Drake Research Lab
In recent years, with the advent of new technologies, studying supernovae and other astrophysical phenomena has advanced from watching the skies to simulating and experimenting in the laboratory. In the Drake Research Group, a research team in the University of Michigan Space Physics Research Laboratory, lasers and z pinches (another type of high-power device) are used to simulate such events. We also do basic plasma studies, research involving laser fusion, and use computers to simulate the hydrodynamic behavior of laser-driven experiments and supernova explosions.
Headed by Dr. R.P. Drake, our group consists of research associates as well as both graduate and undergraduate students. Each member specializes in a specific area of our research, such as hardware/fabrication, programming, theory/experimentation, etc.
For more information on who we are, the places we work, and the research we do, please visit the links above.