Alan W. DeSilva
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Alan W. DeSilva received his doctorate in physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1961. He came to the University of Maryland in 1964.
Research Interests Prof. DeSilva works with the Experimental Plasma Physics Group in the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics. His research interests are in the study of the basic properties of plasmas, particularly dense, cool plasmas such as are found in arcs, laser-produced plasmas, and in nature in certain stars and the giant planets. Plasmas under study in the laboratory are produced in arcs and also by rapid vaporization of metal wires. He has developed a technique for measurement of the electrical conductivity of "strongly coupled" plasmas having densities near the density of solids, at temperatures high enough to be in the plasma state. Transport properties of such plasmas are of great interest in the study of stellar interiors. He has also studied the physical and chemical processes occurring in lightning, carried out in collaboration with the Department of Meteorology.
Prof. DeSilva is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.
Publications since 1997
- "The Evolution of Light Scattering as a Plasma Diagnostic," Alan W. DeSilva, Contrib. Plasma Phys. 40, 23-35 (2000) (paper prepared for the H.-J. Kunze Retirement Festschrift). PDF
- "Nitric Oxide Production by Simulated Lightning: Dependence on Current, Energy, and Pressure," Y. Wang, A. W. DeSilva, G. C. Goldenbaum, and R. R. Dickerson, J. Geophys. Res. 105, 19,149-19,159 (1998).
Manuscript (PDF file), Figures: (PDF files) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
- "Electrical Conductivity of Dense Copper and Aluminum Plasmas," A. W. DeSilva and J. D. Katsouros, Phys. Rev. E 57, 5945-5951 (1998). PDF