SCI - Physics Newsletter 2024 - University of Idaho

Home of Physics and Astronomy on the Idaho Palouse Newsletter Issue No. 5 MMXXIV Editor: J.R. Hiller URL: https://www.uidaho.edu/sci/physics/news/physics-newsletter

Message from the Chair

patible with standard commercial microscopes,” U.S. Patent Application No. 63/601,582 (2023).

The Department has had quite a year.

The sudden and tragic loss of Ruprecht Machleidt was felt deeply by everyone, and we have yet to fully regain our balance. A memorial service was held in January with family and friends. For those who did not know Rup well, there is a memorial article later in the newsletter.

Christine Berven retired from the faculty last summer but remains active as emerita, continuing to supervise Ph.D. students Jonah Haw and Johnny Moore. Her long-time student, Dillon Morehouse, accepted a position at the Bonneville Power Administration as a Physical Scientist and started in mid February. His work is in the scheduling of real-time power generation for the hydroelectric facilities.

Andreas Vasdekis has shared in two patents, along with graduate student Jinming Zhang for one:

There was another spectacular show of northern lights in May, captured here by recent M.S. graduate, Will Miller. Earlier in the year there were some amazing sunsets.

J. Zhang, A. E. Vasdekis, “Cost-effective interferometric imaging module com-

Aurora over the UI observatory on May 10 (photo by Will Miller)

A. E. Vasdekis, L. Dunn, Haokun Luo, D. Christodoulides, “Video rate spontaneous Raman imaging and method for using,” U.S. Patent Application No. 63/480,088 (2023).

Winter sunset over Moscow.

Two of our SPS members joined Department Manager Jessica DeWitt in welcoming potential students at a UI Bound event. The photo shows the table laid out with various takeaways. The event had a very good turn out; it was standing room only in the Renfrew lecture hall where students and parents heard the College of Science presentation.

Seth Winchell (left) and Joey Perko (right middle) accept the Luke Award for highest graduating gpa from Zach and Jessica. (photo by Eric Bennett)

Wil Auten accepts his Research Award from Jessica. (photo by Eric Bennett)

Rowan Bastow, Connor O’Neill, and Jessica DeWitt tabling at the UI Bound event in March.

We held our second post-pandemic awards banquet in May. Unfortunately, I had a terrible cough and thought best not to frighten anyone by attending, let alone presenting. Zach Etienne and Jessica ably substituted for me, as you can see in the photos of awardees, and Eric Bennett, the College Development Director, took the photos for us.

Wil Auten accepts his Outstanding Graduating Physics Senior award from Zach Etienne at the Department Award Banquet. (photo by Eric Bennett)

Matt Hedman accepts the Dean’s Graduate Award for Himanshi Sharma from Jessica. (photo by Eric Bennett)

Alex Bray accepts the Graduate TA Award from Zach. (photo by Eric Bennett)

The speaker at this year’s awards banquet was Professor Omi Hodwitz from the UI Department of Culture, Society, & Justice. She is a criminologist who specializes in prison education and terrorism studies. As an educator, she serves at UI as the coordinator for the Inside Out program and the Prison Education Initiative. As a researcher, Professor Hodwitz directs the Terrorism Recidivism Study and the Guantanamo Recidivism Study and serves as a research affiliate at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. She gave a very interesting talk on incarceration in general and her work on the delivery and impact of education in Idaho’s prisons.

Omi Hodwitz, banquet speaker and Associate Professor of Criminology (photo by Eric Bennett)

Dean Ginger Carney and Wil Auten at the COS Commencement Reception. (photo by Mark Nielsen) The College of Science had its own award ceremonies, including a reception prior to

the May Commencement. Wil Auten and Himanshi Sharma were again recognized, though Himanshi could not attend. Wil was a research student with Marty Ytreberg.

Marty Ytreberg and Wil Auten at the COS Commencement Reception.

The UI leadership hopes to continue with its plan to connect with the online University of Phoenix, as a way to spread risk associated with declining high-school graduations and the expected impact on UI enrollment. The University of Phoenix primarily serves nontraditional adult learners. Contrary to what is sometimes reported, the association is not to be a purchase. Instead, UI will facilitate a leveraged buyout to make the University of Phoenix a nonprofit that will work cooperatively with UI where systems and missions overlap.

And this just in: Francesca Sammarruca has been named to the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee for a three-year term.

NSAC advises the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy on the national program for basic nuclear science research.

On a personal note, we remain surrounded by wildlife in the hills outside Moscow. A trailcam has captured several visitors to our rabbit compound. The skunk is perhaps the least welcome and might be the same one that “got” our dog a couple weeks ago. (Giving a dog a skunk bath at midnight isn’t as hard as it sounds, but it does get messy.) Speaking of our rabbits, we’ve learned that 20% of the kale sold by the Moscow Food Coop is going into ours.

A wild turkey curious about the trailcam.

In the year to come, we will face many challenges, working hard to increase enrollment, retention and degree conferrals while continuing the success in research activity and funding. Many thanks to those who donated to the Department and the College to help us continue to serve students, the state, and the nation.

Best regards,

Ruprecht Machleidt (1943-2023) University Distinguished Professor Ruprecht Machleidt passed away after a sudden illness in December of 2023, having been active in teaching and research even through the end of October that year. The Department held a memorial with faculty, students, family and friends on January 26.

It was attended by many and included remembrances by several who knew him. He is and will be greatly missed.

Rup was born in Kiel, Germany in 1943.

He completed his Ph.D. in theoretical nuclear physics in 1973 at the University of

Bonn under the guidance of Konrad Bleuler.

He continued his work on nuclear forces as a postdoc at Bonn, in the Institute for Theoretical Nuclear Physics from 1973-1975, and at SUNY-Stony Brook from 1976-1977. He returned to Bonn as a Research Associate from 1978 to 1983 and then held visiting scientist positions at TRIUMF in British Columbia (1983-1985) and LAMPF at the Los Alamos lab in New Mexico (1986-1988).

While at LAMPF, Rup was also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics at UCLA. He was then hired by the University of Idaho in 1988 as an Associate Professor and promoted to Full Professor in 1991, serving as Acting Chair from 2003 to 2006. Following his death, Rup was given the honorary title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

In his research, Rup did ground-breaking work on the nature and modeling of the strong nuclear force between protons and neutrons. He began with his Ph.D. dissertation and subsequent postdoctoral work on sophisticated meson-exchange models that culminated in the popular Bonn potential.

When quantum chromodynamics (QCD) appeared as the fundamental theory of the strong interactions, making the nuclear force a residual effect of the underlying quarkgluon interactions, Rup became a key player in the implementation of Steven Weinberg’s ideas for an effective interaction involving mesons and nucleons, constructed to satisfy the symmetries of low-energy QCD. This led to what is now known as chiral perturbation theory. In between, Rup made important contributions to the study of nuclear matter to include meson degrees of freedom and relativistic effects.

Some of the important papers are listed here. They are heavily cited in the literature; Rup’s total citation count has surpassed 23,800. A complete list of his publications, some 217 in all, can be found at the SLAC Inspire site for high-energy physics: https://inspirehep.net/authors/999380.

R. Machleidt, K. Holinde, and C. Elster, “The Bonn meson exchange model for the nucleon-nucleon interaction,” Phys. Rept. 149, 1-89 (1987).

R. Machleidt, “The High precision, charge dependent Bonn nucleon-nucleon potential (CD-Bonn),” Phys. Rev. C 63, 024001 (2001).

R. Machleidt, “The Meson theory of nuclear forces and nuclear structure,” Adv. Nucl. Phys. 19, 189-376 (1989).

R. Brockmann and R. Machleidt, “Relativistic nuclear structure. 1: Nuclear matter,” Phys. Rev. C 42, 1965-1980 (1990).

R.

Machleidt, F. Sammarruca, and Y. Song, “Nonlocal nature of the nuclear force and its impact on nuclear structure,” Phys. Rev. C 53, R1483R1487 (1996).

D. R. Entem and R. Machleidt, “Accurate charge dependent nucleon-nucleon potential at fourth order of chiral perturbation theory,” Phys. Rev. C 68, 041001 (2003).

R. Machleidt and D. R. Entem, “Chiral effective field theory and nuclear forces,” Phys. Rept. 503, 1-75 (2011).

R. Machleidt and F. Sammarruca, “Recent advances in chiral EFT based nuclear forces and their applications,” Prog.

Part. Nucl. Phys. 137, 104117 (2024).

His broader interests included nuclear medicine, particularly radiation therapies; the connection between Greek philosophy and modern particle physics, following through history the dream of a theory of everything; and the conflict and convergence of science and religion, including the Intelligent Design controversy. For more details, see his web page at https://machleidt.weebly.com/.

Rup’s teaching prowess was legendary.

Mark Nielsen, Professor of Mathematics and long-time Associate Dean of the College of Science, had this to say: “Rup was one of the most gifted lecturers on our campus. I asked him to give a guest lecture several times for my Honors Program class when we were covering the mathematics of ancient Greece. Rup gave a lecture on

why, if he could live anywhere at any time, it would have been ancient Greece. It was one of the best, most interesting, and most informative lectures I’ve ever seen.”

Faculty Astrophysics and Planetary Science Gwen Barnes, Research Associate Professor, Ph.D. University of Arizona 2007 Jason Barnes, Professor, Ph.D. University of Arizona 2004 Zachariah Etienne, Associate Professor, Ph.D. University of Illinois 2009 Matthew Hedman, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Ph.D. Princeton University 2002 Biological Physics Andreas Vasdekis, Associate Professor, Ph.D. University of St. Andrews 2008 F. Marty Ytreberg, Professor and Associate Director of the Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, Ph.D. University of Maine 2000 Condensed Matter Physics Leah Bergman, Professor, Ph.D. North Carolina State University 1995 You Qiang, Professor, Ph.D. University of Freiburg 1997 Hadronic Physics

In the coming year, we will do what we can to hire new faculty, but truly replacing Rup will be impossible.

Francesca Sammarruca, Professor and Secretary of the University Faculty, Ph.D. Virginia Polytechnic Institute 1988

Staff Reynaldo Carson, Scientific Instrument Maker Samuel Cupp, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow Jessica DeWitt, Department Manager Eric Foard, Ph.D., Director of Physics Laboratory Education Bernard Hall, Ph.D., Lecturer Nishita Jadoo, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow Ramachandran Kasu, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow Nicholas Kutsop, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow Leo Rosa Werneck, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer Mirsaeid Sarollahi, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow Samuel Tottle, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow

Transitions Christine Berven retired in July 2023.

Sophia Chabysheva, Clinical Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Southern Methodist University 2009

Ruprecht Machleidt passed away in December 2023.

John Hiller, Professor and Chair, Ph.D. University of Maryland 1980

New postdocs arrived: Nishita Jadoo and Samuel Tottle.

Awards in 2024 Outstanding Graduating Physics Senior: William Auten George and Della Luke Award: Joey Perko and Seth Winchell Outstanding Undergraduate Physics Research: William Auten Dean’s Graduate Sharma

Award:

Himanshi

Graduate Teaching Assistant Award: Alex Bray Alumni Award for Excellence: Joey Perko (mentor: Andreas Vasdekis) Dr. Gary L. Bennett (B.S. and M.Nuc.Sc. Physics ‘62, ‘66) won the 2024 Robert L. Forward Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in honor of his lifetime of service in the pursuit of advanced propulsion science and technology.

New Graduates Aaron Flores (B.S. 2024) Jacob Herman (B.S. 2024) Joey Perko (B.S. 2024) Colton Siwek (B.S. 2024) Seth Winchell (B.S. 2024) William Auten (Applied B.S. 2024) Abraham Brown (Applied B.S. 2024) Victor Afigbo (M.S. 2023) Advisor: Matt Hedman Alex Bray (M.S. 2023) Advisor: John Hiller Katie Denny (M.S. 2023) Advisor: Matt Hedman Isiaka Lukman (Ph.D. 2023) Advisor: Leah Bergman Thesis title: Optical Phonon, Photoluminescence, and Thermal Response Properties in Ultra-wide Bandgap βPhase Gallium Oxide Semiconductor Thin Films.

Himanshi Sharma (Ph.D. 2023) Advisor: Matt Hedman Thesis title: Noisy Spectra of Dust Particles: What, Where and How?

Gary Bennett (left) receiving his award from Jim Cavera, chair of the AIAA Nuclear and Future Flight Technical Committee.

Elizabeth Atang (Ph.D. 2024) Advisor: Gwen Barnes Thesis title: Regolith and Crater Morphology: Analysis of Small Impact Craters on Lunar Maria

Wil Auten, Aaron Flores, Joey Perko, Seth Winchell, and Jacob Herman at the Spring 2024 Commencement. (photo by Mark Nielsen)

Donations If you would like to donate to the Physics Department, please contact Eric Bennett, the Director of Development for the College of Science at ebennett@uidaho.edu, 208-885-9106, or University of Idaho College of Science, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS

3025, Moscow, ID 83844-3025.

Online donations can be made by clicking the GIVE BOLDLY NOW link at https://www.uidaho.edu/giving. Entering ‘Physics’ in the designation field will present you with a list of funds associated with the Department. For Foundation gift inquiries, please call 208-885-0148. Thank you!!

Summer Graduate Research Scholarships 2024 Jeremiah Chapleski (Ytreberg) Antibody Escape Prediction Using AI and Structural Dynamics Keith Dabroski (J. Barnes) Specular Reflections in Titan’s Methane Lakes: Constraining Atmospheric Composition Jake Hayden (Chabysheva/Hiller) Reduced Nuclear Helicity Amplitudes in Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering Jonah Haw (Berven) Advanced Mirror Image Method (AMIM) for Superconductor Levitation

Rabindra Khanal (Qiang) Soft Magnetic Nanofilms Produced

by Aligned Ellipsoidal Iron Core-Shell Nanoparticles Brenna Peever (J. Barnes) Investigating the Potential of a Hot Jupiter in the Early Solar System Prabin Thapa (Sammarruca) Neutron Stars: Speed of Sound and Maximum Mass Constraints Ash Thiyagarajan (Ytreberg) Structure-based Virtual Screening for Fungal Disease Treatment in Potatoes

Abstracts of Ph.D. Dissertations Isiaka Lukman This dissertation focuses on investigating the thermal response of various properties in ultra-wide bandgap-phase nanocrystalline gallium oxide, β-phase Ga2 O3 semiconductor thin films. Optical and phonon interactions were examined, revealing a redshift of the optical bandgap by ∼200 meV within a temperature range of 77 to 622 K. The optical gap at room temperature measured approximately 4.85 eV, which is typical for nanocrystalline thin films. Analysis of the electron-phonon interaction showed the involvement of a low-energy phonon at around 30 meV. Defects, including disordered graphite form, Sp2 network incor-

poration, and granular morphology, significantly influenced the band-edge properties at elevated temperatures. The emission at 3.56 eV and 4.85 eV in the deep-UV region was attributed to bandgap recombination, confirming the theoretical prediction that trapped holes inhibit bandgap emission. The ratio of large self-trapped holes (STH) to bandgap intensity was determined to be 6:1, making beta-gallium oxide a viable emitter in the 3.56 eV STH spectral range. The distinction between STH and self-trapped excitons (STE) was investigated, indicating consistency between STH photoluminescence (PL) at around 3.5 eV and STE emission. Furthermore, the thermal response of STH photoluminescence and

the role of phonon interaction were examined in the β-Ga2O3 nanocrystalline films across a temperature range of 77 to 622 K. The PL intensity decreased with increasing temperature, exhibiting an activation energy of ∼72 meV. Raman mode analysis revealed a decrease in the intensity of highfrequency modes associated with the GaIO4 site, suggesting a phonon annihilation process. These modes, having energy comparable to the STH activation energy, can couple to the STH and transition it from a radiative to a non-radiative regime according to the configurational coordinate model. The broad linewidth of the PL indicated a strong STH-phonon coupling. The low-frequency Raman modes followed the thermal BoseEinstein phonon population. The peak position of the STH exhibited negligible temperature response compared to the redshift of ∼220 meV observed in the film’s band edge, attributed to its deep-level energy position. The temperature-dependent linewidth (FWHM) of the STH intensity showed weak temperature dependence, confirming STH as an intrinsic defect property in Ga2O3 crystals. Hysteresis experiments demonstrated the reversibility and consistency of the temperature-dependent measurements, highlighting the resilience of the β-Ga2O3 semiconductor films for high-temperature, high-power, and optoelectronic device applications such as for UV emitters.

Himanshi Sharma Studying the spectra of dust in different planetary environments is important as it provides valuable insights into the processes occurring in various astronomical environments. This knowledge not only advances our understanding of other worlds but also has practical implications for future space missions and our broader understanding of planetary systems. Spectral data often contains noise, and one of the challenges is to reduce this noise and improve the signal-tonoise ratio in order to extract reliable information from the data. We explore and apply several background removal and noise

reduction techniques in this study. These techniques are applied on the spectral data of two different dust populations, one on the Earth’s Moon and the second emerging from the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

First, the dust population on Earth’s Moon is constrained by obtaining an upper limit on the number density of dust particles at the Moon’s surface. Lunar dust, due to its abrasive properties, poses a risk to operations on the Moon’s surface, and the dust density limits obtained in this analysis will help plan safer and more reliable future missions to the Moon. These constraints on dust population in the terminator region of the Moon can also be used to constrain the Moon’s near-surface environment. Next, we study the properties of ice-grain particles in Enceladus’s south polar plume by deriving typical launch velocities and size distribution parameters for the particles present in the plume. These plume particle properties provide new insights into vent dynamics, suggesting that particle-particle interactions are more relevant than previously expected by established models. We also develop a new Machine Learning algorithm that allows robust constraints on particle size distribution parameters to be extracted from noisy spectral data. These tools reveal that the plume’s particle properties can vary in complex ways over multiple timescales. These findings should constrain the physical processes underlying Enceladus’s plume particle dynamics.

Elizabeth Atang Experimental work has shown that craters with distinct morphologies within certain boundaries are formed when impacts occur on a loose layer sitting over a coherent substrate. These distinctive crater morphologies have also been identified on the Moon as a result of impact events on the regolith which overlays bedrock. Most of the regolith depth studies in the literature are for surfaces aged 3 Gy and older. I chose to study regions aged between 1.33 Gy and 3.88 Gy. I measured small flat-

floored and concentric craters ( < 150 m) from across various mare terrains on the lunar globe. To measure regolith depths, I adopted the crater morphology method based on the work by Oberbeck and Quaide.

I found median regolith depths between 1.6 m to 5.0 m across my study sites. Previous researchers have shown that their results agree with the hypothesis that lunar regolith depth will increase with time as the surface is exposed to meteorite bombardment, as such older surfaces will have deeper regolith.

If the assertion that regolith depth correlates with age were correct, then I would expect very young surfaces to exhibit thinner regolith than in older areas. Instead I did

not observe a significantly thinner regolith in younger regions. My measure of thickness of the regolith did not have any correlation with the age of the surface. I studied the relationship between crater morphology and regolith depth to assess morphology progression as regolith depth increases. I have determined that a new crater morphology, the “hummocky” crater, should be included in the crater progression. I found hummocky craters that could not be classified as either flat-floored or concentric due to the difference in their morphology. I propose a new crater morphology progression as normal to flat-floored to concentric to hummocky.

Recent Publications (2023-24) Student authors are underlined.

Astrophysics and Planetary Science F. L. Rommel; F. Braga-Ribas; J. L. Ortiz; B. Sicardy; P. Santos-Sanz; J. Desmars; J. I. B. Camargo; R. Vieira-Martins; M. Assafin; B. E. Morgado; R. C. Boufleur; G. Benedetti-Rossi; A. R. Gomes- Júnior; E. Fernández-Valenzuela; B. J. Holler; D. Souami; R. Duffard; G. Margoti; M. Vara-Lubiano; J. Lecacheux; J. L. Plouvier; N. Morales; A. Maury; J. Fabrega; P. Ceravolo; E. Jehin; D. Albanese; H. Mariey; S. Cikota; D. Ruzdjak; A. Cikota; R. Szakáts; D. Baba Aissa; Z. Gringahcene; V. Kashuba; N. Koshkin; V. Zhukov; S. Fisek; O. Cakir; S. Ozer; C. Schnabel; M. Schnabel; F. Signoret; L. Morrone; T. Santana-Ros; C. L. Pereira; M. Emilio; A. Y. Burdanov; J. de Wit; K. Barkaoui; M. Gillon; G. Leto; A. Frasca; G. Catanzaro; R. Zanmar Sanchez; U. Tagliaferri; M. Di Sora; G. Isopi; Y. Krugly; I. Slyusarev; V. Chiorny; H. Mikuz; P. Bacci; M. Maestripieri; M. D. Grazia; I. de la Cueva; M. Yuste- Moreno; F. Ciabattari; O. M. Kozhukhov; M. Serra-Ricart; M. R. Alarcon; J. Licandro; G. Masi; R. Bacci; J. M. Bosch; R. Behem; J.-P. Prost; S. Renner; M. Conjat; M. Bachini; G. Succi; L. Stoian; A. Juravle; D. Carosati; B. Gowe; J. Carrillo; A. P. Zheleznyak; N. Montigiani; C. R. Foster; M. Mannucci; N. Ruocco; F. Cuevas; P. Di Marcantonio; I. Coretti; G. Iafrate; V. Baldini; M. Collins; A. Pá al; B. Csák; E. Fern andez-Garcia; A. J. Castro-Tirado; L. Hudin; J. M. Madiedo; R. M. Anghel; J. F. Calvo-Fernández; A. Valvasori; E. Guido; R. M. Gherase; S. Kamoun; R. Fafet; M. Sánchez-González; L. Curelaru; C. D. Vıntdevara; C. A. Danescu; J.-F. Gout; C. J. Schmitz; A. Sota; I. Belskaya; M. Rodrıguez-Marco; Y. Kilic; E. Frappa; A. Klotz; M. Lavayssiére; J. Marques Oliveira; M. Popescu; L. A. Mammana; E. Fernández-Lajús; M. Schmidt; U. Hopp; R. Komzık; T. Pribulla; D. Tomko; M. Husárik; O. Erece; S. Eryilmaz; L. Buzzi; B. G ahrken; D. Nardiello; K. Hornoch; E. Sonbas; H. Er; V. Burwitz; P. Waldemar Sybilski; W. Bykowski; T. G. M uller; W. Ogloza; R. Goncalves; J. F. Ferreira; M. Ferreira; M. Bento; S. Meister; M. N. Bagiran; M. Tekes; A. Marciniak; Z. Moravec; P. Delincák; G. Gianni; G. B. Casalnuovo; M. Boutet; J. Sanchez; B. Klemt; N. Wuensche; W.

Burzynski; M. Borkowski; M. Serrau; G. Dangl; O. Klos; C. Weber; M. Urbanık; L. Rousselot; J. Kubánek; P. André; C. Colazo; J. Spagnotto; A. A. Sickafoose; R. Hueso; A. Sánchez-Lavega; R. S. Fisher; A. W. Rengstorf; C. Perelló; M. Dascalu; M. Altan; K. Gazeas; T. de Santana; R. Sfair; O. C. Winter; S. Kalkan; O. CanalesMoreno; J. M. Trigo-Rodrıguez; V. Tsamis; K. Tigani; N. Sioulas; G. Lekkas; D. N. Bertesteanu; V. Dumitrescu; A. J. Wilberger; J. W. Barnes; S. K. Fieber-Beyer; R. L. Swaney; C. Fuentes; R. A. Mendez; B. D. Dumitru; R. L. Flynn; D. A. Wake, “A large topographic feature on the surface of the trans-Neptunian object (307261) 2002 MS4 measured from stellar occultations”, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 673 A167, 2023 October.

Aadvik S. Vashist; Michael F. Heslar; Jason W. Barnes; Corbin Hennen; Ralph D. Lorenz, “Titan’s North-South Haze Asymmetry Ratio and Boundary at Visible Wavelengths over the Cassini Mission”, The Planetary Science Journal, 2023 June 30.

Y. Zenati, J. H. Krolik, L. R. Werneck, A. Murguia-Berthier, Z. B. Etienne, S. C. Noble, T. Piran. “Bound Debris Expulsion from Neutron Star Merger Remnants”.

ApJ 958, 161 (2023).

L. Ji, V. Mewes, Y. Zlochower, L. Ennoggi, F. G. Lopez Armengol, M. Campanelli, F. Cipolletta, Z. B. Etienne. “Ameliorating the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy condition in spherical coordinates: A double FFT filter method for general relativistic MHD in dynamical spacetimes”. Phys. Rev. D 108, 104005 (2023).

L. R. Werneck, Z. B. Etienne, et al. “Addition of tabulated equation of state and neutrino leakage support to IllinoisGRMHD”. Phys. Rev. D 107, 044037 (2023).

M.M. Hedman. 2023. “A planetary ring in a surprising place”. Nature 614:232-233.

L.B. Fletcher, O.R.T. King, J. Harkett, H.B. Hammel, M.T. Roman, H. Melin, M.M. Hedman, J.I. Moses, S. Guerlet, S.N. Milam, M.S. Tiscareno. 2023. “Saturn’s atmosphere in northern summer revealed by JWST/MIRI” JGR Planets 128:e2023JE007924.

R.G. French, P.D. Nicholson, C.A. McGhee-French, P.-Y. Longaretti, M.M. Hedman, J. Colwell, E.A. Marouf, N. Rappaport, S. Flury, J. Fong, R. Maguire, G. Steranka.

2023. “The complex shape of the outer edge of Saturn’s B ring, as observed in Cassini occultation data”. Icarus 405:115678.

J.H. Roberts, W.B. McKinnon, C.M. Elder, G. Tobie, J.B. Biersteker, D. Young, R.S. Park, G. Steinbrugge, F. Nimmo, S.M. Howell, J.C. Castillo-Rogez, M.L. Cable, J.N. Abrahams, M.T. Blans, C. Chivers, C.J. Cochrane, A.J. Dombard, C. Ernst, A. Genova, C. Gerekos, C. Glein, C.D. Harris, H. Hay, P.O. Hayne, M.M. Hedman, H. Hussman, X. Jia, K. Khurana, W.S. Kiefer, R. Kirk, M. Kivelson, J. Lawrence, E.J. Leonard, J.I. Lunine, E. Mazaico, T.B. McCord, A. McEwen, C. Paty, L.C. Quick, C.A. Raymond, K.D. Retherford, L. Roth, A. Rymer, J. Saur, K. Scanlan, D.M. Schroeder, D.A. Senske, W. Shao, K. Soderlund, E. Spiers, M.J. Styczinski, P.Tortora, S.D. Vance, M.N. Villarreal, B.P. Weiss, J.H. Westlake, P. Withers, N. Woldenbarger, B. Buratti, H. Korth, R.T. Pappalardo. 2023. “The Interior Thematic Working Group: Exploring the Interior of Europa with Europa Clipper”.

Space Science Reviews 219:46.

I. de Pater, E. Lellouch, D.F. Strobel, K. de Kleer, T. Fouchet, M.H. Wong, B.J. Holler, J. Stansberry, P.M. Fry, M.E. Brown, D. Bockelee-Morvan, S.K. Trumbo, L.N. Fletcher, M.M. Hedman, E.M. Molter, M. Showalter, M.S. Tiscareno, S. Cazaux,

R. Hueso, S. Luszcz-Cook, H. Melin, C. Moeckel, A. Mura, G. Orton, L. Roth, J. Saur, F. Tosi. 2023. “An energetic eruption with associated SO 1.707 micron emissions at Io’s Kanehekili fluctus and a brightening event at Loki patera observed

by JWST”. JGR Planets 128:8 e2023JE007872.

H. Sharma, M.M. Hedman, S. Vahidinia. 2023, “New insights into variations in Enceladus plume particle launch velocities from Cassini-VIMS spectral data”. PSJ 4:106.

M.M. Hedman, I. Regan, T. Becker, S.M. Brooks, I. de Pater, M. Showalter. 2023. “Examining Uranus’ Zeta ring in Voyager 2 wide-angle-camera Observations. Quantifying the ring’s Structure in 1986 and its Modifications prior to the year 2007.”

PSJ 4:104.

G.L. Villanueva, H.B. Hammel, S.N. Milam, V. Kofman, S. Faggi, C.R. Glein, R. Cartwright, L. Roth, K.P. Hand, L. Paganini, J. Spencer, J. Stansberry, B. Holler, N. rowe-Gurney, S. Protopapa, G. Strazzulla, G. Luzzi, G. Cruz-Mermy, M. El Moutamid, M.M. Hedman, K. Denny. 2023. “JWST molecular mapping and characterization of Enceladus’s water plume feeding its torus”. Nature Astronomy 7:1056-1062.

A.A. Simon, M.M. Hedman, P.D. Nicholson, M.R. Showalter, S. Callos. 2023. “Hubble detects start of a new Saturn ring spoke season”. GRL 50:e2022GL101904.

P.D. Nicholson, R.G. French, C.A. McGhee-French, P.-Y. Longaretti, M.M. Hedman, M. El Moutamid, J. Colwell, E.A. Marouf, N. Rappaport, S. Flury, J. Fong, R. Maguire, G. Steranka. 2023. “The seven-lobed shape of the outer edge of Saturn’s A ring”. Icarus 390:115287.

Biological Physics N. R. Subedi, S. Stolyar, S. J. Tuson, C. J. Marx, A. E. Vasdekis, “Scattered-LightSheet Microscopy with Sub-Cellular Resolving Power”, Journal of Biophotonics 16, e202300068 (2023).

Zhang, J., Sarollahi, M., Luckhart, S., Harrison, M.J., Vasdekis, A.E., “Quantitative phase imaging by gradient retardance optical microscopy”, Sci. Rep. 14, 9754 (2024).

Sapozhnikov Y, Patel JS, Ytreberg FM, Miller CR, “Statistical modeling to quantify the uncertainty of FoldX-predicted protein folding and binding stability,” BMC Bioinform 24: 426 (2023).

Taggart NT, Crabtree AM, Creagh JW, Bizzaria R, Li S, Higuera I, Barnes JE, Shipley MA, Boyer JM, Stedman KM, Ytreberg FM, Rowley PA, “Novel viruses of the family Partitiviridae discovered in Saccharomyces cerevisiae,” PLoS Pathog 19:e1011418 (2023).

Hadronic Physics A. P. Bray, S. S. Chabysheva and J. R. Hiller, “Effective potential between static sources in quenched light-front Yukawa theory,” Phys. Rev. D 109, 096010 (2024).

R. Machleidt, “What is ab initio?,” Few Body Syst. 64, 77 (2023).

R. Machleidt and F. Sammarruca, “Recent advances in chiral EFT based nuclear forces and their applications,” Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys. 137, 104117 (2024).

F. Sammarruca, “The Multiple Personality of Low-Density Neutron Matter ,” Proc.

40th International Workshop on Nuclear Theory, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria, July 2023. edited by M. Gaidarov and N. Minkov (Heron Press, Sofia, 2023).

F. Sammarruca, “Unitary limit and its far-reaching impact on neutron matter,” Phys.

Rev. C 108, 044310 (2023).

F. Sammarruca, “The Neutron Skin of 48 Ca and 208 Pb: A critical analysis,” Symmetry 16, 34 (2024). (Special Issue on “The symmetry energy in nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics.”)

Recent Presentations (2023-24) Astrophysics and Planetary Science G. Barnes, “The Moon’s craters: What do they tell us?,” Northern Arizona University, Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, colloquium. Feb 12, 2024.

A. L. Gao, I. J. Daubar, G. D. Bart (Barnes), and A. D. Etgen, “Characterizing Wind Streaks from Fresh Impacts on Mars,” presented at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston: Lunar and Planetary Institute, 2023.

C. J. I. Cline, M. J. Cintala, J. L. B. Anderson, and G. D. Bart (Barnes), “Using Controlled Impact Experiments to Understand the Effects of Cohesive Blocks on the Cratering Process,” presented at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston: Lunar and Planetary Institute, 2023.

C. Cline, M. J. Cintala, J. L. B. Anderson, and G. Bart (Barnes), “Impact Experiments into Granular Targets Containing Solitary Blocks of Varying Strength and Size,” in AGU - Fall Meeting 2022, Chicago, IL, 2022.

J.Barnes, “There’s a Dragonfly in My Primordial Soup”, invited talk to the Power of Possibility, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, 2023 November 1.

J. Barnes, “Dragonfly: NASA’s Titan Rotorcraft Lander”, invited conference talk at the American Physical Society NorthWest meeting, Nampa, Idaho, 2023 October 22; invited colloquium at North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, 2023 April 11; invited colloquium for the Department of Physics at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, 2023 March 9.

J. Barnes, “Forward-Calculations of Surface Reflectance Phase Functions through Titan’s Atmosphere”, American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences meeting, San Antonio, Texas, 2023 October 3.

J. Barnes, “The Dragonfly Rotorcraft Lander Mission to Titan’s Dunes”, International Conference on Aeolian Research, Las Cruces, New Mexico, 2023 July 14.

J. Barnes, “Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer of Titan’s Specular Lakes”, Titan through Time VI, Paris, France, 2023 June 14.

Z. Etienne, “Advancing Multimessenger Astrophysics with Next-Generation Black Hole and Neutron Star Binary Merger Simulations”, 2023, Feb 13: Invited Seminar (virtual), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA; Mar 3: Physics Colloquium, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT; Apr 27: Invited PPPL Seminar, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ;

Jun 16: Invited Seminar, University of Jena, Jena, Germany; Jun 27: Invited AstroCoffee Seminar, Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies, Frankfurt, Germany; Jul 11: Invited Seminar for REU students, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY. Z. Etienne, “When Black Holes Collide! Gravitational Waves and Other Tales from the Horizon”, 2023, Sep 30: Spacepoint Sci-Fi Lecture Series Talk, Panida Theatre, Sandpoint, ID; Oct 20: Invited Talk, APS Meeting Northwest Section, Nampa, ID. V. Afigbo, M.M. Hedman, P.D. Nicholson, R.G. French. “Unveiling what makes Saturn ring: A quest to quantify Saturn’s planetary normal-mode oscillations through ring seismology”. 2023 meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences.

M.M. Hedman, P.D. Nicholon, R.G. French, M.R. Showalter. “Resonantly-generated patterns in the Uranian Rings”. 2023 meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences.

M.M. Hedman, R. Cartwright, M. Cuk, R.S. French, L. Spilker, S.M. Brooks. “How Uranus’ small inner moons can help us better understand the origins and evolution of the Uranian system”. 2023 Uranus Flagship mission meeting.

M.M. Hedman, M.S. Marley, C.R. Mankovich, J.W. Dewberry, R.O. Chancia. P.D. Nicholson. “Using the Uranian ring system to probe the interior of an Ice Giant”.

2023 Uranus Flagship mission meeting.

M.M. Hedman, “The infrared spectra of Saturn’s rings from JWST”. 2023 STScI Spring Symposium.

M.M. Hedman, R.G. French, P.D. Nicholson, M.R. Showalter. “Resonantly-generated brightness variations in the Uranian rings seen in Voyager 2 images”. 2023 Meeting of the Division for Dynamical Astronomy.

Biological Physics A. E. Vasdekis, “Video-Rate Spontaneous Raman Imaging”, SPIE Photonics West (San Francisco, January 2024).

F.M. Ytreberg, Boise State University Physics Colloquium, Boise, ID, Nov 2023.

F.M. Ytreberg, American Association of Physics Teachers Regional Meeting, Twin Falls, ID, Apr 2023.

F.M. Ytreberg, Washington State University Pharmacy Seminar, Spokane, WA, Dec 2023.

Condensed Matter Physics I. Lukman, “Self-Trapped Hole in Ultra-Wide Bandgap -Ga2O3 Films; Its Temperature Dependent Luminescence”, APS March meeting presentation, Bulletin of the American Physical Society 2023.

I. Lukman, “Ultra wide band gap gallium oxide semiconductor thin films: Its bandgap properties at extreme temperatures”, invited poster, SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium, 2023.

Y. Qiang, Plenary presentation on GSEMMM2023 “Magnetic and electrical responses of nanoclusters under different irradiations: New type of radiation detection”.

Y. Qiang, Keynote talk at CMPFORUM2023, International Forum on Condensed Matter Physics, Feb. 2023, “Advanced Nanomaterials Nanotechnology for Nuclear Energy Application.”

Y. Qiang, UI Physics Colloquium talk, Mar. 2023 “Nano-Watermelon: Synthesis, Nanostructure and Nanomagnetism.”

Y. Qiang, Keynote Presentation at International Conference on Materials and Nanotechnology, Apr. 2023, “Nano-Watermelon; Synthesis, Nanostructure, Nanomagnetism and Applications” Y. Qiang, Plenary talk at IESPBN 2023, Nov. 6, 2023. REEs Recovery Advanced magnetic Separation Nanotechnology.

Y. Qiang, Keynote Speaker at NANO2023, Nov. 16-18, 2023, Boston USA “Grain Boundary Effect in Nanomaterials for Radiation Tolerance for Computer Memory Devices” Hadronic Physics S. Chabysheva, “Reduced nuclear helicity amplitudes: Deuteron disintegration,” contributed virtual talk, April meeting of the American Physical Society (2024).

J. Hiller, “Studying the deuterium nucleus with electron and photon beams,” UI Physics Department colloquium, 18 September 2023.

J. Hiller, “Reduced nuclear helicity amplitudes: Deuteron form factors,” contributed virtual talk, April meeting of the American Physical Society (2024).

J. Hiller, “Schrödinger-Newton gravitational solitons with cylindrical symmetry,” UI Physics Department colloquium, 22 April 2024.

R. Machleidt, “What is ab initio?,” invited talk given at the 40th International Workshop on Nuclear Theory, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria, July 2-8, 2023.

R. Machleidt, “The Dream of the German Atomic Bomb,” UI Physics Department colloquium, 11 September 2023.

R. Machleidt, “What are true ab initio calculations of neutron-rich matter?,” XIth International Symposium on Nuclear Symmetry Energy, September 18-22, 2023, GSI, Darmstadt, Germany.

F. Sammarruca, “Neutron Stars: The most bizarre laboratory for nuclear physics,” invited colloquium (virtual), ISU Physics Department, April 10, 2023.

F. Sammarruca, “Energy and pressure in neutron matter: current status of ab initio predictions and empirical constraints,” contributed talk (virtual), April Meeting of the American Physical Society, April 24, 2023.

F. Sammarruca, “The Multiple Personality of Low-Density Neutron Matter ,” invited talk given at the 40th International Workshop on Nuclear Theory, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria, July 2-8, 2023.

F. Sammarruca, “The Symmetry Energy: Current Status of Ab Initio Predictions vs. Empirical Constraints,” refereed abstract and selected talk, XIth International Symposium on Nuclear Symmetry Energy, September 18-22, 2023, GSI, Darmstadt, Germany.

Current External Funding Astrophysics and Planetary Science G. Barnes, Co-I: I. J. Daubar, Blasting Mars: What Factors Enable Detection of New Impact Sites? Mars Data Analysis Program (MDAP), NASA, 8/20/20208/19/2024 $466,257.69 PI: Jason W. Barnes (UIdaho), Co-I Shannon M. MacKenzie (JHU/APL), Co-I Michael J. Malaska (JPL/Caltech), Co-I Rajani D. Dhingra (JPL/Caltech), Titan Surface Phase Functions, NASA Cassini Data Analysis Program, 2022-2024, $589,380 ($377,771 to UIdaho) Elizabeth Turtle (JHU/APL), Deputy PI Jason W. Barnes (UIdaho). Dragonfly.

NASA New Frontiers, 2018-2038, $849,000,000 ($4,000,000 for UIdaho).

PI Paul Corlies (Spectral Sciences, Inc.), Co-I: Jason W. Barnes (UIdaho), Co-I Shannon M. MacKenzie (JHU/APL), Co-I Rajani D. Dhingra (JPL/Caltech), Titan Surface Phase Functions, NASA Cassini Data Analysis Program, 2024-2026, $599,412 ($260,511 to UIdaho).

PI: Paul Corlies (Spectral Sciences, Inc.), Co-I: Jason W. Barnes (UIdaho), Co-I Shannon M. MacKenzie (JHU/APL), Co-I Jason Soderblom (MIT), Constraining Titan’s Seasonal Tropospheric Haze Distribution NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2023-2026, $78,606 to UIdaho.

Z. Etienne, Institutional Principal Investigator, Electromagnetic Signals from Merging Supermassive Black Holes, NASA Theoretical and Computational Astrophysics Networks (TCAN), 2023—2026 $1,776,933 ($271,726 to Etienne).

Z. Etienne, Rising to the challenge: ∼1 s long numerical relativity simulations of BNS mergers and their remnants, NASA FINESST, 2023—2026, $150,000. Future Investigator: Terrence Pierre Jacques.

Leonardo Rosa Werneck (Z. Etienne’s postdoctoral scholar), Gravitational-Wave Signatures of Massive Black Hole Formation, NASA LISA Preparatory Science, 2023—2026, $644,838 ($77,959 to U. of Idaho).

Z. Etienne, superB: Numerical Relativity for LISA & 3G Detectors, NASA Astrophysics Theory Program, 2022-2025, $409,021.

Z. Etienne, Boosting Algorithmic Efficiency: Numerical Relativity in Dynamical, Curvilinear Coordinates, NSF Gravitational Physics–Theory, 2021-2024, $174,803.

Z. Etienne, Collaborative Research: WoUMMA: Toward Binary Neutron Star Mergers on a Moving-mesh, NSF Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics, 2021-2024, $483,465 ($226,347 to Etienne).

Z. Etienne, Collaborative Research: Measuring G with a Magneto-Gravitational Trap, NSF Gravitational Physics—Experiment, 2020-2024, $567,990 ($118,517 to Etienne).

Z. Etienne, Collaborative Research: Frameworks: The Einstein Toolkit ecosystem: Enabling fundamental research in the era of multi-messenger astrophysics, NSF OAC, 2020-2024, $2,300,415 ($335,902 to Etienne).

M.M. Hedman (PI University of Idaho), S. MacKezie (Co-I APL), H. Sharma (Collaborator U. Idaho). Exploring the Color of the Enceladus Plume. NASA Cassini Data Analysis Program 2024-2027. $546,020, for UI: $288,110.

P.D. Nicholson (PI Cornell University), M. El Moutamid (Co-I Cornell University), R. French (Co-I Wellesley College), M.M. Hedman (Co-I University of Idaho), M. Tiscareno (Collab. SETI Institute), G. Stewart (Collab U. Colorado). Vertical Structure in Saturn’s Rings. NASA Cassini Data Analysis Program 2023-2025. $619,197, for UI: $158,229.

M.M. Hedman (PI University of Idaho), M. Marley (Co-I U. Arizona), J. Fortney (Collaborator UCSC). Seismological Studies of the Ice Giants. NASA Cassini Data Analysis Program, 2021-2024, $242.783 ($178,271 to UIdaho).

M.M. Hedman (PI University of Idaho), R. French (Co-I SETI Institute), D.P. Hamilton (Co-I U. Maryland). The Recent History of Saturn’s Dusty Rings. NASA Cassini Data Analysis Program, 2021-2024, $543,223 ($275,386 to UIdaho).

Biological Physics A.E. Vasdekis, National Science Foundation, PI, 2041523, Collaborative Research: Multidimensional single-cell phenotyping for elucidating genome to phenome relationships, $362,000, 03/21 – 03/24.

A.E. Vasdekis, Department of Energy, Genomic Sciences Program, PI, DE-SC0022282, Integrative Imaging of Plant Roots during Symbiosis with Mycorrhizal Fungi, $1,700,000, 09/21 – 08/24.

A.E. Vasdekis, Department of Energy, Genomic Sciences Program, co-PI (PI: G. Stephanopoulos), Improving Fermentation Robustness by Cellular Noise Engineering, $430,000 (awarded to Vasdekis), 09/21 – 08/24.

A.E. Vasdekis, Department of Energy, Genomic Sciences Program, co-PI (PI: C. J. Marx), Converting methoxy groups on lignin-derived aromatics from a toxic hurdle to a useful resource: a systems-driven approach, $150,000, 09/21 – 08/24.

Wichman HA (PI), Ytreberg FM (associate director), Center for Modeling Complex Interactions, NIH COBRE, 2020-2025, $10,999,565.

Condensed Matter Physics L. Bergman, Co-PI with Matt McCluskey WSU (PI), Department of Energy, Response of gallium oxide to pressure, temperature and alloying, Total $451,299, $213,095 to UI. (6/1/22 – 5/31/25).

Y. Qiang, Co-PI of DOE LDRD Grant, Integrated Heterogeneous Structure of HighEntropy-Alloy/Reactor for High-Throughput Chemical Synthesis via In-Situ CarbonDioxide Hydrogenation. $805,531. 10/01/2023 to 09/30/2025, ($120,000 to UI).

Hadronic Physics F. Sammarruca, Nuclear Theory at the University of Idaho, U.S. Department of Energy, 12/01/23 to 11/30/24, $145,000.

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