Physics Department Faculty:
Paul Horowitz
Professor of Physics and of Electrical EngineeringPhD 1970, Harvard University
Paul Horowitz's research group is currently focused on several
problems in experimental astrophysics - the search for intentional
microwave transmissions from extraterrestrial intelligent
civilizations (SETI), a search for highly redshifted neutral
hydrogen condensations (with colleagues at MIT), and optical
interferometry (with the IOTA collaboration).
The latest incarnation of the group's evolving SETI effort
consists of a 3-beam, 250- million-channel radiofrequency
Fourier spectrum analyzer performing an all-sky transit survey
at the university's 84-foot radiotelescope. At the Arecibo
Observatory his group designed and installed several spectrometers,
collaborating in a parasitic transit survey for 21-cm radiation
from galactic protoclusters in the redshift regime of z=5-6
(at 250 MHz), and in pulsar searches and observations. Astronomical
interferometry is a developing art form; at IOTA his group
is building rapid path-modulation systems to enhance data
rates by some two orders of magnitude.
The group's development of custom instrumentation continues
earlier researches in scanning microscopies (x-ray, proton),
studies of the E. Coli rotary engine, and optical studies
of pulsars.
Horowitz's interests include contemporary electronic circuit
design and diverse topics in technology and national security.
An idea for landmine detection, which emerged during a summer
study on humanitarian demining, is currently being developed
into a fieldable acoustic system for mine detection.
- P. Horowitz, et. al., "New technological approaches to humanitarian demining," JSR-96- 115, MITRE Corp., McLean, VA (1996).
- P. Horowitz and C. Sagan, "Five years of project META: an all-sky narrow-band radio search for extraterrestrial signals." Astrophys. J. 415: 218 (1993).
- P. Horowitz and W. Hill, The Art of Electronics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
- P. Horowitz and L. Grodzins, "Scanning proton-induced x-ray microspectrometry in an atmospheric environment." Science 189: 795 (1975).
- P. Horowitz and J. Howell, "A scanning x-ray microscope using synchrotron radiation." Science 178: 608 (1972).
- P. Horowitz, C. Papaliolios, and N.P. Carleton, "Stability of the crab pulsar." Astrophys. J. 172: L51 (1972).