Swarthmore College Department of Physics and Astronomy

Research

• Experimental Physics - Prof. Michael Brown studies magnetic reconnection in his Swarthmore Spheromak eXperiment. Condensed matter physics is done by Prof. Peter Collings, who studies liquid crystals, and Prof. Catherine Crouch, who works on mesoscale systems. Two different groups do optics and atomic physics, with Prof. Carl Grossman studying single-molecule fluorescence and Prof. Frank Moscatelli working on cooling and guiding atoms. Several faculty members also work in medical physics and science education.
• Theoretical Physics - Prof. John Boccio studies various aspects of quantum theory, including entanglement and information, and has an interest in parallel computing. Prof. Amy Bug models antimatter, including positronium, and its interaction with porous solids.
• Astrophysics - Swarthmore's emphasis has traditionally been on stellar astrophysics. Prof. David Cohen studies x-rays from hot stars and young stars. Prof. Eric Jensen works on star formation and circumstellar disks, including the problem of x-rays from young stars. Cohen also works on laboratory astrophysics and laser fusion.