physics

Meers Oppenheim

Meers Oppenheim is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Meers Oppenheim rather than just read about it. In short: Meers Oppenheim (born 1962, Bethesda, Maryland) is an American physicist who is Professor of Astronomy at Boston University. His primary research interests include computational and theoretical space plasma physics, dynamics of the ionosphere and solar atmosphere, particle-wave interactions in plasmas, and the physics of meteor trails.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Meers Oppenheim (born 1962, Bethesda, Maryland) is an American physicist who is Professor of Astronomy at Boston University. His primary research interests include computational and theoretical space plasma physics, dynamics of the ionosphere and solar atmosphere, particle-wave interactions in plasmas, and the physics of meteor trails.

Education Oppenheim received his B.S. and M.Eng. in 1984 and 1990 from Cornell University's School of Applied and Engineering Physics. He then received his Ph.D. of Electrical Engineering in 1995 from Cornell's Space Plasma Physics Group.

Career Oppenheim began his career as a programmer and junior analyst at Jack Faucett Associates, Inc. in Chevy Chase, Maryland from 1980 to 1982. From 1984 to 1986, he worked as a staff physicist at the Physics International Corporation in San Leandro, California. In 1988, Oppenheim was a research assistant at Cornell University. In 1995, he became a Max Planck Society Postdoctoral Scientist. In 1996, he became a research associate at the University of Colorado, Boulder. In 1998, Oppenheim began working as an assistant professor of astronomy at Boston University. He became an associate professor in 2004, and in 2013, a full professor. In 2018, he became the director of graduate admissions at Boston University.

Scientific contributions Oppenheim studies space plasma physics using supercomputer simulations, theory, and data. He works on a range of research topics, including ionospheric and solar collisional plasmas, particle-wave interactions, and the physics of meteor trails. Since 2016, he has been working to incorporate the important effects of ionospheric turbulence into planetary scale simulations of the coupled magnetosphere, ionosphere and atmosphere. He has also been trying to model wave heating of the solar chromosphere. Most recently, he has also been working on understanding the effects of UV photoelectrons on the ionosphere and their observational consequences.

Honors and awards 1988–1989: Reily scholar 1994: CEDAR conference honorable mention 1994: Spring AGU meeting outstanding student paper 1995–1996: Max Planck Society Fellowship 1996: National Research Council Fellowship 2001: Elected member, Union Radio Science International 2002–2005: Elected Vice-Chair, Union Radio Science International 2003–2005: Member, American Physical Science, Division of Plasma Physics, program committee 2006–present: Elected Chair, Union Radio Science International, U.S.A. Commission H 2008–2011: Elected member, CEDAR Science Steering Committee 2011–2014: Elected Vice-Chair, Union Radio Science International, International Commission H 2016: CEDAR Prize Lecturer 2018: Visiting Scholar and Professor, Leibniz-Institut f ̈ur Atmosph ̈arenphysik, Kuhlungsborn, Germany Member of the American Geophysical Union Member of the American Physical Society Member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Selected publications Longley, William J.; Erickson, Philip J.; Vierinen, Juha; Oppenheim, Meers M.; Lind, Frank D.; Dimant, Yakov S. (2020). "Millstone Hill ISR Measurements of Small Aspect Angle Spectra". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 125 (6) e2019JA027708. Bibcode:2020JGRA..12527708L. doi:10.1029/2019JA027708. hdl:10037/21121. ISSN 2169-9402. S2CID 218923931. Longley, William J.; Oppenheim, Meers M.; Pedatella, Nick M.; Dimant, Yakov S. (2020). "The Photoelectron-Driven Upper Hybrid Instability as the Cause of 150-km Echoes". Geophysical Research Letters. 47 (8) e2020GL087391. Bibcode:2020GeoRL..4787391L. doi:10.1029/2020GL087391. ISSN 1944-8007. Longley, William J.; Oppenheim, Meers M.; Dimant, Yakov S. (2019). "Nonlinear Effects of Electron-Electron Collisions on ISR Temperature Measurements". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 124 (7): 6313–6329. Bibcode:2019JGRA..124.6313L. doi:10.1029/2019JA026753. hdl:2144/40271. ISSN 2169-9402. Young, Matthew A.; Oppenheim, Meers M.; Dimant, Yakov S. (2019). "Simulations of Secondary Farley-Buneman Instability Driven by a Kilometer-Scale Primary Wave: Anomalous Transport and Formation of Flat-Topped Electric Fields". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 124 (1): 734–748. Bibcode:2019JGRA..124..734Y. doi:10.1029/2018JA026072. hdl:2144/35580. ISSN 2169-9402. S2CID 134744067. Wiltberger, M.; Merkin, V.; Zhang, B.; Toffoletto, F.; Oppenheim, M.; Wang, W.; Lyon, J. G.; Liu, J.; Dimant, Y.; Sitnov, M. I.; Stephens, G. K. (2017). "Effects of electrojet turbulence on a magnetosphere-ionosphere simulation of a geomagnetic storm". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 122 (5): 5008–5027. Bibcode:2017JGRA..122.5008W. doi:10.1002/2016JA023700. hdl:2144/27910. ISSN 2169-9402. S2CID 59426194. Dimant, Y. S.; Oppenheim, M. M.; Fletcher, A. C. (2016-08-01). "Generation of electric fields and currents by neutral flows in weakly ionized plasmas through collisional dynamos". Physics of Plasmas. 23 (8): 084503. Bibcode:2016PhPl...23h4503D. doi:10.1063/1.4961085. hdl:2144/27911. ISSN 1070-664X. S2CID 126101453. Oppenheim, Meers M.; Dimant, Yakov S. (2016). "Photoelectron-induced waves: A likely source of 150 km radar echoes and enhanced electron modes". Geophysical Research Letters. 43 (8): 3637–3644. Bibcode:2016GeoRL..43.3637O. doi:10.1002/2016GL068179. hdl:2144/27912. ISSN 1944-8007. S2CID 131730500. Oppenheim, M. M.; Dimant, Y. S. (2013). "Kinetic simulations of 3-D Farley-Buneman turbulence and anomalous electron heating". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 118 (3): 1306–1318. Bibcode:2013JGRA..118.1306O. doi:10.1002/jgra.50196. ISSN 2169-9402. Dimant, Y. S.; Oppenheim, M. M. (2010-12-01). "Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling: Effects of E-Region Plasma Turbulence on Ionospheric Conductances". AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. 24: SM24B–08. Bibcode:2010AGUFMSM24B..08D. Vetoulis, Georgios; Oppenheim, Meers (2001-02-12). "Electrostatic Mode Excitation in Electron Holes due to Wave Bounce Resonances". Physical Review Letters. 86 (7): 1235–1238. Bibcode:2001PhRvL..86.1235V. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.1235. PMID 11178052.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Meers Oppenheim

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Meers Oppenheim claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Meers Oppenheim before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Meers Oppenheim ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Meers Oppenheim

In research: Meers Oppenheim appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Meers Oppenheim in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Meers Oppenheim is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1962 births, American physicists, Boston University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Meers Oppenheim outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Meers Oppenheim in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Meers Oppenheim means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Meers Oppenheim in simple terms?

Why does Meers Oppenheim matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Meers Oppenheim?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Meers Oppenheim.