Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Progress In Electronic, Energy, Biomedical And Environmental Applications Of Boron Nitride And Mos2 Nanostructures, Join Uddin, Raksha Dubey, Vinaayak Sivam Balasubramaniam, Jeff Kabel, Vedika Khare, Zohreh Salimi, Sambhawana Sharma, Dongyan Zhang, Yoke Khin Yap

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

In this review, we examine recent progress using boron nitride (BN) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanostructures for electronic, energy, biomedical, and environmental applications. The scope of coverage includes zero-, one-, and two-dimensional nanostructures such as BN nanosheets, BN nanotubes, BN quantum dots, MoS nanosheets, and MoS quantum dots. These materials have sizable bandgaps, differentiating them from other metallic nanostructures or small-bandgap materials. We observed two interesting trends: (1) an increase in applications that use heterogeneous materials by combining BN and MoS nanostructures with other nanomaterials, and (2) strong research interest in environmental applications. Last, we encourage researchers to study how …

A Formalism For Extracting Track Functions From Jet Measurements, Kyle Lee, Ian Moult, Felix Ringer, Wouter J. Waalewijn

Physics Faculty Publications

The continued success of the jet substructure program will require widespread use of tracking information to enable increasingly precise measurements of a broader class of observables. The recent reformulation of jet substructure in terms of energy correlators has simplified the incorporation of universal non-perturbative matrix elements, so called “track functions”, in jet substructure calculations. These advances make it timely to understand how these universal non-perturbative functions can be extracted from hadron collider data, which is complicated by the use jet algorithms. In this paper we introduce a new class of jet functions, which we call (semi-inclusive) track jet functions, which …

Dynamics Of Magnetoelastic Robots In Water-Saturated Granular Beds, Animesh Biswas, Trinh Huynh, Balaram Desai, Max Moss, Arshad Kudrolli

Physics

We investigate the dynamics of a magnetoelastic robot with a dipolar magnetic head and a slender elastic body as it performs undulatory strokes and burrows through water-saturated granular beds. The robot is actuated by an oscillating magnetic field and moves forward when the stroke amplitude increases above a critical threshold. By visualizing the medium, we show that the undulating body fluidizes the bed, resulting in the appearance of a dynamic burrow, which rapidly closes in behind the moving robot as the medium loses energy. We investigate the applicability of Lighthill's elongated body theory of fish locomotion, and estimate the contribution …

12 C(E,E'Pn) Measurements Of Short Range Correlations In The Tensor-To-Scalar Interaction Transition Region, I. Korover, J. R. Pybus, A. Schmidt, F. Hauenstein, M. Duer, O. Hen, E. Piasetzky, L. B. Weinstein, D. W. Higinbotham, S. Adhikari, K. Adhikari, M. J. Amaryan, Giovanni Angelini, H. Atac, L. Barion, M. Battaglieri, A. Beck, I. Bedlinkskiy, Fatiha Benmokhtar, Steffen Strauch, Ralf W. Gothe, Krishna Chandra Neupane, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

High-momentum configurations of nucleon pairs at short-distance are probed using measurements of the C-12(e, e' p) and C-12(e, e' pN) reactions (where N is either n or p), at high-Q(2) and x(B) > 1.1. The data span a missing-momentum range of 300-1000 MeV/c and are predominantly sensitive to the transition region of the strong nuclear interaction from a Tensor to Scalar interaction. The data are well reproduced by theoretical calculations using the Generalized Contact Formalism with both chiral and phenomenological nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction models. This agreement suggests that the measured high missing-momentum protons up to 1000 MeV/c predominantly belong to short-ranged …

¹² C(E,E'Pn) Measurements Of Short Range Correlations In The Tensor-To-Scalar Interaction Transition Region, I. Korover, J. R. Pybus, A. Schmidt, F. Hauenstein, M. Duer, L. B. Weinstein, M. J. Amaryan, D. Bullumulla, M. Hattawy, X. Zheng, Et Al., The Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

High-momentum configurations of nucleon pairs at short-distance are probed using measurements of the ¹²C(e,'p) and ¹²C (e,e'pN) reactions (where N is either n or p), at high Q² and 𝒙_B > 1.1. The data span a missing-momentum range of 300-1000 MeV/c and are predominantly sensitive to the transition region of the strong nuclear interaction from a tensor to scalar interaction. The data are well reproduced by theoretical calculations using the generalized contact formalism with both chiral and phenomenological nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction models. This agreement suggests that the measured high missing-momentum protons up to 1000 MeV/c predominantly …

Applying Cluster Analysis To Student Responses From Energy Surveys For Identification Of Commonalities In Their Understanding, Arianna Giguere

Honors College

Energy is a complicated model that has been developed to describe matter to matter interactions. Since energy can be challenging to define, there are inconsistencies among even teachers and physicists in how they define the concept. It is no wonder that students themselves carry misconceptions and confusions. While it may be difficult to teach, an understanding of energy from a young age is essential for the future of technology, climate change, and scientific discoveries. Middle school students in Maine are required to learn about energy transformation, conservation, and forms, and from 2011-2018, researchers at the University of Maine administered multiple …

Agenda, Shubha Tewari

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

Abstracts for six Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars.

Beam Asymmetry Σ For The Photoproduction Of Η And Ή Mesons At Eγ = 8.8gev, S. Adhikari, A. Ali, M. J. Amaryan, A. Austregesilo, F. Barbosa, J. Barlow, A. Barnes, E. Barriga, R. Barsotti, T. D. Beattie, V. V. Berdnikov, T. Black, N. Wickramaarachchi, B. Zihlmann, The Gluex Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

We report on the measurement of the beam asymmetry Σ for the reactions →γp→pη and →γp→pη′ from the GlueX experiment using an 8.2–8.8-GeV linearly polarized tagged photon beam incident on a liquid hydrogen target in Hall D at Jefferson Laboratory. These measurements are made as a function of momentum transfer −t with significantly higher statistical precision than our earlier η measurements and are the first measurements of η′ in this energy range. We compare the results to theoretical predictions based on t-channel quasiparticle exchange. We also compare the ratio of Σ_η to Σ_η′ to these models as …

Physics 4900, David Maughan

Physics Capstone Projects

More than a century has passed since Albert Einstein published his general theory of relativity. The theory has been tested many times experimentally, primarily in the relatively weak gravitational fields of the solar system [1,2]. More recently the first experimental results from the strong gravitational fields of two black holes have been measured in the form of gravitational waves, which are another prediction of general relativity. The 2017 Nobel prize in physics was awarded to Kip Thorne, Rainer Weiss, and Barry Barish for their role in the detection of gravitational waves. This year we have seen the first image of …

Probing High-Momentum Protons And Neutrons In Neutron-Rich Nuclei, M. Duer, C. L. A. S. Collaboration, O. Hen, E. Piasetzky, H. Hakobyan, L. B. Weistein, M. Braverman, Gerard P. Gilfoyle, Et. Al.

Physics Faculty Publications

The atomic nucleus is one of the densest and most complex quantum-mechanical systems in nature. Nuclei account for nearly all the mass of the visible Universe. The properties of individual nucleons (protons and neutrons) in nuclei can be probed by scattering a high-energy particle from the nucleus and detecting this particle after it scatters, often also detecting an additional knocked-out proton. Analysis of electron- and proton-scattering experiments suggests that some nucleons in nuclei form close-proximity neutron–proton pairs with high nucleon momentum, greater than the nuclear Fermi momentum. However, how excess neutrons in neutron-rich nuclei form such close-proximity pairs remains unclear. …

Isoscalar Ππ; Kk; Ηη Scattering And The Σ; F0; F2 Mesons From Qcd, Raul A. Briceño, Jozef J. Dudek, Robert G. Edwards, David J. Wilson

Physics Faculty Publications

We present the first lattice QCD study of coupled isoscalar ππ;K ¯K; ηη S- and D-wave scattering extracted from discrete finite-volume spectra computed on lattices which have a value of the light quark mass corresponding to m_π ∼ 391 MeV. In the J^P = 0⁺ sector we find analogues of the experimental σ and f₀ (980) states, where the σ appears as a stable bound-state below ππ threshold, and, similar to what is seen in experiment, the f₀ (980) manifests itself as a dip in the ππ cross section in the vicinity of the …

Problem Set #2, David Peak

Problems

A little energy and momentum practice (and units)

Problems 1-2 deal with “rest” energy and relativity.

One-Step Laser-Induced Hydrogen Generation From Coal Powders In Water, Dovletgeldi Seyitliyev

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study presents a simple way of obtaining hydrogen gas (H2) from various ranks of coal, coke, and graphite using nanosecond laser pulses. Powder samples of coal and graphite with and without water were irradiated with 1064 nm and 532 nm pulses from an Nd: YAG laser for 45 minutes under air and argon atmospheres. It was observed that 532 nm laser pulses were more effective than 1064 nm pulses in gas generation and both were nonlinearly correlated with respect to the laser energy density. Mainly hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) were observed. The H2 to CO ratio shows …

The Rise Of Nuclear Energy In Arab States: Future Impacts, Brittany Broder

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The signing of the Iranian nuclear deal during the Summer of 2015 highlighted the threat of nuclear proliferation from foreign powers, but largely overlooked the rise of nuclear energy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). With growing energy demands and heightened environmental regulations, countries in this region are turning to nuclear power to fuel their next generation. However, the rise of nuclear power in the MENA region holds serious implications for the future of the area’s energy, economic, and social reforms that have largely gone unexplored as a whole thus far. The purpose of this thesis is to …

Yoyo Lab (Prelab), David Abbott

Handouts

No abstract provided.

Yoyo Lab (In-Lab), David Abbott

Handouts

No abstract provided.

Energy Dependence Of Kπ, Pπ, And Kp Fluctuations In Au + Au Collisions From √SNn=7.7 To 200 Gev, James K. Adkins, Renee H. Fatemi, Suvarna Ramachandran, L. Adamczyk, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, I. Alekseev, J. Alford, A. Aparin, D. Arkhipkin, E. C. Aschenauer, G. S. Averichev

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

A search for the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) critical point was performed by the STAR experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, using dynamical fluctuations of unlike particle pairs. Heavy ion collisions were studied over a large range of collision energies with homogeneous acceptance and excellent particle identification, covering a significant range in the QCD phase diagram where a critical point may be located. Dynamical Kπ, pπ, and Kp fluctuations as measured by the STAR experiment in central 0–5% Au + Au collisions from center-of-mass collision energies √^sNN=7.7 to 200 GeV are presented. The observable …

Manufacture And Investigation Of Organic Composite Polymer Based Films For Advanced Flexible Solar Cells, Raffie Arshak

Masters

Modern society has created big challenges in the area of sustainable supply of energy to satisfy the needs of growing population and to account for depleting fossil fuel resources. The Irish Government has set targets for the energy sector by 2020, with 33% of electricity to be generated from renewable sources. Organic photovoltaic devices offer several advantages over expensive silicon solar cells, including deposition of ultra-thin films by spin-coating, printing and spray-coating. This in turn provides for the exciting possibility to make lightweight, flexible solar cells for a broad range of existing and emerging applications for security, military and medicine. …

Development Without Energy? Assessing Future Scenarios Of Energy Consumption In Developing Countries, Jan Christof Steckel, Robert J. Brecha, Michael Jakob, Jessica Strefler, Gunnar Luderer

Physics Faculty Publications

We analyze the relationship between economic development and energy consumption in the context of greenhouse gas mitigation. The main contribution of this work is to compare estimates of energy thresholds in the form of minimum energy requirements to reach high levels of development with output projections of per capita final energy supply from a group of integrated assessment models (IAMs). Scenarios project that reductions of carbon emissions in developing countries will be achieved not only by means of decreasing the carbon intensity, but also by making a significant break with the historically observed relationship between energy use and economic growth. …

Observation Of Ground-State Two-Neutron Decay, M Thoennessen, Z Kholey, A Spyrou, E Lunderberg, Paul A. Deyoung, H Attanayake, T Baumann, D Bazin, B A. Brown, G Christian, D Divaratne, S M. Grimes, A Haagsma, J E. Finck, N Frank, B Luther, S Mosby, T Nagi, Graham F. Peaslee, W A. Peters, A Schiller, J K. Smith, J Snyder, M Strongman, A Volya

Faculty Publications

Neutron decay spectroscopy has become a successful tool to explore nuclear properties of nuclei with the largest neutron-to-proton ratios. Resonances in nuclei located beyond the neutron dripline are accessible by kinematic reconstruction of the decay products. The development of two-neutron detection capabilities of the Modular Neutron Array (MoNA) at NSCL has opened up the possibility to search for unbound nuclei which decay by the emission of two neutrons. Specifically, this exotic decay mode was observed in¹⁶Be and ²⁶O.

Students Talk About Energy In Project- Based Inquiry Science, Benedikt W. Harrer, Virginia J. Flood, Michael C. Wittmann

Faculty Publications

We examine the types of emergent language eighth grade students in rural Maine middle schools use when they discuss energy in their first experiences with Project-Based Inquiry Science: Energy, a research-based curriculum that uses a specific language for talking about energy. By comparative analysis of the language used by the curriculum materials to students’ language, we find that students’ talk is at times more aligned with a Stores and Transfer model of energy than the Forms model supported by the curriculum.

Elliptic Flow Of Identified Hadrons In Au + Au Collisions At √ˢᴺᴺ = 7.7- 62.4 Gev, L. Adamczyk, J. K. Adkins, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, S. Bültmann, Star Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Measurements of the elliptic flow, υ₂, of identified hadrons (π^±, , K^±, , K^O_s, p, p¯, ɸ, Λ, Λ¯, Ξ-, Ξ¯+, Ω-, Ω¯+ in Au + Au collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, 39, and 62.4 GeV are presented. The measurements were done at midrapidity using the time-projection chamber and the time-of-flight detectors of the Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC experiment during the beam-energy scan program at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. A significant difference in the υ₂ values for particles and the corresponding antiparticles was observed at all transverse momenta for …

Transcendental Thermodynamics, Richard E. Morel, George Fleck

Kahn Institute Projects

Thermodynamics is often viewed as a narrow, introspective discipline, trapped by its origins in the 18th and 19th centuries. By dramatic contrast, we show that the Fourth Law of Thermodynamics provides explanations and interpretations of all natural events, extending across artificial boundaries of tradition- al academic disciplines. The Fourth Law of Thermodynamics states that far-from-equilibrium systems increase entropy at the maximum rate available to them. This broadly inclusive paradigm applies to systems from molecules, to organisms, to the biosphere. The Fourth Law is the Law of Evolution. All systems that communicate with their environment exhibit self-organization and self-optimization, enabling the …

Elements Of Proximal Formative Assessment In Learners’ Discourse About Energy, Benedikt W. Harrer, Rachel E. Scherr, Michael C. Wittmann, Hunter G. Close, Brian W. Frank

Faculty Publications

Proximal formative assessment, the just-in-time elicitation of students' ideas that informs ongoing instruction, is usually associated with the instructor in a formal classroom setting. However, the elicitation, assessment, and subsequent instruction that characterize proximal formative assessment are also seen in discourse among peers. We present a case in which secondary teachers in a professional development course at SPU are discussing energy flow in refrigerators. In this episode, a peer is invited to share her thinking (elicitation). Her idea that refrigerators move heat from a relatively cold compartment to a hotter environment is inappropriately judged as incorrect (assessment). The "instruction" (peer …

Anomalous Centrality Evolution Of Two-Particle Angular Correlations From Au-Au Collisions At √ˢᴺᴺ = 62 And 200 Gev, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, S. Bueltmann, I. Koralt, D. Plyku, Star Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

We present two-dimensional (2D) two-particle angular correlations measured with the STAR detector on relative pseudorapidity η and ϕ for charged particles from Au-Au collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 62 and 200 GeV with transverse momentum p_t ≥ 0.15 GeV/c, │η│ ≤ 1, and 2 π in azimuth. Observed correlations include a same-side (relative azimuth <π/2) 2D peak, a closely related away-side azimuth dipole, and an azimuth quadrupole conventionally associated with elliptic flow. The same-side 2D peak and away-side dipole are explained by semihard parton scattering and fragmentation (minijets) in proton-proton and peripheral nucleus-nucleus collisions. Those structures follow N-N binary-collision scaling in Au-Au collisions until midcentrality, where a transition to a qualitatively different centrality trend occurs within one 10% centrality bin. Above the transition point the number of same-side and away-side correlated pairs increases rapidly relative to binary-collision scaling, the η width of the same-side 2D peak also increases rapidly (η elongation), and the ϕ width actually decreases significantly. Those centrality trends are in marked contrast with conventional expectations for jet quenching in a dense medium. The observed centrality trends are compared to perturbative QCD predictions computed in HIJING, which serve as a theoretical baseline, and to the expected trends for semihard parton scattering and fragmentation in a thermalized opaque medium predicted by theoretical calculations and phenomenological models. We are unable to reconcile a semihard parton scattering and fragmentation origin for the observed correlation structure and centrality trends with heavy-ion collision scenarios that invoke rapid parton thermalization. If the collision system turns out to be effectively opaque to few-GeV partons the present observations would be inconsistent with the minijet picture discussed here.

Electron Energy Dependent Charging Effects Of Multilayered Dielectric Materials, Gregory Wilson, John R. Dennison, Amberly Evans, Justin Dekany

All Physics Faculty Publications

Measurements of the charge distribution in electron-bombarded, thin-film, multilayer dielectric samples showed that charging of multilayered materials evolves with time and is highly dependent on incident energy; this is driven by electron penetration depth, electron emission and material conductivity. Based on the net surface potential’s dependence on beam current, electron range, electron emission and conductivity, measurements of the surface potential, displacement current and beam energy allow the charge distribution to be inferred. To take these measurements, a thin-film disordered SiO2 structure with a conductive middle layer was charged using 200 eV and 5 keV electron beams with regular 15 s …

Guiding The Experimental Discovery Of Magnesium Alloys, Richard H. Taylor, Gus L. W. Hart, Stefano Curtarolo

Faculty Publications

Magnesium alloys are among the lightest structural materials known and are of considerable technological interest. To develop superior magnesium alloys, experimentalists must have a thorough understanding of the concentration-dependent precipitates that form in a given system, and hence, the thermodynamic stability of crystal phases must be determined. This information is often lacking but can be supplied by first-principles methods. Within the high-throughput framework, AFLOW, T = 0 K ground-state predictions are made by scanning a large set of known candidate structures for thermodynamic (formation energy) minima. The following 34 systems are investigated: AlMg, AuMg, CaMg, CdMg, CuMg, FeMg , GeMg, …

Laboratory Bounds On Electron Lorentz Violation, Brett David Altschul

Faculty Publications

Violations of Lorentz boost symmetry in the electron and photon sectors can be constrained by studying several different high-energy phenomenon. Although they may not lead to the strongest bounds numerically, measurements made in terrestrial laboratories produce the most reliable results. Laboratory bounds can be based on observations of synchrotron radiation, as well as the observed absences of vacuum Cerenkov radiation. Using measurements of synchrotron energy losses at LEP and the survival of TeV photons, we place new bounds on the three electron Lorentz violation coefficients c(_TJ ), at the 3 x 10^-13 to 6 x 10^-15 levels.

On The Feasibility Of A Timely Transition To A More Sustainable Energy Future, Micha Tomkiewicz

Publications and Research

The paper uses the framework of the IPAT equation, as applied to CO2 emission, to decompose the various driving forces in the global energy use. Data from recent history are superimposed on projections of SRES IPCC scenarios to determine if enough sustainable capacity can be built to prevent irreversible ecological deterioration. The conclusion from the analysis is that, in agreement with the IPCC 4th report, until about 2030 there are no large differences between a sustainable scenario and the one that resembles “business as usual”. The sharp divergence that follows stems from different estimates in population growth and in the …

Approximation Of Range In Materials As A Function Of Incident Electron Energy, Gregory Wilson, John R. Dennison

All Physics Faculty Publications

A simple composite analytic expression has been developed to approximate the electron range in materials. The expression is applicable over more than six orders of magnitude in energy (10 MeV) and range (10-9 m to 10-2 m), with uncertainty of ≤20% for most conducting, semiconducting and insulating materials. This is accomplished by fitting data from two standard NIST databases [ESTAR for the higher energy range and the electron IMFP (inelastic mean free path) for the lower energies]. In turn, these data have been fit with well-established semi-empirical models for range and IMFP that are related to standard materials properties (e.g., …