Brennan John Hughey

Title: Department Chair and Professor of Physics
Email: Brennan.Hughey@erau.edu Email
Department: Physics and Astronomy Department
College: College of Arts & Sciences

Office Hours

M 1-4 T 1:25-2:40 W 10:30-12 and 1-4 Th 10:35-11:50 and 1:25-2:40

Biography

Dr. Brennan Hughey is a professor of physics and chair of the Prescott campus Department of Physics and Astronomy. Dr. Hughey holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. His doctoral thesis was done with the IceCube neutrino detector experiment, and his graduate work included a trip to the South Pole, where the detector is located. After earning his Ph.D. he joined the LIGO collaboration in the search for gravitational waves. He has held several positions in LIGO, including chairing the collaboration’s detector characterization group. In collaboration with faculty at Cal State Fullerton, he contributed on of the figures to the famous Nobel-prize-winning paper detailing the first direct detection of gravitational waves.

Education

Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Physics: Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.S. - Bachelor of Science in Physics: Mathematics, Hope College

Currently Teaching

PS 215: Physics I
PS 161: Physics I & II for Engineers

Research Projects

Publications

Gravito-optics and intensity correlations for binary inspiral signal detections (Preston Jones, Alexander Barret, Justin Carpenter, Andri Gretarsson, Ellie Gretarsson, Brennan Hughey, Darrel Smith, Michele Zanolin, Doug Singelton) Publications (2023)
GW170817: Implications for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Compact Binary Coalescences (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2018)
All-Sky Search for Long-Duration Gravitational Wave Transients in the First Advanced LIGO Observing Run (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, J. W. W. Pratt, E. Rhoades, Elaine Rhoades, E. Schmidt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2018)
Effects of Data Quality Vetoes on a Search for Compact Binary Coalescences in Advanced LIGO's First Observing Run (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, J. Pratt, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2018)
First Search for Nontensorial Gravitational Waves From Known Pulsars (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, J. W. W. Pratt, E. Schmidt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2018)
First Narrow-Band Search for Continuous Gravitational Waves From Known Pulsars in Advanced Detector Data (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
GW170608: Observation of a 19 Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
First Low-Frequency Einstein@Home All-Sky Search for Continuous Gravitational Waves in Advanced LIGO Data (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, J. W. W. Pratt, E. Schmidt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
Search for Post-Merger Gravitational Waves From the Remnant of the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817 (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
Estimating the Contribution of Dynamical Ejecta in the Kilonova Associated With GW170817 (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
Search for High-Energy Neutrinos From Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817 With ANTARES, IceCube, and the Pierre Auger Observatory (M. G. Aartsen, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
On the Progenitor of Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817 (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
A Gravitational-Wave Standard Siren Measurement of the Hubble Constant (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarrson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalde, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
Multi-Messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
Gravitational Waves and Gamma-Rays from a Binary Neutron Star Merger: GW170817 and GRB 170817A (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
GW170814: A Three-Detector Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Coalescence (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
Upper Limits on Gravitational Waves from Scorpius X-1 from a Model-Based Cross-Correlation Search in Advanced LIGO Data (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, J. W. W. Pratt, E. Schmidt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
Full Band All-Sky Search for Periodic Gravitational Waves in the O1 LIGO Data (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, E. M. Gretarsson, B. Hughey, M. Muratore, J. W. W. Pratt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, K. Staats, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2 (B. P. Abbott, K. AultONeal, S. Gaudio, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, J. W. W. Pratt, E. Schmidt, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts During the First Advanced LIGO Observing Run and Implications for the Origin of GRB 150906B (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, J. W. W. Pratt, E. Rhoades, Elaine Rhoades, E. Schmidt, S. G. Schwalbe, G. Schwalbe, Sophia Schwalbe, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
The Basic Physics of the Binary Black Hole Merger GW150914 (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, J. Pratt, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2017)
The Rate of Binary Black Hole Mergers Inferred From Advanced LIGO Observations Surrounding GW150914 (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, B. Hughey, M. J. Szczepańczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)
Supplement: The Rate of Binary Black Hole Mergers Inferred From Advanced LIGO Observations Surrounding GW150914 (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, B. Hughey, M. J. Szczepańczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)
Results of the Deepest All-Sky Survey for Continuous Gravitational Waves on LIGO S6 Data Running on the Einstein@Home Volunteer Distributed Computing Project (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, B. Hughey, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)
Improved Analysis of GW150914 Using a Fully Spin-Precessing Waveform Model (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, B. Hughey, M. J. Szczepańczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)
Directly Comparing GW150914 With Numerical Solutions of Einstein's Equations for Binary Black Hole Coalescence (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, B. Hughey, M. J. Szczepańczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)
GW151226: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a 22-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, Brennan J. Hughey, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)
Search for Transient Gravitational Waves in Coincidence With Short-Duration Radio Transients During 2007-2013 (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, Brennan J. Hughey, D. Stiles, M. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)
Observing Gravitational-Wave Transient GW150914 with Minimal Assumptions (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, Brennan J. Hughey, M. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)
Characterization of Transient Noise in Advanced LIGO Relevant to Gravitational Wave Signal GW150914 (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, Brennan J. Hughey, M. J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)
Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger (B. P. Abbott, K. Gill, Gill Kiranjyot, B. Hughey, Brennan J. Hughey, M, J. Szczepańczyk, Marek Jan Szczepanczyk, M. Zanolin, Michele Zanolin, et al.) Publications (2016)

Professional Experience

Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (2010-2012)

Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2007-2010)