The Physics Department has an active research program in theoretical atomic physics. The faculty members studying theoretical atomic physics are Eugene Oks, Michael Pindzola, and Francis Robicheaux. Frederic Texier and James Colgan are a postdoctoral fellows working in this area.
This group pursues problems in basic and applied atomic theory. Some of the recent activity includes the direct time propagation of the wave function for two electron systems (ionization cross sections and threshold laws), one and two electron atoms in strong laser fields, and wave packet dynamics for atoms in strong electric fields (classical/quantum correspondence). We are also actively studying atomic processes in plasmas with applications to the understanding of plasma transport in magnetic fusion experiments, to the interpretation of plasma diagnostic measurements in hot dense plasmas, and to calculations of gain in x-ray laser experiments.
These studies can be computationally demanding, Auburn faculty and students have access to a variety of computers; ranging from desktop workstations to large supercomputers located at the Alabama Supercomputing Network and at the National Energy Research Supercomputer Center at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to the massively parallel machines at the Center for Computational Science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Our work is tightly connected to experimental efforts in the US and abroad. The wave packet studies were in collaboration with experimentalists at the University of Maryland and femtosecond group at FOM. The work on atoms in strong lasers involved a collaboration with experimentalists at the University of Virginia.
Collaboration was especially important to applications side of our studies. Since a great deal of theoretically generated atomic cross sections are needed to model the time evolution of a high temperature plasma, it is important to benchmark theory, where possible, against high resolution atomic collision experiments. In the past few years, the atomic theory group at Auburn has participated in several collaborative projects with experimental atomic physics groups at ORNL, Giessen, Aarhus, Heidelberg, and GSI. For example, electron energy loss experiments at ORNL have confirmed the prediction made at Auburn from R-matrix theory for the 3s -> 3p excitation cross section in Si3+, while storage ring experiments at GSI are in good agreement with relativistic distorted-wave theory for dielectronic recombination in Au76+ developed by scientists and students at Auburn.