Lucas E. Johnson. Ph. D

Hello wonderful person!

My name is Lucas, and I am what some may affectionately (or more likely irritatingly) refer to as a nerd.  But in my defense, space is objectively cool.  My interests lie in what is known as extragalactic astronomy which is a branch of astronomy that focuses on everything outside our Milky Way galaxy.  Specifically, my research involves studying how galaxies inside galaxy groups and clusters (think of galaxies orbiting all around one big central galaxy like a swarm of bees around their hive) smash together and merge.  I am an astrophysicist, meaning I not only like to just look at these beautiful pictures, I want to know how these things work, where they came from, and what they will do in the future.  The galaxy group that got me started can be seen here: the Cheshire Cat group (see Figure 1).  

This is a beautiful image with even more beautiful physics at play.  Soon(ish), this cat face will be a cyclops as the two eyes spiral in due to their shared gravitational pull and merge into one gargantuan galaxy many hundreds of times larger than the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies combined.  The curves of blue and red light are actually gravitationally lensed light from background galaxies being bent and focused by the deep and strong gravitational potential well of the Cat.  This image is only possible from our perspective, which makes it even more special in my opinion.

I look for more of these oddballs.  And, we have been successful!  If you are interested in reading about these findings, I refer to you below to the publication list.  I recommend using https://arxiv.org/archive/astro-ph and searching the names of the papers to get started.  If you are interested in learning more about these things academically, please consider taking AY 102 here at UWA or emailing me to get involved in some undergraduate research opportunities!

I also teach physics here at UWA, so if you find yourself needing that class, I'll see you soon!  We try to take as much of a hands-on approach as possible for learning basic physics principles both in lecture and lab.  The lab is currently being upgraded and overhauled to a massive degree both streamlining and modernizing the labs and the equipment.  We are also piloting a new program here at UWA Physical Sciences called Learning Assistants (LAs) who are highly successful upperclassmen that excelled in my physics courses AND have a desire to teach others!  Great for those who enjoy physics laboratories, enjoy teaching peers, want practice in teaching before your student teaching assignment, and want to make some money as a student employee.  If you are interested, especially if you intend to major in high school science/math education, please email me!

I am also actively working on NEW courses to offer in the fields of Physics & Astronomy in the coming semesters.  Below are a few currently in the works and should be getting approval sooner rather than later if I have all my proverbial ducks in a row.  While you read, may I draw your attention to the possible cross-listed course between Astronomy and Biology; that should be a fun experience for all involved.  If you have any suggestions or if you find one of these interesting and may want to take it in the future, please email me and let me know what you would hope for out of the experience!