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Dr. Matt Caplan

Assistant Professor
Dean of Arts and Sciences
Office
Moulton Hall - MLT 312A
  • About
  • Awards & Honors
  • Research

Biography

Dr. Caplan joined ISU in the fall of 2019. He earned his PhD from Indiana University in 2017. Prior to joining ISU, Dr. Caplan was a CITA National Fellow at the McGill Space Institute. His research uses large scale computer simulations to study the interiors of neutron stars.

Current Courses

390.019Computational Research In Physics

299.019Independent Honor Study

287.019Independent Study

320.001Mechanics II

205.001Origin Of The Universe

290.019Research In Physics

Research Interests & Areas

Stars freeze. At the end of their lives stars cool and contract forming white dwarfs and neutron stars. In these extremely dense environments nuclei can be packed so closely that they freeze solid, forming materials many trillions of times denser than anything on earth. Dr. Caplan uses large scale computer simulations to study these 'astromaterials' and calculate their physical properties to interpret astronomical observations of dead stars.

University Distinguished Dissertation Award

Indiana University
2018

Dissertation Award in Nuclear Physics

American Physical Society
2017

Presentations

Transport Properties Near Nuclear Densities. JINA-CEE Frontiers in Nuclear Astrophysics 2022. Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics. (2022)

Grants & Contracts

Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction Fellowship Follow-On Grant. American Physical Society / Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction. Private. (2022)