BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Roshani Silwal, assistant professor in the Appalachian State University Department of Physics and Astronomy, is the lead author of two peer-reviewed journal articles and a co-author of two others published this year.
The publications are as follows:
Silwal, R., Blundell, S. A., Sanders, S. C., Dipti, Staiger, H., Hosier, A., Fuller, M. G., Ralchenko, Y., & Takacs, E. (2025). Testing relativistic atomic structure and bound-state quantum electrodynamics with Co-like ions. Physical Review A, 111(4), 042821. doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.111.042821
Silwal, R., Takacs, E., Wang, Y., Kwiatkowski, A. A., Blundell, S. A., Staiger, H., Dipti, Lapierre, A., Cardona, J. D., Maldonado Millán, F., O’Neil, G., Hosier, A., Gillaspy, J. D., Ralchenko, Y., & Gwinner, G. (2025). Highly charged ion approach to measure nuclear charge radii of Fr, Ra, and Rn isotopes for precision measurements. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 1052, 168208. doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2025.170947
Hosier, A., Dipti, Blundell, S. A., Lapierre, A., Silwal, R., Gwinner, G., Tan, J. N., Naing, A., Gillaspy, J. D., Yang, Y., Szypryt, P., O’Neil, G., Staiger, H., Dreiling, J. M., Villari A. C. C., Angeli, I., Ralchenko, Y., & Takacs, E. (2025). Determination of nuclear charge radius by extreme-ultraviolet spectroscopy of Na-like ions. Physical Review Research, 7(1), L012024. doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.L012024
Staiger, H., Mondeel, G., Blundell, S. A., Dipti, O’Neil, G., Silwal, R., Lapierre, A., Gwinner, G., Tan, J. N., Gillaspy, J. D., Ralchenko, Y., & Takacs, E. (2025). Measurement of D-line energies in sodiumlike Ir. Physical Review A, 112(1), 012807. doi.org/10.1103/xf52-d6s6
"Accurate experimental determination and calculations were performed on highly-charged Na-like and Co-like ions created in an electron beam ion trap," explained Dr. Silwal. "The overarching goal is to study higher-order relativistic and quantum electrodynamics effects (Publication #1), benchmark advanced multi-electron atomic structure models against experimental data (#1-4), and determine the nuclear charge radius of heavy elements (#2-4)."
The work was accomplished in collaboration with scientists from Clemson University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Additionally, Mason Fuller '25 contributed to the analysis of the Co-like data and publication preparation. Fuller, an alumnus of the CAS Corps, graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in physics and is pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Silwal, who holds a doctoral degree in atomic/molecular physics from Clemson University, joined App State's Department of Physics and Astronomy in January 2021 following postdoctoral research at TRIUMF, Canada's particle accelerator center. In 2023, Silwal was the co-recipient of a three-year National Science Foundation Research in Undergraduate Institutions Award to support her research on highly charged ions.
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About the Department of Physics and Astronomy
The Department of Physics and Astronomy’s curriculum has an applied nature that includes a core of fundamental physics courses and laboratory experiences. The department prepares graduates for a variety of scientific, teaching or engineering professions, as well as future educational endeavors. Learn more at physics.appstate.edu.
By Lauren Gibbs
September 5, 2025
BOONE, N.C.
Dr. Roshani Silwal is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Appalachian State University.
Dr. Roshani Silwal is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Appalachian State University.