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Behrend College
 

Research Interests

I am an experimental physicist studying pattern formation and dynamics in a variety of systems. Pattern formation problems are ideally suited to student participation since the problems are inherently visual in nature. Despite the use of frame grabbers, image processing packages, electronics, and optics systems, there is always something to see. Undergraduate students participate in each of my research projects and all of my research occurs on the Behrend campus.

I am particularly interested in the study of granular materials such as sand, seed, and powdered metals.

Stress Chains
Cellular Automata Models of Flowing Granular Materials

Education

B.S. Physics, Emory University, 1983. 
M.S. Physics, The Ohio State University, 1986. 
Ph.D. Physics, Duke University, 1990. 
Postdoctoral work, University of California at San Diego, 1990-1992. 

1. G. W. Baxter and J. S. Olafsen, ``The Temperature of a Vibrated Granular Gas,'' Granular Matter (12 Aug 2006).
2. G. W. Baxter and J. S. Olafsen, ``Robust Maxwell-Boltzmann Statistics in Driven Granular Gases,'' Nature 425, p 680 (16 Oct 2003).
3. G. W. Baxter and C. Yeung, ``The Rotating Bucket of Sand: Experiment and Theory,'' Chaos 9 (3), pp 631-638 (1999).
4. G. W. Baxter and K. M. Hagenbuch, `` A Student Project on Wind Chimes: Tuning in to Standing waves,'' The Physics Teacher 36, pp204-208 (1998) (Cover Story) Note that the author's photographs are reversed.
5. G. W. Baxter, ``Stress Distributions in a Two-dimensional Granular Material,'' In: Powders and Grains 97, edited by Behringer and Jenkins, Balkema, 1997.
6. G. W. Baxter and R. P. Behringer, ``Density Effects in Cellular Automtata Models of Granular Materials,'' In: Powders and Grains 97, edited by Behringer and Jenkins, Balkema, 1997.
7. J. H. Hegseth, G. W. Baxter, and C. D. Andereck, ``Bifurcations from Taylor Vortices Between Corotating Concentric Cylinders,'' Physical Review E 53, pp507-521 (1996).
8. M. Vavrek, and G. W. Baxter, ``Surface Shape of a Spinning Bucket of Sand,'' Physical Review E 50 (5):R3353-3356 (1994).
9. R. P. Behringer and G. W. Baxter, ``Pattern Formation and Complexity in Flowing Sand,'' In: Granular Matter --- An Interdisciplinary Approach, edited by A. Mehta, Springer-Verlag, 1994.
10. G. W. Baxter, R. Leone, and R. P. Behringer, ``Experimental Test of Timescales in Flowing Sand,'' Europhysics Letters, V21, N5, pp. 569-574, February 1993.
11. G. W. Baxter, K. D. Eaton, and C. M. Surko, `Eckhaus Instability for Traveling Waves,'' Physical Review A 46 (4):R1735-R1738 (1992).

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