The Physics program offers numerous research opportunities in theoretical physics, experimental physics and observational astronomy for undergraduate students. Physics majors at Colorado Mesa University are required to take a total of four credit hours of senior research and senior seminar courses as well as possibilities for independent study and informal individual mentorship. This offers students opportunities for learning beyond the classroom, exposure to currently exciting developments in physics and development of research techniques and skills.
The CMU physics faculty are actively involved in research in a variety of fields and each has several publications in prominent journals and conference proceedings.
Research Areas
The first exoplanet, a planet orbiting a star outside our solar system, was discovered quite recently in the early 1990’s. Since then, space based telescopes like Kepler and TESS have been discovering thousands of new exoplanets using the transit method, which measures the dip in brightness of a star when a planet passes in front of it. With an abundance of data, there are many candidate planets whose existence need to be confirmed with follow up observations. CMU students have access to the Falcon Telescope Network, owned and operated by the US Air Force Academy, and the Science Dome telescope located at the Grand Mesa Observatory. These telescopes are well suited to performing observations that will confirm the existence of exoplanets and can measure properties of these planets.
Research in the area of Astronomy at CMU is conducted by Dr. Catherine Whiting and Instructor Garrison Turner.
Einstein's theory of General Relativity (GR) describes gravitation as the curvature of space and time due to the presence of matter and energy. This theoretical construct has been heralded as one of the greatest achievements of the human mind whose validity has been confirmed through countless experiments and astronomical observations. In addition to predicting the now-measured bending of starlight by the Sun and to accurately accounting for the perihelion precession of Mercury, GR has given birth to several exotic creatures including black holes and neutron stars and to modern cosmology.
At CMU, research in GR has focused on gravitational scenarios involving space times with more than four dimensions. Recent work has included finding the exact solution to the D=d+4 dimensional Einstein field equations subjected to a flat Robertson-Walker metric where the 3D and higher dimensional scale factors are allowed to evolve at different rates. Another recent project included mapping 3D orbits of particles around Kerr (i.e. spinning) black holes. Additional projects have included applications of a new model of gravity called Thomas Whitehead gravity, which is an extension of GR to include projective geometry. This model is suitable to explain dark energy, dark matter, inflation of the early universe, and the source of black holes from a fundamental perspective.
Research in the areas of general relativity, gravitation, and cosmology at CMU is conducted by Dr. Chad Middleton and also by Dr. Catherine Whiting.
Materials science pulls theory and experimental techniques from physics and chemistry to develop novel materials, as well as study and determine their properties, including, but not limited to, structural, vibrational, electric, and magnetic characteristics. Nanotechnology involves the study of materials smaller than 100 nanometers. Nanomaterials very often have dramatically different properties than their bulk counterparts.
Research in this area at CMU focuses on ferroelectrics and metal oxides, bulk and nano-sized, having applications to nuclear and renewable energy, such as lithium manganese spine oxides, nickel ferrites, and barium titanate. Facilities for characterization include X-ray diffraction and temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy. The flexibility of this equipment allows for investigation on a near limitless range of materials.
Materials science research at CMU is conducted by Dr. Brian Hosterman.Quantum information encompasses the study of how quantum systems can be used for information processing and also how ideas from information theory can be adapted to understand quantum systems and their behavior. Quantum information procedures include cryptography schemes, teleportation, quantum computing, quantum algorithms and metrology. In these, information is stored in the states of quantum mechanical systems and processed via a controlled evolution of such systems. Judicious use of characteristic features of quantum mechanics such as superposition and entanglement can, in principle, result in quantifiable information processing advantages over any competing classical protocol.
At CMU, research in this area currently focuses on theoretical quantum parameter estimation and metrology. These consider the use of quantum systems in physical schemes for determining the values of parameters such as magnetic fields or optical phase shifts. In some cases, using characteristic features of quantum physics such as entangled states can result in potential methods that determine a parameter with greater statistical accuracy than is possible with typical classical schemes. Research in this area at CMU considers theoretical evaluations of various schemes that include noise and how this affects accuracy enhancements.
Previous research in quantum information at CMU considered quantum algorithms particularly when applied to ensembles of quantum systems.
Research in these areas at CMU is conducted by Dr. David Collins.
At the turn of the century, physicists made two earth shattering discoveries: Newtonian mechanics breaks down for very small objects as well as for objects traveling close to the speed of light. These realizations gave birth to quantum mechanics in the first case and special relativity in the second. After decades of strife and confusion, physicists succeeded in combining these two theories, culminating in the creation of quantum field theory (QFT) – the framework that underpins the Standard Model of particle physics.
QFT is one of the most successful and predictive theories ever created, but it comes at the cost of extreme technical complexity. While the physical input and output of QFT are comparatively simple, the intermediary stages are anything but that. Research at CMU focuses on a branch of QFT known as Amplitudes which seeks to circumvent these otherwise insurmountable intermediary calculations. One method to bypass the complexity is to bootstrap the final predictions directly from physical principles like locality and unitarity. Another approach, known as the “double copy”, is to convert predictions for simpler theories into those of far more complex theories, where the most striking example connects nuclear physics to General Relativity.
Theoretical particle physics research at CMU is conducted by Dr. James Mangan.
Light pollution is the overuse or improper use of artificial light at night resulting in diminishing dark skies which disrupts astronomical observations, human health, and ecosystems. Western Colorado is home to numerous Dark Sky International certified dark sky communities, parks, and monuments, making the preservation of dark skies especially important throughout the region. Grand Junction and Colorado Mesa University's campus experience noticeably brighter night skies, yet relatively little quantitative data has been collected to characterize local sky brightness and its causes. CMU physics students have the opportunity to collect field measurements, quantify and analyze the properties of the night sky, and investigate how factors such as weather, air quality, and changing patterns of outdoor lighting influence sky brightness over time. These interdisciplinary projects combine physics, environmental science, and community engagement to address a growing global challenge.
Light pollution research at CMU is conducted by Dr. Catherine Whiting
Physics students at CMU sometimes participate in summer research programs at other institutions, typically via the NSF REU program.
CMU is a partner in the Falcon Telescope Network with the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Students at CMU will have access to several 20" research grade Ritchey Chretien Telescopes with one being located right near Grand Junction at the Grand Mesa Observatory.
Student Research Highlights
Research is a cornerstone of the Colorado Mesa University physics experience. Current students and alumni of the Colorado Mesa University Physics Program have made significant contributions to scientific research. The accomplishments below highlight undergraduate research that has resulted in peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and prestigious regional and national recognition.
- Tyrel Boese won the Spring 2025 Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium (RMACC) High-Performance Computing (HPC) Symposium Poster Competition for his entry titled “Progress Towards a Quantum-Accurate Classical SNAP ML Interaction Potential for Gold".
- Taylor Larrechea and Dr. David Collins published their work "Qubit-channel metrology with highly noisy initial states and additional undesirable noisy evolution," Phys. Rev. A 112, 062433 (2025). Preprint 2412.12085 (2024).
- Jonas Flann presented his senior research at the American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting 2023 in Las Vegas, NV.
- Calvin Bavor and Dr. Catherine Whiting published their work "Inflation from Dynamical Projective Connections" Phys. Rev. D (2022) 106: 8
- Calvin Bavor was nominated for the 2022 national American Physical Society LeRoy Apker Award for undergraduate physics achievement.
- Bret Brouse, Scott Jackson, and Dr. Chad Middleton published their work "Anisotropic evolution of D-dimensional FRW spacetime" Eur. Phys. J. C (2019) 79: 982.
- Brandon Gracey and Dr. Jared Workman published their work "G2 and Sgr A* A Cosmic Fizzle at Galactic Center", ApJ 843, (2017)
- Jaimie Stephens and Dr. David Collins published their work "Depolarizing Parameter Channel Estimation Using Noisy Initial States", Phys. Rev. A, 92, 032324 (2015).
- Jeremiah Moskal ported the Sedov Taylor code written in Fortan 77 by F. X. Timmes and J. R. Kamm to Python and has contributed the code the astrophysical community. This code will allow for new hydrocodes to validate their own Sedov Taylor simulations very quickly and efficiently see here - Sedov Taylor Code
- Danny Weller and Dr. Chad Middleton published their work "Elliptical Like Orbits on a Warped Spandex Fabric: A Theoretical/Experimental Undergraduate Research Project", Am. J. Phys. 84, 284 (2016)