Ronald Gilgenbach

Ronald M. Gilgenbach is the Chihiro Kikuchi Collegiate Professor in the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Department at the University of Michigan. He served as NERS Department Chair from 2010-2018, during which time he conceived and built the Nuclear Engineering Laboratory Building. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University in 1978. His B.S. (1972) and M.S. (1973) degrees were received at the University of Wisconsin. In the early 1970’s he spent several years as a Member of the Technical Staff at Bell Labs. From 1978-1980, he performed gyrotron research at the Naval Research Lab (NRL) and performed the first electron cyclotron heating experiments on a tokamak plasma in the USA at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dr. Gilgenbach joined the faculty of the University of Michigan in 1980 and became Director of the Plasma, Pulsed Power and Microwave Laboratory.

At UM, Dr. Gilgenbach has supervised or co-supervised 50 graduated Ph.D. students, has published some 180 articles in refereed journals and has 5 patents granted. He originated a new course on particle accelerators and updated the plasma curriculum. His research at Michigan has concentrated on advanced particle accelerators, electron beams, plasma physics, high power microwave generation, as well as biological interactions of radio-frequency and ultrawideband radiation, particularly for killing cancer cells. He has collaborated in research with scientists at Air Force Research Lab, Sandia National Labs, Los Alamos National Lab, NASA Glenn, Northrop-Grumman, L-3 Communications, General Motors Research Labs, Fermilab, Naval Research Lab and the Institute of High Current Electronics (Russia). He received the UM College of Engineering Research Award in 1993, the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award (1984) and the 1997 Plasma Sciences and Applications Committee (PSAC) Award from the IEEE, served as PSAC Chair in 2007-2008 and received an Outstanding Young Engineer Award from the American Nuclear Society. He is the 2017 recipient of the Peter Haas Pulsed Power Award from the IEEE Pulsed Power Science and Technology Committee. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE, Fellow of the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics and Fellow of the American Nuclear Society. He is a past Associate Editor of the journal, Physics of Plasmas.

Research Interests: 

Science and technology of intense electron beams and plasmas generated by advanced MV and MA accelerators. High power microwave generation from intense electron beams.

Awards: 

• 2018 Glenn F. and Gladys H. Knoll Department Chair, NERS
• 2017 Fellow, ANS
• 2017 IEEE Peter Haas Pulsed Power Award
• 2010 Chihiro Kikuchi Collegiate Professor
• 2006 Fellow, IEEE, Life Fellow (2015)
• 1996 Fellow, American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics
• 2006 Outstanding Professional Award from IEEE Southeast Michigan Section
• 1997 IEEE Plasma Science and Applications Award
• 1993 Research Excellence Award (UM College of Engineering)
• 1987 Young Member Engineering Achievement Award from American Nuclear Society
• 1984 Presidential Young Investigator Award
• 1984 Centennial Key Award for Outstanding Young Engineer from the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society

SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS:

(appearing during 9/78-pres.)

• Number of refereed archival publications: 175, published and submitted
• Number of conference abstracts: >300
• Number of chapters in books: 2
• Number of Patents: 5

MAJOR TECH TRANSFER ACTIVITIES,  PATENTS AND APPLICATIONS

1) R.M. Gilgenbach, “Electron Beam, Ion Beam, or Neutral Particle Beam- Induced Modification or Enhancement of Combustion Reactions,” US Patent # 4,885,065, Issued 1989

2) Ya.S. Derbenev, Y.Y. Lau, R.M.Gilgenbach, “Two-Beam Particle Acceleration Method and Apparatus” US Patent #5483122, issued 1/9/96

3,4) V.B. Neculaes, R.M. Gilgenbach and Y.Y. Lau: “Low Noise Crossed-Field Devices Such as Microwave Magnetron Having an Azimuthally-Varying Axial Magnetic Field and Microwave Oven Utilizing Same”, US Patent 6,872,929, Issued March 29, 2005 and US Patent 6,921,890, issued July 26, 2005

5) Gilgenbach, Lau, Hoff, French and Luginsland, “Crossed Field Device” US Patent # 8,841,867 B2, issued Sept. 23, 2014

OTHER ACTIVITIES

• Developed a state-of-the-art 1 MA accelerator facility