Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Chemical Substitution Induced Half-Metallicity In Crmnsb0.5si0.5, Lukas Stuelke, Pavel Lukashev Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Background

⮚Research on magnetic materials for potential applications in spin-based electronics: one of the most active fields in academia and industry. ⮚High degree of spin polarization – wanted in spintronics. ⮚Spintronics – an emerging technology utilizing a spin degree of freedom. ⮚Various mechanisms alter degree of spin polarization – mechanical strain, structural disorder, temperature, termination surface/interface, etc. ⮚Magnetic materials that conduct electrons of only one spin are called half-metals, and have a great potential in spintronics.

Electronic, Magnetic, And Structural Properties Of Comnvsb, Adam Ramker, Pavel Lukashev Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Background

• Spin degree of freedom in electronic devices.
• Ideal candidate – room temperature half-metal.
• Heusler compounds attractive because of high Curie temperature
• Various mechanisms altering degree of spin polarization – mechanical strain, structural disorder, temperature, termination surface/interface, etc.
• CoMnVSb: nearly a spin gapless semiconductor.

Sustainable And Biodegradable Nanocellulose Composite Materials, Jacob Scheel, Tim Kidd Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Nanocellulose is made from a mixture of cellulose powder, and a variety of different materials and liquids. Unfortunately the cost to produce nanocellulose isn’t ideal, thanks to shrinkage. The goal of my research this year was to try to make nanocellulose more cost effective, by reduce shrinkage.

Poster Session: Tagging Pb-214 Decay Events Via Toy Monte Carlo Method, Samuel Schleich

Society of Physics Students Regional Meeting

Pb-214 β-decay events within a liquid xenon time projection chamber can often look identical to the signature of a WIMP interaction, which causes false positives in the search for dark matter. To combat this, we can “tag” decay events of the Rn-222 decay chain, which is based on the timing and position of decay events. My algorithm pieced these events together like puzzle pieces to determine the validity of Pb-214 β-decay events. Using a Toy Monte Carlo model, I was able to simulate both the Rn-222 decay chain and begin to tag decay events to eliminate false positives.

Poster Session: Simulating Griffiths Phase Behavior, Aaron Janaszak

Society of Physics Students Regional Meeting

The Griffiths Phase is a result of a spontaneous increase in the overall magnetization of the system primarily influenced by the rare, large clusters transitioning to a ferromagnetic state at the Curie temperature. Approaching this computationally, we were able to create a MATLAB program that exhibits this trend by using the Langevin function to simulate clusters. Modifying variables resulted in behaviors similar to that experienced in a laboratory setting, lending support to the veracity of the model. Further refinement of the computational model could allow in-depth exploration and lead to a better understanding of the Griffiths Phase.

Poster Session: Predicted Net Flux Versus Pressure Profiles During A Probe Descent Into Uranus’S Atmosphere, Meredith Wieber, Shahid Aslam, Maarten Roos, Patrick Irwin, Geronimo Villanueva

Society of Physics Students Regional Meeting

The responsivity of the proposed Net Flux Radiometer (NFR) for the Ice Giants was examined, using a specialty browser tool. This tool takes simulated spectra of Uranus, along with specific parameters of the NFR, and applies Net Flux calculations in order to produce a net flux profile, a simulated view of what the NFR probe would observe as it plunged into Uranus’s atmosphere. The efforts of this project led to a redesign of the NFR to include an increase in the FOV of the radiation-collection windows from 5° to 10°, as well as the selection of spectral bandwidths for observation …