I am a theoretical physicist who is interested in fundamental problems in physics that are experimentally accessible. Here are some problems I've worked on recently.
Unstable Particles
Unstable particles (e.g., atoms in excited states or radioactive nuclei) have always interested me. Unlike stable particles, they do not have definite energies, which raises lots of questions. What is the mass of an unstable particle? How does an unstable particle interact with gravity? I'm currently working with Wabash students and colleagues at Purdue University and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City on exploring quantum mechanical problems involving unstable particles.
In a related project, I've been working with a group centered at Purdue University that is investigating anomalous radioactive decay processes that have been observed in many experiments to date.
Casimir Force
The Casimir force is a short-range (~1-1000 nanometers) quantum electrodynamical force that acts between all objects. With colleagues at Purdue University, IUPUI in Indianapolis, and in Russia, I've been involved with testing theories of the Casimir force between real objects. I've also examined the isotopic dependence of the Casimir force and designed an experiment conducted by Ricardo Decca at IUPUI that investigated the shape dependence of the force.
New Forces and Extra Dimensions
All the forces we observe in nature can be attributed to one of the three fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electroweak, and strong forces. We observe three spatial dimensions. Could new forces and spatial dimensions exist? After all, they are predicted by various extensions to the Standard Model of particle physics (e.g., string theory)? I've been working with colleagues at Purdue, IUPUI, and Russia to find new ways to search for any new forces and extra dimensions that may exist.