John T. Rompala

John T. Rompala, Ph.D.

Professor of Physics
Physics Department
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751
Voice..715.232.2544
Fax.....715.232.1437

Office: Jarvis Hall, Science Wing 103B

rompalaj@uwstout.edu
 

Web Page Directory

• Class and Office Schedule
  • Fall 2007 Course Information
• Educational and Professional Background
• Research Activities: Past and Present

Schedule - Fall 2007

All rooms referred to in the following schedule are in the Jarvis Hall, Science Wing.

Appointments can be made for consultations during unscheduled time blocks.  Walk-ins are welcome.

Educational and Professional Background

Professional:

1981 - Present          University of Wisconsin-Stout       Professor.
1975 - 1981             Tri-County Technical College        Lecturer.
1974 - 1975             Juniata College                              Assistant Professor.
1969 - 1974             Clemson University                       Assistant Professor.

Educational:

Ph.D. Clemson University;  Theoretical Nuclear Physics 
      Dissertation: "Elastic and Ineslatic Nucleon Scattering" 
      Director: Dr. W.E. Gettys

B.S.  DePaul University;   Physics Major,  Math Minor

Research Activities: Past and Present

Present Research Activity:

  I am currently developing the effectiveness of a gamma
  probability distribution in describing observed regional lightning
  current distributions.

Past Research Activities:

Atmospheric Science;
  As a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellow, '99, '00, '03 & '04 at the
  Marshall Space Flight Center/University of Alabama-Huntsville,
  data analysis code was written for the Global Hydrology and Climate Center.
  That analysis focused on data from a grid of Brazilian lightning detectors.
  Work was done on algorithms which determine strike locations based on
  electromagnetic signal time-of-arrival and azimuth data. Exact solutions
  were used as a vehicle in increasing the reliability of solutions based on
  limited input.
  This research was further developed at MSFC while on sabbatical leave during
  the Fall of 2000.

  As a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellow, '91 and '92, at the Kennedy Space
  Center/University of Central Florida, algorithms have been developed for
  the Atmospheric Science Group at KSC to support lightning protection
  operations and lightning research.  These algorithms utilize data from
  KSC's grid of ground based electric field mills to precisely determine
  the size and location of atmospheric electrical discharges .   These
  same algorithms and data source were employed in modeling severe weather
  electric charge distributions in terms of groupings of point charges.
  This grouping consists of a hierarchical series of charges assembled to
  account for observed ground level field contours.  Modeling of the
  ambient charge can be applied to historical or real-time data.
  Preliminary efforts were also made in using this tool to analyze severe
  weather charge dynamics and energy.  Model refinements have been
  introduced which enhance the model's 'resolving power' in interpreting
  cloud-to-cloud strikes.

Theoretical Nuclear Physics;
  An original model of the nucleus was established which incorporates the
  anti-symmetrical aspect of this many-body system of nucleons.  The model
  was extended to included the scattering of a nucleon and an investigation
  of the expected  contribution to the cross-section due to anti-symmetry.
  It was found that the introduction of the Fermion character of the
  particles leads to loss of orthogonality in the spectral analysis' base
  states.  Completeness is retained.   The spectral analysis approach can
  still be employed by introducing an iterative process.  The physical
  interpretation of this process was explored and its impact on the
  scattering cross section considered.
 

Chaotic Systems;
  Activity on the New York Stock Exchange, as gauged by Standard and Poor,
  was investigated.  A Fourier analysis and 'phase space' analysis of this
  data was used to illustrate their chaotic features.  In a resent study
  the chaotic features of the nucleus has also been initiated.  The
  iterative process introduced to account for anti-symmetric features of
  nucleon-nucleon system scattering is suggestive of fractal structuring.

University of Wisconsin-Stout, Physics Dept: Home Page
e-mail contact: rompalaj@uwstout.edu
Last Revised: January 12, 2007; jtr