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George Mason University

Faculty & Staff Directory

Joseph Weingartner

  • Associate Professor

    Contact Info

    Joe Weingartner
    Name
    Dr. Joseph Weingartner
    Job Title
    Associate Professor
    Website
    Website
    Phone Number
    703-993-4596
    Office Number
    Planetary Hall, Room 231, MSN 3F3

    Affiliations

    Departments

    About

    I am currently an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at George Mason University . From 1999 through 2003, I was a postdoc at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics ( CITA ), at the University of Toronto . I received my Ph.D. in physics in 1999 from Princeton University , under the supervision of Bruce T. Draine . I serve as an academic advisor for physics, astronomy, and renewable energy.

    Current Research

    My research has focused on physical processes associated with cosmic dust, which consists of microscopic solid particles that are nearly ubiquitous in the universe. My research topics have included the role of dust in heating interstellar gas and the alignment of irregularly shaped dust grains along the direction of the interstellar magnetic field, which provides a diagnostic for the magnetic field geometry.

    Teaching Focus

    I've taught physics and astronomy courses at all levels of the curriculum. In recent years, I have mostly taught upper-level astronomy courses on stars, planets, the interstellar medium, and computer simulation, as well as the introductory course on renewable energy. 

    Selected Publications

    Weingartner, J.C., Kolasi, E., & Woods, C. 2021, "The alignment of interstellar dust grains: thermal flipping and the Davis-Greenstein mechanism'', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 504, 1164

    Kolasi, E. & Weingartner, J.C. 2017, "Barnett relaxation in non-symmetric grains'', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 471, 1222 

    Das, I. & Weingartner, J.C. 2016, "Alignment of interstellar grains by mechanical torques: suprathermally rotating Gaussian random spheres'', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 457, 1958

    Weingartner, J.C. 2008, "Thermal Flipping of Interstellar Grains'', Astrophysical Journal, 690, 875

    Weingartner, J.C., Draine, B.T., & Barr, D.K.  2006, "Photoelectric Emission from Dust Grains Exposed to Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Radiation'', Astrophysical Journal, 645, 1188

    Murray, N., Weingartner, J.C., & Capobianco, C.  2004, "On the Flux of Extrasolar Dust in Earth's Atmosphere'', Astrophysical Journal, 600, 804

    Weingartner, J.C. & Draine, B.T. 2003, "Radiative Torques on Interstellar Grains.  III.  Dynamics with Thermal Relaxation'', Astrophysical Journal, 589, 289

    Weingartner, J.C. & Draine, B.T. 2001, "Dust Grain-Size Distributions and Extinction in the Milky Way, Large Magellanic Cloud, and Small Magellanic Cloud'', Astrophysical Journal, 548, 296

    Contact Info

    Joe Weingartner
    Name
    Dr. Joseph Weingartner
    Job Title
    Associate Professor
    Website
    Website
    Phone Number
    703-993-4596
    Office Number
    Planetary Hall, Room 231, MSN 3F3

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