SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY 

(Updated on 4-2-2024)

Since the mid 1980’s, I have been mostly interested and contributed to six different areas of research: (A) Electronic structure of semiconductor heterostructures and superlattices; (B) Electrical response in heterogeneous systems and electrorheological fluids; (C) First-principles theory of ferroelectricity; (D) Psychophysical measurements and computer simulations of eye movements in visual search; (E) Theory, computation, and engineering of thermoelectric materials; (F) Coarse-grained entropy studies of microscopic reversibility and macroscopic irreversibility based on lattice-gas models; (G) Space, time and space-time curvatures and geodesics in general relativity and Schwarzschild’s geometry; (H) Cosmological masses of photons and neutrinos and dark energy and dark matter components as their Bose-Einstein condensates or plasmas in de Sitter space.

With regard to the first area (A), mainly in collaboration with R. D. Graft, M. Fornari, D. J. Lohrmann, and G. Pastori Parravicini, we have applied recursion-renormalization methods to study the microscopic structure of heterostructures and superlattices. We have studied in particular HgCdTe quantum wells and superlattices, with technological applications to infrared detectors. Accurate microscopic wavefunctions have been obtained, allowing a more detailed study of interface states, semiconductor-semimetal transitions, and valence-band offset. We have also applied Green’s function and recursion methods to study localized defects and impurities in semiconductors, demonstrating relative contributions of Coulomb tails, central cell potential, and intervalley interference, resulting in a “shallow-deep instability” that has been subsequently found and demonstrated in many other systems. Previously, we had used quantum defect methods to study excitons in rare-gas and other molecular solids, including fullerides.

With regard to the second area (B), mainly in collaboration with L. Fu, we have developed an analytical method to calculate exactly the classical electrical response of heterogeneous systems. Our method is based on a multipolar re-expansion, and includes all the multipolar images generated in the experimental configuration of parallel electrode plates, as well as in other substrate configurations. We also applied this multipolar method to the mean field theory of disordered systems, including two-particle distributions of all multipolar orders. We studied in particular clusters of spheres and inclusions with permanent multipoles, solving problems of anomalous infrared absorption in composites and resolving ambiguities in the original models of Debye and Onsager. A major application of our multipolar method has been to electro-rheological fluids (ERF), allowing to calculate exactly the electrostatic interactions and forces among the suspended particles, and between the particles and the electrodes. We have demonstrated rigorously that dipole approximations, often used in calculations and simulations, yields only a few percent of the exact forces at typical ERF densities. We have shown in particular that an ERF consisting of metal spheres coated with a thin insulating layer exhibits largely enhanced electrostatic forces. Another major application of our multipolar method has involved nonlinear composites. We have shown that the effective nonlinear (third order) susceptibility for disordered systems of coated spherical particles can be enhanced by five to seven orders of magnitude, and that the peak frequency can be largely shifted, through the combined effects of the particle structure and the inter-particle interactions. As a result, the nonlinear spectrum can be sensitively tuned by varying a given concentration-distribution parameter. We have extended our theory to all ranges of applied fields, producing both the weak- and strong-field nonlinearities as particular limits. Striking and unexpected results have been found at intermediate fields, consisting of multiple solutions in certain frequency ranges. This may still have major implications for optical communications and laser technologies.

With regard to the third area (C), mainly in collaboration with L. Fu, E. Yaschenko, and R. Resta, we have contributed to seminal research in the theory of ferroelectricity. Ferroelectric materials have unusual properties in their structural, electrical, and electromechanical behavior. Such properties stem from the electronic structure of these materials, where the highly variable hybridization of the relevant orbitals plays a critical role. We elucidated in particular the relationships between electronic levels, crystal structure, and electrical properties. Namely, we have explained underlying microscopic mechanisms, understood general trends, and interpreted various experiments. In dealing with these materials and properties, a quantum-mechanical first-principles approach is essential. Our approach has consisted in performing first-principles calculations using methods of modern electronic-structure theory and state-of-the-art technical ingredients. An important characteristic of our work has been the use of both Hartree-Fock and density-functional methods, which provide results having the same overall quality, but with errors typically providing opposite bounds to the experimental results. In another fundamental development, we have shown that the very fact that insulators have a finite bulk polarization originates from the essential localization of the electronic wavefunction. We have thus provided a novel definition of electronic localization, and demonstrated the value of this concept not only for “non-exotic” insulators, but even for a highly correlated model material. Furthermore, we have studied several surface properties of ferroelectric perovskites, and pointed out those properties ─such as dynamical charges─ where a naive extrapolation of the bulk results leads to even qualitatively incorrect values. Other inquiries of ours have delved into non-ferroelectric oxides, where we have predicted some unexpected polarization features. From the technological point of view, ferroelectric materials are currently used in the most effective acoustic transducers. Our research has contributed to an understanding at the fundamental level that fosters a more rational and systematic search of better materials for such transducers.

With regard to the fourth area (D), mainly in collaboration with T. D. Keech, we have conducted psychophysical measurements of eye movements in young and older adults performing conjunctive visual search tasks, and thus determined corresponding elements of perception, selection, attention, and memory. We have found age-related differences in various measures of eye movements, consistently indicating slightly reduced conspicuity areas for older adults -hence, correspondingly reduced processing and memory capacities. Most importantly, we have demonstrated the formation of spiraling or circulating patterns in the eye movement trajectories and developed a corresponding computational model and simulations. The relation of attention, memory and spatial constraints to pattern formation in eye movement trajectories has been demonstrated through studies of saccade autocorrelations and power spectra that confirm a bias to progress forwardly, while turning at the display boundaries, plus a long-range memory component for the search path. Analyses of certain measures of circulation and imbalance in the eye trajectories, and their relations with the display area correspondingly subtended, also bear signatures of spiraling or circulating patterns. We have interpreted their prevalence as mainly due to the interactions between three basic psycho-neural mechanisms (conspicuity area, forward bias, long-range memory) and two task-specific geometric-spatial constraints on the eye trajectories (central start and display confinement). Conversely, computer simulations of random walks in which all psycho-neural mechanisms are eliminated, while geometric-spatial constrains are maintained, show no prevalence of circulating patterns by those measures. We did find certain peculiarities of some individual participants in their pattern selections, but they appear too casual and incidental to suggest more systematic or complex search strategies in our randomized displays of uninformative stimuli. Most notably, we have developed a computational model and corresponding computer simulations that mimic phenomenologically the eye movement trajectories observed in a conjunctive visual search task. The element of randomness is captured in the model through a Monte Carlo selection of a particular eye movement based on its probability, which depends on three factors, adjusted to match the observed saccade amplitude distribution, forward bias in consecutive saccades, and return rates. Memory is assumed to operate through tagging of objects already recognized as non-target, which in turn requires their processing within the attentional area of conspicuity (AC). That AC is adjusted so that computer simulations reproduce optimally the distribution of the number of saccades, the failure rate to capture the target, and the return rate to previously inspected locations. For their viability, computer simulations critically depend on memory to be long-ranged. In turn, the simulations confirm the formation of circulating or spiraling patterns in the observed eye trajectories. We have also related consistently the average number of saccades per trial to the saccade amplitude distribution by modeling analytically the combined roles of the AC in attention and memory.

With regard to the fifth area (E), mainly in collaboration with N. A. Mecholsky, I. L. Pegg and M. Fornari, we have developed a theory of angular effective mass and band structure warping to study electronic and thermal properties of materials, using first-principles calculations and computer simulations to apply and support it. That should guide the engineering of thermoelectric materials so to optimize their thermoelectric performance and transport properties. That includes subjecting materials to perturbations such as strain or doping, or fabricating them as heterostructures, superlattices, nanostructures or nanowires, thus tailoring their electronic band structures and warping to affect transport coefficients and figures of merit as optimally desired.

With regard to the sixth area (F), mainly in collaboration with F. C. Pérez-Cárdenas and I. L. Pegg, we have developed coarse-grained descriptions and computations of the time evolution of a lattice gas system of indistinguishable particles, whose microscopic laws of motion are exactly reversible, in order to investigate how or what kind of macroscopically irreversible behavior may eventually arise. With increasing coarse-graining and number of particles, relative fluctuations of entropy rapidly decrease and apparently irreversible behavior unfolds. Although that behavior becomes typical in those limits and within a certain range, it is never absolutely irreversible for any individual system with specific initial conditions. Irreversible behavior may arise in various ways. We have illustrated one possibility by replacing detailed integer occupation numbers at lattice sites with particle probability densities that evolve diffusively. We have further shown that the entropy of a system with normal density fluctuations in coarse-grained cells evolves toward an equilibrium average and narrowly fluctuates around it, typically remaining well below the maximum entropy. We have derived a power law that relates coarse-graining to that entropy gap. Another power law relates the noise range of entropy fluctuations to coarse-graining. We tested these power laws with numerical calculations based on our two-dimensional lattice-gas model. As theoretically expected, these power law effects diminish with increasing coarse-graining, eventually disappearing in the thermodynamic limit, where the maximum-entropy principle is reasserted.

With regard to the seventh area (G), I have shown that geodesic orbit equations in Schwarzschild’s geometry of general relativity reduce to ordinary conic sections of Newtonian mechanics and gravity for material particles in the non-relativistic limit. On the contrary, geodesic orbit equations for a proper spatial submanifold of Schwarzschild’s metric at any given coordinate-time correspond to an unphysical gravitational repulsion in the non-relativistic limit. This demonstrates at a basic level the centrality and critical role of relativistic time and its intimate pseudo-Riemannian connection with space. Correspondingly, a commonly popularized depiction of geodesic orbits of planets as resulting from the curvature of space produced by the sun, represented as a rubber sheet dipped in the middle by the weighing of that massive body, is mistaken and misleading for the essence of relativity, even in the non-relativistic limit. In collaboration with R. T. Eufrasio and N. A. Mecholsky, we have investigated at a deeper level geodesic orbits and manifolds for all three metrics associated with Schwarzschild’s geometry. For “a-temporal” space, we have solved my central geodesic orbit equation in terms of elliptic integrals and functions. We have shown that the intrinsic geometry of a two-sided equatorial plane corresponds to that of a full Flamm's paraboloid. Two kinds of geodesics thus emerge. Both kinds may or may not encircle the hole region any number of times, crossing themselves correspondingly. Regular geodesics reach a periastron greater than Schwarzschild’s radius, thus remaining confined to a half of Flamm's paraboloid. Singular or s-geodesics tangentially reach the circular horizon. These s-geodesics must then be regarded as funneling through the “belt” of the full Flamm's paraboloid. Infinitely many geodesics can possibly be drawn between any two points, but they must be of specific regular or singular types. We have made their precise classification in terms of impact parameters. We have conveyed geodesic structure and completeness with computer-generated figures depicting either Schwarzschild’s equatorial plane or Flamm's paraboloid. For the “curved-time” metric, devoid of any spatial curvature, we have shown that geodesic orbits have the same apsides as in Schwarzschild’s space-time. We focused on null geodesics in particular. For the limit of light grazing the sun, we have confirmed that “spatial bending” and “time bending” become essentially equal, adding up to the total light deflection of 1.75 arc-seconds predicted by general relativity. However, for a much closer approach of the periastron to Schwarzschild’s radius, we have demonstrated that “time bending” largely exceeds “spatial bending” of light, while their sum remains substantially below that of Schwarzschild’s space-time.

In collaboration with N. A. Mecholsky, we have outlined a general procedure to derive first-order differential equations obeyed by geodesic orbits over two-dimensional (2D) surfaces of revolution immersed or embedded in ordinary three-dimensional (3D) Euclidean space. We illustrated that procedure with an application to a wormhole model introduced by Morris and Thorne (MT), which provides a prototypical case of a `splittable space-time' geometry. We have obtained analytic solutions for geodesic orbits expressed in terms of elliptic integrals and functions, which are qualitatively similar to, but even more fundamental than, those that we previously reported for Flamm's paraboloid of Schwarzschild geometry. Two kinds of geodesics correspondingly emerge. Regular geodesics have turning points larger than the `throat' radius. Thus, they remain confined to one half of the MT wormhole. Singular geodesics funnel through the throat and connect both halves of the MT wormhole, perhaps providing a possibility of `rapid inter-stellar travel.' We have provided numerical illustrations of both kinds of geodesic orbits on the MT wormhole. We have also applied similar techniques to study the differential geometry and geodesy of mathematical models of the primary visual cortex mapping of the visual field.

Subsequently I developed a new area (H), aiming at providing a physical picture of dark energy based on fundamental principles and constants of quantum mechanics and general relativity theories. It derives from a conjecture of non-zero masses for nearly standard-model photons and gluons, based on quantum-mechanical localization at a cosmological scale. I conceive of dark energy as a Bose-Einstein (BE) condensate of cosmologically massive photons and I estimate fundamentally the binding energy per particle originating from the effectively attractive or statistical inter-particle potential in that BE condensate. Most remarkably, I can identify the dark energy density with the zero-point energy density of the BE condensate within a single order of magnitude. That relates to quantum field theory calculations that generally overestimate vacuum energy densities by as many as 120 orders of magnitude. Also remarkably, I considered a system of cosmological units that complements the fundamental system of Planck units in various ways. Planck and cosmological units stand in a fundamental ratio spanning about 60 orders of magnitude. In the logarithmic middle of that range, the geometric mean of Planck and the cosmological mass turns out to be tantalizingly close to current estimates of neutrino masses, almost within a single order of magnitude. I have thus suggested that masses of the lightest known fermions may also be associated with both quantum-mechanical and general relativity fundamental constants. Three papers published in Gen. Relativ. Gravit. 2020, Indian J. Phys. 2023, and Particles 2024, provide the culmination of decades of inquiries that I made in that area. If or when experimentally or observationally confirmed, this work and papers may prove to be seminal in physics and cosmology.

CURRICULUM VITAE 
 

•  SNS student fellow, 1966 1970.
•  National Research Council (CNR) postdoctoral fellow, Department of Physics, University of Pisa, 1971 1973.
•  CNR researcher, permanent appointment, Department of Physics, University of Pisa, 1974.
•  Army engineer, second lieutenant, Military Academy of Cecchignola, Rome, 1975 1976.
•  Research Associate, Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1977 1979.
•  NATO Senior Fellow, 1980.
•  Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064, 1980 1985.
• Associate Professor, Department of Physics, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064, 1985-2000.

Position since 2000:

Ordinary Professor,
Department of Physics,
The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064.
Tel: 202-319-5334; Fax: 202-319-4448;
E-mail:  resca@cua.edu. 

PUBLICATIONS

 

1. G. Pastori Parravicini and L. Resca, “Symmetry analysis and electronic states in cubic ice”, J. Phys. C 4, L314 (1971). Also presented at the “Third International Conference on Vacuum Ultraviolet Radiation Physics”, Tokyo, 1971.
2. G. Pastori Parravicini and L. Resca, “Electronic states and optical properties in cubic ice”, Phys. Rev. B 8, 3009 (1973).
3. L. A. Gomez, G. Pastori Parravicini, L. Resca, and R.
, “Valence bands and Davydov splittings in solid ortho hydrogen”, J. Phys. C 6, 1926 (1973).
4. G. Pastori Parravicini, F. Piccini, and L. Resca, “Valence bands of solid hydrogen in hcp lattice”, Phys. Stat. Sol. B 60, 801 (1973).
5. G. Pastori Parravicini and L. Resca, “Short range interaction in the exciton effective mass Hamiltonian”, Phys. Lett. 45a, 73 (1973).
6. V. Dello Iacovo, L. Resca, and R. Resta, “Valence energy bands of solid hydrogen in hcp structure: ab initio LCMO calculation”, Phys. Stat. Sol. B 69, 127 (1975).
7. L. Resca and R. Resta, “Energy bands in cubic ice”, Phys. Stat. Sol. B 81, 129 (1977).
8. W. Andreoni and L. Resca, “Excitons in solid hydrogen crystals”, Nuovo Cimento B 39, 524 (1977).
9. L. Resca and S. Rodriguez, “Exciton states in solid rare gases”, Phys. Rev. B 17, 3334 (1978).
10. L. Resca, R. Resta, and S. Rodriguez, “Electronic excitations of the rare gases in the solid phase”, Solid State Commun. 26, 849 (1978).
11. L. Resca, R. Resta, and S. Rodriguez, “Nonstructural theory of the exciton states in solid rare gases”, Phys. Rev. B 18, 696 (1978).
12. L. Resca, R. Resta, and S. Rodriguez, “Core excitons in solid rare gases: nonstructural theory”, Phys. Rev. B 18, 702 (1978).
13. L. Resca and R. Resta, “Large binding due to dispersive screening and Bloch function interference in many valley semiconductors”, Solid State Commun. 29, 275 (1979).
14. L. Resca and R. Resta, “Rydberg states in condensed matter”, Phys. Rev. B 19, 1683 (1979).
15. E. Doni, L. Resca, S. Rodriguez, and W. M. Becker, “Electronic energy levels of cinnabar”, Phys. Rev. B 20, 1663 (1979).
16. R. Resta and L. Resca, “Ionized impurity scattering in semiconductors”, Phys. Rev. B 20, 3254 (1979).
17. L. Resca and R. Resta, “Bulk excitons in solid neon: theory”, Phys. Rev. B 21, 4889 (1980).
18. M. W. Evans, P. Grigolini, and L. Resca, “A generalization of the Bixon and Zwanzig hydrodynamic approach resulting in correct short time behavior”, Chem. Phys. Lett. 69, 97 (1980).
19. E. Doni, L. Resca, R. Resta, and R. Girlanda, “Relationships between the semiempirical and the Hartree Fock methods in band structure calculations”, Solid State Commun. 34, 461 (1980).
20. L. Resca and R. Resta, “Shallow deep instabilities of donor impurity levels and excitons in many valley semiconductors”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 44, 1340 (1980).
21. R. Resta and L. Resca, “Ionized impurity scattering in semimetals”, Phys. Rev. B 22, 3935 (1980).
22. E. Doni, R. Girlanda, and L. Resca, “Equivalence between the overlap reduced semiempirical tight binding and the chemical pseudopotential methods in band structure calculations”, J. Phys. Soc. Japan 49 Suppl. A, 89 (1980). Also presented at the “Fifteenth International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors”, Kyoto, September 1 5, 1980.
23. R. Resta, L. Resca, and S. Rodriguez, “Ionized impurity scattering and dielectric enhancement of mobility in semiconductors and semimetals”, in “Recent Developments in Condensed Matter Physics”, Ed. by J.T. Devreese, L.F. Lemmens, V.E. Van Doren, and J. Van Royen, Plenum Press, Vol.3, 21 (1981). Also presented at the “Conference of the Condensed Matter Division of the European Physical Society”, Antwerp, April 9 11, 1980.
24. L. Resca, R. Resta, and H.B. Shore, “Real space equation for single donor impurities and core excitons in many valley semiconductors”, Phys. Rev. B 25, 4031 (1982).
25. L. Resca and R. Resta, “Single donor impurities and core excitons in many valley semiconductors”, Phys. Rev. B 25, 4038 (1982).
26. L. Resca, “Shallow deep instabilities of chalcogen donors in silicon”, Phys. Rev. B 26, 3238 (1982).
27. L. Resca, “Intervalley effective mass equation and deep chalcogen donors in silicon: pressure effects”, Phys. Rev. B 29, 866 (1984).
28. R. D. Graft, G. Grosso, G. Pastori Parravicini, and L. Resca, “A self consistent method for treating point impurities with arbitrary range potentials”, Solid State Commun. 51, 247 (1984).
29. L. Resca and R. D. Graft, “Thomas Fermi dielectric screening of pseudocharges in semiconductors”, Phys. Rev. B 31, 3789 (1985).
30. R. D. Graft, G. Pastori Parravicini, and L. Resca, “Electronic states in superlattices: a new theoretical approach within the memory function formalism”, Solid State Commun. 54, 115 (1985).
31. L. Resca and R. D. Graft, “Inter valley effective mass theory: pseudopotential formulation”, Phys. Rev. B 32, 1068 (1985).
32. L. Resca and R. D. Graft, “Addendum to Thomas Fermi dielectric screening of pseudocharges in semiconductors”, Phys. Rev. B 33, 4315 (1986).
33. R. D. Graft, L. Resca, and G. Pastori Parravicini, “A renormalization approach to the band structure of superlattices”, Solid State Commun. 57, 699 (1986).
34. L. Resca, D. J. Lohrmann, and R. D. Graft, “Intervalley scattering and shallow deep instabilities of electronic levels in semiconductors”, Phys. Rev. B. 36, 2741 (1987).
35. L. Resca, Comment on “Comprehensive analysis of Si doped
AlXGa1-XAs (x=0 to 1): Theory and experiments”, Phys. Rev. B. 36, 4452 (1987).
36. R. D. Graft, D. J. Lohrmann, G. Pastori Parravicini, and L. Resca, “Renormalization formalism in the theory of the electronic structure of superlattices: application to silicon superlattices”, Phys. Rev. B 36, 4782 (1987).
37. L. Resca, Comment on “Evolution of intermediate excitons in fluid argon and krypton”, Phys. Rev. B 37, 10898 (1988).
38. D. J. Lohrmann, L. Resca, G. Pastori Parravicini, and R. D. Graft, “Shallow and deep impurity levels in multivalley semiconductors: a Green function study of a cubic model by the recursion method”, Phys. Rev. B 40, 8404 (1989).
39. D. J. Lohrmann, L. Resca, G. Pastori Parravicini, and R. D. Graft, “Shallow and deep impurity levels in multivalley semiconductors: a Green function study of silicon by the recursion method”, Phys. Rev. B 40, 8410 (1989).
40. L. Resca, “Intervalley kinetic energy terms in the effective mass equation: a one dimensional analytical study”, Can. J. Phys. 67, 896 (1989).
41. R. D. Graft, G. Grosso, D. J. Lohrmann, L. Martinelli, S. Moroni, G. Pastori Parravicini, and L. Resca, “Electronic spectra of solids, impurities and superstructures with the recursion and renormalization methods”, in “Progress in Electron Properties of Solids”, edited by E. Doni, R. Girlanda, G. Pastori Parravicini, and A. Quattropani, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989, pp.409 438.
42. G. Pastori Parravicini, L. Resca, R. D. Graft, and D. J. Lohrmann, “Intervalley interference and lattice relaxation in DX centers”, Solid State Commun. 78, 655 (1991).
43. L. Fu, P. B. Macedo, and L. Resca, “Analytical approach to the interfacial polarization of heterogeneous systems”, Phys. Rev. B. 47, 13818 (1993).
44. L. Fu and L. Resca, “The electrical response of heterogeneous systems of clustered inclusions”, Phys. Rev. B 47, 16194 (1993).
45. L. Resca, Comment on “First Principles calculation of optical properties of C60 in the FCC lattice”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 2839 (1993).
46. L. Fu and L. Resca, “The electrical response of heterogeneous systems with inclusions of arbitrary structure”, Phys. Rev. B 49, 6625 (1994).
47. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Electrical response of heterogeneous systems containing inclusions with permanent multipoles”, Phys. Rev. B 50, 15719 (1994).
48. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Electrical response of heterogeneous systems and Debye's problem”, Phys. Rev. B 50, 15733 (1994).
49. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Optical response of arbitrary clusters of structured particles”, Phys. Rev. B 52, 10815 (1995).
50. L. Fu and L. Resca, Comment on “Optical response of arrays of spheres from the theory of hypercomplex variables”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 4332 (1995).
51. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Exact treatment of the electrostatic forces and surface effects in electrorheological fluids”, Phys. Rev. B 53, 2195 (1996).
52. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Electrical response of heterogeneous systems: Macroscopic and microscopic approaches”, in “New Perspectives on Problems in Classical and Quantum Physics”, edited by A. W. Sáenz and P. P. Delsanto, Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 1997.
53. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Exact theory of the electrostatic interaction in electrorheological fluids and the effects of particle structure”, Solid State Commun. 99, 83 (1996).
54. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Linear and nonlinear response of inhomogeneous media Exact theory and mean field approximation”, invited paper at the “Fourth International Conference on Electrical Transport and Optical Properties of Inhomogeneous Media”, Moscow St. Petersburg, July 23 30, 1996. Published in Physica A 241, 17 (1997).
55. L. Fu and L. Resca, Comment on “Aggregation, fragmentation, and the nonlinear dynamics of electrorheological fluids in oscillatory shear”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 396 (1997).
56. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Effective dielectric function of a random system of spheres in the k -> 0 limit”, Solid State Commun. 104, 151 (1997).
57. M. Fornari, H. H. Chen, L. Fu, R. D. Graft, D. J. Lohrmann, S. Moroni, G. Pastori Parravicini, L. Resca, and M. Stroscio, “Electronic structure and wavefunctions of interface states in HgTe CdTe quantum wells and superlattices”, Phys. Rev. B 55, 16339 (1997).
58. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Comparison between the Torquato Rintoul theory of the interface effect in composite media and elementary results”, Phys. Rev. B 56, 5032 (1997).
59. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Nonlinear response of composite materials containing coated spheres: giant enhancement due to the particle structure and distribution”, Phys. Rev. B 56, 10963 (1997).
60. L. Fu, E. Yaschenko, L. Resca, and R. Resta, “Results from supercell Hartree Fock calculations for KNbO3”, presented at the “International Workshop on First Principles Theory of Ferroelectric Materials”, CECAM, Lyon, July 2 5, 1997. Workshop URL: http://ale2ts.ts.infn.it:6163/~resta/july3 5.html .
61. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Effective nonlinear dielectric function of composite systems with particles of arbitrary response”, invited paper at the Progress in Electromagnetics Research Symposium, Cambridge, Massachusetts, July 7 11, 1997.
62. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Electrorheology.” In J. G. Webster (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Vol. 6, p. 734 751. New York: John Wiley & Sons (1999).
63. L. Fu, E. Yaschenko, L. Resca, and R. Resta, “Hartree Fock approach to macroscopic polarization: Dielectric constant and dynamical charges of potassium niobate”, Phys. Rev. B 57, 6967 (1998).
64. E. Yaschenko, L. Fu, L. Resca, and R. Resta, “Macroscopic polarization as a discrete Berry phase of the Hartree Fock wavefunction: The single point limit”, Phys. Rev. B 58, 1222 (1998).
65. L. Fu and L. Resca, “Nonlinear response of composite systems containing spheres of arbitrary response”, Solid State Commun. 105, 413 (1998).
66. L. Fu, E. Yaschenko, L. Resca, and R. Resta, “Hartree Fock studies of the ferroelectric perovskites”, in “First Principles Calculations for Ferroelectrics”, Fifth Williamsburg Workshop, February 1 4, 1998, edited by R. E. Cohen, AIP Conference Proceedings 436, Woodbury, New York, p. 107 (also in cond mat/9803002).
67. L. Fu, E. Yaschenko, L. Resca, and R. Resta, “Hartree Fock studies of surface properties of barium titanate”, Phys. Rev. B 60, 2697 (1999).
68. L. Fu, E. Yaschenko, L. Resca, and R. Resta, “Polarization properties of potassium niobate: Comparison between Hartree Fock and density functional calculations”, Solid State Commun. 112, 465 (1999).
69. R. Resta and L. Resca, Comment on “Electrostatic screening near semiconductor surfaces”, Phys. Rev. B 65, 47301 (2002).
70. T. D. Keech and L. Resca, “Eye movement trajectories in active visual search: Contributions of attention, memory, and scene boundaries to pattern formation”, Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 72 (1), 114-141 (2010).
71. T. D. Keech and L. Resca, “Eye movements in active visual search: A computable phenomenological model”, Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 72 (2), 285-307 (2010).
72. L. Resca, P. M. Greenwood, T. D. Keech, “How do the Eyes and Brain Search a Randomly Structured Uninformative Scene? Exploiting a Basic Interplay of Attention and Memory.” In L. C. Stewart (Ed.), Eye Movement: Developmental Perspectives, Dysfunctions and Disorders in Humans, Chap. 1. New York: Nova Science Publishers (2013); https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.02873v1 .
73. T. E. Barnard, F. J. Klein, and L. Resca, “Ray theory results and ray wavefront diagrams for the hyperbolic cosine propagation sound-speed profile”, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering 40, 938-946 (2015).
74. N. A. Mecholsky, L. Resca, I. L. Pegg, and M. Fornari, “Theory of band warping and its effects on thermoelectronic transport properties”, Phys. Rev. B 89, 15513, pp. 1-20 (2014).
75. L. Fu, R. J. Freishtat, H. Gordish-Dressman, S. J. Teach, L. Resca, E. P. Hoffman, Z. Wang, “Natural progression of childhood asthma symptoms and strong influence of sex and puberty”, Ann. Am. Thorac. Soc. 11(6), 939-944 (2014).
76. N. A. Mecholsky, B. Hamad, L. Resca, I. L. Pegg, and M. Fornari, “Anisotropic effects on the thermoelectric electronic transport coefficients”, Energy Harvesting and Systems 2 (1-2) 15-24 (2015); https://doi.org/10.1515/ehs-2014-0041.
77. N. A. Mecholsky, L. Resca, I. L. Pegg, and M. Fornari, “Density of states for warped energy bands”, Scientific Reports 6, 22098; DOI: 10.1038/srep22098 (2016).
78. F. C. Pérez-Cárdenas, L. Resca, and I. L. Pegg, “Microscopic reversibility and macroscopic irreversibility: A lattice gas model”, Physica A (Stat. Mech.) 457, 82-92 (2016).
79. F. C. Pérez-Cárdenas, L. Resca, and I. L. Pegg, “Power laws of coarse-graining and non-maximal-entropy”, Entropy, 20(10), 737 (2018); https://doi.org/10.3390/e20100737.
80. L. Resca, N. A. Mecholsky, and I. L. Pegg, “Band warping, band non-parabolicity and Dirac points in fundamental lattice and electronic structures”, 21 Feb 2017, https://arxiv.org/abs/1702.06497v1 .
81. L. Resca, N. A. Mecholsky, and I. L. Pegg, “Band warping, band non-parabolicity and Dirac points in electronic and lattice structures”, Physica B (Condensed Matter) 522, 66-74 (2017).
82. L. Resca, “Space-time and spatial geodesic orbits in Schwarzschild Geometry”, Eur. J. Phys. 39, 035602 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/aab12f .
83. L. Resca, “Space and Space-Time geodesics in Schwarzschild geometry”, 1 Apr 2018, http://arxiv.org/abs/1803.08346 [gr-qc].
84. R. T. Eufrasio, N. A. Mecholsky,https:// arXiv:1812.03259 and L. Resca “Curved Space, curved Time, and curved Space-Time in Schwarzschild geodetic geometry”, General Relativity and Gravitation 50.12, 159, 1-24 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-018-2481-2; arXiv:1812.03259 [gr-qc].
85. L. Resca, “Minimal cosmological masses for photons and gluons”, 8 Apr 2019, https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.00354v2 [gr-qc].
86. L. G. Resca, “Minimal cosmological masses for nearly standard-model photons or gluons”, Gen. Relativ. Gravit. 52, 14 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-020-2663-6 .
87. L. G. Resca and N. A. Mecholsky, “Geodesy on surfaces of revolution: A wormhole application”, Am. J. Phys. 88, 308 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0000464; arXiv:2201.09237 [gr-qc]
88. L. G. Resca and N. A. Mecholsky, “Geometry and geodesy on the primary visual cortex as a surface of revolution”, Math. Comput. Appl. of MDPI, 25, 64, pp. 1-29, 2020;
https://doi.org/10.3390/mca25040064 .
89. L. G. Resca, “Cosmological mass of the photon and dark energy as its Bose-Einstein condensate in de Sitter space”, 28 Jan 2021, https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.08398 .
90. L. G. Resca, “Cosmological mass of the photon and dark energy as its Bose-Einstein condensate in de Sitter space,” Indian J. Phys. (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12648-022-02395-z .
91. L. G. Resca, Cosmological Mass of the Photon Related to Stueckelberg and Higgs Mechanisms, Particles 2024, 7, 289-296; https://doi.org/10.3390/particles7020017; arXiv:2404.00241 [hep-ph].
92. F. C. Pérez-Cárdenas, L. Resca, and I. L. Pegg, “Work dissipation and fluctuations in a stochastic system with multiple degrees of freedom”, unpublished. 

TEACHING AT
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
 

I have taught all the core courses of both the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, plus numerous advanced courses on continuum mechanics, chaotic dynamics, quantum field theory, many-body theory, relativity and cosmology. For all of these courses, I have prepared and provided to the students extensive and detailed notes, problems, and solutions. A partial list of courses that I have taught at CUA since 1980 follows:

• PHYS 215 (4) University Physics I, S(pring)81, F(all)83.
• PHYS 216 (4 Credit Hours) University Physics II, S84, S89.
• PHYS 611 (4) Math. Meth. Theoretical Phys. I, F81, F82, F01.
• PHYS 612 (4) Math. Meth. II, S82, S83, S84, S95, S99, S01, S04, S07, S11.
• PHYS 615 (3/4) Adv. Mechanics I, F80, F81, F84, F95, F97, F99, F01, F21, F23.
• PHYS 616 (3) Adv. Mechanics II, S81, S82, S83, S91, S93, S02, F22.
• PHYS 616 (3) Adv. Mech. II: Chaos in Dynamical Systems, S96, S05.
• PHYS 618 (3) Continuum Mechanics, S96.
• PHYS 621 (3) Stat. Mech. I, F89, F90, F93, F94, S96, S98, F00, F02, F04, F05, F06, F08, F20, S22, S23, S24.
• PHYS 622 (3) Stat. Mech. II, S90, S91, S94, S95, F96, F98, S01, S03, S05, S06, S07, S09, S21.
• PHYS 623 (3) Advanced Electromagnetic Theory I, F85, F86, S88.
• PHYS 624 (3) Adv. E&M Theory II, S86, S87, S90, S03, S04.
• PHYS 659 (4) Adv. Quantum Theory I, F84, F91, F07, F16, F17, F19, F20, F22.
• PHYS 660 (4) Adv. Quantum Theory II, S85, S86, S92, S08, S17, S18, S19, S21, F23.
• PHYS 665 (3) Solid State Physics I, F91, F11, F12.
• PHYS 666 (3) Solid State Physics II, F92, F04, S12.
• PHYS 725 (3) Advanced Classical Electrodynamics, F87, S89.
• PHYS 740 (3) Quantum Th. of Many‑Particle Systems, S93, F95, F97.
• PHYS 750 (3) Theory of Relativity, S94, S99, F03, F09, F19.
• PHYS 751 (3) Gravitation and Cosmology, F99, S10, S19.
• PHYS 761 (3) Quantum Field Theory I, F86, S88, F93, F05, F19.
• PHYS 762 (3) Quantum Field Theory II, F94, S06.