Physics Research Areas

The Atmospheric, Environmental and Aerosol Physics cluster, consists of 5 permanent staff and currently some 10 research staff and 21 postgraduate students.  The cluster members have developed a leadership role in Ireland and abroad in areas of climate change, air pollution studies indoors and outdoors, air-sea exchange and operate the international ocean-atmosphere research facility, Mace Head, near Carna, Co. Galway.  Members of the cluster are also involved in research activities under the auspices of the Environmental Change Institute ( http://www.nuigalway.ie/eci/) where they were instrumental in setting up the Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies (C-CAPS - http://www.nuigalway.ie/ccaps).

The Lasers & Applied Optics group includes 6 permanent staff, 18 research staff and 26 students.  Its activities include those of the National Centre for Laser Applications (NCLA) and Applied Optics. The NCLA research group has a broad portfolio of fundamental and applied research on laser material interactions. The group also works closely with industry in technology transfer and training. The research activities of the Applied Optics group are centred on the development and application of adaptive optics. Imaging and applied optics are enabling technologies that underpin many key developments in biotechnology, healthcare, and communication, as well as a wide variety of consumer products.  The NCLA and Applied Optics groups are funded by national and international programmes and collectively form the centre for applied photonics, LightHOUSE ( http://www.nuigalway.ie/lighthouse).

The  Centre for Astrophysics cluster consists of 5 permanent staff, 5 research staff, and 8 postgraduate students.  Through the Centre for Astronomy, it is linked to other staff in the School and in other schools of the university.  Members of the cluster have established international collaborations in the area of high time resolution astrophysics and have developed a high-speed Stokes polarimeter which will be used in an extensive study of rotating magnetised neutron stars. This observational work complements detailed numerical modelling of rotating magnetospheres.  Cluster members also participate in the development of advanced data analysis techniques and numerical modelling of star formation regions.  Some members work in high energy gamma ray astronomy.  They are members of the VERITAS collaboration, an international group who operate a gamma-ray telescope array in Arizona.  Cluster members have taken a leading role in the development of a virtual observatory.  Cluster research has been funded by grants from the EU, HEA and SFI.