Thomas D.
GutierrezDepartment of Physics
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA 95616
tgutierr@altair.ucdavis.edu
Since June of 2000, I've been a Faculty Fellow at the University of California, Davis, Department of Physics. In that time, I've had the opportunity to teach Physics 7B (offered in the winter and spring) and two Physics 250 courses (Journal Club). I've also been busy with research doing a pion phase space density analysis for the proton run from NA49 at CERN. I'll be helping with a similar analysis from STAR at RHIC. Ramona Vogt and I have just subitted our latest revisions on Intrinsic Strangeness to Nuclear Physics B entited Asymmetries Between Strange and Antistrange Particle Production in Hadron-Proton Interactions. Scott Johnson and I have just submitted our pedagotical treatment of phonons (an early treatment of quantum fields) to the American Journal of Physics. They have accepted it for publication in their quantum pedagogy special issue!
I received my Ph.D. in physics at the University of California, Davis, Department of Physics. My dissertation [.pdf,.ps] studies the leading particle effect for charm quarks and light gluinos in the context of the intrinsic charm model. I have done some of my work at Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Nuclear Theory Program, but spend most of my time with the Nuclear Group in Davis.
Ramona Vogt, Jack Gunion, and I have a paper available in Nuclear Physics B (Nucl.Phys.B591:277-295,2000) entitled Higher Twist Contributions to R-Hadron Phenomenology [.pdf,.ps]. This paper studies the possibility of leading R-hadrons by applying the intrinsic charm model to light gluinos.
Ramona Vogt and I published our first paper together entitled Leading Charm in Hadron-Nucleus Interactions in the Intrinsic Charm Model (Nucl. Phys. B539:189-214, 1999)[.pdf,.ps]. In the paper, we calculate the predicted final state forward momentum fraction multiplicities and asymmetries of hyperon, proton, and pion beams on various nuclear targets, making predictions for strange-charm hadron leading effects.
Other physics interests include quark gluon plasma (QGP) physics, disorientated chiral condensates, intrinsic models, quantum computing, the quantum measurement problem, and pedagogical methods in physics.
Previous studies have been at San Jose State University (Department of Physics) where I received my Master's degree (1994). Research for my Master's thesis was carried out with the SILS Lab in the Exobiology Group at NASA Ames Research Center. While I was involved with the group, the project was concerned with precision measurements of C12/C13 isotope ratios in CO2 gas using infrared tunable diode laser spectroscopy. In addition to exobiology, the instrument had promising applications in geology, biology, and medical diagnostics. As an undergraduate, while working with the same research group at NASA, I received a BS in physics in as well as minors in mathematics and music (1991).
For a more complete rundown on my professional history, feel free to glance at my CV.
My interest in music exists both as a listener, a composer, and a performer (though not so much of the latter these days). Starting from an early age, I had formal lessons in the accordian (1st grade), clarinet (4th grade), organ (6th-7th grade), tuba (high school), and bass (high school onward). In high school, I played the bass in the jazz band and the tuba in the concert/marching band. I also played bass in a "hard rock" band called Osiris. Great fun! As an undergraduate, I received a minor in music and performed in several ensembles (jazz improv, pop, rock, pit orchestra, experimental etc.). The band names changed nearly daily (as is typical) but a few to remember: AAARVK, Nimoy, Fred, Dark's Ensemble, World Music Ensemble (where the director would walk in and say something like "play on the color yellow" then walk away), and The Strangers. During those years, I learned how to play guitar, bought a 4-track of my own, and did lots of personal recording. This was great! I also did quite a bit of fun stuff with Paul Lesinski (formerly of The Strangers, now in Isor Wallobee in Eugene, OR) and Kevin Brown (now an MBA and making loads of money -- still the best drummer I've ever known). Later, I became involved with some other physics blokes at SJSU (Wayne Dawson, Mark Fallis, and Mike Masuda) in a project called The Weasles. The core of it was highly improvisational, but there were certainly highly structured elements too. It served as a short but sweet creative dumping ground. Recently, I bought a new guitar, drum machine, and some neat toys to go along (effects, etc.). This has served to jump start my musical engine again, giving me just the right amount of distraction...
I couple years ago I treated myself to a Pentax K-1000 SLR camera, and haven't been able to put it down. I'm still in a learning phase, burning film continuously so as to learn how to get what I want when I want it. I've just begun developing my own film and have begun work on some minor projects. I primarily work in black and white, but have been very impressed with Kodak's Royal Gold (ASA 25) color film. Having borrowed an old Super 8 film camera from robot maniac Shannon Gomes, I found yet another distraction: film. Like most people trying to avoid responsiblity, I have always enjoyed film exposition -- but it only recently occured to me that I might actually be able to make films with the resources available to me. Combined video/film/music/photo projects are now in the works. I've made a few fun music with my brother Leo. Here's one called The Tensor (as opposed to The Matrix).
Department of Physics
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA 95616
tgutierr@altair.ucdavis.edu