey Analysis of Grant Writing Costs and Benefits, Ted von Hippel and Courtney von Hippel
Lower Thermospheric Response to Atmospheric Gravity Waves Induced By the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami, Yonghui Yu, Zhiyu Yan, and Michael P. Hickey Ph.D.
Dynamics of Density Cavities Generated by Frictional Heating: Formation, Distortion, and Instability, M. D. Zettergren, J. L. Semeter, and H. Dahlgren
Ionospheric Response to Infrasonic-Acoustic Waves Generated by Natural Hazard Events, M. D. Zettergren and J. B. Snively
Submissions from 2014
Development of High-Purity Optical Grade Single-Crystal CVD Diamond for Intracavity Cooling, Andrew M. Bennett, Benjamin J. Wickham, Harpreet K. Dhillon, Ying Chen, Scott Webster, Giorgio Turri, and Michael Bass
A Statistical Study of Magnetic Field Fluctuations in the Dayside Magnetosheath and Their Dependence on Upstream Solar Wind Conditions, A. P. Dimmock, K. Nykyri, and T. I. Pulkkinen
On UAV Robust Nonlinear Control in Presence of Parametric Uncertainties, Vladimir V. Golubev and William MacKunis
Numerical Simulation of the Long-Range Propagation of Gravity Wave Packets at High Latitudes, C. J. Heale, J. B. Snively, and M. P. Hickey
Thermospheric Dissipation of Upward Propagating Gravity Wave Packets, C. J. Heale, J. B. Snively, M. P. Hickey, and C. J. Ali
The Link Between Shocks, Turbulence and Magnetic Reconnection in Collisionless Plasmas, H. Karimabadi, V. Roytershteyn, H. X. Vu, Y. Omelchenko, J. Scudder, W. Daughton, A. Dimmock, Katariina (Heidi) Nykyri, and et al.
Three Moving Groups Detected in the LAMOST DR1 Archive, Zhao J. K., Zhao G., Y. Q. Chen, T. D. Oswalt, K. F. Tan, and Y. Zhang
Very Low Frequency Subionospheric Remote Sensing of Thunderstorm-Driven Acoustic Waves in the Lower Ionosphere, R. A. Marshall and J. B. Snively
Nonadiabatic Heating in Magnetic Reconnection, Xuanye Ma and Antonius Otto
Interaction of Magnetic Reconnection and Kelvin-Helmholtz Modes for Large Magnetic Shear: 1. Kelvin-Helmholtz Trigger, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto, and Peter A. Delamere
Interaction of Magnetic Reconnection and Kelvin-Helmholtz Modes for Large Magnetic Shear: 2. Reconnection Trigger, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto, and Peter A. Delamere
High-Resolution Spectroscopy of the Lunar Sodium Exosphere, E. J. Mierkiewicz, R. J. Oliversen, F. L. Roesler, and O. L. Lupie
A Deep Proper Motion Catalog Within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Footprint, Jeffrey A. Munn, Hugh C. Harris, Ted von Hippel, Mukremin Kilic, James W. Liebert, Kurtis A. Williams, Steven DeGenarro, Elizabeth Jeffery, and Trudy M. Tilleman
Book Review: Cosmic Dawn: The Search for the First Stars and Galaxies, T. D. Oswalt
Book Review: Planetary Rings: A Post-Equinox View 2nd Ed, T. D. Oswalt
Book Review: Robotic Exploration of the Solar System: Pt. 4: The Modern Era, 2004-2013, T. D. Oswalt
Book Review: The Observer's Guide to Planetary Motion: Explaining the Cycles of the Night Sky, T. D. Oswalt
The Geocoronal H α Cascade Component Determined from Geocoronal H β Intensity Measurements, F. L. Roesler, E. J. Mierkiewicz, and S. M. Nossal
The White Dwarfs Within 25 pc of the Sun: Kinematics and Spectroscopic Subtypes, Edward M. Sion, J. B. Holberg, Terry D. Oswalt, George P. McCook, Richard Wasatonic, and Janine Myszka
Bayesian Analysis for Stellar Evolution with Nine Parameters (BASE-9): User's Manual, Ted von Hippel, Elliot Robinson, Elizabeth Jeffery, Rachel Wagner-Kaiser, Steven DeGennaro, Nathan Stein, David Stenning, William H. Jefferys, and David van Dyk
The Power of Principled Bayesian Methods in the Study of Stellar Evolution, Ted von Hippel, David van Dyk, David Stenning, Elliot Robinson, Elizabeth Jeffery, Nathan Stein, William Jefferys, and Erin M. O'Malley
Auroral Ionospheric F Region Density Cavity Formation and Evolution: MICA Campaign Results, M. Zettergren, K. A. Lynch, D. L. Hampton, M. Nicolls, B. Wright, and et al.
Submissions from 2013
Elevated Electron Temperatures Around Twin Sporadic E Layers at Low Latitude: Observations and the Case for a Plausible Link to Currents Parallel to the Geomagnetic Field, A. Barjatya, J. P. St. Maurice, and C. M. Swenson
Payload Charging Events in the Mesosphere and Their Impact on Langmuir Type Electric Probes, T. A. Bekkeng, Aroh Barjatya, U. P. Hoppe, A. Pedersen, J. I. Moen, M. Friedrich, and M. Rapp
The Optical Manifestation of Dispersive Field‐Aligned Bursts in Auroral Breakup Arcs, H. Dahlgren, J. L. Semeter, R. A. Marshall, and M. Zettergren
The Statistical Mapping of Magnetosheath Plasma Properties Based on THEMIS Measurements in the Magnetosheath Interplanetary Medium Reference Frame, A. P. Dimmock and K. Nykyri
Mapping of the Quasi-Periodic Oscillations at the Flank Magnetopause into the Ionosphere, E. R. Dougal, K. Nykyri, and T. W. Moore
Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability of the CME Reconnection Outflow Layer in the Low Corona, Claire Foullon, Erwin Verwichte, Katariina Nykyri, Markus J. Aschwanden, and Iain G. Hannah
Multi-Instrument Comparisons of D-Region Plasma Measurements, M. Friedrich, K. M. Torkar, U. P. Hoppe, T. A. Bekkeng, A. Barjatya, and M. Rapp
Optical and Thermal Properties of Spinel with Revised (Increased) Absorption at 4 to 5 μM Wavelengths and Comparison with Sapphire, Daniel C. Harris and Giorgio Turri
Moving Objects in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, Mukremin Kilic, Alexandros Gianninas, and Ted von Hippel
Asymmetry of Magnetosheath Flows and Magnetopause Shape During Low Alfvén Mach Number Solar Wind, B. Lavraud, E. Larroque, E. Budnik, V. Génot, J. E. Borovsky, M. W. Dunlop, K. Nykyri, and et al.
Mechanisms of Field-Aligned Current Formation in Magnetic Reconnection, Xuanye Ma and Antonius Otto
Measuring the Evolutionary Rate of Cooling of ZZ Ceti, Anjum S. Mukadam, Ted von Hippel, and et al.
Impact of MHD Shock Physics on Magnetosheath Symmetry and Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability, K. Nykyri
First Magnetic Seismology of the CME Reconnection Outflow Layer in the Low Corona with 2.5-D MHD Simulations of the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability, Katariina Nykyri and Claire Foullon
A Bayesian Approach to Deriving Ages of Individual Field White Dwarfs, Erin M. O'Malley, Ted von Hippel, and David A. van Dyk
Book Review: Heart of Darkness: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Invisible Universe, T. D. Oswalt
Book Review: Weird Worlds: Bizarre Bodies of the Solar System and Beyond, T. D. Oswalt
Mesospheric Hydroxyl Airglow Signatures of Acoustic and Gravity Waves Generated by Transient Tropospheric Forcing, J. B. Snively
Numerical and Statistical Evidence for Long-Range Ducted Gravity Wave Propagation Over Halley, Antarctica, J. B. Snively, K. Nielsen, M. P. Hickey, C. J. Heale, M. J. Taylor, and T. Moffat-Griffin
Wave Heating and Jeans Escape in the Martian Upper Atmosphere, R. L. Walterscheid, Michael P. Hickey Ph.D., and G. Schubert
Ionospheric Signatures of Acoustic Waves Generated by Transient Tropospheric Forcing, M. D. Zettergren and J. B. Snively
70 DA White Dwarfs Identified in Lamost Pilot Survey, J. K. Zhao, A. L. Luo, Terry D. Oswalt, and G. Zhao
Tracers of Chromospheric Structure. I. Ca Ii H&K Emission Distribution of 13,000 F, G, and K Stars in SDSS DR7 Spectroscopic Sample, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, G. Zhao, Q. H. Lu, A. L. Luo, and L. Y. Zhang
Tracers of Chromospheric Structure. I. CaII H&K Emission Distribution of 13000 F, G and K Stars in SDSS DR7 Spectroscopic Sample, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, G. Zhao, Q. H. Lu, and L. Y. Zhang
Submissions from 2012
3-D Mesoscale MHD Simulations of Magnetospheric Cusp-Like Configurations: Cusp Diamagnetic Cavities and Boundary Structure, E. Adamson, A. Otto, and K. Nykyri
Optimization of Magnetic Powdered Activated Carbon for Aqueous Hg(II) Removal and Magnetic Recovery, Emily K. Faulconer, Natalia Hoogesteijn von Reitzenstein, and David W. Mazyck
Ionospheric Signatures of Tohoku-Oki Tsunami of March 11, 2011: Model Comparisons Near the Epicenter, David A. Galvan, Attila Komjathy, Michael P. Hickey, Philip Stephens, Jonathan Snively, Y. Tony Song, Mark D. Butala, and Anthony J. Mannucci
Gravity-wave-induced Variations in Exothermic Heating in the Low-latitude, Equinox Mesophere and Lower Thermosphere Region, Michael P. Hickey Ph.D. and Tai-Yin Huang
Gravity Wave Propagation in a Diffusively Separated Gas: Effects on the Total Gas, Michael P. Hickey Ph.D. and R. L. Walterscheid
Observational Constraints on the Degenerate Mass-Radius Relation, J. B. Holberg, Terry D. Oswalt, and M. A. Barstow
Detecting Ionospheric TEC Perturbations Caused by Natural Hazards Using a Global Network of GPS Receivers: The Tohoku Case Study, A. Komjathy, D. A. Galvan, P. Stephens, M. D. Butala, V. Akopian, B. Wilson, O. Verkhoglyadova, A. J. Mannucci, and M. Hickey
Spectral Engineering of Optical Fiber Preforms Through Active Nanoparticle Doping, T. Lindstrom, E. Garber, D. Edmonson, T. Hawkins, Y. Chen, G. Turri, M. Bass, and J. Ballato
Sodium Atoms in the Lunar Exotail: Observed Velocity and Spatial Distributions, Michael R. Line, E. J. Mierkiewicz, R. J. Oliversen, J. K. Wilson, L. M. Haffner, and F. L. Roesler
Observed Seasonal Variations in Exospheric Effective Temperatures, E. J. Mierkiewicz, F. L. Roesler, and S. M. Nossal
Observed and Modeled Solar Cycle Variation in Geocoronal Hydrogen Using NRLMSISE-00 Thermosphere Conditions and the Bishop Analytic Exosphere Model, S. M. Nossal, E. J. Mierkiewicz, and F. L. Roesler
Book Review: Astronomy at the Frontiers of Science, T. D. Oswalt
Book Review: New Eyes on the Universe: Twelve Cosmic Mysteries and the Tools We Need to Solve Them, T. D. Oswalt
Book Review: The International Atlas of Mars Exploration: The First Five Decades: v.1: 1953 to 2003, T. D. Oswalt
Thrust Vector Control of an Upper-Stage Rocket with Multiple Propellant Slosh Modes, Mahmut Reyhanoglu and Jaime Rubio Hervas
Contamination Effects on Fixed-Bias Langmuir Probes, C.T. Steigies and A. Barjatya
Florida Energy Assurance Plan, Niescja E. Turner, William Murtagh, Kevin Guthrie, Katariina Nykyri, William A. Radasky, and Eric Senkowicz
An Intense Traveling Airglow Front in the Upper Mesosphere–lower Thermosphere with Characteristics of a Bore Observed over Alice Springs, Australia, during a Strong 2 Day Wave Episode, R. L. Walterscheid, J. H. Hecht, L. J. Galinas, Michael P. Hickey Ph.D., and I. M. Reid
Ionospheric Plasma Transport and Loss in Auroral Downward Current Regions, M. Zettergren and J. L. Semeter
The Initial–Final Mass Relation Among White Dwarfs in Wide Binaries, J. K. Zhao, T. D. Oswalt, L. A. Willson, Q. Wang, and G. Zhao
Submissions from 2011
3-D Mesoscale MHD Simulations of a Cusp-Like Magnetic Configuration: Method and First Results, E. Adamson, A. Otto, and K. Nykyri
Particle‐in‐Cell Simulation of Incoherent Scatter Radar Spectral Distortions Related to Beam‐Plasma Interactions in the Auroral Ionosphere, M. A. Diaz, M. Oppenheim, J. L. Semeter, and M. Zettergren
The 2009 Samoa and 2010 Chile Tsunamis as Observed in the Ionosphere using GPS Total Electron Content, David A. Galvan, Attila Komjathy, Michael P. Hickey Ph.D., and Anthony J. Mannucci
Gravity Wave Heating and Cooling of the Thermosphere: Sensible Heat Flux and Viscous Flux of Kinetic Energy, Michael P. Hickey Ph.D., R. L. Walterscheid, and G. Schubert
The 25 Parsec Local White Dwarf Population, Jerry B. Holberg, Terry D. Oswalt, Edward M. Sion, and George P. McCook
The White Dwarf Age of NFC 2477, Elizabeth J. Jeffery, Ted von Hippel, and et al.
Orbital Separation Amplification in Fragile Binaries with Evolved Components, K. B. Johnston and Terry D. Oswalt
Cluster Observations of a Cusp Diamagnetic Cavity: Structure, Size, and Dynamics, K. Nykyri, A. Otto, E. Adamson, E. Dougal, and J. Mumme
On the Origin of Fluctuations in the Cusp Diamagnetic Cavity, K. Nykyri, A. Otto, E. Adamson, and A. Tjulin
Book Review: Exploring Mars: Chronicles from a Decade of Discovery, T. D. Oswalt
Book Review: The Cambridge Atlas of Herschel Objects, T. D. Oswalt
Modeling and Control of Space Vehicles with Fuel Slosh Dynamics, Mahmut Reyhanoglu
Cluster Observations of Bow Shock Energetic Ion Transport Through the Magnetosheath into the Cusp, K. J. Trattner, S. M. Petrinec, S. A. Fuselier, K. Nykyri, and E. Kronberg
Group Velocity and Energy Flux in the Thermosphere: Limits on the Validity of Group Velocity in a Viscous Atmosphere, R. L. Walterscheid and Michael P. Hickey Ph.D.
