The Physics faculty is extremely productive, with outstanding research programs in gravitational physics, particle physics, surface physics, condensed matter physics, and laser optics. We have ongoing initiatives to grow in the areas of computational physics, advanced imaging, nanotechnology and biophysics. Currently, 74% of our faculty are performing funded research (one of the highest rates in the country). For our graduate students, this translates into a broad choice of prominent research advisors, and a great opportunity to be funded as a Research Assistant while working on their Ph.D. research.

Physics is home to the Center for Gravitation and Cosmology. The group's research interests include relativistic astrophysics and numerical relativity with an emphasis on binary inspiral; analysis of data from LIGO gravitational wave detectors and from the proposed LISA observatory; gravitational-wave phenomenology; cosmology; quantum and classical gravitation; and quantum fields in curved spacetime. The gravitational physics group at UWM is amongst the nation's largest and most active, with six faculty members: Bruce Allen, Patrick Brady, Jolien Creighton, John Friedman, Leonard Parker, and Alan Wiseman. Members of the Center for Gravitation and Cosmology play an important role in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) concentrating on data analysis for the LIGO-I experiment.

Luis Anchordoqui is a member of the Pierre Auger Collaboration (associated through the Northeastern Team). The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world's largest telescope studying the highest energy particles in the Universe. The Southern site of the Observatory is approaching completion on an elevated plane in Western Argentina. At the same time the 17 participating countries are planning for Auger North, which will complete the coverage of the cosmic ray sky by including large clusters of galaxies not visible from the South.

We have a strong emphasis in condensed matter physics, working at the frontiers of materials science and low-dimensional physics. Much of the strength of UWM's interdisciplinary Center of Excellence, the Laboratory for Surface Studies (LSS), also resides in the Physics Department. Interests of the Physics LSS faculty include the study of nanoscale structures, epitaxial growth of materials, and understanding properties such as catalysis, corrosion, and friction. To experimentally investigate these issues, faculty members use some of the most advanced modern instrumentation including electron microscopy (Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska), synchrotron-based infrared spectromicroscopy (Carol Hirschmugl), synchrotron x-ray scattering (Paul Lyman), and scanning tunneling microscopy (Lian Li). Physics faculty members of LSS also include theorists with interests in the inverse scattering problem (Dilano Saldin), optical absorption in nanostructures (Richard Sorbello), and electronic structure (Michael Weinert). In addition, there is a strong effort within the Department in superconductivity and magnetism of strongly correlated materials, including the theory of superconductivity (Daniel Agterberg), the growth of novel materials (Prasenjit Guptasarma), and studies of ultrasonic properties at low temperatures and high magnetic fields (Bimal Sarma).

The Department also has active research programs in experimental laser optics and spectroscopy, and biophysics (Valdislav Yakovlev) and nuclear and particle physics, and the effects of space radiation (John Norbury). Elihu Lubkin's interests are mainly in the area of quantum measurement theory.