Michael Pravica

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Professor, Physics

Expertise: General Physics, High Pressure Science, Explosives, X-ray Spectroscopies, Accelerator Physics, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Raman and Infrared Spectroscopy, Condensed Matter Experiment, Helium

Biography

Michael Pravica is an expert in general physics. He especially enjoys research focused on the study of matter at extreme conditions of high pressure, high temperature, and high radiation flux.

Pravica — well-known for his community activism and dedication to spreading the joy of science to the masses via television, radio, print media, and public forum appearances — has worked to further the field through development of several innovative concepts. They include: a) A new field of science, dubbed "useful hard x-ray chemistry," wherein high energy, penetrating and focused x-rays are harnessed to initiate novel chemistry in isolated and sealed chambers, and b) Ion Beam Nuclear Transmutation Doping, a novel method to dope wide bandgap semiconductors using penetrating, high-energy protrons initiating nuclear transmutation to create dopant layers.

He has also decades of experience using liquid helium for nuclear magnetic resonance (related to MRI technology).

Education

Ph.D., Experimental condensed matter physics, Harvard University
M.A., Physics, Harvard University
B.S., Physics and applied mathematics (honors), California Institute of Technology

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Michael Pravica In The News

A ��ӽ紫ý professor is looking to an unlikely source to extend the life of the lithium-ion batteries that have become a part of everyday life: X-rays.

Many people shy away from tackling the deep questions everyone has. Questions like “Why are we here?” “Where are we going?” and “What is the meaning of life?” ��ӽ紫ý Professor Dr. Michael Pravica is not one of those people. In fact, he’s spent much of his academic life attempting to answer those very questions with his background as a physicist providing a rational underpinning for his beliefs.

Hackster

Stuck lithium ions, responsible for older batteries' loss in capacity, could be freed if gently encouraged by high-energy X-rays.

New ��ӽ紫ý-led research may prove the contrary, adding years to the lifespan of our beloved battery-powered electronic devices.