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Publications in VIVO

Kempf, Sascha

Associate Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • Theoretical and experimental investigations of cosmic dust. Interaction of dust with the ambient plasma and dusty plasma effects in space. Formation and composition of cosmic dust. Dynamics of planetary rings. In-situ observation of dust. Theoretical and experimental investigation of impact plasmas. Laboratory hypervelocity impact experiments and space hardware development. Life detection via compositional analysis of surface material and/or ice plume particles

keywords

  • planetary science, cosmic dust, instrumentation for space missions, evolution and dynamics of cosmic dust, diffuse dust rings, impact physics, dusty plasmas

Publications

selected publications

Teaching

courses taught

  • ASTR 5150 - Introductory Plasma Physics
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2023
    Includes basic phenomena of ionized gases, static and dynamic shielding, linear waves, instabilities, particles in fields, collisional phenomena, fluid equations, collisionless Boltzman equations, Landau damping, scattering and absorption of radiation in plasmas, elementary nonlinear processes, WKB wave theory, controlled thermonuclear fusion concepts, astrophysical applications and experimental plasma physics (laboratory). Same as PHYS 5150.
  • ENVS 3070 - Energy and the Environment
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2021 / Fall 2023
    Examines contemporary issues in energy consumption and its environmental impact, including fossil fuel use and depletion; nuclear energy and waste disposal; solar, wind, hydroelectric, and other renewable sources; home heating; energy storage; fuel cells; and alternative transportation vehicles. Includes some basic physical concepts and principles that often constrain choices. No background in physics is required. Same as PHYS 3070.
  • PHYS 1240 - Sound and Music
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2021 / Spring 2024
    Explores the physical processes that underlie the diversity of sound and musical phenomena. Topics covered include the physical nature of sound, the perception of sound, the perception of pitch and harmony, musical instruments, synthesizers and samplers, and room acoustics. Geared toward nonscience majors. Department enforced prereq., high school algebra or equivalent. Should not be taken by students with a math MAPS deficiency.
  • PHYS 3070 - Energy and the Environment
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2021 / Fall 2023
    Contemporary issues in energy consumption and its environmental impact, including fossil fuel use and depletion; nuclear energy and waste disposal; solar, wind, hydroelectric, and other renewable sources; home heating; energy storage; fuel cells; and alternative transportation vehicles. Included are some basic physical concepts and principles that often constrain choices. No background in physics is required. Same as ENVS 3070.
  • PHYS 3330 - Electronics for the Physical Sciences
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2022
    Introduces laboratory electronics for physical science students. Includes basic electronic instruments, dc bridge circuits, operational amplifiers, bipolar transistors, field-effect transistors, photodiodes, noise in electronic circuits, digital logic and microcontrollers. Students gain hands-on experience in designing, building and debugging circuits. Two lectures and one three hour laboratory per week. Concludes with a three-week project in which students design and build an experiment of their choice and present a seminar on the results.
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