Research Interests: High sensitivity neutron detection using 10B and 6Li absorbers, noble gas excimers and vacuum ultraviolet photon detection. Development of high resolution ion mass spectrometers for measuring the composition of the atmospheres of the giant planets and their satellites.

Recent Publications:

• John W. Cooper, Michael A. Coplan, and Patrick P. Hughes, "The Detection of Lyman Alpha Radiation Formed by the Slowing Down of Protons and Tritons Produced by the 3He(n,tp) Reaction—A Model Study," J. Res. Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. 114, 185-199 (2009).
• Patrick P. Hughes, Michael A. Coplan, Jeffery N. DeFazio, Dennis. J. Chornay, Michael R. Collier, Keith W. Ogilvie, and Mark D. Shappirio, "Scattering of neutral hydrogen at energies less than 1 KeV from tungsten and diamond-like carbon surfaces, J. Vac. Sci. Tech. A27, 1188-1195 (2009).
• Patrick P. Hughes, Michael A. Coplan, Alan K. Thompson, Robert E. Vest, and Charles W. Clark, "Far-ultraviolet signatures of the 3He(n,tp) reaction in noble gas mixtures," Appl. Phys. Lett. 97, 234105 (2010); doi:10.1063/1.3521285.
• E. C. Sittler Jr., J. F. Cooper, R. E. Hartle, W. R. Patterson, E. R. Shristian, A. S. Lipatov, P. R. Mahaffy, N. P. Padchalidis, M. A. Coplan, T. A. Cassidy, Jj. D. Richardson, B. Fegley Jr., N. Andre, "Plasma ion composition measurements for Europa," Planetary and Space Science, 88, 26-41 (2013).
• Jacob C. McComb, Michael A. Coplan, Mohamad Al-Sheikhly, Alan K. Thompson, Robert E. Vest, and Charles W. Clark, "Noble gas excimer scintillation following neutron capture in boron thin films," J. Appl. Phys, 115, 144504 (2014); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4871009.

Patents:

• United States Patent 	No: US 7,791,045 B2	 Awarded: September 7, 2010 
  	APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING SLOW NEUTRONS BY LYMAN ALPHA
   	RADIATION
  	Inventors:  A. K. Thompson, M. A. Coplan, C. W. Clark
  	Assignee:  The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Commerce, the National 
  	Institute of Standards and Technology, Washington, DC (US)

• United States Provisional Application No. 61/429,207	Filed on January 3, 2011
  	NOBLE –GAS-EXCIMER DETECTORS OF SLOW NEUTRONS
  	Inventors:  Charles W. Clark, P. Hughes, Michael Alan Coplan, Alan Keith Thompson, Robert E. Vest

Books:

• "Building Scientific Apparatus" (with J. H. Moore and C. C. Davis), Addison-Wesley, 1983, 483 pages. Revised, Second Edition, Fall 1988. Revised, Third Edition, August, 2002. Revised Fourth Edition, Fall 2009, Cambridge University Press.

Book Chapter:

• "Coincidence Techniques," Encyclopedia of Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry, Institute of Physics Publishing, Philadelphia, PA, December 2001.