August 07, 2017

High energy physics: compactified gauge theories

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $79,278 grant to Dr. Mohamed Anber, Assistant Professor of Physics.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $79,278 grant to Dr. Mohamed Anber, Assistant Professor of Physics. This project is being supported by NSF’s Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) and Elementary Particle Physics Theory programs. The NSF-stated purpose of the RUI program is to “support PUI faculty in research that engages them in their professional field(s), builds capacity for research at their home institution, and supports the integration of research and undergraduate education.” The Elementary Particle Physics program “encompasses different theoretical tools for understanding the interaction of elementary particles at different energy scales.”  

A high energy physicist, Dr. Anber is interested in a broad range of topics, including quantum field theory, gravity, and cosmology. The research goal of this particular project, entitled “RUI: Compactified Gauge Theories: Phase Structure, Strings, and Continuity” is to advance knowledge about compactified gauge theories. Lewis & Clark undergraduates will gain meaningful research experience by their involvement in this work—specifically in projects based on Monte Carlo simulations, numerical solutions of partial differential equations, and group theory. Moreover, during this three-year project Dr. Anber will design two courses on field theory and computational physics, and initiate an undergraduate educational program he describes as hands-on theoretical experiments; examples from his research on Monte Carlo simulations of statistical systems will form the nucleus of this program.   

More about Dr. Anber’s research is available here and more about this NSF award is available here.  

August 2017