The CREST project at Florida A&M University will integrate education and research in astrophysics and will produce new knowledge and enhance the research productivity of the faculty involved. In addition, a central objective is to increase the number of African-American Ph.D.s in Astrophysics and Astrochemistry. The Center will support collaboration between the FAMU Physics and Chemistry departments and will facilitate the startup of a Ph.D. program in Chemistry. The program will have a Center component and 3 research subprojects in the field of Astrophysics. The Center will also establish a laboratory astrophysics program, which has both a new undergraduate minor and a research area at the Ph.D. level.
(CAST) started in 2006 and has been responsible for producing eleven Physics Ph.D.s during the lifetime of the award--six were African-American males and two were African-American females. During the 2007-2008 academic year, FAMU CREST produced four African-American Physics Ph.D.s which was approximately 25% of the entire US production of African-American Physics Ph.D.'s. During 2010, the FAMU CREST produced two African-American female Physics Ph.D.s which were the only two produced in the US during 2010. All Ph.D. graduates are currently employed and all but one are pacticing physicists. Seventy eight publications were produced during the lifetime of the project. Many undergraduates as well as graduate students were trained with the support of this CREST project. A number of important scientific achievements have resulted from the FAMU NSF CAST. A computational algorithm was developed that allows for unprecedented accuracy in the solution of the equations that describe atoms and molecules as they interact with intense lasers. Algorithms for the calculation of the properties of atoms and molecules have been developed which run with great efficiency on modern high-performance computers. A long-sought formula for the translation of a Slater atomic orbital from one atomic center to another has been found in its most siimple and compact form. This will allow for more accurate calculation of the properties of molecules. The formula is also a significant development in the historical progress of quantum chemistry. The FAMU CAST collaborated with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) at Harvard. FAMU CREST charge exchange studies were crucial for understanding radiation coming from comets, the solar wind, and deep space. Recent observations have shown that most comets and several planets (Jupiter, Mars) emit radiation due to charge exchange. Understanding the photon emission produced by charge exchange has thus become a prerequisite for understanding the processes that affect the atmospheres of solar system objects. In simulating the X-ray spectrum of comets (at CXO), the LLNL experimental and the CAST theoretical predictions were very critical. The CAST constructed the world's largetst Spheromak plasma reactor (FAMU-STPX)--see attached figure. The STPX is a plasma reactor which is designed to study nuclear fusion energy. The STPX stands four meters high and two meters wide at the vacuum vessel. The STPX achieves plasma temperatures of 300 electron volts (3.5 million degrees Kelvin) and electron currents of 600 kiloamps. The STPX does not achieve plasma confinement by external magnetic fields, but rather by a self-confining Taylor state which lasts for several microseconds. The STPX is an ideal testbed for studying certain astrophysical phenomena such as plasma jets. Disruptive plasma phenomena such as magnetic reconnections are also being studied on the STPX. These types of alternative designs for a fusion reactor are much less expensive than the extremely large and expensive ITER (International Theromonuclear Reactor) currently under construction in France. Instead of large-scale centralized fusion devices like ITER, Spheromak reactors would provide distributed power sources and several of them could provide energy to power a small town. A large number of refereed research papers were produced on the structure of various atomic clusters for use in the design of radiation sensors. Other significant applications are also possible. For example, the second figure illustrates the use of buckeyballs to store hydrogen gas. The control of the release of the gas is achieved by slight adjustments of the pressure. The third figure shows several lowest energy configurations of some super-iron-oxide clusters. These may be used to form the cathode of a high-energy density battery. If the proper electrolyte could be found, the energy storage capacity would be extremely high. They might for example be used for distributed energy storage at places of residence so as to cut down on power transmission losses. In the fourth figure, we illustrate a first-principles solution of the Dirac equation which exhibits zitterbewegung--the random vibrational free-space motion of an electron. We also show the equations we derived for a new theory of quantum trajectories. This provides for a new theory of electron correlation.
