About

John Paul Meyers is an associate professor in the Department of African American Studies at Illinois College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He is an ethnomusicologist and popular music scholar whose work examines how popular music cultures engage with the past. His research interests include jazz, hip hop, funk, rock, soul music, technology, sampling, activism, and intellectual property. Meyers has authored the book 'Same Old Song: The Enduring Past in Popular Music,' which explores topics such as the sampling of soul and funk recordings from the 1970s in hip-hop, live performances of jazz standards, and the recording of songs from the Great American Songbook by pop and rock musicians. His articles have been published in various academic journals, focusing on subjects like Miles Davis, tribute bands, rock music in Mexico City and Buenos Aires, and cultural politics in African American music. Meyers has received recognition for his scholarship, including the Richard Waterman Prize from the Society for Ethnomusicology and a Lincoln Excellence for Assistant Professors scholarship. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011 and his B.A. from Columbia University in 2005. He teaches courses on African American music and hip-hop music history and culture.

Research topics

• Materials science
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Thermodynamics
• Engineering
• Nuclear engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Atomic physics
• Nuclear physics
• Nanotechnology
• Composite material
• Mechanics
• Environmental science
• Chemical engineering

Selected publications

• Absolute Number Density Measurements of O Atom Over a Catalyzing Surface in Air Plasmas

  2026-01-08

  article

  Spatially resolved laser-spectroscopic measurements of atomic oxygen consumed by surface-catalyzed reactions in air plasma recently been obtained in the 30 kW Inductively Coupled Plasma Torch Facility at the University of Vermont. A newly developed calibration procedure to convert atomic specie measurements into absolute number densities has been applied. Absolute number densities of oxygen atom in the boundary layer of a catalytic surface provide insight into the plasma composition and energy deposited on the surface due to surface catalyzed recombination of atomic nitrogen and oxygen in air plasma.

  PublisherDOI

• Simultaneous O Atom nsTALIF and NO nsLIF Imaging Strategy to Expedite Characterization and Numerical Validation of High Enthalpy Plasma Flows

  2026-01-08

  article1st authorCorresponding

  In this work, results from a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) approach capable of simultaneously measuring ground-state information of multiple species using a single tunable laser source. This method employs a spectrally narrow tunable laser to excite atomic oxygen (via nsTALIF) and molecular nitric oxide (via nsLIF) in high-enthalpy air plasma flows produced by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 350 kW Plasmatron X Facility. Two gated ICCD cameras with with different phosphor, intensifier, and filter configurations were utilized to image the emission along the laser beam, enabling the simultaneous acquisition of full jet radial profiles for both species. This work demonstrate that significant LIF signals of free-jet oxygen atoms (O) and nitric oxide molecules (NO) can be simultaneously captured by probing the O atom 3p² transition and nearby high rotational number transitions in the NO (A-X) band. The extracted ro-translational temperatures for O and NO were relatively consistent, and the radial relative species number densities followed expected trends and computational models. These findings suggest that the simultaneous species LIF technique holds considerable promise for high-enthalpy flow studies, investigations into gas-surface interaction chemistry, and the validation of numerical models requiring a robust understanding of spatial enthalpy distributions.

  PublisherDOI

• Quantitative Measurement of NO Produced from Copper Surface Catalysis in Air Plasma

  2026-01-08

  article

  Spatially resolved laser-spectroscopic measurements of nitric oxide molecules formed from surface-catalyzed recombination in air plasma flowing over polished copper have recently been obtained in the 30 kW Inductively Coupled Plasma Torch Facility at the University of Vermont. A newly developed calibration procedure to convert plasma molecular species measurements into absolute number densities has been applied. These measurements provide important information about the plasma state in the boundary layer and the amount of catalytic recombination energy deposited on the surface in air plasma.

  PublisherDOI

• Numerical Investigation of High-Power Inductively Coupled Plasma Discharges

  2026-01-08

  article

  This work presents a numerical investigation of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) discharges using a state-of-the-art multi-physics computational framework developed by the authors. The physical model accounts for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium effects through multi-temperature models or reduced-order models based on state-to-state formulations. The fluid governing equations are spatially discretized using a cell-centered finite-volume method and are tightly coupled to the electromagnetic (EM) and radiative transfer equations required for modeling external fields and radiation transport. The EM equations are numerically solved with a mixed finite element solver capable of handling both time-dependent and frequency-domain Maxwell's equations, while the radiation transfer equation is discretized using the finite volume method. The computational framework is utilized to study air and nitrogen discharges occurring within the torch of the University of Illinois Plasmatron X facility. The investigation reveals that, at larger powers, radiation transport has to be taken into account for pressures greater than 5 kPa. A preliminary comparison with TALIF temperature measurements for free jet characterization is also presented.

  PublisherDOI

• Gas Surface Interaction Reactant and Product Characterization in High Enthalpy Air Plasma Flows via nsTALIF/LIF Imaging in the UIUC 350 kW Plasmatron X Facility

  2026-01-08

  article1st authorCorresponding

  In this work, experimental and numerical efforts to determine radial temperature and density distributions of reactant and product species above reactive copper samples of varied geometries in the 350 kW Plasmatron X facility operating an air plasma are presented. Experimental approaches made use of spectrally resolved nanosecond two-photon and single photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (nsTALIF and nsLIF) imaging strategies to extract radial distributions of reactants (O atoms and N atoms) and products (NO). These radial beam images were acquired at various locations, spanning from the boundary layer edge to the sample surface, with sufficient spatial resolution to capture critical sub-millimeter temperature and species density gradients near the material surface. Latest results have shown a level of agreement that have helped guide in-house CFD development and validation efforts capable of modeling facility physics from the induction zone to the material surface.

  PublisherDOI

• Spectrally Resolved ns TALIF Imaging of O atoms Near a Reacting Copper Surface in the UIUC Plasmatron X Facility

  2025-01-03 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  In this work, we report progress on spectrally resolved nanosecond two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (nsTALIF) measurements of O atoms to probe radial property distributions within the reacting boundary layer above a water-cooled copper sample in the 350 kW Plasmatron X Facility. Radial beam images from spectral nsTALIF scans were acquired at various locations, spanning from the boundary layer edge to the sample surface, with sufficient spatial resolution to capture critical sub-millimeter temperature and species density gradients near the material surface. Preliminary rotational temperature measurements have shown encouraging agreement with nitrogen (N2) rotational temperatures obtained through not yet reported efforts using coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS). Additionally, relative number density measurements along the stagnation line and across radial profiles exhibit promising trends. Efforts are ongoing to fully calibrate the system for determining absolute species concentrations.

  PublisherDOI

• Characterization of O Atoms in the Plasmatron X Facility Free Jet via Spectrally Resolved Two Photon Laser Induced Fluorescence Imaging

  2025-01-03 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  In this work, we report progress on using non-intrusive, spectrally resolved nanosecond two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (nsTALIF) strategies to probe oxygen (O) atoms in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Plasmatron X Facility operating with an air plasma, aiming to better assess flow enthalpy. Measurements were conducted using an ICCD camera to take radial profile images of a tuned laser beam across the jet under various pressure and power conditions. The data presented here reveal encouraging trends in temperature, relative number density, and velocity, which are expected to complement future measurements of other species, such as nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen (N) atoms. Comparisons with the latest numerical simulations are also provided, highlighting areas of agreement between the model and experiment, as well as identifying discrepancies that offer valuable guidance for future improvements. Near-term advancements, including improved energy normalization, better understanding of laser energy fluence limits, and refined laser linewidth estimates, are expected to help reduce uncertainties in the preliminary temperature and density results reported here.

  PublisherDOI

• Spectrally Isolating Rotational Raman Lines of CO2: An Experimental Demonstration of the High Resolution of Slow Light Imaging Spectroscopy

  2024-01-04

  article

  In this study, we experimentally demonstrate the high resolution of slow light imaging spectroscopy by measuring the spectrum of narrowly-spaced (93.6 GHz) rotational Raman lines of CO2 in 1~atm at room temperature. Raman spectroscopy of the gas phase is a laser diagnostic technique for measuring important parameters in aerospace applications. Results show that adjacent anti-Stokes lines of J22 and J24 can be completely isolated as no wing overlap is present. The total FWHM of Raman lines is measured to be about 18 to 20 GHz which is due to the collisional and thermal broadening of the Raman lines, the linewidth of the laser, the temporal profile of the intensifier gain, and the instrument function of the method. We characterize the combined effect of the instrument function, the laser linewidth, and the intensifier gain curve on the measurement of rotational Raman lines.

  PublisherDOI

• Slow Light Prism Enhanced Spectroscopy (SLOPES)

  2024-07-27

  article

  We report a new spectroscopy method achieved by combined refraction and propagation delay of light pulses passing through a prism cell filled with an atomic vapor. The atomic vapor medium has strong refractive index gradients near the atomic resonant absorption features, and these features enable the separation in time and space of different spectral features of a light pulse propagating through the vapor cell. The gradient of the refractive index leads to a slowing of the light pulse, while simultaneously, the magnitude of the refractive index and the prismatic windows or internal prism elements of the atomic vapor cell spatially separate the frequencies due to dispersion. The combination of these two effects leads to high-resolution spectral selectivity and strong suppression of out-of-band light. Applications are achieved for Rayleigh, Raman, and Thomson spectroscopy for which the wavelength of the scattering spectra tracks the wavelength of the excitation laser source. The laser is tuned such that the spectral line of interest falls near the resonance of the atomic vapor. Applications for rotational Raman spectroscopy are of particular interest since specific Raman lines can be selected while other Raman lines as well as background Rayleigh and other scattering are strongly rejected.

  PublisherDOI

• Slow Light Imaging Spectroscopy: Sensitivity of the Instrument Function to Optical Thickness and Gate Delay

  2024-01-04

  article

  In this study, we investigate the effect of the optical thickness of an atomic vapor cell and the delay of the gated camera on the instrument function in Slow Light Imaging Spectroscopy. In an atomic vapor medium, the slow light effect happens at certain frequency windows where there is a large slope of the index of refraction versus frequency. The extent of these windows depends on the important parameters of the vapor cell (i.e., the optical thickness). Furthermore, the gate delay determines the minimum amount of delay that a signal needs to experience before it is detected. These two parameters determine the shape of the instrument function of the spectrometer in slow light imaging spectroscopy. Simulation and experimental results show that when absorption lines of cesium vapor at 852.1 nm are used as a delay medium, the instrument function at low temperature consists of four peaks corresponding to the steep refractive index gradients at either side of the two hyperfine absorption lines. By increasing the temperature, these peaks move away from the absorption lines. When the two peaks between the two absorption lines move away from their corresponding absorption lines, they move closer to each other until they blend, forming a strong peak. By increasing the gate delay, the four peaks of the instrument function reappear.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Douglas G. Fletcher

  University of Vermont

  16 shared

• Douglas Fletcher

  United States Census Bureau

  9 shared

• D. G. Fletcher

  9 shared

• Richard B. Miles

  Mitchell Institute

  8 shared

• Frank Lu

  7 shared

• Andrew Lutz

  6 shared

• Amirhossein Abbasszadehrad

  Mitchell Institute

  6 shared

• Arthur Dogariu

  Texas A&M University

  6 shared

Awards & honors

• Richard Waterman Prize from the Society for Ethnomusicology…
• Lincoln Excellence for Assistant Professors scholar (2021-20…