The Grainger College of Engineering
Physics

Spotlight on new faculty: Jaquelyn Noronha-Hostler, Nuclear Physics

11/14/2019 Jessica Raley for Illinois Physics

Jaki Noronha-Hostler is a nuclear physicist. In her research, she does simulations of the most perfect fluid we know of – quark-gluon plasma – moving at the speed of light, and then compares the simulations directly to experimental data.

Written by Jessica Raley for Illinois Physics

The Department of Physics at Illinois welcomes an extraordinary set of ten new faculty members this year. Eight of them have arrived on campus and have begun setting up their labs and settling into life in Champaign-Urbana. Two more faculty are set to arrive in January. We will feature each of them here over the next couple of weeks. Check back regularly to learn more about the exciting work these new faculty members are doing.

Professor Jaki Noronha-Hostler (center) works with postdoc Matthew Sievert (right) and graduate students Patrick Carzon (far left) and Travis Dore.
Professor Jaki Noronha-Hostler (center) works with postdoc Matthew Sievert (right) and graduate students Patrick Carzon (far left) and Travis Dore.

 

Professor Jaki Noronha-Hostler

Jaki Noronha-Hostler is a nuclear physicist. In her research, she does simulations of the most perfect fluid we know of–quark-gluon plasma–moving at the speed of light, and then compares the simulations directly to experimental data. This type of matter is believed to have existed 10-6 seconds after the big bang, so to study it, nuclear experimentalists create billions of “little bangs” in the laboratory. The goal of her current research is to find the location a critical point at which separates the cross-over phase transition (between a quark gluon plasma and hadrons) from a first order phase transition. This research has implications for several areas of physics, including neutron stars, which may contain a quark-gluon plasma at their core. Jaki says, “If we see a critical point, then there is a first order phase transition that could affect the dynamics of neutron star mergers.” Her work also pushes the boundaries of statistics, because new statistical tools have to be developed to analyze the data from the large number of simulations required for this research.

For more information about Jaki's work, or to inquire about joining her research group, visit her website.

Madeline Stover is a physics doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying atmospheric dynamics applied to forest conservation. She interns as a science writer for Illinois Physics, where she also co-hosts the podcast Emergence along with fellow physics graduate student Mari Cieszynski. When Stover is not doing research or communications, she enjoys hosting her local radio show, singing with her band, and cooking with friends.

Daniel Inafuku graduated from Illinois Physics with a PhD and now works as a science writer. At Illinois, he conducted scientific research in mathematical biology and mathematical physics. In addition to his research interests, Daniel is a science video media creator.

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Jamie Hendrickson is a writer and content creator in higher education communications. They earned their M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2021. In addition to their communications work, they are a published area studies scholar and Russian-to-English translator.

Garrett R. Williams is an Illinois Physics Ph.D. Candidate and science writer. He has been recognized as the winner of the 2020 APS History of Physics Essay Competition and as a finalist in the 2021 AAAS Science and Human Rights Essay Competition. He was also an invited author in the 2021 #BlackinPhysics Week series published by Physics Today and Physics World. 

 

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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This story was published November 14, 2019.