JOHN BELZ
Professor
Physics & Astronomy
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Professor Belz’s interests span the scales from elementary particles to black holes. He studied weak interaction processes at accelerator labs and cosmic radiation at observatories in Utah’s western desert. A current project is based on the serendipitous discovery that cosmic ray detectors can shed light on gamma ray production in lightning. Recently he developed an interest in applying computational techniques to the study of gravitational collapse and the foundations of general relativity.
GRANTS
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTThe Microphysics of Lightning: Observing the Optical Emission from Downward Terrestrial Gamma-ray FlashesNational Science Foundation1 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2025People funded by this grant:
- Collaboration TA
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTPRECISION TESTS OF EINSTEIN'S EQUATIONS WITH AXISYMMETRIC NUMERICAL RELATIVITYNATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION3 May 2024 - 31 Jul 2027
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTInvestigation of Downward Gamma Ray Showers from Natural LightningNational Science Foundation7 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2022
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTInvestigating the Correlation between Lightning and High-Energy Particles in the Earth's AtmosphereNATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION6 Jan 2016 - 31 Dec 2019
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTA Radar Observatory for the Universe's Most Energetic ParticlesW. M. Keck Foundation7 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2017
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTCOSMIC RAY RADARNATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION9 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2015
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTDETECTING COSMIC RAYS BY RADARNATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION4 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2013
- EXTERNAL GRANT OR CONTRACTHIGH ENERGY COSMIC RAYSNATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION6 Jan 2006 - 31 Dec 2007