Perry Cai

Physics B.S. student at UC Santa Barbara · plasma physics, astronomy, avionics

Research

Research Mentee, Lumiere Education Research Program

Summer 2025

Mentored by Alejandro Mesa-Dame

Literature review, Waves and Instabilities of Magnetohydrodynamics. Derived the linear ideal MHD dispersion relation (slow/fast magnetosonic, Alfvén, and entropy modes) and a generalized incompressible dispersion relation unifying the Kelvin–Helmholtz and Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities.

Research Assistant, University of Maryland

Summer 2025

With Dr. Quanzhi Ye

Enhanced telescope images and removed background stars to search for the lost comet P/2010 H2 (Vales); analyzed orbital projections and estimated the comet's size and trajectory under incomplete data.

Publications

Q. Ye, T. L. Farnham, P. Cai, L. Feaga. A Search for the Lost Comet P/2010 H2 (Vales). Icarus 453, 117052 (2026).

Projects

Avionics & Simulation, SB Aeronautics (UCSB)

Fall 2026–present

Condor VTOL drone

  • Aerodynamics, stability, and mass estimation scripts integrated into ArduPilot SITL.
  • 915 MHz Wi-Fi HaLow telemetry link, designed with a two-ray propagation model and NEC2/FDTD antenna simulations.
  • Onboard Linux (Yocto) for the Orange Pi companion computer.

Education

University of California, Santa Barbara

Class of 2030

Physics, B.S. (in progress)

Belmont High School

Class of 2026

Harvard Extension School: Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra.

Leadership

Programming Lead, Record Robotics (FRC)

2022–2026

Led the programming subteam; 7th in the New England District, Greater Boston.

Captain & Founder, Belmont Aerospace Student Society

2022–2026

Designed, built, programmed, and flew drones for the Aerospace Robotics Competition.