Physics Commons^™

Study Of Cuinte2 Quantum Dots Under Extreme Conditions, Howard Yanxon, Ravhi Kumar

McNair Poster Presentations

In recent years, Quantum Dot (QD) materials have attracted considerable interest due to their versatile properties and potential applications in electronics, biology, and optoelectronics, i.e. photovoltaic solar cell materials [1-2].

In 2000, RincÓn et al. reported an extensive study of the bulk material of CuInTe₂ along with its comparison to its ordered defect compounds [3]. The chalcopyrite structure consists of eight atoms per unit cell. This means there are 24 vibrational modes expected for the tetragonal structure. Out of the 24 modes, 21 vibrational modes belong to optical modes, and the other 3 modes are acoustical modes. The irreducible …

Propagation Of Lightning Through Thick Thunderclouds, Isaiah Henry, Dieudonné D. Phanord

McNair Poster Presentations

The phenomenon that is lightning, have sparked the interest of physicists and scientists for centuries. The journey to understanding this phenomenon of high-current electric discharge, can unlock the secret to other lightning related phenomenons. Lightning is a major source of interference in many types of radio communications. The effects of lightning on space crafts, nuclear power plants, and sophisticated military equipment, are problems of increasing concern. The purpose of this research is to study the propagation of lightning through optically thick thunderclouds by applying knowledge of cloud micro-physics, the physics of lightning, diffusion approximations, and an understanding of the scattering …

A First-Principles Computational Study Of Structural And Elastic Properties Of Zno, Jeevake Attapattu, Changfeng Chen

McNair Poster Presentations

The purpose of this study is to determine structural and mechanical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) using first-principles computational methods. ZnO is a semiconductor widely used in many electronic and optical applications. ZnO is also economically and environmentally desirable – first, both the constituent elements are abundant on Earth and therefore inexpensive for large-scale applications; second, it is non- toxic. The most significant contribution of this study is the simulations of the high-pressure phases. These high-pressure simulations are important because the rock salt phase of ZnO obtained at high pressure can be recovered at ambient pressure, and this new structural …