Lightening coming down from stormy cloud

Atmospheric and Space Physics

Experiments on spacecraft, airplanes, and balloons measure x-ray and gamma-ray emissions from astrophysical and geophysical sources. These give insight into terrestrial lightning, cosmic rays, solar radiation, and Earth’s radiation belts.

Some of the research projects and experiments in Atmospheric and Space Physics within SCIPP include:

Airborne Detector for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE)
AESOP-Lite experiment
SCIPP members affiliated with Atmospheric and Space Physics within SCIPP include:

Robert Preston Johnson

  • Title
    • Distinguished Professor
  • Department
    • Physics Department
  • Phone
    • 831-459-2125
  • Campus Email
  • Website
  • Office Location
    • Nat Sci 2 Main Building, 323 Nat Sci II
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Heather Rose Mentzer

  • Title
    • Graduate Student
  • Department
    • Physics Department
  • Campus Email
  • Office Location
    • Remote work location, 000
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John Ortberg

  • Title
    • Postdoctoral Scholar
  • Department
    • Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP)
  • Campus Email
  • Office Location
    • Remote work location, 00
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Ronaldo Eusebio Rodriguez

  • Title
    • Graduate Student
  • Department
    • Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP)
  • Campus Email
  • Office Location
    • Nat Sci 2 Main Building, NS273
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David M Smith

  • Title
    • Professor
  • Department
    • Physics Department
  • Phone
    • 831-459-2183
  • Campus Email
  • Website
  • Office Location
    • Nat Sci 2 Main Building, 321 Nat Sci II
Profile picture of David M Smith

Last modified: Nov 14, 2025