Ray A. Burnstein, Ph.D.
Research Professor of Physics
Office: 148B Life Sciences Building
Office Hours:
Phone: 312.567.3379
Fax: 312.567.3494
Email:
burnsteinr@iit.edu
Web:
Burnstein's Web page
Expertise
Education
- B.S, University of Chicago
- Ph.D, University of Michigan
Curriculum Vitae
Research & Major Accomplishments
- Search for CP Violation at Fermilab: this experiment (E871) is a sensitive search for CP Violation in hyperon decays which has finished its second and final run at Fermilab. Our experiment seeks to improve on the sensitivity of previous measurements by a factor of at least 100, which would test predictions of current theoretical models. The IIT group, which is one of nine collaborating institutions, is responsible for the design, construction, and integration of elements of the front-end electronics and data-acquisition system. We are also responsible for code management and distribution on the network of computers at the collaborating institutions as well as sharing responsibility for overall operation of the experiment.
- Study of Charm Particles at the Fermilab Tagged Particle Laboratory: In Experiment E791 we are investigating the production of charm particles from a high energy pion beam. The experiment involved electronic detectors and used state of the art electronics, data recording and data processing techniques to accumulate a massive charm sample of 200,000 decays. The analysis of the data has yielded a large number of papers which were the product of a collaboration of physicists from the following institutions: Centro Brasileiro Pesquisas Fisicas, University of California at Santa Cruz, Fermilab, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Mississippi, Kansas State, Princeton, University of South Carolina, Stanford, Tufts, Wisconsin, and Yale.
My research in teaching involves a project to change the traditional passive lecture into a more active student experience. This is accomplished by having students respond to questions from the instructor by using a wireless keypad system. The responses are displayed instantly to the class and stored in a computer for later use. The DUE Division of the NSF initially supported this effort which is a collaboration between myself and Professor Leon Lederman. Papers have been written, talks and workshops given at AAPT meetings in order to promote the idea and practice of an active lecture environment.
Current Projects
Awards/Honors
Patents
Books
Selected Publications
- "Observation of the Decay K----> Pi-Mu+Mu- and Measurements of the K+ Branching Ratios", H. K. Park et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 111801 (2002)
- "HyperCP Experiment at Fermilab: Search for Direct CP Violation in Hyperon Decays", N. Leros et al., Nucl. Phys. Proc. Suppl. 99B, 211 (2001)
- "Using a Wireless Keypads in Lecture Classes", R. A. Burnstein and L. M. Lederman, Physics Teach. 39, 8 (2001)
- "A Measurement of the Holographic Mnimum Beam Balance Ratio in the Fermilab 15-ft Bubble Chamber", M. Aderholtz et al., Nuc. Instruments and Methods A 421, 1 (1999)
- "Measurement of the Lifetimes and a Limit on the Lifetime Differences in the Neutral D Meson System", E.M. Aitala et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. B83, 32 (1999)
