Research
The Department of Physics has active programs in both theoretical (computational) and experimental physics, and also participates in many exciting interdisciplinary research topics through the Advanced Materials Research Institute.
Research Areas
General research areas are listed Below, students are welcome to contact faculty for more information and possibilities.
Condensed Matte and Materials Physics
At UNO, we study a variety of semiconducting, magnetic and superconducting materials and composites. Current, we have research programs in nanostructured magnetic composites and thin films, radio and microwave frequency properties of materials; spin-dependent transport and spintronics, simulation of magnetization processes and micromagnetic calculations. We also investigate the thermal and electrical transport in nanostructures and composites, particularly in materials used for thermoelectric and photovoltaic applications. [Malkinski, Spinu, Stokes, Zhou]
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
In addition to studying the basic properties of materials, we also investigate the applications of these nanometer-scale materials (nanoparticles, nanowires and thin films) to devices in information technology, ultra-high density recording media and magnetoresistive random access memories; microwave devices for wireless communications and smart sensors. [Malkinski, Spinu, Zhou]
Acoustics and Signal Processing
UNO has research programs in underwater acoustics, marine mammal bioacoustics, acoustic modeling and simulation, wavelets and neural networks for sonar applications. We are also active in the related areas of deconvolution, digital filtering and spectral estimation, higher order correlations and spectra. [G. Ioup, J. Ioup]
Optics and Lasers
We have active research in both theoretical and experimental optics including fiber optics, optical interactions with materials and surfaces, magneto-optics, and image analysis. [G. Ioup, A. Puri, K. Stokes]
Geophysics
Geophysical research areas include seismic inversion, seismic data processing and deconvolution, electromagnetic methods in geophysics, fluid dynamics and ocean circulation modeling. [E. Coelho, J. Ioup, G. Ioup, G. Peggion]
Astrophysics
Astrophysical research at UNO is concerned with modeling and simulation of interstellar dust and shock waves as well as optical and ultraviolet observations of the interstellar medium. [G. Seab]