An Elon University student majoring in physics presented his work on quantum scattering in phase space
Muhammad Tahiru ’27, an Elon University physics major, spent eight weeks of his summer break researching the scatter of quantum particles from attractive potentials.
Advised by Martin Kamela, associate professor of physics, Tahiru’s work focused on the behavior of small particles roughly analogous to marble rolling through a shallow groove. His work showed that, unlike a marble, a quantum particle wave packet will not just pass through the groove, but it will partially reflect and self-interfere.
This research experience was funded by the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), a competitive on-campus program that provides housing and a stipend for eight weeks of intensive research with a mentor. For more information about research experiences in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, contact Kamela.