Professor of Physics & Assistant Chair
243 Padnos Hall of Science
Department of Physics
Tel: (616) 331-3712
Fax: (616) 331-3740
Email: [email protected]

Education 

• Ph.D. Physics Department, University of Belgrade, Serbia (1990)
• M.S. Physics Department, University of Belgrade, Serbia (1986)
• B.S. Technical Physics Department, University of Belgrade, Serbia (1980)

Professional Experience

• Professor of Physics, Grand Valley State University, Aug. 2016  - Present.
• Associate Professor of Physics, Grand Valley State University, Fall 2008 - 2016
• Assistant Professor of Physics, Grand Valley State University, Fall 2003 - 2007.
• Visiting Instructor of Physics, Grand Valley State University, Fall 2002 - Winter 2003.
• Post-doctoral Research Associate, Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL),  2002 - 2003.
• Visiting Associate Professor,  Texas A & M University, Fall 1998 - 1999.
• Associate Research Professor, Department of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade,  Serbia, 1998 - 1999.
• Assistant Research Professor, Department of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade,  Serbia, 1992 - 1997.

Teaching 

• PHY 220 & 221: General Physics I & II
• PHY 230 & 231: Principles of Physics I & II
• PHY 303: World after Einstein
• PHY 306: Physics of Sports
• PHY 350: Intermediate Quantum Physics
• PHY 360: Statistical Thermodynamics
• PHY 440: Advanced Electricity & Magnetism
• PHY 450: Advanced Quantum Mechanics

Research Interests

• Theoretical atomic physics.
• Nonlinear dynamics.

Research with Undergraduate Students

• Nicholas Pike: Bells Inequality, 2008.
• Gaetan Vangysegham:  A Numerical Study of Integrable and Chaotic Hamiltonian Systems, 2006.
• Brian Page: Coulomb problem and O(4) group, 2005.
• Amer Hodzic: Dynamics of Charged Pendulum, 2004.

Selected Publications

• M. J. Rakovi\'c, "A charged particle interacting with a stationary magnetic monopole: quantum mechanics based on the kinetic momentum operators," J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 44, 475306, 2011.
• R. Ali, P. A. Neil, P. Beiersdorfer, C. L. Harris, M. J. Rakovi\'c, J. G. Wang, D. R. Schultz, and P. C. Stancil, "On the significance of the contribution of multiple-electron capture process to cometary X-ray emission, " ApJ 629, L125, 2005.
• M. J. Rakovi/'c, D. R. Schultz, P. C. Stancil, and R.K. Janev, "On quantum-classical correspondence in classical studies of atomic processes," J. Phys. A 34, 4753, 2001.
• M. J. Rakovi\'c and George W. Kattawar, "Theoretical analysis of polarization patterns from incoherent backscattering of light," Appl. Opt. 37, 3333, 1998.
• M. J. Rakovi\'c and Shih-I Chu, "New integrable systems: Hydrogen atom in external fields," Physica D 81, 271, 1995.
• T. P. Grozdanov and M. J. Rakovi\'c, "Periodic orbit theory of broad resonances in two dimensional hydrogenic Stark effect," J. Phys. A 24, 5517, 1991.