Rami A Kishek, Associate Research Professor

Rami A. Kishek

Associate Research Professor

Institute for Research in Electronics & Applied Physics

ramiak

umd.edu
Ph.: (301) 405-5012
FAX: (301) 314-9437

Biography

Representative Publications

Courses Taught

Schedule

Rami A. Kishek, Associate Research Professor

B i o g r a p h y

B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering (1993), M.S.E. in Nuclear Engineering (1995), and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering (1997), from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. After obtaining his Ph.D., Professor Kishek joined the Institute for Research in Electronics & Applied Physics at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD. Kishek is a Senior Member of IEEE, as well as a member of APS, AAAS, Tau Beta Pi, and Eta Kappa Nu.

The University of Maryland Electron Ring (UMER) - a recent photo

What are Particle Accelerators?

Particle accelerators are a foundation pillar for modern science and technology. By propelling subatomic particles to high energy, accelerators function as powerful microscopes peering on scales too small to see, from DNA molecules down to elementary particles. Lower-energy accelerators have many uses, such as cancer treatment or industrial processing. Future accelerators can also aid in harnessing fusion energy to fuel the future.

Mission

At the University of Maryland, we aspire to understand the science of accelerated beams so we can build better accelerators. Our quest is to increase the brightness of beams so as to make accelerators more efficient, to enable detection of rare particles, and to illuminate nano-sized molecules in motion. We do so with an innovative program based on low-cost, scaled experiments that are closely-coupled with theory and computer simulation. We are committed to educating students by involving them in a first-rate research program and exposing them to many aspects of designing, building, and running an accelerator.

Approach

Accelerator science is a broad interdisciplinary endeavor that offers opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students from different departments like electrical engineering, physics, or computer science. Here are some examples of what we do:

The partial merger of five beamlets in configuration space and x-x' phase space: (right) simulation with WARP, 2002; (left) experimental measurement and tomographic phase-space reconstruction, 2007.

Simulate:: Beams are very complex systems that involve the interaction of billions of particles. We employ sophisticated computational techniques to predict their behavior from first principles.
Measure:: We build, simulate, and test high-precision instruments to measure or diagnose the beams. Many of these are specially-made and involve significant mechanical and electronic challenges.
Perturb:: Real beams are not perfect. We developed several methods to deliberately introduce controlled imperfections so we can measure their effect on the beam.
Control:: Accelerators often have hundreds and thousands of components. Being able to adjust each of these for optimal performance is a complex problem in controls. Conversely, we use accelerators to test sophisticated controls techniques developed for process control in industry.

Recent graduates from our group are now working at national laboratories such as Livermore, Los Alamos, and the Naval Research Lab, and at companies such as General Electric Global Research Center, KLA-Tencor, and Microsoft.

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e P u b l i c a t i o n s

Professor Kishek has authored over 125 publications on myriad topics. For a full list of linked publications, visit the publications page.

D. Stratakis, K. Tian, R.A. Kishek, I. Haber, M. Reiser, and P.G. O'Shea, "Tomographic Phase-Space Mapping of Intense Particle Beams Using Solenoids," Physics of Plasmas (Letters) 14, 120703 (2007).

R.A. Kishek, P.G. O'Shea, S. Bernal, I. Haber, J. Harris, Y. Huo, H. Li, and M. Reiser, "The University of Maryland Electron Ring: A Platform for Study of Galactic Dynamics on a Laboratory Scale," Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1045, 45-54 (2005).

Invited: R.A. Kishek, S. Bernal, C.L. Bohn, D. Grote, I. Haber, H. Li, P.G. O'Shea, M. Reiser, and M. Walter, "Simulations and experiments with space-charge-dominated beams," Physics of Plasmas 10 (5), 2016 (2003).

R.A. Kishek, P.G. O'Shea, and M. Reiser, "Energy Transfer in non-Equilibrium Space-Charge-Dominated Beams," Physical Review Letters 85 (21), 4514 (2000).

S. Bernal, R.A. Kishek, M. Reiser, and I. Haber, "Observation and Simulation of Radial Density Oscillations in Space-Charge Dominated Electron Beams," Physical Review Letters 82, 4002 (1999).

Invited: R.A. Kishek, Y.Y. Lau, L.K. Ang, A. Valfells, and R.M. Gilgenbach, "Multipactor Discharge on Metals and Dielectrics: Historical Review and Recent Theories," Physics of Plasmas 5 (5), 2120 (1998).

R. A. Kishek and Y.Y. Lau, "Multipactor Discharge on a Dielectric," Physical Review Letters 80 (1), 193 (1998).

Particle-in-cell simulation of the merging of 5 beamlets showing phase mixing by chaotic particle orbits. Colored particles start from the same localized spot in phase space but exponentially diverge in a few plasma periods.

C o u r s e s T a u g h t

Spring 2007: ENEE 686: Charged Particle Dynamics
Summer 2006: US Particle Accelerator School: Beam Physics with Intense Space Charge
Spring 2006: HONR 219L: Working with Computers to Solve Real-World Problems:
Science and the Computer Revolution
Fall 2004: HONR 219L: Working with Computers to Solve Real-World Problems:
Science and the Computer Revolution
Spring 2003: ENEE 686: Charged Particle Dynamics
Spring 2001: HONR 219L: Counting Faster: Science and the Computer Revolution

Student Evaluations:

"The teacher is awesome and I recommend this class to anyone!"

"Your presentations have shown your dedication to prepare for every class."

Output from HONR219L project on diffusion-limited aggregation process.

Bio | Representative Publications | Courses taught | Schedule

umd.edu / Last Revised Thursday, February 29, 2008