Feed aggregator

Dr. George Hadjipanayis has been awarded a grant effective January 1, 2014 titled "Rare Earth-Free Nanoparticles for High Performance Permanent Magnets". This research is focused on the synthesis of anisotropic rare earth-free Fe-Co(Ni) nanoparticles with high coercivity, which can be used for the development of rare earth-free high performance permanent magnets. The proposal presents viable and innovative approaches to produce anisotropic Fe-Co and MnBi alloy powders with high coercivity and magnetization.

Dr. Veronique Petit has been awarded a grant from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory effective January 1, 2014 with the title, "Radiative Cooling in 2-D and 3-D Models of Magnetically Confined Wind Shocks". We propose a three-parameter magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) study of the effects of radiative cooling in magnetic massive stars involving cooling length, magnetic confinement, and stellar rotation.

Dr. William Matthaeus has been awarded a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration effective December 16, 2013 with the title, "Theoretical Support for the MMS Mission: Reconnection and Particle Acceleration in a Turbulent Environment". This grant is to continue support for the scientific objectives of the Magnetosphere Multiscale (MMS) Mission as implemented by the SMART team under Dr. Jim Burch at Southwest Research Institute.

Dr. Stanley Owocki has been awarded a grant from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory effective January 1, 2013. The project's title is "X-ray Production in OB-Stars: First 3-D Radiation Hydrodynamical Simulations of Embedded Wind Shocks" which will involve the development, for the first time, of 3-D radiation hydrodynamical simulations of EWS in OB-stars.

Dr. George Hadjipanayis has been awarded a grant from the University of Maryland effective October 24, 2013 titled "Manganese Based Permanent Magnets with 40MGOe at 200C". The task is to investigate the use of microwave sintering to consolidate a mixture of hard MnBi particles/powders with soft Fe(Co) particles to develop a high density bulk nanocomposite exchange-coupled magnet with high coercivity and energy product exceeding 30 MGOe.

Dr. Krzysztof Szalewicz has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health effective October 1, 2013 entitled "High-Accuracy Calculations of Helium Atom Dynamic Polarizability Including Relativistic and Quantum Electrodynamic Effects". Knowledge of the helium atom dynamic polarizability is needed for the development of a new pressure standard. The proposed calculations will include relativistic and quantum electrocynamic (QED) effects. The accuracy goal is 0.2 parts per million (ppm).

A subcontract with General Technical Services, LLC effective October 1, 2013 has been established with the title "Rare Earth Free/Lean Magnetic Materials for Energy Applications". The principal investigator is Dr. John Xiao. This subcontract will provide for the research to develop low cost comparable or better performance alternatives to high cost materials used in permanent magnets.

Dr. William Matthaeus has been awarded a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration effective September 12, 2013 to study space weather simulation with turbulence modeling: tackling the scale separation problem within physics-based prediction.

Dr. Krzysztof Szalewicz has been awarded a grant from the University of Michigan effective September 1, 2013. The purpose of this grant is to bring crystal engineering to a new level of quantitative predictions and enhanced physical insights.

Dr. Barry Walker has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation effective August 23, 2013. The project is entitled "High Energy Recollision and Excitation Processes at Ultrahigh Light Intensities" which will extend our knowledge of atomic, molecular, and optical physics from multiphoton and strong fields into the cutting edge of ultrastrong fields and answer the question, "What is the response of atomic and molecular species to ultrahigh fields?"

Dr. Paul Evenson has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation effective August 14, 2013 for a project entitled "Collaborative Research: Neutron Monitor Observations of Cosmic Rays from Jang Bogo and McMurdo". The recent deep solar minimum and slow recovery to maximum are unprecedented for the era of accurate measurements by neutron monitors. This is a potentially new era in the study of the Sun.

Dr. Stan Owocki has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation effective August 13, 2013. The project is entitled "Collaborative Research: Using Spectroscopy of Light Echoes to Observe the 19th Century Great Eruption of Eta Carinae". Eta Carinae is one of the most massive, most luminous stars in the galaxy. Historical records show that during the 1840's it had a substantial (factor 5-10) brightening, with an associated ejection of 10-20 solar masses, visible today as the bipolar "Homunculus" nebula.

Dr. Veronique Petit has been awarded a grant from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory effective August 5, 2013. The project is motivated by the very recent detection of an unprecedentedly strong magnetic field on the O-type star NGC 1624-2.

Dr. Stan Owocki has been awarded a grant from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory effective June 10, 2013. HD150136 is a multiple system harboring the nearest O3-type star. Its light-curve indicates clear X-ray variability, whose origin is most likely due to a collision between the stellar winds. We propose to observe HD150136 with Chandra over an entire orbital period in order to determine the cause of the X-ray variability.

Dr. John Xiao has been awarded a grant from the University of Nebraska, the Center for Nanoferroic Devices from U.S. Nanoelectronics Research Initiative effective April 1, 2013. UD's effort will focus on the development of low-power voltage-controlled spin wave logic devices. The objectives are to develop a class of devices operating at room and elevated temperatures, in which spin waves are excited and manipulated by voltage signals with minimal associated leakage currents.

Dr. Jamie Holder has been awarded a grant effective March 10, 2013 from the NASA EPSCoR/RID Program. The goal is to design and construct an optical system for a proto-type gamma-ray telescope of relatively small aperture (1.5 m) and at a relatively low cost. This will allow us to study astrophysical sources of the highest energies with unprecedented sensitivity.

Dr. Veronique Petit has been awarded a grant from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory effective February 26, 2013. The purpose of the grant is to measure the X-ray characteristics of five magnetic massive stars. These stars are extreme in terms of their wind magnetic confinement and their rapid rotation rate. The observations will be interpreted with our Rigid Field Hydrodynamics model and explore the effect of stellar parameters, surface magnetic field structures, and wind parameters on the X-ray production.

Dr. Jamie Holder has been awarded a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration effective January 31, 2013. The purpose of the grant is to identify and analyze the most promising candidates for combined Fermi-LAT and VERITAS broadband gamma-ray study. This includes established VERITAS sources for which the LAT analysis has not yet been done, and known LAT sources with significant VERITAS exposures.

Dr. Michael Shay has been awarded a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration effective February 12, 2013. Magnetic reconnection is a universal plasma process which converts stored magnetic energy into kinetic energy (i.e. plasma jetting) and plasma heating. While plasma jetting is theoretically well-established and has been confirmed by observations, plasma heating (especially electron heating) by reconnection is still poorly understood both observationally and theoretically.

Dr. John Gizis has been awarded a grant effective January 1, 2013 to monitor a nearby (17 pc) L dwarf to obtain a year-long time series. The Kepler data, together with supporting multiwavelength observations, will provide a unique dataset to probe the atmospheric properties of dusty brown dwarfs. Both magnetic star spots and clouds are believed to be possible sources of variability in ultracool dwarfs.