Physics Commons^™

Computing An Image Of Objects Hiding Behind A Black Hole, Shannon Harding

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Gravitational lensing is the bending of light rays around a black hole. The goal of this project was to produce a computer code that would model light rays coming from a grid of objects set behind a rotating black hole. Using these light rays, we produced an image illustrating how this background of objects would appear to an observer on Earth. This was done by creating a MATLAB code to model the paths of multiple light rays at a time. This code was then used to help check and correct a C++ code that produced an image. Over the semester, …

An Exposition From Four-Vector To Quantum Field Theory, Weverton Dos Santos Alves

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The goal of this thesis is to research leading mass-generation theoretical models in particle physics; Which is the physics that fundamentally imparts mass on the known elementary particles. Before these mechanisms, all particles are massless quantum fields. As part of a 2021 REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) and a team investigating quark mass at Jefferson National Lab, I worked on a mechanical design of the Lepton Direction Electromagnetic calorimeter part of the detector upgrade for the Brookhaven National Laboratory. As integral as this effort is, because the theoretical aspects of mass generation and quark mass physics are traditionally beyond what …

Exploring The Interaction Of Minor-Groove-Binder Netropsin With Dna Using Optical Tweezers, Irbazhusain Shaikh

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Netropsin is an antibiotic that binds in the minor grooves of DNA, which also exhibits anticancer properties. There have been many previous studies that explored the binding of this drug to DNA using traditional methods where an ensemble averaging is used. In this study we explore the interaction of Netropsin with DNA at a single molecule level using dual beam optical tweezers. We trapped and stretched a single DNA molecule using optical tweezers to measure the force experienced by the DNA as a function of extension in the absence and presence of various concentrations of Netropsin. Our results show the …

Understanding Quantum Field Theory And Standard Model To Explore Beyond Standard Model Physics, Alize Sucsuzer

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Motivated by the goal of participating in astroparticle physics research in graduate school, we aimed to understand the Standard Model of particle physics and the Feynman diagrams through which particle interactions are described, so that we could learn about the properties of certain astroparticles. The axiomatic principle that governs fundamental physics is manifest covariance, implying that the mathematical forms of the physical laws are the same to all observers. Maintaining covariance requires 4-vector representation using group theoretical techniques based on symmetries, as well as a transition from single-particle quantum physics to many-particle quantum field theory (QFT). The Standard Model of …

Deep Space And The Quantum Mechanical Case: A Study Of Stars To The First Bsu Direct Measurement Of A Singular Photon, Darius Desnoes

Honors Program Theses and Projects

While it is known that physics can be split into several different fields, it may be foreign to see how different fields of physics operate hand in hand with one another to solve complex problems. For instance, Maxwell’s equations involving E&M for the propagation of electro-magnetic waves can be used to understand light-based interferometry for astrophysics, which directly led to the creation of intensity-based interferometry. Eventually, the measurements and equations made by intensity-based interferometry would produce groundbreaking strides in quantum mechanics through the direct measurement of singular particles. An in-depth analysis of each of these connections and how they involved …

Using Optical Tweezersto Probe Dna Polymerase Kappa’S Binding Mechanism To Dna, Joshua Watts

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The integrity of our DNA is constantly under threat from many internal and external factors. If the cell cannot properly protect the integrity of DNA, errors (lesions) in DNA may form which can lead to cancer. Most of these lesions serve as a roadblock to the protein, DNA polymerase (Pol), that replicates the DNA during cell division. The mechanism that is employed to read through these errors is called translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). During this process, a special class of DNA polymerases known as TLS DNA Pols that can tolerate and bypass the lesions in DNA are employed by the …

Realization Of Bsu First Magneto-Optical Trap For The Spatial Confinement Of Rb Atoms Using Next Generation Fiber Optic Capabilities With Minimot, Brahmin Thurber-Carbone

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This paper will be a combination of my theoretical and experimental work toward Bridgewater State Universities first Magneto-Optical Trap (MOT) for laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms in order to study fundamental quantum mechanical behavior of Rubidium (Rb) atoms. The goal of the theoretical aspect is to complete details of well-established works on how the complicated quantum, atomic, and electromagnetic (laser) interactions required to understand the design and operation of the MOT reduce to the physics and mathematics of a damped oscillator. This is made explicitly clear using familiar damped oscillator systems, such as a spring/mass/damping or pendulum/mass/damping (ie …

Roller Coaster Acceleration, Olivia Briggs

Honors Program Theses and Projects

In classical mechanics, Newton’s Second Law (NSL) is often used when talking about acceleration. NSL states that the acceleration of an object is directly related to the net force and inversely related to its mass. It can be written as F~ = m~a. This concept can be applied to many real life situations, one of them being roller coasters. Passengers on roller coasters can accelerate in all directions. Some accelerations are due to gravity while others are due to launch systems that apply a mechanical force to a train. Roller coasters are often described by how many G forces riders …

Quantifying Anticancer Drug Doxorubicin Binding To Dna Using Optical Tweezers, Zachary Ells

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Doxorubicin is a successful anticancer drug approved for use in the 1970s and is considered to be one of the most effective cancer treatment methods today. Although Doxorubicin has positive survival statistics it has very negative side effects in many cases. Bleeding from the soles of the palms and feet, along with excruciating pain is often exhibited through the administration of this drug. Based on the preliminary findings utilizing optical tweezers we anticipate that this study will provide critical information about the drug binding mechanism. Single molecule biophysics techniques have provided useful insight into the DNA-binding mechanisms of small molecules. …

Spectral Observations Of The 2019 South American Total Solar Eclipse, Sarah Auriemma

Honors Program Theses and Projects

On July 2, 2019, a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of Chile and Ar-gentina. I joined the Solar Wind Sherpas, an international group of scientists,engineers, students, and eclipse enthusiasts, to South America to make obser-vations of the solar corona (the Sun’s upper atmosphere) during the eclipse.The Sherpas were split into three teams along the path of totality and my groupwas stationed at Mamalluca Observatory in Vicuna, Chile. One of the instru-ments we used at this side was a three-channel (red, green, and blue) spectrom-eter designed by A. Ding, of Hawai’i’s Institute for Astronomy. Spectra from thecorona can be …

Demonstrating And Testing The Deutsch-Jozsa Quantum Algorithm Towards The Realization Of Quantum Computing At Bsu, John J. Gilmore Jr.

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The world is changing, and fast. Quantum computing and photonic engineering are revolutionary new technologies that could change the way humans interact with information; though the eld hasn't always been that way. As with most new elds, proof of concept is needed to show that this new technology isn't just hear to stay, but it's hear to take the lead. In this, nothing is more important the the Deutsch-Jozsa Quantum algorithm; as it did just that . The majority of this research paper revolves around understanding the very essence of quantum computing. As the eld of quantum computing is in …

The Effect Of Chirality On Dna Threading: Exploring Binuclear Ruthenium Lntercalators Using Optical Tweezers, Adam A. Jabak

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Using optical tweezers, we have been able to study the interactions of small molecules and prospective cancer drugs with DNA. One type of these molecules, known as threading intercalators, has a flat planar intercalating moiety in between the molecule’s bulky ancillary supporting ligands. In order to bind with DNA, they have to thread their bulky ancillary ligands in between the DNA base pairs. Due to this requirement for binding, these molecules tend to have high binding affinities and slow kinetics. In this thesis, we explore the binding properties of a ruthenium-based threading intercalator -[μ-bidppz(phen)4Ru2]4+, or -P for short. The goal …

Examining The Effect Of El Nino Phenomena And Pacific Sea Surface Temperature On The Climate Of The Glacierized White Mountains In Peru, Emily Reardon

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between the El Ni~no Southern Oscillation, sea surface temperatures (SST) and the climate of the Rio Santa Basin. This study is an important step in understanding the dynamics of the glaciers as a critical control on hydrological features in alpine Andes Valleys. Temperature and precipitation measurements pulled from ground based weather stations in the Rio Santa drainage basin were aggregated, synchronized, and correlated with the changes in the Pacific ocean SST o the coast of Peru and into the central Pacific. The expectation is that we will …

Image Processing Of Narrow Band Solar Eclipse Data Using Python And Maxim Dl, Rydia Hayes-Huer

Honors Program Theses and Projects

On July 2, 2019, a total solar eclipse (TSE) was observable from Chile and Argentina. In Chile, I worked alongside the Solar Wind Sherpas, an international group led by Dr. Shadia Habbal from the University of Hawai'i Institute for Astronomy, to make observations of the solar corona and gather information about its elemental composition. Narrow band data were collected for Fe XI, Fe XIV, and Ar X. Data collected during TSE observations can be used to help solve two puzzles in solar physics: the coronal heating problem and the mechanisms responsible for the fast and slow solar winds. Narrow band …

Building A Light Current Voltage Characterization Setup For Pulsed Laser Diodes, Alec A. Milford

Honors Program Theses and Projects

III-V laser dies are the main integrated light sources used in photonic integrated chips (PIC). Before incorporating these lasers in PICs, it is important to measure their performance and efficiency. The efficiency of these devices can be calculated from their light-current-voltage (L-I-V) characteristics. In this thesis, I will assemble the components of the probe station for the pulsed LIV setup, which are the pulse generator to drive the laser with current, temperature controller device to vary the laser’s operating temperature, and optical spectrum analyzer in order to characterize the laser’s emission wavelength. Initially this thesis was meant to report how …

A Survey Of Dark Matter Candidates And Relations To Particle Physics And General Relativity, Tyler Martell

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Cosmological observations of certain galaxies suggest that the amount of known, measured matter accounted for by the Standard Model of Particle Physics (SM) in those systems is insufficient to account for galactic mechanics (orbital paths and velocities). These observations have led physicists to believe that either General Relativity (GR) is incomplete, or that there exist new sources of yet-to-be detected matter, that may or may not be consistent with SM, called dark matter. Neither GR nor the SM can alone be considered complete theories of the universe for GR is not quantum

mechanical and the SM does not include GR. …

Finding Alien Worlds: Studying Exoplanets From Bridgewater State University, Maria Patrone

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The search for exoplanets, or planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy, has only been a field of study since the early 1990's and is currently a popular area of research among astrophysicists. With the launch of the Kepler Space telescope in 2009, there are over three thousand confirmed exoplanets, and over four thousand Kepler Objects of Interest (KOI's), which are possible exoplanet candidates. With so much data obtained from Kepler, NASA relies on ground based observatories to follow up and confirm KOI's as exoplanets or false positives. For the last three years I have been studying exoplanets at Bridgewater …

Gödel’S Universe, Kevin Roebuck

Honors Program Theses and Projects

In this thesis, a brief introduction of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity is given. Included is a historical background of the theory and descriptions of spacetimes and cosmological models. From there, wave fronts of null geodesics in the Gödel metric emitted from point sources both at, and away from, the origin are examined to show the rotational and non-causal features of the Gödel spacetime. For constant time wave fronts emitted by sources away from the origin, we find blue sky metamorphoses where spatially disconnected portions of the wave front appear, connect to the main wave front, and then later …

The Influence Of Rotation On Black Hole Wavefronts, Eric Grotzke

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The breaking of symmetries of light ray wavefronts on the Kerr and Schwarzschild black hole solutions is examined. Using a newly created software platform, a detailed simulation of a wavefront of light interacting with a rotating black hole was explored. This was done by solving a set of ten ordinary differential equations, then implementing them computationally using the Runge-Kutta method. Using this obtained data, we compare how wavefronts of light behave in the Kerr metric as compared to the Schwarzschild solutions.

Advanced Dual Beam Optical Tweezers For Undergraduate Biophysics Research, Brian Daudelin

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Optical tweezing is a modern physics technique which allows us to use the radiation pressure provided from laser beams to trap very small microscopic particles. In the last two decades optical tweezers have been used extensively in biophysics and atomic physics to study the building blocks of our world on the cellular and quantum levels. Our goal is to construct a dual beam optical tweezers for future undergraduate biophysical research. In this thesis we discuss how the construction and assembly of the dual beam optical tweezers is done from start to finish. Construction consisted of assembling a polarization maintaining laser. …

Quantifying The Dna Binding Properties Of The Binuclear Ruthenium Complex Λλ-P, Nicholas Bryden

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Threading intercalators are small molecules that bind to DNA by threading their side chains through the DNA bases to intercalate their middle planar section between the DNA base pairs. The high binding affinity and slow dissociation rates of threading intercalators have put them in the class of prospective anti-cancer drugs. In this study we explore the binding of a specific threading intercalator, a binuclear ruthenium complex ΛΛ-P (ΛΛ-[μ-bidppz(phen)4Ru2]4+) using optical tweezers. A single DNA molecule is held at a constant force and the small molecules are introduced to the system in various concentrations until equilibrium is achieved. Measurements of DNA …

Quantum Field Theory And Jet Phenomena, David Elofson

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This honors thesis studies graduate-level quantum field theory including Feynman diagrams and Feynman calculus in order to connect experimental results with the theoretical background. It discusses results of a research experience for undergraduates through Duke University's high energy physics program regarding jet phenomena and explains the inadequacy of quantum mechanics in predicting particle interactions. It follows the canonical method of building a relativistic quantum field theory and describes the process for building one from Langrangians. It addresses the non-interacting part of the theory using the canonical quantization and uses the Feynman propagator and Wick's theorem to address the interacting part …

Multi-Frequency Ferromagnetic Resonance Investigation Of Nickel Nanocubes Encapsulated In Diamagnetic Magnesium Oxide Matrix, Saritha Nellutla, Sudhakar Nori, Srinivasa R. Singamaneni, John T. Prater, Jagdish Narayan, Alix I. Smirnov

Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Partially aligned nickel nanocubes were grown epitaxially in a diamagnetic magnesium oxide (MgO:Ni) host and studied by a continuous wave ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectroscopy at the X-band (9.5 GHz) from ca. 117 to 458 K and then at room temperature for multiple external magnetic fields/resonant frequencies from 9.5 to 330 GHz. In contrast to conventional magnetic susceptibility studies that provided data on the bulk magnetization, the FMR spectra revealed the presence of three different types of magnetic Ni nanocubes in the sample. Specifically, three different ferromagnetic resonances were observed in the X-band spectra: a line 1 assigned to large nickel …

Mechanisms Of Small Molecule-Dna Interactions Probed By Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy, Ali A. Almaqwashi, Thayaparan Paramanathan, Ioulia Rouzina, Mark C. Williams

Physics Faculty Publications

There is a wide range of applications for non-covalent DNA binding ligands, and optimization of such interactions requires detailed understanding of the binding mechanisms. One important class of these ligands is that of intercalators, which bind DNA by inserting aromatic moieties between adjacent DNA base pairs. Characterizing the dynamic and equilibrium aspects of DNA-intercalator complex assembly may allow optimization of DNA binding for specific functions. Single-molecule force spectroscopy studies have recently revealed new details about the molecular mechanisms governing DNA intercalation. These studies can provide the binding kinetics and affinity as well as determining the magnitude of the double helix …

Biophysical Measurements Of Cells, Microtubules, And Dna With An Atomic Force Microscope, Luka M. Devenica, Clay Contee, Raysa Cabrejo, Matthew Kurek, Edward F. Deveney, Ashley R. Carter

Physics Faculty Publications

Atomic force microscopes (AFMs) are ubiquitous in research laboratories and have recently been priced for use in teaching laboratories. Here, we review several AFM platforms and describe various biophysical experiments that could be done in the teaching laboratory using these instruments. In particular, we focus on experiments that image biological materials (cells, microtubules, and DNA) and quantify biophysical parameters including membrane tension, persistence length, contour length, and the drag force.

Calculating The Shear And Divergence Of Light Rays, Matthew Witherell

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The purpose of this research was to calculate the shear and divergence of light rays bundles as they pass black holes. We defined a Lagrangian using the Schwarzchild metric then used the Euler-Lagrangian equation to create 6 first order OED’s for the light rays path. Next we found tangent vectors to the light ray so we could calculate Ψ0. In order to calculate the shear and divergence the method of calculation required simultaneously solving 16 ordinary differential equations. We used Mathematica to calculate how these light rays act but first we had to use calculus and algebra to derive these …

Analysis And Dynamics Of Laser Models, Kassaundra Przelomski

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Lasers produce a strong focused ray of light that is useful in many industries, including medicine and technology. For example, they can be used for guiding surgical instruments or playing compact discs. In this thesis I characterize the dynamics of a fundamental laser model. A mathematical goal is to determine the number of photons in the laser cavity as time evolves. Different choices of parameter values produce qualitatively different behaviors of the system. I perform a bifurcation analysis in order to capture the different physical situations, identifying equilibrium solutions and their stability properties. I sketch representative solutions using the bifurcation …

Deriving The Dyer-Roeder Equation From The Geodesic Deviation Equation Via The Newman Penrose Null Tetrad, Aly Aly

Honors Program Theses and Projects

In this paper we examine the geodesic deviation equation using the Newman-Penrose (N-P) formalism for a flat Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) metric (Carroll, S. (2004); Ryden, B. (2003); Newman & Penrose (1962)). We solved the geodesic deviation equation for angular diameter distance, using the relevant N-P components, and the resulting expression was the Dyer-Roeder equation of cosmology (Ryden, B. (2003)) (Schneider et al. (1992)). This leads us to believe that we can apply the N-P formalism to a perturbed FLRW metric and find a solvable equation for angular diameter distance (Kling & Campbell (2008)). The perturbed FLRW metric incorporates clumps of matter …

Repeatability Of The Seasonal Variations Of Ozone Near The Mesopause From Observations Of The 11.072-Ghz Line, Alan E. E. Rogers, P. P. Erickson, V. L. Fish, J. J. Kittredge, S. S. Danford, J. M. Marr, Martina Arndt, J. Sarabia, D. Costa, S. K. May

Physics Faculty Publications

Ground-based observations of the 11.072-GHz line of ozone were made from January 2008 through the middle of September 2011 to estimate the maximum in the nighttime ozone in the upper mesosphere at an altitude of about 95 km for a region centered at 38°N, 290°E. The measurements show seasonal variation with a high degree of repeatability with peaks in ozone concentration about a month following each equinox. A significant increase in ozone concentration above the yearly trend occurred in 2010 from mid-November until the end of December, which the authors attribute to delay in the start of the meridional circulation …

Accuracy Of The Thin-Lens Approximation In Strong Lensing By Smoothly Truncated Dark Matter Haloes, S. Frittelli, Thomas Kling

Physics Faculty Publications

The accuracy of mass estimates by gravitational lensing using the thin-lens approximation applied to Navarro–Frenk–White mass models with a soft truncation mechanism recently proposed by Baltz, Marshall and Oguri is studied. The gravitational lens scenario considered is the case of the inference of lens mass from the observation of Einstein rings (strong lensing). It is found that the mass error incurred by the simplifying assumption of thin lenses is below 0.5 per cent. As a byproduct, the optimal tidal radius of the soft truncation mechanism is found to be at most 10 times the virial radius of the mass model.