External Physics REU Program at University of Michigan

The 2012 Summer REU Program will run from June 4th, 2012 to August 10th, 2012. Applicants are required to send transcripts, 2 letters of recommendation, and fill out the online application.

For full consideration, applications should be received by Friday, Feb. 17th, 2012.

Information about the University of Michigan REU Physics Program:

The University of Michigan Physics Department Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (REU) in Physics provides selected undergraduate students** from around the United States an opportunity to conduct ten weeks of summer research with some of the country's leading physicists in a range of experimental physics fields. The program is conducted in concert with the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program and is supported by funds from the National Science Foundation. REU students have the opportunity to participate in laser and radiation safety training classes and also a specially designed instrumentation shop class that provides training in the use of shop tools.

**Please note: Unfortunately, our funding doesn't allow for us to fund non-US citizens or students from the University of Michigan. Support can be granted to permanent residents with the proper documentation.

Students who are selected to participate in the program will receive:

• A stipend of $4,500.
• Travel reimbursement up to $500 for travel to and from Ann Arbor.
• An MCard containing $200 for food via Blue Bucks
• Access to all university recreational facilities.
• Access to the Society of Physics Students (SPS) office.
• Housing near campus.
• University of Michigan email account.
• Access to world-class research facilities.
• One-on-one instruction from internationally recognized faculty.

Active REU research areas in Physics at Michigan include:

• Astrophysics/Cosmology
• Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
• Condensed Matter Theory
• Condensed Matter Experiment
• High Energy Theory
• High Energy Experiment
• Nonlinear Dynamics/Complex Systems
• Nuclear Physics/Medical Physics

Previous students have participated in one of the following research labs/projects:

• Carl Akerlof-The Robotic Optical Transient Experiment (ROTSE) is engaged in searching and identifying a variety of astrophysical transients, particularly gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. We have recently completed the development of an independent data pipeline that probes nightly sky images for new supernova events, a program we expect to extend to all four ROTSE telescopes. We are seeking help in evaluating the significance of this data on a daily basis in order to direct further observations, both photometric and spectroscopic. More details of this program are available at www.rotse.net.
• Myron Campbell-The next generation experiment to elucidate CP violation will take place at the JPARC laboratory in Japan.  The experiment is to measure the branching ratio of kaons to a pion and two neutrinos, which is expected to be 2.8 x 10^-11.  The goals of the summer project is to work on developing a system to acquire data from the experiment and distinguish between the dominate decay modes and the rare decay modes.
• Jennifer Ogilivie- Our group is seeking an undergraduate student to work towards developing an ultrafast, molecular scale microscope for studying energy transfer between single molecules on the femtosecond time scale.  The instrument will be used to characterize a wide array of energy transfer processes in natural and artificial light-harvesting systems, providing insight into the physics of energy transfer at the single molecule level. The project will involve the collection of fluorescence images, and writing software for data analysis and interpretation.
• Roy Clarke- The group is studying the influence of interfaces on correlated electron behavior. A recent paper his group co-authored [³Structural Basis for the Conducting Interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3²,  Physical Review Letters, 99,  155502 (2007)] summarizes the interesting physics. An REU student would most likely be involved in electronic and optical measurements of novel emergent properties. The materials are of interest for energy applications,  including solar photovoltaic applications.
• David Gidley-Our group is probing nanomaterials with antimatter.  Positrons (anti-electrons) are used to probe the nanometer-scale structure of nanoporous materials for microelectronics, hydrogen fuel storage, and drug encapsulation.  We work with a host of collaborators at universities, industry, NIST, and JPL. This research involves nuclear particle detection, radiation safety techniques, vacuum technology, and data acquisition, analysis, and presentation.
• Aaron Leanhardt-Narrow linewidth CW lasers are ideal tools for precision atomic and molecular spectroscopy, as well as for laser cooling and trapping of atomic gases at microKelvin temperatures.  The goals of this REU project are to stabilize and characterize the linewidth of lasers spanning the visible spectrum.  These lasers will be used to detect optical transitions in ytterbium atoms and/or tungsten carbide molecules.  Knowledge of these optical transitions is a key element for future experiments aimed at searching for physics beyond the Standard Model.
• Georg Raithel-We investigate cold Rydberg-atom gases produced via photo-excitation of laser-cooled atoms. The REU student will learn about vacuum systems, electron- and ion detection, different kinds of lasers, and atom-trapping methods used in these experiments. The REU student will also be given a building project that is suitable in scope and is associated with one of the experiments. In this project component, the REU student will develop work-shop and electronics skills as well as practical skills that are important in typical atomic-physics laboratories. The proposed REU project will further introduce the student to the taking and the evaluation of data. In this project component, the student will learn about computer-based data and image acquisition and analysis. The work will be performed within a group of several graduate students. Through interaction with group members, the REU student will broaden his/her knowledge in atomic physics and quantum mechanics. More information about the lab environment can be found at http://cold-atoms.physics.lsa.umich.edu/ and http://www-personal.umich.edu/~graithel/ .
• Greg Tarle-The Dark Energy Survey will employ a wide-field camera on the Blanco 4-m telescope to study dark energy.  The camera will utilize the largest astronomical filters ever produced.  The REU project will involve operation of a filter transmission measuring instrument to characterize filters and the use of straightforward analysis software to interpret the results

The Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, funded by the National Science Foundation, gives undergraduate students the opportunity to spend a summer at another university researching under the direction of faculty and other researchers. University of Michigan students are encouraged to consult the list of universities offering this summer program and apply to take part. A website and primary contact are listed for each program.