
A University of Texas at Dallas scientist whose research focuses on the invisible world of quantum physics has received two prestigious grants for his work on nonequilibrium quantum systems.
Dr. Michael Kolodrubetz, assistant professor of
physics in the
School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM), has received a five-year, $500,000
grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a three-year, $240,000 grant from The Welch Foundation to investigate the fundamental physics of matter interacting with individual particles of light.
Quantum physics describes the physical properties and behavior of particles on the very smallest scale.
“Quantum mechanics is believed to give a correct description of the world, but we rarely see it in everyday life, because the millions of particles in our bodies interact in such complex ways,” Kolodrubetz said. “Think of this like a wave in a pool quickly fading as it interacts with all the other ripples on the surface.”