Debadarshini (Jolly) Mishra successfully defended her PhD thesis in May 2024 in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. Jolly gave several presentations at national and international conferences and is the co-author of 8 publications. She is now a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and was hired before her thesis defense to contribute her research and learn new research techniques.
Her PhD thesis, entitled “Photo-induced ultrafast dynamics and non-linear processes in molecules” consisted at understanding the dynamics of various photo-induced physical and chemical processes in molecules, which is fundamental to physics, chemistry, and biology. The studied dynamics occur on the femtosecond time scales and are observable using ultrafast tools like ultrashort laser pulses that can be generated using our tabletop laser as well as using Free Electron Lasers (FELs) at national and international facilities as well as using an Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (UED) facility at SLAC National laboratory. Her thesis work systematically studied photo-induced processes using different laser wavelength and probing the molecular transformation using a powerful experimental technique, revealing new physics and offering insights into potential future control of the measured phenomena. Several molecules were studied such as 1 and 2-propanol, acetonitrile and C60. She used our pump-probe spectroscopy method combined with coincident Coulomb explosion imaging technique using our COLTRIMS instrument, to track and isolate the mechanisms leading to multi-body molecular dissociation. She identified, with our group members, a novel, elusive channel in acetonitrile indicative of H2/D2 roaming, published in Nature communication (Debadarshini Mishra*, Aaron C. LaForge*, Lauren M. Gorman, Sergio Diaz-Tendero, Fernando Martin, and Nora Berrah “Direct visualization of an elusive molecular reaction: Time-resolved H2 roaming in acetonitrile” (Nature communication in press). This work was supported by quantum chemistry calculations by our Madrid, Spain collaborators.
She also studied, with our group members, the energy redistribution dynamics in fullerenes irradiated with intense XUV radiation, using the FLASH FEL from Hamburg, Germany, By analyzing the kinetic energy spectra of ionic fragments from C60 molecules, we observed a transient nanoplasma state, which plays a critical role in energy redistribution within the molecule. This work not only elucidates the complex interplay between molecular and Coulombic forces in large molecules but also provides insights that are applicable to other such large molecular systems. This work was validated by theoretical calculation by the Dreden, Germany collaborators. (A. C. LaForge*, D. Mishra*, U. Saalmann, R. Obaid, S. Pathak, H. Lindenblatt, S. Meister, F. Trost, P. Rosenberger, R. Michiels, S. Biswas, K. Saraswathula, F. Stienkemeier, F. Calegari, M. Braune, M.Mudrich, M. F. Kling, D. Rolles, E. Kukk, T. Pfeifer, Jan M. Rost, R. Moshammer, and N. Berrah, “Fragmentation dynamics of fullerenes upon extreme electronic excitation near the giant resonance with XUV free-electron laser pulses” (Under review with Phys. Rev. Lett.)
Written by Daniel . Anglés-Alcázar:
As part of his Ph.D. project, Jonathan Mercedes-Feliz has made very important contributions to our understanding of the interplay between supermassive black holes and galaxies using state-of-the-art supercomputing simulations that for the first time model the propagation and impact of powerful black hole-driven winds from the very center of galaxies all the way to the intergalactic medium. Using novel data analysis approaches, Jonathan has shown that these powerful winds can simultaneously enhance the rate of formation of stars in localized regions while dramatically suppressing the global growth of massive galaxies, explaining seemingly contradictory results from recent observations and previous theoretical models. Besides excelling in research, Jonathan is deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and he has been an invaluable mentor for undergraduate and high school students from historically excluded groups as part of the McNair Scholars program, the Center for Access and Postsecondary Success (CAPS) Summer Program, and the YSSS Jack Kent Cooke Scholars program at UConn. With his published Ph.D. work already attracting significant attention in the community, Jonathan has accepted a postdoctoral research position funded by the NASA Astrophysics Theory Program to lead the next generation of simulations modeling the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies as part of Prof. Anglés-Alcázar’s group at the University of Connecticut.
Last year, I wrote to you as a new Interim Head of Physics and only barely a month into my appointment. During the past year, we conducted a search for a permanent head and I was selected. For this, I am very grateful for the trust and support I received from the department. The past year has been a bit of a rollercoaster: on the one hand, the complex budget situation has preoccupied the department heads and upper administration and student protests sparked discussions about free speech and activism on campus. On the other hand, the Physics Department had another excellent year in terms of research, teaching, and outreach and I had the pleasure of meeting several of our generous donors.
The most notable achievements of the past year were the election of Prof. Nora Berrah to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors in science, and her appointment as a UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, the highest honor at UConn. These will be celebrated at a special Edward Pollack Distinguished Lecture, on October 14, 2024, given by a longtime friend and colleague of Nora’s, Prof. Philip Bucksbaum, himself a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science at Stanford University.
A number of other faculty received notable awards this year. Prof. Moshe Gai will travel to Romania on a U.S. Fulbright Scholarship. Two faculty received awards from the College of Liberal Arts and Science (CLAS): Prof. Peter Schweitzer for Faculty Mentoring of Faculty and Prof. Erin Scanlon for promoting Climate, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. CLAS also funded a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative: “UConn STARs (Science, Technology, and Astronomy Recruits),” Prof. Cara Battersby, PI.
We gave out our two undergraduate awards: the Katzenstein prize for the best undergraduate research paper went to Danya Alboslani and our Mark Miller award to fund a summer research project went to Leilani Ainsworth, working with Prof. Simone Colombo
We are fortunate to welcome two new faculty this year:
Assistant Professor Aleksandra Kuznetsova is currently a fellow at the Flatiron Institute and works on star and planet formation. She will join us this August.
Assistant Professor Shohini Bhattacharya currently holds an Oppenheimer Fellowship at Los Alamos National Laboratory in theoretical nuclear physics and will join us in January 2025.
This was also a great year for outreach. We welcomed over 100 enthusiastic second graders for a variety of hands-on activities, organized by Prof. Jason Hancock and Sarah Trallero. We held a viewing party for the opening of our newly renovated observatory, spearheaded by Prof. Matt Guthrie and we got permission to officially name it in honor of the late Prof. Cynthia Peterson, who funded and built the observatory in 1980. And, we had another exciting eclipse viewing party organized by Prof. Jonathan Trump – the second in seven years! We are looking forward to hosting CU*IP: Conference for Undergraduate Women and Under-represented Minorities in Physics, sponsored by the American Physical Society. It will take place in January2025 and is being organized by Prof. Nora Berrah, along with a large local organizing committee. Finally, I would like to cordially invite you to attend our 26th annual Katzenstein Distinguished Lecture on Friday, November 15, 2024, which will be held in our department. This year’s speaker is Professor Adam Riess from Johns Hopkins University where he is the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor. He was a joint winner, with Drs. Saul Perlmutter and Brian P. Schmidt, of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics, awarded “for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe.” I hope you can all attend and catch up on everything that is going on in the department and the Universe! I look forward to seeing you there.
The UConn STARs group visited Hartford Public High School (HPHS) to teach physics for a total of eight class periods from May 6th-9th, 2024. UConn brought 16 undergraduate students from the STARs program to HPHS for our annual outreach program, during which we interacted with about 100 high school students. We collaborated with physics teacher Dr. Thomas Longyear to develop four lesson plans on topics of: 1) Phases of Matter, 2) Waves, 3) Electrostatics, and 4) Gravity over the course of the academic year. During our visit to HPHS, the STARs participants led these engaging lesson plans with hands-on demos and activities, over the course of four days. The goal of the STARs program is to improve the retention of students from Historically Excluded Groups (HEGs) in physics at UConn by addressing key factors responsible for their attrition. We have academic year events that focus on social engagement, professional development, and community building. The STARs program just concluded its 3rd year, with consistent progress and growth, and is looking forward to continued growth in our fourth year!
Pictured below are the STARs participants and the HPHS students during our May 2024 visit.
Once used for education and outreach for UConn faculty, students, and community members, the planetarium fell into disuse in the last several years, butDepartment of PhysicsAssistant Professor-in-ResidenceMatt Guthriehas been working hard with skilled facilities staff, including CLAS Facilities Team LeaderBrett DeMarchi, to bring this piece of UConn history back into working order.
The planetarium was built in 1954 and has served since as a hub for sharing astronomical information with UConn and surrounding communities. The late Professor Cynthia Peterson was the planetarium’s curator for many years; it was her favorite place on campus, and she regularly shared her enthusiasm for astronomy by hosting events there.
The original A1 Spitz Star and Planet Projector, used for over 50 years for teaching others about the wonders of the universe, is now on display in the Gant Science Complex along with a plaque in dedication to the planetarium’s long-time curator, Professor Cynthia Peterson. (Contributed photo)
In 2022, when Guthrie first toured the facility with Physics Department Academic AssistantDave Perry, they were not sure what they would find and felt it was a shame the facility had fallen into disrepair. With encouragement from fellow physics faculty members Jon Trump and then Department Head Professor Barry Wells, Guthrie decided to take the project on, and together with Perry, DeMarchi, and others, they have been slowly but surely bringing the venerable planetarium back into campaigning shape.
“When I first toured the facility, it was still my first year at UConn full-time and I was looking for a project to dedicate all my free time to,” Guthrie says. “From the start, as I was doing research about it and learning more about Cynthia, I felt a sense of responsibility that if I was going to fill at least part of the hole that was left after she retired, we needed the proper recognition for everything that she had done, especially with the planetarium.”
The first time DeMarchi walked into the dome, he says it was like stepping back in time:
“It was almost pitch black and the antique projector was covered in dust — a unique piece of history to marvel at from a time when technology was much simpler!”
DeMarchi says a previous project study with a larger scope had a budget that was unfeasible, but he had some ideas to help keep the costs down while still freshening up the facility without major renovations to the existing structure. A new proposal was submitted to CLAS, accepted, and with funding, the project moved ahead.
Guthrie wanted to be sure the history of the planetarium was preserved, so, in the process of clearing out the facility to make way for new equipment, the team kept whatever they could for posterity, including the originalA1 Spitzstar and planet projector.
“We put the old projector on display in the physics department to make sure that we are not rewriting the history of the planetarium. That has been the guiding light for how I approach this project. We did buy a new projector, but we’re not changing the internal structure of the building,” says Guthrie.
Shortly after starting this project, Guthrie also started working on the UConnObservatoryand both projects have kept him very busy, but he says he is glad to be able to dedicate the time to get these resources back up and running for the department and community.
Guthrie also has student help, including Danya Alboslani (CLAS) ’24 who has helped with both renovation processes.
Alboslani first got involved as a sophomore wanting to learn more about the planetarium and observatory that no one seemed to have details about,
“I wanted to get more information about the planetarium on campus. UConn is a great school with astronomy professors who do amazing work, so if we have a planetarium and an alleged observatory, why don’t we use them?”
Alboslani connected with Guthrie and says working with him on the restoration projects has been amazing,
“Ever since I first contacted him, he’s made me feel very involved in the entire process. Professor Guthrie went out of his way to keep me updated on everything. I helped to write the memorial plaque about Professor Peterson — also a woman in STEM and UConn’s first women physics professor.”
Sealing up the dome and making the facility waterproof once again took a lot of effort, says DiMarchi. Thanks to the extensive collaborative efforts with UConn Facilities Operations, the planetarium is almost ready for action again. (Contributed photo)
A tricky issue was the planetarium’s 16-foot dome, which had to be resealed, but once that was resolved, Guthrie said the interior work could go ahead. Though it has been a slow process, Guthrie says the end is in sight. The internal painting was completed in January and the external painting will be done as soon as the weather warms up.
DeMarchi says the team is very appreciative of the extensive collaborative efforts from UConn Facilities Operations.
“Every Facilities Shop Supervisor that I contacted was on board to assist. Special thanks to Nate Bedard of Interior Renewals for his help with project coordination and flooring. Chris Gisleson and his team put a lot of effort into sealing the exterior of the dome. Jon Cooke researched the correct reflective paint needed for the interior of the dome and his team painted the structure. Jennifer Peshka provided testing and compliance guidance throughout.CLAS Shared Servicesstudent workers Cole Shillington (CLAS) ‘24 and Alex Gervais (CAHNR) ‘24 were a big help with various tasks that came up.”
Though they don’t have a firm launch date yet, Guthrie hopes they will be up and running by summertime. The team plans to install carpeting and purchase new chairs soon. Guthrie says they removed the old projector platform, which was about six feet in diameter, and Perry and Senior Machine Shop Engineer MachinistRay Celmerare working to make a sturdy stand that will have a small 18-inch footprint which will allow for more flexibility and accessibility in the space.
“Newer planetariums are structuring their seating charts as if there is a front of the building, and that’s where they project the main action of the show, where other things can happen around you,” Guthrie says. “We have the possibility of moving around to make it so that there is a front of the room. That depends on what we want to do and how the building evolves to meet our needs. I wanted to leave that possibility open.”
When deciding on what new projector to order, Guthrie says he chose a company that specializes in portable planetarium projectors, because other than being the oldest planetarium in the state, this is likely the state’s smallest permanent planetarium.
The planetarium’s new projector comes equipped with around 100,000 premade shows and makes it easy for users to design their own shows, so physics students and faculty can share their research and produce educational content for classes or outreach events. (Contributed photo)
“I went with this projector model because it’s perfect for the size of our dome. The new projector gives users access to around 100,000 pre-made shows, and a bonus is the software is easy to learn so users can write their own planetarium shows. What I’m hoping is that interested astronomy students will be able to lead outreach events with shows they have designed themselves and if they want to get involved it will be lower stress to learn how to use the projector within this cool piece of UConn history.”
Physics Ph.D. student Kelcey Davis is eager for the facility to open and says the astrophysics graduate students and faculty are all very passionate about what they do and are excited this project will provide the opportunity to engage with the public.
“I saw the projector for the first time just a few days ago and have driven it once. It’s operated by a video game controller, so it helps to be a nerd!” says Davis.
Davis works with theJames Webb Space Telescopeand hopes to develop shows that break down the big discoveries the telescope has made since first light and make them digestible to a broader audience.
“I’m excited to showcase some of the research I and others in the department are doing. NASA has come out with some cool visuals, and I’d love to share them. A great example is the flight to ‘Maisie’s galaxy,’ the most distant galaxy in theCosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey (CEERS), which I work on. The light from this galaxy traveled 13.4 billion light years to reach us.”
Guthrie also has ideas for shows: for example, a simulated rocket launch. The projector can show the flight through clouds and the atmosphere and once the sound system is installed, viewers can feel what it’s like to blast off. Guthrie says he is planning to hold at least one show per week once everything is up and running, as long as the demand is there.
“What I once thought I wouldn’t be able to see before I graduate is now slowly becoming a reality,” says Alboslani. “With Professor Guthrie leading the restoration of the planetarium and observatory, I know that he will make an impact on the community and the university for years to come.”
Guthrie is excited for the future with both the observatory and the planetarium back in action.
“The observatory has incredible potential for completely changing the way that we do astrophysics research at UConn and the planetarium is completely different, but also super exciting. I can’t wait to see what this building is capable of.”
The project was made possible thanks to funding from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. ThePlanetarium schedulewill be updated with events once the facility is up and running. You can also keep up with events viaInstagram.
About 20% of UConn students are supported by the Center for Students with Disabilities. The true percentage of students who need help is even higher. With so many students who require diverse ways of learning, how can faculty make sure their teaching is adequate, effective and inclusive for all students? In order to address this situation, CLAS has supported the Accessibility Fellowship Program during the 2022-2023 academic year with the goal to study disability and improve the accessibility situation at UConn and generally in higher education. Indeed, research shows that these students can perform at the highest standards in the classroom and in research, if they are given appropriate conditions to do so. One of the fellows in this program was our Dr. Erin Scanlon, Assistant Professor in-Residence at the Avery Point regional campus. The Center for Students with Disabilities makes a difference by addressing aspects related to, e.g., submitting assignments or taking tests. This is important but not enough. Instructors can make an even bigger difference at a much earlier stage, before submitting homework or taking tests, namely while the students learn in the classroom. Small changes in the classroom teaching can significantly improve the performance of the students. Which small changes can faculty implement? A lot is known about this thanks to the research of Dr. Scanlon and other scholars in Physics Education Research (PER) who study the learning needs of students with special needs. For more information on this important topic see the UConn Today news article
Fig. 1: Dr. James Zickefoos (black shirt) and Dr. Patrick McLeroy of the Mirion Technologies Inc. posing in front of Zimmerman’s setup for his senior Honor Thesis at the LNS at Avery Point, and discussing with LNS graduate students Sarah R. Stern and Deran K. Schweitzer possibilities for employment at Mirion Technologies, Inc.
Mirion Technologies, Inc. (https://www.mirion.com) formerly Canberra Inc., located in Meriden, CT, a worldwide leading company for manufacturing of electronics and nuclear detectors, established a partnership with our Physics department. In this partnership between our Physics department and a local industry, our students are encouraged to apply to spend a summer internship in the “real world” setting of a local industry of Connecticut. Indeed, our first senior undergrad student Mr. Nicolas Zimmerman (UConn-BSc ‘23) was hired by Mirion Technologies Inc. as a non destructive analyses (NDA) specialist. We look forward to future students who will follow the trail blazed by Nicolas to contribute to the development of local high-tech industry and the very economy of our state.
On February 6, 2023, Dr. James Zickefoos and Dr. Patrick McLeroy of the Mirion Technologies Inc., visited the Laboratory for Nuclear Science (LNS) at Avery Point, that is directed by Professor Moshe Gai (https://astro.uconn.edu). In Fig. 1 we show them posing in front of Zimmerman’s setup for his senior Honor Thesis. They discussed with our graduate students Sarah R. Stern and Deran K. Schweitzer possibilities for employment at Mirion Technologies, Inc. It is interesting to note that Dr. Zickefoos was the graduate student of the late Professor Jeffrey Schweitzer who was hired in 1997 by Professor Moshe Gai as a Research Professor doing research at Gai’s LNS lab; further solidifying the strong bond between our department and Mirion Technologies.
A recent publication by Geoffrey Harrison, Tobias Saule, Brandin Davis, and Carlos Trallero from the Department of Physics, University of Connecticut is featured in Advances in Engineering. The publication presents a novel method for mitigating the bit-depth limit by increasing the phase precision of the Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs). The technique is based on adding irrational linear slopes in addition to the desired phase to increase the device’s effective bit-depth through an effect similar to volume averaging. The research is published in Applied Optics.
Spatial light modulators (SLMs) are devices that can modulate properties of light waves, such as phase, amplitude and polarization. SLMs are extensively used in numerous applications, including data storage, material processing and optical microscopy. With the widespread application of SLMs, the need to address the bit-depth and spatial resolution problems common to most SLMs is urgent.
The publication by Prof. Trallero’s group presented a technique for overcoming the bit-depth limitations of SLMs and verified it experimentally. The authors expressed confidence that the presented method could be used to gain multiple orders of magnitude with more precision beyond what was measured and obtained in their study.
About Advances in Engineering: Advances in Engineering ensures that the results of excellent scientific research are rapidly disseminated throughout the world, in a fashion that conveys their significance for advancing scientific knowledge and developing innovative technologies. Content is mainly targeted to an educated audience of engineering and physics students, scientists, and professors. Engineering fields covered are Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Nanotechnology Engineering as well as General Engineering (aerospace Engineering, communication Engineering, computer Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, and Industrial Engineering).
The UConn STARs visited Hartford High School on May 8th and 11th, 2023. We visited junior engineering students in the classroom of Mrs. Melissa Adams and the high school football team lead by Coach Jackson. We taught them all about quantum mechanics, solar telescopes, gravity, and of course electricity and they taught us as well. We had a blast with these bright young scientists in the making!
The UConn STARs program is for undergraduate students in physics, aimed to recruit and retain students from historically excluded groups in physics (including gender identity, sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic status, first generation status, documented status, disability status, as well as additional categories). We hold regular meetings throughout the academic year to build community, offer academic and advising submit, as well as professional development opportunities. Each Spring, we visit a local classroom in an under-served community to inspire the next generation of STARs.
This year, international conferences have begun to come back into their pre-pandemic form. For the American Physical Society’s annual March Meeting, it was bigger than ever with over 12,000 participants in the world’s largest meeting ever devoted to physics. UConn showed strong as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research scientists, and faculty researchers attended the meeting in Las Vegas March 5-10 and showcased their newest results. The team rolled in deep and gave diverse presentations to an international audience on many topics in condensed matter physics, ranging from high-fidelity electronic structure calculations and material modeling, synthesis and characterization of new materials with competing states, advances in industrial science related to advanced manufacturing, synchrotron-based investigations of correlated materials, nanoscale magnetic imaging studies, the development of new cryogenic instrumentation, twistronic effects, vortices in topological materials and circuit-based quantum information science. See you next year!
From left to right: Jacob Pfund, Bochao Xu, Joshua Bedard, Ilya Sochnikov, Gayanath Fernando, Jacob Franklin, Jason Hancock, Donal Sheets, Kaitlin Lyszak
Not pictured: Krishna Joshi, Guang Chen (MSE), Jorge Chavez, Priya Sharma, Alexander Balatsky, Pavel Volkov.
Prof. Cara Battersby’s research group, the Milky Way Laboratory, was invited to collaborate with Genevieve de Leon, the 2022-23 Koopman Distinguished Chair in the Painting Department at the University of Hartford, for an exhibition focused on the intersection between the Maya calendrical cycles and scientific studies of the cosmos.
From the Milky Way Laboratory, H Perry Hatchfield, Jennifer Wallace, Dani Lipman, and Samantha Brunker contributed scientific figures that are displayed as part of the exhibition. These figures demonstrate the ongoing research focused on understanding the universe around us through the use of data and scientific analysis. These figures balance well with Genevieve de Leon’s original, large-scale paintings of constellations in the Maya Zodiac which were created in a methodical, focused way similar to how large-sky surveys are observed. Genevieve has studied Maya timekeeping extensively, and, through this exhibit, focuses on the intersection of various systems of knowledge.
Additionally, the exhibition includes multimedia work made by indigenous artists in the Native Youth Arts Collective and students at the Hartford Art School which focus on personal connections with the night sky.
The exhibit, “To Order the Days/Para Ordenar Los Días”, is located in the Donald and Linda Silpe Gallery at the University of Hartford, and will be available from February 23, 2023, to March 25, 2023.
Debadarshini (Jolly) Mishra successfully defended her PhD thesis in May 2024 in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. Jolly gave several presentations at national and international conferences and is the co-author of 8 publications. She is now a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and was hired before her thesis defense to contribute her research and learn new research techniques.
As part of his Ph.D. project, Jonathan Mercedes-Feliz has made very important contributions to our understanding of the interplay between supermassive black holes and galaxies using state-of-the-art supercomputing simulations that for the first time model the propagation and impact of powerful black hole-driven winds from the very center of galaxies all the way to the intergalactic medium. Using novel data analysis approaches, Jonathan has shown that these powerful winds can simultaneously enhance the rate of formation of stars in localized regions while dramatically suppressing the global growth of massive galaxies, explaining seemingly contradictory results from recent observations and previous theoretical models. Besides excelling in research, Jonathan is deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and he has been an invaluable mentor for undergraduate and high school students from historically excluded groups as part of the McNair Scholars program, the Center for Access and Postsecondary Success (CAPS) Summer Program, and the YSSS Jack Kent Cooke Scholars program at UConn. With his published Ph.D. work already attracting significant attention in the community, Jonathan has accepted a postdoctoral research position funded by the NASA Astrophysics Theory Program to lead the next generation of simulations modeling the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies as part of Prof. Anglés-Alcázar’s group at the University of Connecticut.
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