Department Research Groups

The acoustics research program at BYU is cross-disciplinary, involving the treatment of both fundamental and applied problems in acoustics and vibration using analytical, numerical, and experimental means. Our faculty and students actively work on a wide range of projects related to acoustic signal processing, machine learning, aeroacoustics, noise control, architectural acoustics, audio acoustics, nonlinear acoustics, outdoor sound propagation, sound focusing, underwater acoustics, musical acoustics and structural acoustics. Many resources are readily available for the effective simulation, measurement, and understanding of physical systems. In addition to strong computational facilities, the program has acoustical laboratories with extensive state-of-the-art measurement equipment, two anechoic chambers, two reverberation chambers, and a variable acoustics chamber that can be used for experimental studies.

Optical photometric and spectroscopic research at BYU is conducted at our own observatories using telescopes ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 m. There is frequent use of Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope data and data from observatories in Arizona, Canada, Chile, and South Africa as well as from national and international radio observatories. Topics of current research include evolution of variable stars, especially classical and dwarf Cepheids; the extragalactic distance scale; photometric standard systems; interstellar reddening; old and young galactic star clusters; high mass x-ray binaries; pre-main sequence objects; active galactic nuclei; galaxies in or near cosmic voids; brown dwarf atmospheres; transiting planets; interferometric and single dish studies of MASER and molecular emission from star forming regions, late-type OH/IR stars, supernova remnants, AGN, and starburst phenomena; and theoretical studies of black holes and neutron stars.

The Science Education Research Group at BYU investigates how teachers and students engage in science as sensemaking. Our work focuses on modeling, explanation construction, evidence-based reasoning, and the design of learning environments that support meaningful participation in science practices.

Current projects examine preservice and in-service teachers’ beliefs, planning, and pedagogical judgment; the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and programming to support science learning; modeling-centered physics labs and undergraduate STEM learning environments; and professional community-building among local physics teachers and preservice teachers. Undergraduate and graduate researchers collaborate on study design, data analysis, instructional materials, conference presentations, and publications.

The laser science research group studies the interaction of light and matter at the most fundamental level. The group studies the design, operation, and application of lasers of all kinds, including CW and femtosecond Ti:Saph Lasers, YAG lasers, Diode lasers, and Dye lasers. We apply these laser tools to study a variety of physical systems, including electron scattering experiments, high harmonic generation, lensless imaging, laser cooling, ultracold plasmas, atomic clocks, photoionization, spectroscopy, hyper-Rayleigh scattering, quantum optics, quantum information, and nonlinear optics.

We are always looking for great new ideas and collaborators. Most groups can support students working in experimental, computational, and theoretical projects.

Condensed matter physics studies the macroscopic and microscopic properties of the “condensed” phases of matter: metals, insulators, semiconductors, superconductors, nanostructures, liquids, and so forth. Nationally, this is the largest and most active area of physics research. Our interests at BYU center on the electronic, magnetic, optical, structural, and dynamic properties of nanostructures and solids, using experimental, theoretical, and computational methods. Our current activities include creation of new nanostructured materials and their study by scanning probe microscopy, magnetometry, and electron-based microscopy and spectroscopy; X-ray and neutron-scattering; computational studies of novel alloys and nanostructures; group theoretical methods applied to phase transitions in crystals; motion and structure of defects in crystals; optical and magnetic resonance studies of electrons and spin coherence in semiconductor nanostructures; magnetic memory and reversal processes in ferromagnetic thin films; and dynamics of superparamagnetic nanoparticles.

Everyone Welcome

This group studies the foundations, techniques, and applications of relativity, quantum, and information theory. We develop numerical, algebraic, and analytic approaches to understand complex problems. Current projects include mergers of and energetic emissions from compact objects in general relativity; critical phenomena in nonlinear field theories; coherent behavior in dynamical systems; interaction between radiation and matter; molecular dynamics of defects and impurities in clusters and solids; spin systems and quantum entanglement. Our computational resources include extensive supercomputing facilities on campus and allocations at national supercomputing centers.