James A Miller

Professor and Chair
Director, ISEd

Research Areas

• High-energy solar physics, particularly particle acceleration mechanisms and plasma processes
• Computational physics, such as the numerical solution of Fokker-Planck equations and stochastic differential equations

Education

• BS, 1984, Gannon University
• MS, 1986, University of Maryland
• PhD, 1990, University of Maryland

Employment

• December 2005-Present:  Chair, Department of Physics
• August 2004-Present:   Director, Institute for Science Education
• August 2000-Present:  Professor
• August 1994-August 2000:  Assistant and Associate Professor
• January 1993-August 1994:  Instructor, Howard Community College
• July 1993-August 1994:  Associate Research Scientist,
     Universities Space Research Association
• April 1990-July 1993:  Assistant Research Scientist,
     Universities Space Research Association
  

Past Graduate Students

• Geoff Lenters, Ph.D., 1999. Dissertation Title: “Electron Acceleration in Impulsive Solar Flares”
• James Sommer, Ph.D., 2002. Dissertation Title: “Runaway Electron Acceleration by DC Electric Fields in  Impulsive Solar Flares”
• D. Gregory Chavers, Ph.D., 2003. Dissertation Title: “Recombination Processes in a Flowing Magnetized Plasma: Application to Ionization Energy Recovery in the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR)”
• Mary Hovater, M.S., 2005. Thesis Title:  “Micrometeroid and Orbital Debris Impact Testing of Solar Sail Material”
• James Scott Richardson, M.S., 2007. Thesis Title:  “The Relative Efficiency of Monte Carlo Methods for Solving the Fokker-Planck Equation”
• Peter Fimognari, Ph.D.,2007 (NASA GSRP Recipient). Dissertation Title: “Magnetic Field and Density Measurements of a Plasmoid Formed in a Multi-Turn Conical Theta Pinch Coil”

Current Graduate Students

• Victoria Coffey, Ph.D.
• Theresa Yousey, Ph.D.

External Funding

• $2.5M in research funding (NASA, NSF)
• $15M in education funding (NSF, Alabama Department of Education)

Representative Presentations and Papers

• “Particle Acceleration in Solar Flares” (Abstract E2.3-0011-06) Miller, J. A. (invited presentation), 36th COSPAR Scientific Assembly (Beijing: 16-23 July 2006)
• “Stochastic Acceleration and Atmospheric Response in Solar Flares”, Miller, J. A. (invited presentation), SHINE Abstract Volume, p. 27, Abstract No. 39, NSF Solar, Heliospheric, and Interplanetary Environment (SHINE) Workshop (Keauhou, HI: 11-15 July 2005)
• “Numerical Solution of the 2-D Momentum Diffusion Equation” (paper SP21A-07), Piscicelli, M. and Miller, J. A. (contributed paper presented by M. Piscicelli), AGU Spring Meeting/AAS SPD Meeting (New Orleans: 23-27 May 2005) (Outstanding Student Paper Award from the AGU)
• “Stochastic Acceleration by Novel Wave-Particle Interactions”, Miller, J. A. (invited presentation), Bulletin of the APS, Vol. 49, No. 8, p. 181 (46th Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics) (Savannah, GA: 15-19 November 2004)
• Miller, J. A., and Vinas, A. F. 1993, Ion Acceleration and Abundance Enhancements by Electron Beam Instabilities in Impulsive Solar Flares, Astrophys. J., 412, 386
• Miller, J. A., and Roberts, D. A. 1995, Stochastic Proton Acceleration by Cascading Alfven Waves in Impulsive Solar Flares, Astrophys. J., 452, 912
• Miller, J. A., Cargill, P. J., Emslie, A. G., Holman, G. D., Dennis, B. R., LaRosa, T. N., Winglee, R. M., Benka, S. G., and Tsuneta, S. 1997, Critical Issues for Particle Acceleration in Impulsive Solar Flares, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 14631 (Invited Review)

• Emslie, A. G., Miller, J. A., and Brown, J. C. 2004, An Explanation for the Different Locations of Electron and Ion Acceleration in Solar Flares, Astrophys. J., 602, L69