Dr. Kevin Cornelius

My research interests focus on atomic interactions that occur during ion-atom collisions at slow to intermediate speeds. Atomic collisions are an interesting playground for physicists because it involves an understanding of both quantum mechanical and classical approaches to modeling the collision system.

My current research focus is an attempt to mathematically model the final orbital state of an electron that has been captured by a projectile ion from a hydrogen atom target. The goal is to predict key aspects of the final orbit of the captured electron, such as the eccentricity of the orbit, based on a few key parameters that occur during the collision, such as the minimum distance the electron has as it passes by the ion when it is initially captured. Once the theoretical background is in place, computer modeling will be performed to test the predictions of any mathematical model developed.