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Outside My Office Window at FAU-Boca Raton

No, I am not a biologist. I am a physicist, but since biology is in vogue, I thought I would catch your attention with our department's mascot. I am currently Professor and Chair of the Physics Department at Florida Atlantic University and Technical Staff Member in the Theoretical Astrophysics Group (T-6) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. I started as Chair of Physics at Florida Atlantic University in January 2003. I started working in Los Alamos as a J. Robert Oppenheimer Fellow in 1990, transitioned to a Technical Staff Member in 1993 and was Group Leader of T-6 for six years from 1996-2001. I am also a Lieutenant Colonel in the USAF Reserves and work for the Air Force Research Laboratory.

I obtained my PhD degree in Physics in 1986 under the supervision of John Archibald Wheeler at The University of Texas at Austin. My dissertation was in General Relativity on Null-Strut Regge Calculus.

Research Interests: Spacetime Physics

In my ample free time, I find myself gravitating to problems in classical and quantum gravity. Although I do prefer to work in a superposition state; nevertheless, I find myself working on problems in classical gravity as well. Modern relativists no longer find themselves in the proverbial ivory tower. There are numerous satellites and ground-based probes observing down into the strong gravitational fields (oftentimes black holes) in the heart of galaxies, supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. The LIGO gravitational wave observatories will unveil the astrophysical shroud hiding these objects from us. Toward this end, I have worked on a discrete and geometric lattice approach (Regge Calculus) to solve Einstein's equations. I am also interested in the potential benefits of using constant mean curvature slicings and constraint-preserving algorithms in numerical relativity. I am driven in my general relativistic astrophysics research to help observe gravitomagnetism (a.k.a frame dragging and the Lense-Thirring effect) in the environs of a rotating black hole. Black holes signal a catastrophe in physics -- the end of space and time. It seems to me, with the many eyes we now have aimed at discovering these black holes in nature, as well as eyes peering back toward the big-bang, we had better start confronting the conflict between quantum mechanics and general relativity. This problem occupies the other half+ of my ample free time.

Regge Calculus Regge calculus provides a beautiful discrete representation of gravity wherein the principles of GR are applied directly to the simplicial spacetime. My work in this area is to develop Regge calculus into a well-defined and useful discrete dynamical theory of gravitation.	Quantum Gravity I helped develop Quantum Geometrodynamics by quantizing a representation of the true dynamical degrees of freedom. I am also animated by quantizing discrete metric structures based on information-theoretic distance measures. Applications of quantum Regge calculus are also of interest to me.
General Relativistic Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics We have developed the first manifestly covariant hydrodynamics algorithm using the Lagrangian approach of SPH for a relativistic fluid.	Black Hole Astrophysics My interest has foccused on the role gravitomagnetism in astrophysics. Some of my work on supermassive black holes is showcased on the January 1, 1998 cover of Nature.
Numerical Relativity In addition to Regge calculus, I have worked on the role constant mean curvature slices in numerical relativity, and have recently adressed issues on the numerical stability of Einstein's equations.	Foundations of Quantum Mechanics I am keenly interested in information theoretic foundations of QM for discrete systems. My earlier work with Wheeler aimed at the delayed-choice feature of QM.

Warner A. Miller

Warner A. Miller

Research Areas

Some Collaborators

Outside My Office Window at FAU-Boca Raton

Research Interests: Spacetime Physics