Skip to Global Navigation Skip to Local Site Navigation Skip to Main Content

Research in Gravitational Physics

My main area of research is in gravitational physics. For more than 10 years I was involved in the experimental search for gravitational waves – most recently as part of the large international collaboration known as LIGO. The goal of LIGO is first to make a direct verification of the existence of these waves which are a prediction of Einstein’s theory of gravity – General Relativity. But probably more importantly, these waves, once discovered, will be a tool to study astrophysics, cosmology, and as a probe to a better understanding of the gravitational interaction. My current research is somewhat of a departure from this previous work. I am working on a project on the history of physics – a biography of Robert H. Dicke. Dicke made significant contributions in many areas of physics over the second half of the twentieth century. A short list of his accomplishments would include the invention of the microwave radiometer, work in atomic physics on the narrowing of spectral lines by use of a buffer gas (sometimes referred to as ‘Dicke narrowing’), and foundational work on the theory of superradiance. But Dicke is best known for his work in gravitational physics – both his pioneering experiments, and his role in the development of the Brans-Dicke theory. The latter done with Loyola emeritus professor of physics Carl Brans when he was a graduate student at Princeton. Dicke also played a pivotal role in the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background.