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Research Projects

I conduct my research on the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. Here are some of the projects I am contributing to:

  • Searching for direct evidence of the QCD critical point by measuring multiple critical exponents in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions. The studies are being performed by measuring correlation functions and fluctuations.

  • Investigating the evolution of the volcano effect at low transverse momentum. This effect is seen in azimuthal correlation functions and it could be caused by shock waves propagating through the perfect fluid created in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions.

  • Conducting detailed and comprehensive surveys of multiplicity fluctuations, transverse momentum fluctuations, and correlation functions in Relativistic Heavy Ion collisions.

    • Technical Projects


    Here are some of the technical projects I am contributing to:

  • Manager of PHENIX Data Production I oversee the process of converting the raw data taken by the PHENIX detector into quantities that are used for analysis of the data for publication.

  • Development and coordination of PHENIX event displays. An event display is a visual representation of the electronic signals reported by the various PHENIX detectors from a heavy ion collision. This not only helps us debug problems with the detectors and the pattern recognition software, but it can also produce some dazzling images. I produced the standard PHENIX event display image that has been published in several periodicals including Scientific American and the New York Times. I also developed a web-based PHENIX event display called Birdseye.

  • RHIC public outreach. I produce animations and applets to help explain RHIC physics to the non-scientist. I also produced the Introduction to PHENIX web pages.

    • Past Research Projects



    Here is a list of my previous research projects:

  • I participated in Experiment 896 at Brookhaven National Laboratory's Alternating Gradient Synchrotron. The goal of this experiment was to search for a new particle called the H. It was not conclusively found.

  • Before joining the PHENIX Experiment, I participated in the STAR experiment at BNL's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. There, I helped develop and maintain the pattern recognition software for the Time Projection Chamber.

  • As a post-doc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, I participated in Experiment NA35 at the CERN SPS in Geneva, Switzerland. There, I studied how protons are stopped in heavy ion collisions.

  • My graduate thesis work at Yale was done on Experiment E814 at BNL's AGS. There, I studied proton spectra and looked for a new particle called the pi-neut, which was not conclusively found.

    • Last modified on 11/23/09
    Produced by Jeffery T. Mitchell