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John Cunningham

Prof. John Cunningham, S.J.

Department Chair
Associate Professor of Physics
Freeman Hall, Room 307
Phone: 718-817-3444
Email: [email protected]

Education

MDiv Theology, Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University
MA Philosophy, Fordham University
PhD Physics, University of Notre Dame
BS Physics, Penn State University

Specialization

Experimental Elementary Particle Physics: Heavy Quarks
Astrophysics: Supernovae and Pulsating Stars

Biography

John D. Cunningham, S.J. is a Jesuit priest who is currently department chair and associate professor of Physics at Fordham University.   Although he has studied Philosophy (M.A. Fordham University, 2000) and Theology (M. Div. Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, 2005), his primary academic interests have been in Experimental Particle Physics and Astrophysics.

After earning a Ph.D. in Particle Physics from the University of Notre Dame (1991) where he studied the lifetime of charm-quark particles at Fermi National Laboratory (Fermilab), he was a post-doctoral research associate at Fermilab on the Colliding Detector (CDF) experiment.  At CDF, he studied heavy quark physics, researching bottom-quark states.  CDF was successful in identifying the sixth quark, top, in 1995.

In 2006 he joined a research group at Argonne National Laboratory that was researching Type Ia supernovae.  These supernovae are being studied to gauge the expansion of the universe.

In 2018 he began preliminary work with the Vatican Observatory Research Group (VORG).

Publications

  1. “Measurement of the Λc+ and Ds+ Lifetimes,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Phys. Lett. B251, 639 (1990).
  2. “A Preliminary Measurement of the Lifetime of Ds+ in Fermilab Experiment E687,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Proceedings of the Rice Meeting (DPF90), vol I, p. 402, editors, Billy Bonner and Hannu Miettinen (World Scientific, 1990).
  3. “Description and Performance of the Fermilab E687 Spectrometer,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Nucl. lnstrum. Meth. A320, 519 (1992).
  4. “Measurement of the D0 and D+ Lifetimes,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Phys. Lett. B263, 584 (1991).
  5. “Some Lifetimes and Branching Ratios for Charmed Hadrons Produced in the Fermilab Wideband Photon Beam,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Presented at the 25th Int. Conf. on High Energy Physics, Singapore, Aug 2-8, 1990.
  6. “Photoproduction of D Mesons,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Presented at the 25th Int. Conf. on High Energy Physics, Singapore, Aug 2-8, 1990.
  7. “Measurement of the decays D0 → π+π+π−π−, D0 → K−K+ and D+ → φsπ+π+π−,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Phys. Lett. B281, 167 (1992).
  8. “Study of the D→ Ksπ+π− and D→ KsK+K− in High Energy Photoproduction,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Phys. Lett. B286, 195 (1992).
  9. “A Wide Band Photon Beam at the Fermilab Tevatron to Study Heavy Flavors,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A329, 62 (1993).
  10. “Fermilab Experiment E687: Recent Results on Charm,” (with The E687 Collaboration), Presented at Int. Symp. on Multiparticle Dynamics, Gut Holmecke, Germany, Sep 10-14, 1990.
  11. “Search for Squarks and Gluinos from pp Collisions at√s=1.8TeV,”(with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 3443 (1992).
  12. “Properties of Events with Large Total Transverse Energy Produced in Proton-Antiproton Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D45, 2249 (1992).
  13. “A Search for New Gauge Bosons in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 1463 (1992).
  14. “A Limit on the Top Quark Mass from Proton-Antiproton Collisions at √s = 1800 GeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D45, 3921 (1992).
  15. “A Measurement of the B Meson and b Quark Cross Section at √s = 1.8 TeV Using the Exclusive Decay B± →J/ψK±,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 3403 (1992).
  16. “Measurement of the Isolated Prompt Photon Cross Section Measurement in pp Collisions at √s= 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 2734 (1992).
  17. “Measurement of the Production and Muonic Decay Rate of W and Z Bosons in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 28 (1992).
  18. “Limit on the Rare Decay W ± → γπ± in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 2160 (1992).
  19. “The Dijet Angular Distribution at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 2896 (1992).
  20. “Search for Squarks and Gluinos from pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 3439 (1992).
  21. “Inclusive J/ψ, ψ(2S), and b-Quark Production in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collab- oration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 3704 (1992).
  22. “Limits on the Production of Massive Stable Charged Particles,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D46, 1889 (1992).
  23. “Measurement of Jet Shapes in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 713 (1993).
  24. “Comparison of Jet Production in pp Collisions at √s = 546 and 1800 GeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 1376 (1993).
  25. “Measurement of the Cross Section for Production of Two Isolated Prompt Photons in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2232 (1993).
  26. “Measurement of Jet Multiplicity in W Events Produced in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 4046 (1993).
  27. “Analysis of the decay mode D+ → K∗0 μ+ν,” (with the E687 collaboration), Phys. Lett. B307: 262 (1993).
  28. “Measurement of the Bottom-Quark Production Cross Section Using Semileptonic Decay Electrons in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 504 (1993).
  29. “Studies of D and D correlations in High-Energy Photoproduction,” (with the E687 collaboration), Phys. Lett. B308: 193 (1993).
  30. “Center-of-Mass Angular Distribution of Prompt Photons Produced in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 679 (1993).
  31. “Search for Λb →J/ψΛ0 in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D47, 2639 (1993).
  32. “Study of Four-Jet Events in Evidence for Double Parton Interactions in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D47, 4857 (1993).
  33. “Measurement of the Dijet Mass Distribution in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D48, 998 (1993).
  34. “Search for First-Generation Leptoquarks in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D48, 3944 (1993).
  35. “Prompt Photon Cross-Section Measurement in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D48, 2998 (1993).
  36. “Inclusive Xc and b-quark production in pp Collisions at √s= 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF collaboration), Phys. Rev. D48, 393 (1993).
  37. “Observation of the Decay Bs0 → J/ψ φ in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 Tev,” (with the CDF collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 71:2537 (1993).
  38. “Measurement of Drell-Yan Electron and Muon Pair Differential Cross Sections in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D49, Rapid Comm. R1 (1994).
  39. “Measurement of bottom quark production in 1.8 TeV pp Collisions using Semileptonic Decay Muons,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 2396 (1993).
  40. “Search for the Top Quark Decaying to Charged Higgs Boson in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 1977 (1994).
  41. “Search for Excited Quarks in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 3004 (1994).
  42. “A Measurement of the B Meson and b-quark Cross Sections at √s = 1.8 TeV using the Exclusive Decay B0 →J/ψK∗(892)0,”(with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D50, 4252 (1994).
  43. “Measurement of Small Angle Antiproton-Proton Elastic Scattering at √s = 546 and 1800 GeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D50, 5518 (1994).
  44. “Measurement of the pp Single Diffraction Dissociation at √s = 546 and 1800 GeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D50, 5535 (1994).
  45. “Measurement of the Antiproton-Proton Total Cross Section at √s = 546 and 1800 GeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D50, 5550 (1994).
  46. “Measurement of the Ratio σB (W→ eν)/σB(Z→ e+e−) in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 220 (1994).
  47. “Measurement of the B+ and B0 Meson Lifetimes,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 3456 (1994).
  48. “Evidence for Color Coherence in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D50, 5562 (1994).
  49. “W Boson + Jet Angular Distribution in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 2296 (1994).
  50. “Evidence for Top Quark Production in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D50, 2966 (1994).
  51. “Evidence for Top Quark Production in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 225 (1994).
  52. “Search for the Top Quark Decaying to a Charged Higgs Boson in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 2667 (1994).
  53. “A Precision Measurement of the Prompt Photon Cross Section in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 2662 (1994).
  54. “Direct Measurement of the W Boson Width,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 341 (1995).
  55. “The Charge Asymmetry in W-Boson Decays Produced in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 850 (1995).
  56. “Observation of Rapidity Gaps in pp Collisions at 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 855 (1995).
  57. “Limits on Z-Photon Couplings from pp Interactions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 1941 (1995).
  58. “Observation of Top Quark Production in pp Collisions with CDF Detector at Fermilab,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 2626 (1995).
  59. “Search for Charged Bosons Heavier Than the W Boson in pp Collisions at √s = 1800 GeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 2900 (1995).
  60. “Search for New Particles Decaying to Dijets in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 3538 (1994).
  61. “Measurement of the B Meson Differential Cross-Section, dσ/dρT in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D50, 4252 (1995).
  62. “A Search for New Gauge Boson Decaying into Dielectrons in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D51, 949 (1995).
  63. ”Identification of Top Quarks Using Kinematic Variables,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D52, 2605 (1995).
  64. “A Measurement of the Ratio σ.B(pp → W → eν)/σ.B(pp→ Z0 →ee) in pp Collisions at √s = 1800 GeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D52, 2624 (1995).
  65. “Measurement of the W Boson Mass,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D52, 4784 (1995).
  66. “Kinematical Evidence for Top Pair Production in W + Multijet Events in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D55, 4623 (1995).
  67. “Measurement of the Bs Meson Lifetime,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev, Lett. 74, 4988 (1995).
  68. “Measurement of the W Boson Mass,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 11 (1995).
  69. “Properties of High-Mass Multijet Events at the Fermilab Proton-Antiproton Collider,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 608 (1995).
  70. “Search for Squarks and Gluinos via Radiative Decays of Neutralinos in Proton-Antiproton Collisions at √s: 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 613 (1995).
  71. “A Search for Second Generation Leptoquarks in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1012 (1995).
  72. “Limits on W W Z and W W γ Couplings from WW and WZ Production in pp Collisions at √s =1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1017 (1995).
  73. “Measurement of the Polarization in the Bd→ J/ψK∗0 and Bs→J/ψφ,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 3068 (1995).
  74. “Study of tt Production in pp Collisions Using Total Transverse Energy,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 3997 (1995).
  75. “Upsilon Production in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 4358 (1995).
  76. “Measurement of Correlated μ−b Jet Cross Sections in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D53, 1051 (1996).
  77. “Search for Gluino and Squark Cascade Decays at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 2006 (1996).
  78. “Reconstruction of B0→J/ψ K0 and Measurement of Ratios of Branching Ratios Involving B →J/ψK∗,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 2015 (1996).
  79. “Search for the Rare Decay W +→π++γ,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 2852 (1996).
  80. “Measurement of σ.B(W →eν) and σ.B(Z0→e+e−) in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 3070 (1996).
  81. “Search for Chargino-Neutralino Production pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 4307 (1996).
  82. “Inclusive Jet Cross Section in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 438 (1996).
  83. “Search for Charged Higgs Decays of the Top Quark Using Hadronic Tau Decays,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D. 54 (1996).
  84. “Measurement of the B− and B0 Meson Lifetimes Using Semileptonic Decays,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 4462 (1996).
  85. “Search for Flavor-Changing Neutral Current B Meson Decays in pp Collisions at √s = 1.8 TeV,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 2616 (1996).
  86. “Forward-Backward Charge Asymmetry of Electron Pairs Above the Z0 Pole,” (with the CDF Collabora- tion), Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 2616 (1996).
  87. “Measurement of Λb0 Lifetime Using Λc+ l− υ,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 1439 (1996).
  88. “Measurement of the Lifetime of the B0 Meson Using the Exclusive Decay Mode B0 → J/ψφ,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 1945 (1996).
  89. “Further Properties of High-Mass Multijet Events at the Fermilab Proton-Antiproton Collider,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D54, 4221 (1996).
  90. “Ratios of Bottom Meson Branching Fractions Involving J/ψ Mesons and Determination of b Quark Fragmentation Fractions,” (with the CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D54: 6596-6609, (1996).
  91. “Properties of Jets in Z Boson Events from 1.8 TeV pp Collisions,” (with the CDF Collaboration), FERMILAB- PUB-96/056-E, (1996).
  92. “The TrICE Prototype MAMPT Imaging Camera,” (with the TrICE Collaboration), Proceedings of the 30th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC07), vol II, p. 469, editors, Rogelio Caballero, Juan Carlos D’Olivo, Gustavo Medina-Tanco, Lukas Nellen, Federico A Sánchez, José F. Valdés Galicia (2007).
  93. “The Status of the Track Imaging Čerenkov Experiment,” (with the TrICE Collaboration), Proceedings of the 30th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC07), vol II, p. 413, editors, Rogelio Caballero, Juan Carlos D’Olivo, Gustavo Medina-Tanco, Lukas Nellen, Federico A Sánchez, José F. Valdés Galicia (2007).
  94. “High Resolution Measurements of Cosmic-ray Air Showers with the Track Imaging Čerenkov Experiment,” (with the TrICE Collaboration), Proceedings of the 30th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC07), vol II, p. 475, editors, Rogelio Caballero, Juan Carlos D’Olivo, Gustavo Medina-Tanco, Lukas Nellen, Federico A Sánchez, José F. Valdés Galicia (2007).
  95. “The Track Imaging Čerenkov Experiment,” Nuclear Instruments and Measurements in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, vol. 659, no. 1, pp. 175-181, arXiv:1107.3272 (2011).
  96. “Response to David Quigley,” Integritas, vol 2, no. 3, pp.15-18. http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ integritas/issue/view/601 (2013).
  97. “Type Ia Supernovae Selection and Forecast of Cosmology Constraints for the Dark Energy Survey,” Astroparticle Physics 42, pp. 52-61, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2012.11.009 (2013).
  98. “The Study of Science in Catholic Higher Education in the United States: A Modern Nuisance?” Integritas, vol 3, no. 2, pp. 1-19. http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/integritas/issue/view/622 (2014).