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faculty
Robert Fisher, PhD he/him/his
Professor
Physics
Contact
508-999-8455
508-999-9115
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Science & Engineering 208A
Education
| 2002 | University of California at Berkeley | PhD in Physics |
| 1994 | California Institute of Technology | BS in Physics with Honors |
Teaching
Courses
Doctoral thesis proposal development based on technical writing process, data interpretation, experimental design. Students who successfully complete the course will be able to assess information from the primary scientific literature, formulate scientific questions (hypotheses), and generate an experimental plan to help validate or nullify their hypothesis. Students will demonstrate a command of oral and written communication skills by completing this course.
Calculus-based introduction to classical mechanics, emphasizing problem solving. Topics include 1- and 2-dimensional kinematics and dynamics; Newton's Laws of Motion; work, energy and momentum; and rotational motion and angular momentum. Many of these topics are further explored in laboratory experiments.
A first course in modern physics designed for engineering and physics students. It deals with light waves, diffraction, interference, and basic matter waves with an introduction to the Schrödinger equation. Basic atomic and nuclear physics is also introduced.
A first course in modern physics designed for engineering and physics students. It deals with light waves, diffraction, interference, and basic matter waves with an introduction to the Schrödinger equation. Basic atomic and nuclear physics is also introduced.
A first course in modern physics designed for engineering and physics students. It deals with light waves, diffraction, interference, and basic matter waves with an introduction to the Schrödinger equation. Basic atomic and nuclear physics is also introduced.
A first course in modern physics designed for engineering and physics students. It deals with light waves, diffraction, interference, and basic matter waves with an introduction to the Schrödinger equation. Basic atomic and nuclear physics is also introduced.
Broad introduction to astrophysics, exploring basic topics and modern developments in the field, such as telescopes, the electromagnetic spectrum, and physical properties of stars, as well as the evolution of stars from stellar nurseries to stellar death. Other subjects might include cosmology, celestial mechanics, the structure of the solar system, and the planets. Observations of celestial objects will be made at the university observatory. The course is designed for students in technical majors such as physics, engineering, and mathematics.
Study under the supervision of a faculty member in an area covered in a regular course not currently being offered. Conditions and hours to be arranged.
Laboratory course to acquaint students with current experimental techniques in physics and methods of data analysis.
The laws of thermodynamics and their interpretation based on the microscopic behavior. Entropy and probability, equilibrium, reversibility, thermodynamic functions, phase changes, and quantum statistics are studied. Applications to problems in solid state physics are examined.
Research
Research awards
- $ 555,751 awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration for The Physics of Turbulence-Driven Detonation Initiation in Type Ia Supernovae
Research
Research interests
- Fundamental Physics of Turbulent Flows
- Scientific Computing
- Star Formation and the Physics of the Interstellar Medium
- Type Ia Supernovae
Dr. Robert Fisher is a faculty member in the physics department at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He earned his BS in physics with honors from Caltech in 1994. At Caltech he was the recipient of the George W. Green Memorial Prize in creative scholarship, awarded annually to an undergraduate for original research beyond the normal requirements of specific courses. He received his PhD in physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 2002, where he received a NASA Graduate Research Fellowship. He was subsequently a postdoctoral research scholar at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL, 2002-2005), and research scientist at the Department of Energy Advanced Simulation and Computing Flash Center in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago (2005-2008). While at Chicago, he was also an adjunct faculty member at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he taught a popular course on introductory astronomy for undergraduate art majors.
The primary theme of Dr. Fisher's research is the fundamental physics of turbulent flows, and its application to the two endpoints of stellar evolution—star formation and supernovae—using a combination of theoretical and computational techniques. While at LLNL, he developed the first quantitative theory of the distribution of stellar binary periods. At Chicago, Dr. Fisher led an international team of computational scientists and physicists in the development and analysis of the largest three-dimensional computer simulation of weakly-compressible fully-developed turbulence ever completed. Also at Chicago, Dr. Fisher was part of the team to carry out the first self-consistent computational simulation of the three-dimension detonation of a Type Ia supernova. This research on turbulence and Type Ia supernovae was honored in 2009 by the Department of Energy with a Certificate of Service.
At the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dr. Fisher leads a group of graduate and undergraduate students pursuing several exciting research projects in star formation and supernovae. He invites graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in theoretical astrophysics and computational physics to drop by to speak with him. More information about Dr. Fisher's group, including recent publications, talks, and simulation animations, can be found at his research group website, novastella.org.