JESUS NOEL S. VILLASEŅOR

Center for Space Research
37-414
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA 02139

telephone: (617) 252-1667
fax: (617) 258-6921
E-mail: jsvilla@space.mit.edu

Professional Interest:

Experimental research in plasma/space physics and/or development of technologically innovative systems.

Present Occupation:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Center for Space Research
Cambridge, MA

• Post-doctoral position beginning Feb. 1996 involving work on the High Energy Transient Experiment, a gamma ray/x-ray/UV satellite. Worked with a small team in preparing and launching this satellite.
• Currently designing, building and calibrating a new soft X-ray detector for use on the forthcoming HETE-2 satellite.
• Tested and repaired satellite components including RF amplifiers and radiation belt monitors.
• Participated in establishing the Primary and Secondary ground station facilities.

Research Experience:

University of California at Los Angeles
High Power Active Stimulation (HIPAS) Project
Los Angeles, CA

• Supervision of the active heating experiments conducted at HIPAS, coordination with other groups in collaborative experiments.
• Development and maintenance of the HIPAS diagnostic systems, with emphasis on signal detection and processing.
• Conducted experiments using a network of highly sensitive, remote sensing facilities around Alaska for extremely low to very low frequency radiation (ELF/VLF).
  
• Built and developed a scanning detection system at VHF to measure cosmic noise absorption during heater operations.
  
• Maintained and upgraded the HIPAS control systems for high power transmission.
  
• Maintained and operated an HF vertical sounder (ionosonde) for measuring the ionospheric electron density.
  
• Built and erected various HF antenna arrays and configurations, some under extreme cold-weather conditions.
  

M.I.T. Plasma Fusion Center
Sept. 1984 to Sept.1993
Cambridge, MA

• Maintained and operated a small research tokamak facility which includes several diagnostic systems.
  
• Maintained, operated, and upgraded high power microwave systems at 2.45 GHz 100kW and 800 MHz at 150 kW.
  
• Investigated parametric decay activity during RF current drive.
  
• Built capacitor bank systems for use on equilibrium field coils.
  
• Investigated waveguide conditioning using Ar glow discharge.
  

Caltech Tokamak Laboratory
June 1983 to Sept. 1984
Pasadena, CA

• Assembled a poloidal magnetic loop probe array and corresponding electronics for use in detecting MHD modes in the Caltech ENCORE tokamak.
• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, 1983.
  Designed and constructed an electrostatic 32-probe poloidal probe array to detect edge density fluctuations in the Caltech Research Tokamak.

Caltech Submillimeter Astrophysics Laboratory
Summer 1981, 1982
Pasadena, CA

• Operated a Michelson interferometer. Constructed electronics circuits used for receivers.

Education:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Ph.D. in Physics, Sept. 1993.

• Thesis under Professor M. Porkolab on "Fast Wave Lower Hybrid Current Drive Experiments on the Versator II Tokamak".
• Designed and built a four waveguide phased array antenna to launch fast waves at 800 MHz.
• Investigated current drive physics of lower hybrid fast waves.
• Studied edge plasma physics during RF heating using a retarding potential energy analyzer and RF probes.

California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
B.S. Degree in Physics, June 1984.

• Broad curriculum in Physics including lab courses in Optics, Digital Electronics, Semiconductor Physics, and General Physics.
  

Teaching Experience:

M.I.T. Physics Department
Cambridge, MA

• Spring 1993
  Teaching Assistant, "Mechanics II"

• Spring 1990 and 1988
  Teaching Assistant, "Waves, Instability, and Radio Frequency Heating of Plasmas and Nonlinear Effects".

• Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
  Teaching Assistant, "Introduction to Plasma Physics I"
  

Ateneo de Manila University
Manila, Philippines

• June 1984 to Aug 1984
  Instructor, "Basic Electronics Laboratory"

Other Skills:

• Knowledge of personal computing systems and networking, and UNIX systems. Programming in BASIC, FORTRAN, C, IDL and MATLAB. Familiarity with various data acquisition systems hardware.
  
• Experience in machine tool operation.
  

Affiliations:

• American Physical Society
  
• American Geophysical Union
  

Interests,Activities:

volleyball, sailing, tennis, guitar, swimming, skating, community theatre

Presentations and Publications:

• H.L. Rowland, M.J. Keskinen, J. Villaseñor, and A.Y. Wong, "Observations and simulations of VLF Harmonic Generation with the HIPAS Heater Array", J. Geophys. Res.-Space,101,27027,1996

• J. Villaseñor, A.Y. Wong, B.Song, J. Pau and M McCarrick, "Comparison of ELF/VLF Generation modes in the Ionosphere by the HIPAS heater Array", Radio Science, 31, 211 (1996)

• B. Song, A.Y. Wong, J. Villaseñor, G. Rosenthal, M. McCarrick, J. Pau, "Experimental Study of Double Resonance Parametric Excitations in the Ionosphere", Radio Science, 30, 1875 (1995)

• J. Villaseñor, A. Y. Wong, B. Song, M. McCarrick, D. Sentman, I. Kimura, "Generation of ELF/VLF Radiation in the Ionosphere using double frequency excitation by the HIPAS Array", A.P.S. Conference, Plasma Physics Division. Minneapolis, MN (1994)

• J.A Colburn, M. Porkolab, J.P. Squire, and J. Villaseñor, "Observation and analysis of a two-temperature electron tail during lower hybrid current-drive on a tokamak", Phys. Fluids B 5 (10) 1993

• J.A. Colborn, R.R Parker, S.C. Luckhardt, M. Porkolab, J.P. Squire, J. Villaseñor, "Current Drive on the Versator II Tokamak with a Slotted Waveguide Fast Wave Coupler", Nucl. Fusion 31(5), 1991

• J.S. Villaseñor, M.Porkolab, J.C. Colborn, J.S. Squire, "Observation of Edge Electron Heating During 800 MHz Lower Hybrid Current Dive on the Versator II Tokamak", A.P.S. Conference, Plasma Physics Division. Seattle, WA (1992)

• J.S. Villaseñor, M. Porkolab, S.C. Luckhardt, K-I Chen, "Fast Wave Lower Hybrid Current Drive at 800 MHz on the Versator II Tokamak", A.P.S. Conference, Plasma Physics Division. Tampa, FL (1991), Cincinnati, OH (1990), Anaheim, CA (1989), Hollywood, FL (1988), San Diego, CA (1987).

• J.S. Villaseñor, M.Mayberry, K-I Chen, S.C. Luckhardt, "Comparison of Parametric Decay Spectra during 2.45 GHz and 800 MHz Current Drive on the Versator II Tokamak", A.P.S. Conference, Plasma Physics Division, Baltimore MD (1986)

• J.S. Villaseñor, P. Bellan, "Use of a Poloidal Magnetic Probe Array in the ENCORE Tokamak", Senior thesis (1984)

• J.S. Villaseñor, S. Zweben, "Poloidal Space-Time Mapping of MicroTurbulence at the plasma edge in the Caltech Tokamak", Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (1983)