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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Electric Currents Due To Stress-Activated Positive Hole Charge Carriers In Ice, Cary T. Keller P.E., Friedemann T. Freund, Dale P. Cruikshank Aug 2012

Electric Currents Due To Stress-Activated Positive Hole Charge Carriers In Ice, Cary T. Keller P.E., Friedemann T. Freund, Dale P. Cruikshank

STAR Program Research Presentations

Jupiter’s satellite Europa, whose surface is composed of ice with a possible water ocean beneath, could conceivably serve as an abode for extraterrestrial life. This and other icy celestial bodies may contain organic macromolecular solid material that is produced when surface ices are exposed to ultraviolet radiation and/or electrical energy. Tidal and tectonic stresses or meteorite impacts in icy crusts may produce electrical discharges, which would provide the energy for in-situ synthesis of the organic solids. This electrical energy can be provided by positive hole charge carrier activation. Positive holes exhibit properties such as the ability to flow out of …


Investigation Of Spillover Effect To Enhance Hydrogen Storage, Sarah C. Corrigan, Lin Simpson, Thomas Gennett Aug 2012

Investigation Of Spillover Effect To Enhance Hydrogen Storage, Sarah C. Corrigan, Lin Simpson, Thomas Gennett

STAR Program Research Presentations

Hydrogen is an attractive energy option because of its low
environmental impact, but a critical problem is its low energy
density, which makes it difficult to store. For example, the US
Department of Energy (DOE) hydrogen plan for fuel cell powered
vehicles requires a gravimetric density of 6.5 wt%. There are several
existing hydrogen storage methods, including compressed gas,
liquefaction, metal hydrides, and physisorption, but at present, none
of these technologies comes close to achieving the targets set by the
DOE. Although chemical storage methods have been claimed to be the
most promising hydrogen storage technology, and activated carbons the …


Raman Mapping Of Mars Relevant Minerals Using Multiple Excitation Wavelenghts, Victoria Campbell, William Abbey Aug 2012

Raman Mapping Of Mars Relevant Minerals Using Multiple Excitation Wavelenghts, Victoria Campbell, William Abbey

STAR Program Research Presentations

The purpose of this project is to map Mars relevant minerals using the Raman instrument Horiba LabRam Raman. The Raman spectrometer is a non-invasive sampling technique used to identify mineral composition of various compositions by measuring the “Raman Shift” of each mineral. This was accomplished by using a green (532nm) laser which acted as a monochromatic light source. This source was absorbed by the sample and reemitted. The frequency of the reemitted photons are then shifted up or down in comparison with original frequency, which is referred to as the ‘Raman Effect’. The samples with shorter wavelengths produced a stronger …


Exploration Of Charge Carriers In Obsidian, Ryan Nordvik, Friedemann Freund Aug 2012

Exploration Of Charge Carriers In Obsidian, Ryan Nordvik, Friedemann Freund

STAR Program Research Presentations

This research effort is part of an ongoing investigation into stress-activated positive hole charge carriers in common igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. The findings have already revealed potential early earthquake detection mechanisms and caused a re-think on the processes that could conceivably contribute to the formation of and evolution of life. Positive holes are defect electrons in the oxygen anion sub-lattice of silicate minerals that have demonstrated some intriguing capabilities: flowing out of a stressed rock volume; causing oxidation reactions at the rock-water interface and ionization at the rock-air interface; and traveling great distances. This research seeks to determine if …


Leds And Astronomy, Britny N. Delp, Stephen M. Pompea Aug 2012

Leds And Astronomy, Britny N. Delp, Stephen M. Pompea

STAR Program Research Presentations

Using a Czerny-Turner spectrometer, 45 different types of outdoor lights were categorized. These spectra were used to determine how useful the light is to human eyes and how dark skies friendly these lights are. Dark skies friendly lighting means that little to no light shines above a right angle to the light, and should emit as little as possible below 500nm (green) wavelengths. The short wavelengths present a problem to astronomers in the form of Rayleigh scattering. The following criterion were used in selecting the best source for urban and rural lighting: color rendition measured by color rendering index (CRI), …