1993: Peter J. Karpius
Currently:
Postdoctoral Research Associate
N-1 Group: Nuclear Safeguards Science and Technology
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, NM
BS in Physics, SUNY College at Cortland, 1993
BSME, Clarkson University, 1994
MEng in Engineering Physics, Cornell University, 1996
M.Sc. in Physics, University of New Hampshire,
2004
PhD in Physics, University of New Hampshire 2005
(thesis work in medium energy nuclear physics)
Thesis: A New Measurement of the
Deuteron Magnetic Form Factor from Vector Polarization
Observables
I am involved in the development of new detector technologies in
support of domestic and international nuclear nonproliferation efforts
and treaty verification. I am constantly learning new things at LANL,
and in particular, gamma ray spectroscopy, neutron multiplicity measurement
methods, and calorimetry. My work is an interesting mix of hardware and software
projects as well as having teaching opportunities in fundamental non-destructive
assay techniques.
I am still in contact with my colleagues in the BLAST Collaboration at MIT-Bates Linear Accelerator Center, where I did my thesis research. We are working to publish a paper on my thesis work in Physical Review Letters.
At UNH I completed a program called the Cognate in College Teaching and I hope to develop my teaching abilities and am slated to teach an IAEA summer school in basic gamma ray spectroscopy techniques this August.
My wife Laura and I enjoy Los Alamos and New Mexico in general as it offers a multitude of outdoor activities such as skiing, hiking, biking etc.
Yes, I am involved in applied science these days, but every now and
then, I hear what Joe Onello once described as Baroque trumpets when
introducing the Schrödinger equation, with simple things I see each day.... that
make me think about physics.