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Series

Michigan Technological University

2014

Articles 1 - 13 of 13

Full-Text Articles in Physics

Nucleation At The Contact Line Observed On Nanotextured Surfaces, C W. Gurganus, J. C. Charnawskas, A. B. Kostinski, R. A. Shaw Dec 2014

Nucleation At The Contact Line Observed On Nanotextured Surfaces, C W. Gurganus, J. C. Charnawskas, A. B. Kostinski, R. A. Shaw

Department of Physics Publications

It has been conjectured that roughness plays a role in surface nucleation, the tendency for freezing to begin preferentially at the liquid-gas interface. Using high speed imaging, we sought evidence for freezing at the contact line on catalyst substrates with imposed characteristic length scales (texture). Length scales consistent with the critical nucleus size and with δ∼τ/σ, where τ is a relevant line tension and σ is the surface tension, range from nanometers to micrometers. It is found that nanoscale texture causes a shift in the nucleation of ice in supercooled water to the three-phase contact line, while microscale texture does …

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Light Transport In Pt-Invariant Photonic Structures With Hidden Symmetries, M. H. Teimourpour, Ramy El-Ganainy, A. Eisfeld, A. Szameit, Demetrios N. Christodoulides Nov 2014

Light Transport In Pt-Invariant Photonic Structures With Hidden Symmetries, M. H. Teimourpour, Ramy El-Ganainy, A. Eisfeld, A. Szameit, Demetrios N. Christodoulides

Department of Physics Publications

We introduce a recursive bosonic quantization technique for generating classical PT photonic structures that possess hidden symmetries and higher order exceptional points. We study light transport in these geometries and we demonstrate that perfect state transfer is possible only for certain initial conditions. Moreover, we show that for the same propagation direction, left and right coherent transports are not symmetric with field amplitudes following two different trajectories. A general scheme for identifying the conservation laws in such PT-symmetric photonic networks is also presented.

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The Immersion Mode Ice Nucleation Behavior Of Mineral Dusts: A Comparison Of Different Pure And Surface Modified Dusts, S. Augustin-Bauditz, H. Wex, S. Kanter, M. Ebert, D. Niedermeier, F. Stolz, A. Prager, F. Stratmann Oct 2014

The Immersion Mode Ice Nucleation Behavior Of Mineral Dusts: A Comparison Of Different Pure And Surface Modified Dusts, S. Augustin-Bauditz, H. Wex, S. Kanter, M. Ebert, D. Niedermeier, F. Stolz, A. Prager, F. Stratmann

Michigan Tech Publications

In this study we present results from immersion freezing experiments with size-segregated mineral dust particles. Besides two already existing data sets for Arizona Test Dust (ATD), and Fluka kaolinite, we show two new data sets for illite-NX, which consists mainly of illite, a clay mineral, and feldspar, a common crustal material. The experiments were carried out with the Leipzig Aerosol Cloud Interaction Simulator. After comparing the different dust samples, it became obvious that the freezing ability was positively correlated with the K-feldspar content. Furthermore, a comparison of the composition of the ATD, illite-NX, and feldspar samples suggests that within the …

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Further Evidence For Superterminal Raindrops, M. L. Larsen, A. Kostinski, A. R. Jameson Oct 2014

Further Evidence For Superterminal Raindrops, M. L. Larsen, A. Kostinski, A. R. Jameson

Department of Physics Publications

A network of optical disdrometers (including laser precipitation monitors and a two‐dimensional video disdrometer) was utilized to determine whether the recent reports of “superterminal” raindrops were spurious results of drop breakup occurring on instrumentation. Results unequivocally show that superterminal raindrops at small (less than 1 mm) sizes are ubiquitous, are measurable over an extended area, and appear in every rain event investigated. No evidence was found to suggest that superterminal drops are the result of drop breakup due to impact with the measurement instrument; thus, if the superterminal drops are the result of drop fragmentation, this fragmentation happens in the …

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Boron Nitride Nanotubes For Spintronics, Kamal B. Dhungana, Ranjit Pati Sep 2014

Boron Nitride Nanotubes For Spintronics, Kamal B. Dhungana, Ranjit Pati

Department of Physics Publications

With the end of Moore's law in sight, researchers are in search of an alternative approach to manipulate information. Spintronics or spin-based electronics, which uses the spin state of electrons to store, process and communicate information, offers exciting opportunities to sustain the current growth in the information industry. For example, the discovery of the giant magneto resistance (GMR) effect, which provides the foundation behind modern high density data storage devices, is an important success story of spintronics; GMR-based sensors have wide applications, ranging from automotive industry to biology. In recent years, with the tremendous progress in nanotechnology, spintronics has crossed …

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Laboratory Measurements Of Contact Freezing By Dust And Bacteria At Temperatures Of Mixed-Phase Clouds, Joseph Niehaus, John Becker, Alexander Kostinski, Will Cantrell Sep 2014

Laboratory Measurements Of Contact Freezing By Dust And Bacteria At Temperatures Of Mixed-Phase Clouds, Joseph Niehaus, John Becker, Alexander Kostinski, Will Cantrell

Department of Physics Publications

Laboratory measurements of freezing by aerosol particles in contact mode are presented. The fraction of particles catalyzing freezing is quantified for three mineral dusts and three strains of bacteria. This is the most comprehensive such dataset to date for temperatures greater than −20°C, relevant for warm, mixed-phase clouds. For Arizona Test Dust, feldspar, or rhyolitic ash, more than 103 particles are required to initiate a freezing event at −20°C in the contact mode. At −15°C, more than 105 particles are required. An ice-negative strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens is an order of magnitude more effective than the mineral dusts …

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Spatial Patterns Of Record-Setting Temperatures, Alexander Kostinski, Amalia Anserson Sep 2014

Spatial Patterns Of Record-Setting Temperatures, Alexander Kostinski, Amalia Anserson

Department of Physics Publications

We employ record-breaking statistics to study spatial correlations of record-setting terrestrial surface temperatures. To that end, a simple diagnostic tool is devised, reminiscent of a pair-correlation function. Data analysis reveals that while during the hottest years, record-breaking temperatures arrive in “heat waves”, extending throughout almost the entire continental United States, this is not so for all years, not even recently. Record-breaking temperatures generally exhibit spatial patterns and variability quite different from those of the mean temperatures.

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Exceptional Points And Lasing Self-Termination In Photonic Molecules, Ramy El-Ganainy, M. Khajavikhan, Li Ge Jul 2014

Exceptional Points And Lasing Self-Termination In Photonic Molecules, Ramy El-Ganainy, M. Khajavikhan, Li Ge

Department of Physics Publications

We investigate the rich physics of photonic molecule lasers using a non-Hermitian dimer model.We show that several interesting features, predicted recently using a rigorous steady-state ab initio laser theory (SALT), can be captured by this toy model. In particular, we demonstrate the central role played by exceptional points (EPs) in both pump-selective lasing and laser self-termination phenomena. Due to its transparent mathematical structure, our model provides a lucid understanding for how different physical parameters (optical loss, modal coupling between microcavities, and pump profiles) affect the lasing action. Interestingly, our analysis also confirms that, for frequency mismatched cavities, operation in the …

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Giant Amplification Of Tunnel Magnetoresistance In A Molecular Junction: Molecularspin-Valve Transistor, Kamal B. Dhungana, Ranjit Pati Apr 2014

Giant Amplification Of Tunnel Magnetoresistance In A Molecular Junction: Molecularspin-Valve Transistor, Kamal B. Dhungana, Ranjit Pati

Department of Physics Publications

Amplification of tunnel magnetoresistance by gate field in a molecular junction is the most important requirement for the development of a molecular spin valve transistor. Herein, we predict a giant amplification of tunnel magnetoresistance in a single molecular spin valve junction, which consists of Ru-bis-terpyridine molecule as a spacer between two ferromagnetic nickelcontacts. Based on the first-principles quantum transport approach, we show that a modest change in the gate field that is experimentally accessible can lead to a substantial amplification (320%) of tunnel magnetoresistance. The origin of such large amplification is attributed to the spin dependent modification of orbitals at …

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Supersymmetric Mode Converters, Matthias Heinrich, Mohammad-Ali Miri, Simon Stützer, Ramy El-Ganainy, Stefan Nolte, Alexander Szameit, Demetrios N. Christodoulides Apr 2014

Supersymmetric Mode Converters, Matthias Heinrich, Mohammad-Ali Miri, Simon Stützer, Ramy El-Ganainy, Stefan Nolte, Alexander Szameit, Demetrios N. Christodoulides

Department of Physics Publications

Originally developed in the context of quantum field theory, the concept of supersymmetry can be used to systematically design a new class of optical structures. In this work, we demonstrate how key features arising from optical supersymmetry can be exploited to control the flow of light for mode division multiplexing applications. Superpartner configurations are experimentally realized in coupled optical networks, and the corresponding light dynamics in such systems are directly observed. We show that supersymmetry can be judiciously utilized to remove the fundamental mode of a multimode optical structure, while establishing global phase matching conditions for the remaining set of …

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A Semi-Lagrangian View Of Ozone Production Tendency In North American Outflow In The Summers Of 2009 And 2010, B. Zhang, R. C. Owen, J A Perlinger, A. Kumar, S. Wu, M. Val Martin, L. Kramer, D. Helmig, R. E. Honrath Mar 2014

A Semi-Lagrangian View Of Ozone Production Tendency In North American Outflow In The Summers Of 2009 And 2010, B. Zhang, R. C. Owen, J A Perlinger, A. Kumar, S. Wu, M. Val Martin, L. Kramer, D. Helmig, R. E. Honrath

Michigan Tech Publications

The Pico Mountain Observatory, located at 2225 m a.s.l. in the Azores Islands, was established in 2001 to observe long-range transport from North America to the central North Atlantic. In previous research conducted at the observatory, ozone enhancement (> 55 ppbv) in North American outflows was observed, and efficient ozone production in these outflows was postulated. This study is focused on determining the causes for high d[O3] / d[CO] values (~1 ppbv ppbv−1) observed in the summers of 2009 and 2010. The folded retroplume technique, developed by Owen and Honrath (2009), was applied to combine upwind FLEXPART transport …

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On-Chip Multi 4-Port Optical Circulators, Ramy El-Ganainy, Miguel Levy Feb 2014

On-Chip Multi 4-Port Optical Circulators, Ramy El-Ganainy, Miguel Levy

Department of Physics Publications

We present a new geometry for on-chip optical circulators based on waveguide arrays. The optical array is engineered to mimic the Fock space representation of a noninteracting two-site Bose–Hubbard Hamiltonian. By introducing a carefully tailored magnetooptic nonreciprocity to these structures, the array operates in the perfect transfer and surface Bloch oscillation modes in the forward and backward propagation directions, respectively. We show that an array made of ð2N þ 1Þ waveguide channels can function as N 4-port optical circulators with very large isolation ratios and low forward losses. Numerical analysis using beam propagation method indicates a large bandwidth of operation.

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A Technique To Measure Ice Nuclei In The Contact Mode, Joseph Niehaus, Kristopher W. Bunker, Swarup China, Alexander Kostinski, Claudio Mazzoleni, Will Cantrell Jan 2014

A Technique To Measure Ice Nuclei In The Contact Mode, Joseph Niehaus, Kristopher W. Bunker, Swarup China, Alexander Kostinski, Claudio Mazzoleni, Will Cantrell

Department of Physics Publications

This study presents a new technique to study ice nucleation by aerosols in the contact mode. Contact freezing depends upon the interaction of a supercooled droplet of water and an aerosol particle, with the caveat that the particle must be at the air–water interface. To measure nucleation catalyzed in this mode, the technique employs water droplets that are supercooled via a temperature-controlled copper stage, then pulls aerosol-laden air past them. Particles deposit out of the airstream and come into contact with the surface of the droplet. The probability that a particle–droplet collision initiates a freezing event, necessitating knowledge of the …

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