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Ritzwoller, Michael H

Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • Prof. Ritzwoller's research focuses on the following areas: theoretical, computational, and observational seismology, geophysical imaging and inversion, ambient noise and earthquake tomography, seismic surface waves and normal modes, modeling the Earth's crust and mantle, the use of seismology in nuclear monitoring, shallow subsurface imaging using seismic waves and surface NMR, X-ray tomographic imaging, and long range acoustic wave propagation in the oceans.

Publications

selected publications

Teaching

courses taught

  • ASTR 6610 - Earth and Planetary Physics 1
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2023
    Examines mechanics of deformable materials, with applications to earthquake processes. Introduces seismic wave theory. Other topics include inversion of seismic data for the structure, composition and state of the interior of the Earth. Same as GEOL 6610 and PHYS 6610.
  • GEOL 6610 - Earth and Planetary Physics 1
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2018 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2023
    Examines mechanics of deformable materials, with applications to earthquake processes. Introduces seismic wave theory. Other topics include inversion of seismic data for the structure, composition and state of the interior of the Earth. Same as ASTR 6610 and PHYS 6610.
  • GEOL 6630 - Earth and Planetary Physics 3
    Secondary Instructor - Spring 2022
    Offered alternate years. Examines the solar system, emphasizing theories of its origin and meteorites. Highlights distribution of radioactive materials, age dating, heat flow through continents and the ocean floor, internal temperature distribution in the Earth, and mantle convection. Also covers the origin of the oceans and atmosphere. Same as ASTR 6630 and PHYS 6630.
  • PHIL 4450 - History and Philosophy of Physics
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020
    Discusses the epistemic question of what characterizes good physics research as well as the metaphysical question of what our best physics research tells us about the world. Topics may include case studies of physics experiments, theory choice, and scientific methodology in physics, as well as foundational metaphysical questions in�statistical mechanics,�quantum mechanics, special and general relativity,�chance and probability, and the�laws of nature. Same as PHIL 5450 and PHYS 4450 and PHYS 5450.
  • PHIL 5450 - History and Philosophy of Physics
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020 / Spring 2024
    Discusses the epistemic question of what characterizes good physics research as well as the metaphysical question of what our best physics research tells us about the world. Topics may include case studies of physics experiments, theory choice, and scientific methodology in physics, as well as foundational metaphysical questions in�statistical mechanics,�quantum mechanics, special and general relativity,�chance and probability, and the�laws of nature. Same as PHIL 4450 and PHYS 5450 and PHYS 5450.
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