After beginning their work in 1996, Illinois State University professors Rainer Grobe and Q. Charles Su have been awarded a Singular Exceptional Endeavor of Discovery (SEED) grant for their work with focused lasers and energy transformations.
The pair's work, through the use of incredibly focused lasers, is able to reveal the moment when energy transforms into mass. Grobe and Su's work is a physical manifestation of Einstein's equation E = mc^2, meaning energy is equal to mass multiplied by the speed of light squared.
"It may also have technological implications, such as advances in imaging," Su said.
The $50,000 grant will be used to continue the work and research being done in the Intense Laser Physics Theory Unit awards from both the National Science Foundation and the American Physical Society.
In addition to the theoretical work, both physicists continue to teach classes.
"That's the beauty of Illinois State," Grobe said. "[We] still have the chance to work directly with our students and have a small impact on their future careers."
For more information on Grobe, Su and the ILP, visit www.physics.illinoisstate.edu/.
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