Physics Commons^™

Adapt Laser Shaping, Quinlin Reynolds

ATU Research Symposium

Investigation into producing a machine learning algorithm that allows a He-Ne laser to classify whether a produced beam shape is uniformly gaussian or not, in order to adaptively move the laser to consistently target the encoded interference pattern area. This will then result in continuous uniform beam shapes of the desired output.

Electron Charge To Mass Ratio, Tori Freeman, Quinlin Reynolds

ATU Research Symposium

The purpose of this experiment is to confirm the e/m ratio and charge of an electron discovered initially by J.J. Thomson. We use an electron beam generated inside an e/m tube and Helmholtz coils that generate a magnetic field which deflects the path of the electrons. The radius of the path can be measured and from there the magnitude of the magnetic field and the charge-to-mass ratio can be found. This experiment was successful in confirming the results found by J.J. Thomson and his cathode ray experiments. The results of this experiment had a 0.5% error with the accepted e/m …

Investigating Properties Of Commercially Available Ir Detector Technology, Ethan Taylor

ATU Research Symposium

With the ability to transcode valuable information from light emitting objects, infrared (IR) detector technology has begun to find recreational use in the form of non-contact thermometers and home insulation tools. Research and industry have long been using IR technology in the form of high-altitude balloons, CubeSats, and UAV cameras, but the technology remains a niche market, and thus, a burdensome financial investment. As such, given general consumer products recently introduced as more economically viable, we sought to design an affordable IR camera capable of effective and meaningful data collection. To do so, we utilized a Raspberry Pi 4 and …

An Investigation Into The Physical Properties Governing The​ Coupled Harmonic Oscillator​, Ethan Taylor, Jj Rivera

ATU Research Symposium

The coupled harmonic oscillator is an extremely important model in physics - especially in the field of solid state physics where the forces that tie atoms to their equilibrium positions are much stronger than their inter-atomic coupling forces. Given a coupled spring-mass system, we want to theoretically determine and then experimentally verify the normal frequencies involved in coupled harmonic oscillation. To do so, a coupled spring-mass system was built using an air track, carts, and PASCO motion detectors, the normal frequencies were theoretically calculated, and then we experimentally verified these normal frequencies with 4 trials: Symmetric, Antisymmetric, and two Mixed …

Process Of Building And Designing A Spectrometer, Tori Freeman

ATU Research Symposium

Spectroscopy is the study and measurement of electromagnetic spectra resulting from electromagnetic radiation interacting with matter. Each element when excited emits a unique spectrum containing light of various wavelengths. The identity of the element can then be determined by examining the spectra. A spectrometer is a scientific instrument that utilizes optics, mirrors, and lenses to capture and examine spectra. A classroom spectrometer is potentially useful in the demonstration of numerous physics principles such as diffraction, reflection, ray optics, etc.

Keywords: Spectrometry, optics, spectrum