At present, an active research area concern is the optical radiation emitted by the aerodynamically heated bow shock region near high speed missiles. This program is using spectroscopic details of the radiation emitted from this area to evaluate the optical signatures of moving bodies and to investigate the mechanisms by which energy is converted into excited vibration and electronic states in the molecules and atoms that will subsequently emit radiation.
Additional work is in progress on four-wave mixing of laser radiation and solids.
This technique of four-wave mixing is being used to study the velocity of sound and the thermal property of crystalline solids. This research area has been the topic of several research thesis.