Xinhua Bai

Brief Bio

Education:
Beijing University, Beijing, China B.Sc., Nuclear Physics 1988
Beijing University, Beijing, China M.Sc., Experimental Nuclear Physics 1993
Beijing University, Beijing, China Ph.D., Nuclear & Particle Physics 1996
Inst. of High Energy Physics, Beijing Posdoc on the Pierre Auger Project 1996-1997
Fermi National Accelerator Lab, Batavia, IL Posdoc on the Pierre Auger Project 1997-1998
Appointments:
South Dakota School of Mines & Tech. Full Professor 2022-present
South Dakota School of Mines & Tech. Associate Professor 2015-2022
South Dakota School of Mines & Tech. Assistant Professor 2009-2015
Bartol Research Inst. & Univ. of Delaware Associate Scientist 1999-2009
University of Wisconsin-Madison South Pole Winter-over Scientist 1998-1999
China Inst. of Atomic Energy, Beijing Assistant Researcher 1988-1990

Research Expertise

Starting from nuclear and particle physics, my research interest evolved into astroparticle physics in late 1990's, with focus on high energy cosmic rays, muons in cosmic ray showers, high energy neutrino astronomy, direct dark matter search, radiological and airborne contamination control. I have worked for about 10 years as a research scientist at Bartol Research Institute and the University of Delaware on high-energy cosmic ray and neutrino astronomy projects SPASE-II/AMANDA/IceCube. I joined SDSMT in 2009 to initiate research and education programs in particle/astroparticle physics. Since I joined SDSMT, I have contributed to direct dark matter search experiment Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment, the LZ project, and involved in the long-baseline neutrino project LBNE, LBNF/DUNE. Since 2020, I have been focusing on IceCube and Gen2 while leading the NSF RII Track-2 FEC: The IceCube EPSCoR Initiative (IEI)project 

Teaching

Physics Courses taught/mentored:
PHYS-183 Elements of Modern Astronomy (3 credits)
PHYS-211 University Physics I (3 credits)
PHYS-341/441/541 Thermodynamics (3 credits)
PHYS-343/443/543 Statistical Physics (3 credits)
PHYS-433/533: Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics (3 credits)
PHYS-451/551 Classical Dynamics (4 credits)
PHYS-481/581 Mathematical Physics (4 credits, shared)
PHYS-733 Experimental Particle Physics: Principles, Data Analysis, and Simulation (3 credits, new course)
PHYS-761 Nucl. & Particle Physics (3 credits)
PHYS-764 Physics of Neutrinos (3 credits, new course)
PHYS-773 Quantum Mechanics II (3 credits)
Labs: PHYS-111L, 113L, 213L.
Design projects: PHYS-312, 314, 412, 414.