Physics Commons^™

Asymmetry In Mie Scattering By A Homogeneous Sphere, Samuel Hanna

Honors Program Theses

Azimuthal asymmetry is present in the Mie scattering pattern of light scattered by a homogeneous sphere within a uniform medium. This asymmetry is predicted by Mie theory, which describes such scattering mathematically using solutions to Maxwell's equations. This thesis shows that the asymmetry in Mie scattering patterns is related to the polarization of the light incident on the scatterer. This relationship is reflected in the mathematics of Mie theory. Furthermore, this thesis demonstrates empirically that the polarization of the incident light is related to the asymmetry in Mie scattering patterns. Mie scattering by single polystyrene beads was recorded using an …

Griffiths-Like Phase In Manganese Intercalated Tantalum Disulfide And The 3-Dimensional Ising Model, Paul White

Honors Program Theses

Transition metal dichalcogenides have gained increasing interest due to properties that make them highly attractive for fundamental studies of novel physical phenomena and for applications ranging from nanoelectronics and nanophotonics to sensing and actuation at the nanoscale.^[1] The material described in this work is composed of layers of tantalum sulfide between which manganese was deposited. The number of manganese atoms per tantalum atom is called the concentration, x. In the research that was conducted for this thesis, the Griffiths Phase of crystalline bulk Mn_0.23TaS₂ and the 3-dimensional Ising model was investigated.

Computational Analysis Of Woodwind Instruments Using The Lattice Boltzmann Method, Jack D. Gabriel

Honors Program Theses

Through the use of the lattice Boltzmann method, a series of computational models were created to simulate air flow in woodwind instruments. Start- ing as a two-dimensional code in Matlab running on the CPU, the model went through a series of iterations before becoming a three-dimension code in Fortran that was accelerated through the use of GPU parallel computing. The accuracy and stability of the model are shown by comparison to various published benchmark tests. Thus far, the air flow in organ pipes for a two dimensional model was simulated showing oscillating flow by the labium as expected. This thesis …

The Origins Of Phantom Partials In The Piano, Lauren M. Neldner

Honors Program Theses

Phantom partials are anomalous frequency components identifiable in the sound of the piano and occur at the sum and difference frequencies of two overtones. For several decades they have been identified as crucial components to the sound of the piano and assumed to be generated by the forced longitudinal motion of the string. Recent work has identified that contrary to common belief, most of the power is produced in the non-string components with the most likely source being the wooden structural components. This work presents experimental results for two plausible theories that could explain the origins of phantom partials in …

An Investigation Of Clarinet Playing Using A Sensor-Equipped Mouthpiece, Camille Adkison

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study is to characterize clarinet playing techniques through measurements of the pressure in the clarinet mouthpiece while a musician plays and to investigate the methods by which clarinet players transition from note to note, termed articulations. The results provide information about the clarinet-player system that can be incorporated in future models of the clarinet. The work reported here involves the use of a recent technological development, the sensor-equipped mouthpiece. Using the sensor-equipped mouthpiece, researchers are able to record pressure in the musician's mouth and the clarinet mouthpiece. Six clarinet players of varying experience levels were asked …

Van Der Waals Interactions In Ultrafine Nanocellulose Aerogels, Byron John Fritch

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study was to establish methods of synthesizing various compositions of nanocellulose aerogels using a top-down ultrasonication synthesis approach. Quantifying the effect composition has on physical properties was also be of interest due to the lack of scientific literature over this material. Microscopic techniques and physical experiments were used to determine how the internal structure of the aerogel material varies with composition and how the internal structure effects the physical properties. The main driving factor behind this study was that not much current scientific literature can be found about how the ultrasonic process effects the nanocellulose aerogels. …

Gravitational Wave Behavior At A Vacuum-Matter Interface, Jake Litterer

Honors Program Theses

In classical electrodynamics, boundary conditions of the E and B fields are derived from Maxwell's equations, which are used to derive the Fresnel equations describing the behavior of a wave at an interface between media with given indices of refraction. Though electrodynamics and gravity are in some instances strikingly analogous, boundary conditions in general relativity are somewhat more opaque. We will see that while while continuity of the metric must be true in general, discontinuity of the extrinsic curvature of spacetime, while allowed by the Einstein field equations, results in a singularity in the energy-momentum tensor. This singularity is interpreted …

Magnetic Behavior Of Bulk And Nanostructured Mnxtas2, Lucas Paul Beving

Honors Program Theses

At its base, material science research aims to categorize specific materials by their various attributes, such as structure, integrity, electronic properties, magnetic properties, and others. By categorizing materials in this way, it becomes easier to generalize the application of a specific material to those within a broader category. The interest in materials that exhibit useful characteristics at small scales derives directly from the technology industry’s need for smaller and smaller devices. Two-dimensional materials are of great interest for this reason.

Two-dimensional materials are comprised of many single layers, or planes, stacked together to create a crystal. Each layer may be …

Quantifying The Locomotion Of C. Elegans And Their Response To Photo Stimulation, Ian Seddon

Honors Program Theses

Identifying the function of different locomotive genes in model organisms is crucial for genetics research. One popular approach is to analyze the behavior and motion of animals in hope of understanding subtle genetic or neural mechanisms. The nematode C. elegans has emerged as an increasingly popular organism for the study of sensory systems, specifically photo transduction, due to the fact it is still photosensitive without having eyes. Light stimulus has been shown to elicit evasive locomotive behavior in C. elegans, however little has been done to quantify this movement. Modeling the worm motion as a static sine wave, we used …

Comparison Of Life Experiences Of Men And Women In The Sciences, Tori Nicole Quist

Honors Program Theses

A lack of sense of belonging and stereotype threat have been shown to contribute to women leaving the sciences (Seymour, 1997; Beasley & Fischer, 2012; Deemer et al., 2013). Contributing to this is the fact that most women find affirmation externally (through friends, family and professors) for their life decisions (Seymour, 1997; Zeldin, 2000). A set of comparative studies in 2000 and 2008 were done examining factors affecting women’s and men’s choices of majors and careers (Zeldin, 2000 and Zeldin, 2008). These studies concluded that men relied on achievements in science as the source of their career decisions to enter …