In our ongoing efforts to build and strengthen the Physics and Astronomy Department, we have appointed two highly regarded scientists to our faculty.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is pleased to announce the appointment of Maxim Olshanii as an Assistant Professor. We are excited with the appointment, as we believe Professor Olshanii will contribute greatly to our faculty.
Born in Moscow, Dr. Olshanii received his M.S. from the Institute of Engineering Physics in Moscow and went on to the Institute of Spectroscopy, also in Moscow, for his Ph.D. He then continued his work at the esteemed Ecole Normale Superioure in France, first as a post doctoral fellow and then as an invited professor. While in France, he received a French language diploma from the Sorbonne. Before accepting his current position with USC, he was a research scholar at Harvard University. During the summer of 2000, Dr. Olshanii has been appointed as an invited professor at the Ecole Normale Superioure and also the Paris Nord University.
Professor Olshanii's research interests are varied, and include working on the interface between Atomic Physics and Condensed Matter Physics. His early formal training was in Atomic Physics, and with the finding of Bose Einstein Condesates he is discovering links in Condensed Matter. His early work aids in his understanding in linking the disciplines. The themes he has recently addressed include Berry's phase in atom-light interactions and exploring possible configurations in dark-states-based laser cooling atoms. His current area of research is the implementation of the Multiple Scattering Theory ideas in many-body theory of dilute trapped Bose and Fermi gases.
Since accepting his current position, he has applied for two research grants. The first, already approved, is from the Zumberge Foundation. This is to support his research into Spatial Symmetries of Laser Fields, Plato Solids, Dark State Cooling, and Atom Lasers. His interest in laser cooling began while collaborating with Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, 1997 Physics Noble Prize winner. The other grant is from the National Science Foundation in support of Atoms in Tight Traps: Theory of Scattering in Restricted Geometries and Applications.
During the Spring 2000 semester, Professor Olshanii taught the course Physics for the Life Sciences (Physics 135) and found it interesting working with the students. He is attempting to, "Get the class past memorization, which they are very good at, and helping them develop intuition." He went on to state, "The students tend to want less theory and more tricks for solving problems. However, if they know where the physical law comes from, then they will know two things; 1) the limits of applicability of the law and, 2) if they can see how the law is derived, they can then translate it to more difficult situations."
Professor Olshanii is married with two children.
We are delighted that Professor Olshanii has joined our faculty and are enthusiastic about the future.
Department of Physics & Astronomy / USC Physics & Astronomy Newsletters /