Physics Commons^™

Solution-Based Synthesis Of Nitride Fuels, Tyler A. Sullens, Kenneth Czerwinski

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The preliminary studies into the synthesis of actinide nitride fuels through a low temperature, liquid ammonia based synthesis route have been conducted on the uranium containing system, and there is good indication for the success of synthesizing uranium (III) nitride. The dissolution of iodine in ammonia is a rapid process, resulting in a pale green solution, which does not result in any observable oxidation of iodine. The cannula transfer of dissolved iodine into the reaction vessel containing U metal has been conducted with little to no residual iodine remaining in the original flask. The metal being used for these reactions …

University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Transmutation Research Program Annual Report Academic Year 2006-2007, Anthony Hechanova, Rebecca Arbour

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

It is my pleasure to present the UNLV Transmutation Research Program’s sixth annual report that highlights the academic year 2006-2007. Supporting this document are the many technical reports and theses that have been generated over the past five years.

In the sixth year of our program, we continued to see growth in the Radiochemistry Ph.D. program with a total of 13 students in the third year of the program (we anticipated eight in the program proposal). Since our inception, the program has sponsored to their conclusion 42 M.S. and 4 Ph.D. degrees. The program supported 39 graduate students, 17 undergraduates, …

Super-Resolution Enhancement Of Digital Video, Russell C. Hardie, Richard R. Schultz, Kenneth E. Barner

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

SR from digital video is a relatively new field, in only its third decade of existence. There is no doubt that as imaging sensor technologies, optical fabrication techniques, and computational algorithms mature, SR will find its way into digital video products such as cameras and digital cable set-top boxes. These papers on the fundamental SR topics of image registration, regularization, photometric diversity, detector nonuniformity, compression, optical design, and performance metrics serve as pioneers in the dynamic and evolving field of SR image reconstruction research and development. We are proud to present them to the image and video processing research community. …

Atmospheric Turbulence Compensation Of Point Source Images Using Asynchronous Stochastic Parallel Gradient Descent Technique On Amos 3.6 M Telescope, Mikhail Vorontsov, Jim F. Riker, Gary W. Carhart, Venkata S. Rao Gudimetla, Leonid A. Beresnev, Thomas Weyrauch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The Stochastic Parallel Gradient Descent Technique-based Adaptive Optics (SPGD-AO) system described in this presentation does not use a conventional wavefront sensor. It uses a metric signal collected by a single pixel detector placed behind a pinhole in the image plane to drive three deformable mirrors (DMs). The system is designed to compensate the image for turbulence effects. The theory behind this method is described in detail in [1]. However this technique, while widely simulated and tested in the laboratory, was not yet verified in astronomical field site experiments. During the month of May 2007, a series of experiments with SPGD-AO …

Adaptive Optics Performance Over Long Horizontal Paths: Aperture Effects In Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optical Systems, Miao Yu, Mikhail Vorontsov, Svetlana Lachinova, Jim F. Riker, Venkata S. Rao Gudimetla

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We analyze various scenarios of the aperture effects in adaptive optical receiver-type systems when inhomogeneities of the wave propagation medium are distributed over long horizontal propagation path, or localized in a few thin layers remotely located from the receiver telescope pupil. Phase aberration compensation is performed using closed-loop control architectures based on phase conjugation and decoupled stochastic parallel gradient descent (DSPGD) control algorithms. Both receiver system aperture diffraction effects and the impact of wave-front corrector position on phase aberration compensation efficiency are analyzed for adaptive systems with single or multiple wave-front correctors.

The Effects Of Charging By Ultraviolet Light On Granular Lunar Simulant In A Microgravity Environment, Sydney J. Chamberlin, Troy Munro, Sarah Isert, Tracy Garin Savage

Reports and Proposals

No abstract provided.

Modeling Redox-Based Magnetohydrodynamics In Three-Dimensional Microfluidic Channels, Hussameddine S. Kabbani, Aihua Wang, Xiaobing Luo, Shizhi Qian

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

RedOx-based magnetohydrodynamic MHD[1] flows in three-dimensional microfluidic channels are investigated theoretically with a coupled mathematical model consisting of the Nernst-Planck equations for the concentrations of ionic species, the local electroneutrality condition for the electric potential, and the Navier-Stokes equations for the flow field. A potential difference is externally applied across two planar electrodes positioned along the opposing walls of a microchannel that is filled with a dilute RedOx electrolyte solution, and a Faradaic current transmitted through the solution results. The entire device is positioned under a magnetic field which can be provided by either a permanent magnet or an electromagnet. …

Formation Of In- (2×1) And In Islands On Si (100) - (2×1) By Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Deposition, M. A. Hafez, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The growth of indium on a vicinal Si (100) - (2×1) surface at room temperature by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition (fsPLD) was investigated by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Recovery of the RHEED intensity was observed between laser pulses and when the growth was terminated. The surface diffusion coefficient of deposited In on initial two-dimensional (2D) In- (2×1) layer was determined. As growth proceeds, three-dimensional In islands grew on the 2D In- (2×1) layer. The RHEED specular profile was analyzed during film growth, while the grown In islands were examined by ex situ atomic force microscopy. The full …

Slow Flow Between Concentric Cones, O. Hall, C. P. Hills, A. D. Gilbert

Articles

This paper considers the low-Reynolds-number flow of an incompressible fluid contained in the gap between two coaxial cones with coincident apices and bounded by a spherical lid. The two cones and the lid are allowed to rotate independently about their common axis, generating a swirling motion. The swirl induces a secondary, meridional circulation through inertial effects. For specific configurations complex eigenmodes representing an infinite sequence of eddies, analogous to those found in two-dimensional corner flows and some three-dimensional geometries, form a component of this secondary circulation. When the cones rotate these eigenmodes, arising from the geometry, compete with the forced …

Demonstration Of Magnetoelectric Scanning Probe Microscopy, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers, Liyang Dai, Manfred Wuttig, Ichiro Takeuchi, Eckhard Quandt

Faculty Publications

A near-field room temperature scanning magnetic probe microscope has been developed using a laminated magnetoelectric sensor. The simple trilayer longitudinal-transverse mode sensor, fabricated using Metglas as the magnetostrictive layer and polyvinylidene fluoride as the piezoelectric layer, shows an ac field sensitivity of 467±3μV∕O_e in the measured frequency range of 200Hz–8kHz. The microscope was used to image a 2mm diameter ring carrying an ac current as low as 10⁻⁵A. ac fields as small as 3×10⁻¹⁰T have been detected.

Three-Dimensional Structure Of Cdx (X= Se, Te) Nanocrystals By Total X-Ray Diffraction, S. K. Pradhan, Z. T. Deng, F. Tang, Y. Ren, Peter Moeck, V. Petkov

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The three-dimensional structure of oleic acid-capped CdSe and thiol-capped CdTe nanocrystals used as quantum dots has been determined by total synchrotron radiationx-ray diffraction and atomic pair distribution function analysis. Both CdSe and CdTe are found to exhibit the zinc-blende-type atomic ordering. It is only slightly distorted in CdSe implying the presence of nanosize domains and very heavily distorted in CdTe due to the presence of distinct core-shell regions. The results well demonstrate the great potential of the experimental approach and thus encourage its wider application in quantum dot research.

Rapid Structural Mapping Of Ternary Metallic Alloy Systems Using The Combinatorial Approach And Cluster Analysis, C. J. Long, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers, M. Murakami, R. C. Srivastava, I. Takeuchi, V. L. Karen, X. Li

Faculty Publications

We are developing a procedure for the quick identification of structural phases in thin film composition spread experiments which map large fractions of compositional phase diagrams of ternary metallic alloy systems. An in-house scanning x-ray microdiffractometer is used to obtain x-ray spectra from 273 different compositions on a single composition spread library. A cluster analysissoftware is then used to sort the spectra into groups in order to rapidly discover the distribution of phases on the ternary diagram. The most representative pattern of each group is then compared to a database of known structures to identify known phases. Using this method, …

Exafs Characterization Of Dendrimer‐Derived Pt/Γ‐Al2O3, A. Siani, Oleg S. Alexeev, Christopher T. Williams, Harry J. Ploehn, Michael D. Amiridis

Faculty Publications

The various steps involved in the preparation of a Pt/γ‐Al₂O₃ material using hydroxyl‐terminated generation four (G4OH) PAMAM dendrimers as templates were monitored by EXAFS. The results indicate that Cl ligands in the Pt precursors (H₂PtCl₆ and K₂PtCl₄) were partially replaced by aquo ligands upon hydrolysis to form [PtCl₃(H₂O)₃]⁺ and [PtCl₂(H₂O)₂] species. After interaction of such species with G4OH, Cl ligands from the first coordination shell of Pt were further replaced by nitrogen atoms from the dendrimer interior, …

Study Of Soliton Stabilization In D+1 Dimensions Using Novel Analytical And Numerical Techniques, George Nehmetallah, Partha P. Banerjee

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this Chapter, we provide a brief review of the underlying nonlinear Schrödinger and associated equations that model spatio-temporal propagation in one and higher dimensions in a nonlinear dispersive environment. Particular attention is given to fast adaptive numerical techniques to solve such equations, and in the presence of dispersion and nonlinearity management, saturating nonlinearity and nonparaxiality. A unique variational approach is also outlined which helps in determining the ranges of nonlinearity and dispersion parameters to ensure stable solutions of the nonlinear equations. The propagation of 3+1 dimensional spatio-temporal pulses, or optical bullets is also modeled using a fast adaptive split-step …

Reactive Oxygen Emission From Microwave Discharge Plasmas, S. Popovic, M. Rašković, S. P. Kuo, L. Vuskovic

Physics Faculty Publications

Metastable oxygen atoms and molecules have received increased interest because of their function in surface modification, bio-decontamination and many other industrial applications, in addition to the role in the upper atmospheric layer chemistry. We review work on production and detection of metastable oxygen and we describe our experiments, including the development of techniques for measurement of metastable molecular oxygen. We show that either metastable oxygen molecules or metastable oxygen atoms can be produced in large quantities in electrical discharges, carefully tailored to promote the required kinetics. Although the two species may coexist, colder discharge regimes favor production of molecules, while …

Plasma Treatment Of Bulk Nb Surface In The Ar/Cl2 Discharge, M. Rašković, L. Vuskovic, S. Popovic, A.-M. Valente-Feliciano, L. Phillips

Physics Faculty Publications

The preparation of the cavity walls has been one of the major challenges in the superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) accelerator technology. Therefore, constant research and development effort is devoted to develop surface preparation processes that will improve roughness and lower the level of impurities, like hydrogen or oxygen, embedded in bulk Nb, having in the same time reasonable etching rates. Plasma based surface modification provides an excellent opportunity to achieve these goals. We present Ar/Cl₂ discharge treatment of bulk Nb where we achieved etching rates comparable to the rates obtained with the electropolishing method without introducing impurities in Nb. The …

Entopic Lattice Boltzmann Representations Required To Recover Navier Stokes Flows, Brian Keating, George Vahala, Jeffrey Yepez, Min Soe, Linda L. Vahala

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

There are two disparate formulations of the entropic lattice Boltzmann scheme: one of these theories revolves around the analog of the discrete Boltzmann H function of standard extensive statistical mechanics, while the other revolves around the nonextensive Tsallis entropy. It is shown here that it is the nonenforcement of the pressure tensor moment constraints that lead to extremizations of entropy resulting in Tsallis-like forms. However, with the imposition of the pressure tensor moment constraint, as is fundamentally necessary for the recovery of the Navier-Stokes equations, it is proved that the entropy function must be of the discrete Boltzmann form. Three-dimensional …

Tio2 Breakdown Under Pulsed Conditions, G. Zhao, R. P. Joshi, V. K. Lakdawala, E. Schamiloglu, H. Hjalmarson

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Model studies of current conduction and breakdown in TiO₂ were carried out. Our simulation results indicate that electrical breakdown of TiO₂ under multiple-pulsed conditions can occur at lower voltages as compared to quasi-dc biasing. This is in agreement with recent experimental data and is indicative of a cumulative phenomena. We demonstrate that the lower breakdown voltages observed in TiO₂ under pulsed conditions is a direct rise-time effect, coupled with successive detrapping at the grain boundaries. 2007 American Institute of Physics.