In addition to teaching courses and mentoring research projects for those students pursuing a physics major, faculty offer challenging but engaging courses for students with little science preparation, such as Acoustics and Astronomy. Our weekly seminars both connect students with cutting-edge physics research and allow them to engage with presentations that connect physics to politics, art, history, and philosophy. We encourage interested students to incorporate their study of physics into interdisciplinary programs, ranging from electronic music to science and religion. Understanding science forms a crucial part of any well-rounded education, and science is a cornerstone of the liberal arts education one gets at Bard.
Core Faculty
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Paul Cadden-Zimansky
Paul Cadden-Zimansky
Education
PhD, Physics, Northwestern University (2008)
MS, Physics, Northwestern University (2004)
MSc, Philosophy and History of Science, London School of Economics (2001)
BA, Liberal Arts, St. John’s College, Santa Fe (1997)
Teaching Experience
2012–present: Assistant Professor of Physics, Bard College
2011–12: Lecturer-in-Discipline, Physics Department, Columbia University
2002–4: Teaching Assistant, Physics Department, Northwestern University
2001–2: Assistant Faculty Associate, Physics Department, University of Wisconsin
1996–97: Senior Math-Lab Tutor, St. John’s College
1994–95: Lab Assistant, St. John’s College
Physics Research Experience
2010–12: Science Fellow, Columbia University
2008–2010: Postdoctoral Researcher, Columbia University & The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
2004–8: Research Assistant, Northwestern University
2005–6: Graduate Researcher, Argonne National Laboratory
Publications and Invited Talks
E. J. Richman, Y.-T. Chou, Y. Deng, L. Kaelbling, Z. Liang, G. McAlaine, C. Miller, M. Selesnick, C. N. LaFratta, and P. Cadden-Zimansky Ultrafast Laser Ablation of Graphene Under Water Immersion Opt. Mater. Express 9, 3871 (2019).
P. Cadden-Zimansky, M. Shinn, G. T. Myers, Y. Chu, M. J. Dalrymple, and H. C. Travaglini Formation of the n = 0 Landau level in hybrid graphene Journal of Physics Communications 2, 051001 (2018).
L.-C. Tung, W. Yu, P. Cadden-Zimansky, I. Miotkowski, Y. P. Chen, D. Smirnov, and Z. Jiang Magnetoinfrared spectroscopic study of thin Bi2Te3 single crystals Physical Review B 93, 085140 (2016).
P. Maher, L. Wang, Y. Gao, C. Forsythe, T. Taniguchi, K. Watanabe, D. Abanin, Z. Papić, P. Cadden-Zimansky, J. Hone, Philip Kim, C. R. Dean Tunable fractional quantum Hall phases in bilayer graphene Science, 345, 61 (2014).
P. Cadden-Zimansky, J. Wei, and V. Chandrasekhar Coherent nonlocal correlations in Andreev interferometers New Journal of Physics 14, 043004 (2012).
A. F. Young, C. R. Dean, L. Wang, H. Ren, P. Cadden-Zimansky, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, J. Hone, K.L. Shepard, and P. Kim Spin and valley quantum Hall ferromagnetism in graphene Nature Physics, 8, 553-556 (2012).
Y. Zhao, P. Cadden-Zimansky, F. Ghahari, and P. Kim Magnetoresistance Measurements of Graphene at the Charge Neutrality Point Physical Review Letters 108, 106804 (2012).
Interaction-Driven Quantum Hall States in Graphene Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Hall Systems 4, Peking University, Beijing, China (2011).C.R. Dean, A.F. Young, P. Cadden-Zimansky, L. Wang, H. Ren, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, P. Kim, J. Hone, K.L. Shepard Multicomponent fractional quantum Hall effect in graphene Nature Physics 7, 693 (2011).
Pencil + Tape = Topological Quantum Computation? — The New Two-Dimensional Universe of Graphene Swarthmore College Physics Colloquium, Swarthmore, PA (2010).F. Ghahari, Y. Zhao, P. Cadden-Zimansky, K. Bolotin, and P. Kim Measurement of the = 1/3 fractional quantum Hall energy gap in suspended graphene Physical Review Letters 106, 046801 (2010).
J. Qi, X. Chen, W. Yu, P. Cadden-Zimansky, D. Smirnov, N. H. Tolk, I. Miotkowski, H. Cao, Y. P. Chen, Y. Wu, S. Qiao, Z. Jiang Ultrafast carrier and phonon dynamics in Bi2Se3 crystals Applied Physics Letters, 97, 182102 (2010).
Cooper pair mediated coherence between two normal metals American Physical Society March Meeting, Portland, OR (2010).
Y. Zhao, P. Cadden-Zimansky, Z. Jiang, and P. Kim Symmetry breaking of the zero energy Landau level in bilayer graphene Physical Review Letters, 104, 066801 (2010).
E. A. Henriksen, P. Cadden-Zimansky, Z. Jiang, Z. Q. Li, L.-C. Tung, M. E. Schwartz, M. Takita, Y.-J. Wang, P. Kim, and H. L. Stormer Interaction-induced shift of the cyclotron resonance in graphene using infrared spectroscopy Physical Review Letters, 104, 067404 (2010).
P. Cadden-Zimansky, J. Wei, and V. Chandrasekhar Cooper pair mediated coherence between two normal metals Nature Physics, 5, 393 (2009).
P. Cadden-Zimansky, Ya. B. Bazaliy, L. M. Litvak, J. S. Jiang, J. Pearson, J. Y. Gu, Chun-Yeol You, M. R. Beasley, and S. D. Bader Asymmetric ferromagnet-superconductor-ferromagnet switch Physical Review B, 77, 184501 (2008).
J. Wei, P. Cadden-Zimansky, and V. Chandrasekhar Observation of large h/2e and h/4e oscillations in a proximity dc SQUID Applied Physics Letters, 92, 102502 (2008).
P. Cadden-Zimansky, Z. Jiang, and V. Chandrasekhar Thermopower oscillation symmetries in a double-loop Andreev interferometer Physica E, 40, 155 (2007).
P. Cadden-Zimansky, Z. Jiang, and V. Chandrasekhar Charge imbalance, crossed Andreev reflection and elastic co-tunnelling in ferromagnet/superconductor/ normal-metal structures New Journal of Physics 9, 116 (2007).
Transition temperature shifts in asymmetric FSF multilayers Spin Physics of Superconducting Heterostructures Conference, Physikcentrum, Bad Honnef, Germany (2006).
P. Cadden-Zimansky and V. Chandrasekhar Nonlocal Correlations in Normal-Metal Superconducting Systems Physical Review Letters 97, 237003 (2006).
Y. Seo, P. Cadden-Zimansky, and V. Chandrasekhar Low-temperature high-resolution magnetic force microscopy using a quartz tuning fork Applied Physics Letters, 87, 103103 (2005).
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Matthew Deady
Matthew Deady
(at Bard since 1987)
Education
PhD, Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1981)
MS, Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1977)
BS, Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1975)
BS, Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1975)
Teaching Experience
1/96 to present: Professor of Physics, Bard College
7/87 to 12/95: Associate Professor of Physics, Bard College
6/81 to 6/87: Assistant Professor of Physics, Mount Holyoke College
9/75 to 6/77: Teaching Assistant in Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Courses Commonly Taught- Introduction to Physics I (PHYS 141) (first semester of calculus-based introductory course)
- Modern Physics (PHYS 321) (introduction to atoms, nuclei, and quantum phenomena
- Methods of Theoretical Physics (PHYS 323) (covering some useful math for physicists)
- Methods of Mathematical Physics (PHYS 325) (covering some useful math for physicists)
- Acoustics (PHYS 116) (course for non-scientists on the physics of music)
- Schrödinger’s Cat and All That (SHP 111) (uncertainty, quantum weirdness)
- First Year Seminar
One of the joys of teaching at Bard is that every semester is unique. I teach a wide variety of courses, but even the courses I repeat regularly are different every time that I teach them, because so much of what goes on in class depends on who is in the class and what they bring to it. Whether it is an advanced class in physics with a handful of students, or a larger introductory class such as PHYS 141 or Acoustics, there is always a chance to sound out the students and see what they are understanding or not, and address their interests right away. The longer I teach, the more I understand about physics and how people learn it.
Nuclear Physics Research Experience
9/81 to 6/99: Research Affiliate, Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
I participated in a series of electron scattering experiments investigating nuclear structure at the Bates Linear Accelerator Center. Other completed projects included participation in the building of a neutron spectrometer and a study of the mean free path of the proton.
6/88 to 6/98: Collaborations with Blaine Norum at University of Virginia
These projects included a pion electroproduction experiment that was performed at the NIKHEF-K laboratory in the Netherlands in 1990; assistance in the development of a gas target system for the accelerator laboratory in Saskatoon, Canada; and calculations of particle beam transport for high energy accelerators.
9/77 to 9/81: Research Assistant, Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
I participated in electron scattering experiments investigating nuclear structure at the Bates Linear Accelerator Center, both for my own Ph.D. thesis and on numerous other projects.
1/74 to 8/77: Chief Accelerator Operator, Nuclear Physics Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
I scheduled and supervised all daily operations for the MUSL-1 and MUSL-2 electron accelerators during their construction and initial years of operation. I also trained all student operators and wrote the operation manuals for both accelerators.
Other Physics Research Projects
During my sabbatical in Spring 1998, I formulated an original idea I had for a discrete approximation to differential equation eigenvalue problems. In a series of Bard senior projects (Zach Watkinson, Amanda Holt, Chris Grinnan) and on my own, I have continued to elaborate and develop that model and applied it to finding the vibration frequencies of metal plates and nonelastic strings. During my sabbatical in Spring 2004, I pulled all of this work together into a paper that details this methodology and the results of our researches.
In 1996, I began research into various vibrational systems, with a particular interest in musical acoustics. This research was done in collaboration with various Bard undergraduate research students and with Richard Slesinski, then a physics teacher at Somers High School. The work continued in a series of senior projects and in work over the summers during the years 1996-2001. The summer work was supported by a grant that Prof. Michael Tibbetts received from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
In 1994, I collaborated with Professor Burton Brody on some research into acoustics, particularly possible nonlinear modifications to the generally accepted mechanism for sound propagation. This project was done under a research consultancy for the Sony Corporation.
During my sabbatical in Spring 1993, I continued my background research into the mathematics and physics of nonlinear phenomena (“Chaos” theory). I continue to explore future research in this area, both on my own and with senior project students.
Articles in Refereed Journals
“Quasielastic Scattering from 40Ca.” C. F. Williamson et al. Physical Review C 56, 3152 (1997).
“Longitudinal Response Functions for 40Ca from Quasi-Elastic Electron Scattering.” T. C. Yates, et al. Physics Letters B 312, 382 (1993).
“Electroproduction of B0 on the Proton near Threshold.” T. P. Welch et al. Physical Review Letters 69, 2761 (1992).
“Proton Propagation in Nuclei Studied in the (e, e’p) Reaction.” G. Garino et al. Physical Review C 45, 780 (1992).
“Proton Propagation in Nuclei Studied in the A Dependence of the (e, e'p) Reaction in the Quasifree Region.” D. F. Geesaman et al. Physical Review Letters 63, 734 (1989).
“Measurement of the 16O((,n)15O at Medium Energies.” E. J. Beise et al. Physical Review Letters 62, 2593 (1989).
“Longitudinal Response Functions and Sum Rules for Quasi-Elastic Electron Scattering from 3H and 3He.” K. Dow et al. Physical Review Letters 61, 1706 (1988).
“Quasi-elastic Electron Scattering from 238U.” C. C. Blatchley et al. Physical Review C 34, 1243 (1986).
“Deep Inelastic Response Functions for 40Ca and 48Ca.” M. Deady et al. Physical Review C 33, 1897 (1986).
“Direct Verification of the Coexistence Model for 40Ca: Electroexcitation of the Second Monopole State.” P. Harihar et al. Physical Review Letters 53, 152 (1984).
“Response Functions for Deep Inelastic Electron Scattering from 40Ca.” M. Deady et al. Physical Review C 28, 631 (1983). -
Director, Physics Program
Associate Professor of Physics
Office: Rose 112
haggard@bard.edu | 845-758-7302Hal Haggard
Director, Physics Program
Associate Professor of Physics
Office: Rose 112
haggard@bard.edu | 845-758-7302
Hal's Website
EmploymentSeptember 2014 Bard College
Assistant Professor of PhysicsSeptember 2012
to August 2014Centre de Physique Théorique de Luminy
Postdoctoral FellowAugust 2011
to May 2012University of California, Berkeley
Lecturer, Physics Department2006 to 2011 University of California, Berkeley
Ph.D. in Semiclassics and Quantum Gravity
Advisor: R. G. Littlejohn
Thesis title: Asymptotic Analysis of Spin Networks
with Applications to Quantum Gravity2004 to 2006 University of California, Berkeley
M.A. in Physics1998 to 2002 Reed College
B.A. in Physics
Advisor: Nicholas Wheeler
Thesis title: Conservation, Symmetry and Noether -
Antonios Kontos
Antonios Kontos
(at Bard since 2017)
I am interested in developing and using state of the art experimental techniques to address long standing astrophysical questions. Currently, my research interests lie in the development of precision laser interferometry techniques that help LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, detect gravitational waves. Undergraduate students joining the Gravitational-wave Optics Laboratory here at Bard College have the opportunity to work with state of the art laser systems, optical components and electronics.
Education
PhD, Physics, University of Notre Dame (2012)
MS, Physics, University of Notre Dame (2008)
Diploma, Applied Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece (2006)
Teaching Experience
2017 to present: Assistant Professor of Physics, Bard College
2006 to 2008: Teaching Assistant, Physics Department, University of Notre Dame
Physics Research Experience
2014 to 2017: Postdoctoral Researcher, LIGO Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
2012 to 2014: Postdoctoral Researcher, National Superconducting Cyclotron, MSU, East Lansing, MI
2006 to 2012: Research Assistant, Nuclear Science Laboratory, University of Notre Dame
Selected Publications
LIGO Scientific Collaboration and VIRGO Collaboration, GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 221101 (2017).
LIGO Scientific Collaboration and VIRGO Collaboration, GW170814: A Three-Detector Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Coalescence, Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 141101 (2017).
LIGO Scientific Collaboration and VIRGO Collaboration, GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral, Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 161101 (2017).
LIGO Scientific Collaboration and VIRGO Collaboration, GW151226: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a 22-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 241103 (2016).
LIGO Scientific Collaboration and VIRGO Collaboration, Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 061102 (2016).
R. J. deBoer, J. Gorres, K. Smith, E. Uberseder, M. Wiescher, A. Kontos, G. Imbriani, A. Di Leva, F. Strieder., Monte Carlo Uncertainty of the 3He(α,γ)7Be reaction rate, Phys. Rev. C 90, 035804 (2014).
K. A. Chipps, U. Greife, D. W. Bardayan, J.C. Blackmon, A. Kontos, L. E. Linhardt, M. Matos, S. D. Pain, S. T. Pittman, A. Sachs, H. Schatz, K. T. Schmitt, M. S. Smith, P. Thompson, The Jet Experiments in Nuclear Structure and Astrophysics (JENSA) Gas Jet Target, Nuclear Instruments and Methods A 763 (2014) 553-564.
A. Kontos, E. Uberseder, R. deBoer, J. Gorres, C. Akers, A. Best, M. Couder, M. Wiescher, Astrophysical S factor of 3He(α,γ)7Be, Phys. Rev. C 87, 065804 (2013). -
Shuo Zhang
Shuo Zhang
Professor Zhang is interested in observational high-energy astrophysics, including supermassive black hole accretion and feedback, origin of Galactic cosmic-rays and dark matter searches. She studies outburst histories of the supermassive massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy and nearby galaxies, in order to understand supermassive black hole activity cycle, particle acceleration mechanism and physics under strong gravitational field. Recently, she initiated an original particle astrophysics project on probing Galactic cosmic-ray particles at MeV through PeV energy scales suing innovative methods, aiming to understand the origin of Galactic cosmic-rays and to reveal power particle accelerators at the center of the Galaxy.
Personal Website: http://user.astro.columbia.edu/~shuo/
Education:
PhD, Physics, Columbia University (2016)
BS, Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (2010)
Employment:
Assistant Professor of Physics, Bard College (since 2020)
NASA Hubble Fellowship - Einstein Fellow, Boston University (2019 - 2020)
Postdoc scholar and Heising-Simons Fellow, MIT (2016 - 2019)
Awards:
1. 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (Event Horizon Telescope collaboration), 2019
2. NASA Hubble Fellowship, 2019
3. Three NASA Group Achievement Awards, 2014, 2015, 2016
4. Heising-Simons research Fellowship, 2018
5. NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, 2013-2016
Selected Research Grants:
1. Principle Investigator, NuSTAR GO Cycle-5 Unveiling the Nature of a Galactic Center X-ray Filament G0.13-0.11: Pulsar Wind Nebula or Magnetic Structure?", $69,911, brought to Bard College, 2020-2022
2. Principle Investigator, Chandra Cycle-20 Archive proposal #20620472, "A Systematic Analysis on M31* X-ray Variability with 3 Ms of Chandra Data from 1999 to 2016", $55,000, 2019-2021
3. Principle Investigator, XMM-Newton AO Cycle-16 #80241, "Probing Galactic Center MeV-GeV Cosmic-ray Population with Sgr B2 Ka Line Emission", $56,633, 2018-2020
Scientific Collaboration:
Member of Event Horizon Telescope Multi-wavelength Science Working Group (2018-present)
Member of eXTP Space Telescope Observatory Science Working Group (2017-present)
Member of Space Telescope Chandra/ACIS Instrument team (2016-2019)
Member of NuSTAR Space Telescope Science team (2012-2019)
Selected Publication:
* A total of 23 articles published in major peer-reviewed journals;
* Total number of citation for peer reviewed articles: 909
1. "NuSTAR and Chandra Observation of the Galactic Center Non-thermal X-ray Filament G0.13-0.11: a Pulsar Wind Nebula Driven Magnetic Filament", Zhang, S., et al., submitted to the Astrophysical Journal (2020)
2. "First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results.I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole", The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, including S. Zhang, the Astrophysical Journal Letters, 875, L1 (2019)
3. "A Deep Chandra View of the Parsec-Scale Jet Candidate from the Galactic Center Black Hole", Zhu, Z., Li, Z., Morris, M., Zhang, S. & Liu, S., the Astrophysical Journal, 875, 44 (2019)
4. "NuSTAR Detection of a Hard X-ray Source in the Supernova Remnant - Molecular Cloud Interaction Site of IC 443", Zhang, S., Tang, X., Zhang, X., et al., the Astrophysical Journal, 859, 141 (2018)
5. "eXTP White Paper "Observatory Science with eXTP", J.M. in 't Zand, J., Bozzo, E., Qu, J.L., et al., including Zhang, S., Science China Physics, Chemistry & Mechanics, 62(2), 029506 (2018)
6. "Sagittarius A? High Energy X-ray Flare Properties during NuSTAR Monitoring of the Galactic Center from 2012 to 2015", Zhang, S., Bagano, F. K., et al., the Astrophysical Journal, 843, 96 (2017)
7. "A Powerful Flare from Sgr A? Conrms the Synchrotron Nature of the Emission", Ponti, G., George, E., Scaringi, S., Zhang. S., et al., Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 468, 2447 (2017)
8. "NuSTAR Hard X-ray Survey of the Galactic Center Region II: X-ray Point Sources", Hong, J., Mori, K., Hailey, C. J., Nynka, M., Zhang, S., et al., Astrophysical Journal, 825, 132 (2016)
9. "Hard X-ray Morphological and Spectral Studies of the Galactic Center Molecular Cloud Sgr B2: Constraining Past Sgr A* Flaring Activity", Zhang, S., Hailey, C. J., Mori, K., et al., the Astrophysical Journal, 815, 132 (2015)
10. "High-energy X-Ray Detection of G359.89-0.08 (Sgr A-E): Magnetic Flux Tube Emission Powered by Cosmic Rays?", Zhang, S., Hailey, C. J., et al., the Astrophysical Journal, 784, 6 (2014)
11. "NuSTAR Discovery of a 3.76-second Transient Magnetar Near Sagittarius A*", Mori, K., Gotthelf, E. V., Zhang, S., et al., the Astrophysical Journal Letters, 770, 23 (2013)
Affiliated Faculty
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John CullinanAssociate Professor of Mathematics
Primary Program: Mathematics
Office: Albee 300
cullinan@bard.edu | 845-758-7104 -
Gidon EshelResearch Professor
Primary Program: Environmental and Urban Studies
Office: Hegeman 203
geshel@bard.edu | 845-758-7232 -
Christopher LaFrattaAssociate Professor of Chemistry
Primary Program: Chemistry
Office: RKC 132
clafratt@bard.edu | 845-752-2353 -
Simeen SattarProfessor of Chemical Physics
Primary Program: Physics
Office: Hegeman 202
sattar@bard.edu | 845-758-7226Simeen Sattar
Professor of Chemical Physics
Primary Program: Physics
Office: Hegeman 202
sattar@bard.edu | 845-758-7226
Simeen Sattar is a physical chemist. She obtained her BA from Rosemont College and her PhD from Yale University. She joined the faculty in 1984.
Her current course offerings, Paint and Examination of Paintings, Photographic Processes, and Starlight, are designed for nonscience majors. The first two chiefly attract students from the Division of the Arts, while the third appeals to students curious about the life and death of stars. Science as it is practiced across disciplines is the theme common to these courses.
Her ongoing research projects are recreation of historic methods for making pigments and historic photographic printing processes. Recent publications in the Journal of Chemical Education are “Characterizing Color with Reflectance” (cover article, 2019); “Writing with Sunlight: Recreating a Historic Experiment” (2018); and “The Chemistry of Photography: Still a Terrific Course for Nonscience Majors” (2017). “A Mughal Flower Painting between Art and Science” is forthcoming in Eryngium; “At the Elbow of Sadiqi Beg: Interpreting the Pigment Syntheses” is in progress.
Emeritus Faculty
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Burt BrodyProfessor Emeritus of Physics
brody@bard.edu -
Peter D. SkiffProfessor Emeritus of Physics
skiff@bard.edu
Discover Physics at Bard
Hal Haggard, DirectorPhysics Program
Bard College | PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504
haggard@bard.edu | 845-758-7302