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2011

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Articles 1 - 30 of 1592

Full-Text Articles in Physics

Directional Limits On Persistent Gravitational Waves Using Ligo S5 Science Data, J. Abadie, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, M. Abernathy, T. Accadia, F. Acernese, C. Adams, R. Adhikari, P. Ajith, B. Allen, G. S. Allen, E. Amador Ceron, R. S. Amin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, F. Antonucci, M. A. Arain, M. C. Araya, M. Aronsson, K. G. Arun, Y. Aso, S. M. Aston, P. Astone, D. Atkinson, P. Aufmuth, C. Aulbert, S. Babak, P. Baker, G. Ballardin, S. Ballmer, Shaon Ghosh Dec 2011

Directional Limits On Persistent Gravitational Waves Using Ligo S5 Science Data, J. Abadie, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, M. Abernathy, T. Accadia, F. Acernese, C. Adams, R. Adhikari, P. Ajith, B. Allen, G. S. Allen, E. Amador Ceron, R. S. Amin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, F. Antonucci, M. A. Arain, M. C. Araya, M. Aronsson, K. G. Arun, Y. Aso, S. M. Aston, P. Astone, D. Atkinson, P. Aufmuth, C. Aulbert, S. Babak, P. Baker, G. Ballardin, S. Ballmer, Shaon Ghosh

Department of Physics and Astronomy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The gravitational-wave (GW) sky may include nearby pointlike sources as well as stochastic backgrounds. We perform two directional searches for persistent GWs using data from the LIGO S5 science run: one optimized for pointlike sources and one for arbitrary extended sources. Finding no evidence to support the detection of GWs, we present 90% confidence level (C.L.) upper-limit maps of GW strain power with typical values between 2-20×10-50strain2Hz-1 and 5-35×10 -49strain2Hz-1sr-1 for pointlike and extended sources, respectively. The latter result is the first of its kind. We also set 90% C.L. limits on the narrow-band root-mean-square GW strain from interesting targets …


Superhalogen Properties Of Cumcln Clusters: Theory And Experiment, Y. J. Ko, H. Wang, K. Pradhan, P. Koirala, Anil K. Kandalam, K. H. Bowen, P. Jena Dec 2011

Superhalogen Properties Of Cumcln Clusters: Theory And Experiment, Y. J. Ko, H. Wang, K. Pradhan, P. Koirala, Anil K. Kandalam, K. H. Bowen, P. Jena

Physics & Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


The Hubble Space Telescope * Cluster Supernova Survey. Ii. The Type Ia Supernova Rate In High-Redshift Galaxy Clusters, K Barbary, G Aldering, R Amanullah, M Brodwin, N Connolly, Ks Dawson, M Doi, P Eisenhardt, L Faccioli, V Fadeyev, Hk Fakhouri, As Fruchter, D G. Gilbank, Md Gladders, G Goldhaber, A Goobar, T Hattori, E Hsiao, Xiaosheng Huang, Y Ihara, K Kashikawa, B Koester, K Konishi, M Kowalski, C Lidman, L Lubin, J Meyers, T Morokuma, T Oda, N Panagia, S Perlmutter, M Postman, P Ripoche, P Rosati, D Rubin, Dj Schlegel, Al Spadafora, Sa Stanford, M Strovink, N Suzuki, N Takanashi, K Tokita, N Yasuda Dec 2011

The Hubble Space Telescope * Cluster Supernova Survey. Ii. The Type Ia Supernova Rate In High-Redshift Galaxy Clusters, K Barbary, G Aldering, R Amanullah, M Brodwin, N Connolly, Ks Dawson, M Doi, P Eisenhardt, L Faccioli, V Fadeyev, Hk Fakhouri, As Fruchter, D G. Gilbank, Md Gladders, G Goldhaber, A Goobar, T Hattori, E Hsiao, Xiaosheng Huang, Y Ihara, K Kashikawa, B Koester, K Konishi, M Kowalski, C Lidman, L Lubin, J Meyers, T Morokuma, T Oda, N Panagia, S Perlmutter, M Postman, P Ripoche, P Rosati, D Rubin, Dj Schlegel, Al Spadafora, Sa Stanford, M Strovink, N Suzuki, N Takanashi, K Tokita, N Yasuda

Physics and Astronomy

We report a measurement of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) rate in galaxy clusters at 0.9 < z < 1.46 from the Hubble Space Telescope Cluster Supernova Survey. This is the first cluster SN Ia rate measurement with detected z > 0.9 SNe. Finding 8 ± 1 cluster SNe Ia, we determine an SN Ia rate of 0.50+0.23 –0.19 (stat) +0.10 –0.09 (sys) h 2 70 SNuB (SNuB ≡ 10–12 SNe L –1 ☉, B yr–1). In units of stellar mass, this translates to 0.36+0.16 –0.13 (stat) +0.07 –0.06 (sys) h 2 70 SNuM (SNuM ≡ 10–12 SNe M –1 ☉ yr–1). This represents a …


Entangled-Photon Compressive Ghost Imaging, Petros Zerom, Kam Wai Clifford Chan, John C. Howell, Robert W. Boyd Dec 2011

Entangled-Photon Compressive Ghost Imaging, Petros Zerom, Kam Wai Clifford Chan, John C. Howell, Robert W. Boyd

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We have experimentally demonstrated high-resolution compressive ghost imaging at the single-photon level using entangled photons produced by a spontaneous parametric down-conversion source and using single-pixel detectors. For a given mean-squared error, the number of photons needed to reconstruct a two-dimensional image is found to be much smaller than that in quantum ghost imaging experiments employing a raster scan. This procedure not only shortens the data acquisition time, but also suggests a more economical use of photons for low-light-level and quantum image formation.


A Cultured Greigite-Producing Magnetotactic Bacterium In A Novel Group Of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria, Christopher T. Lefèvre, Nicholas Menguy, Fernanda Abreu, Ulysses Lins, Mihály Pósfai, Tanya Prozorov, David Pignol, Richard B. Frankel, Dennis A. Bazylinski Dec 2011

A Cultured Greigite-Producing Magnetotactic Bacterium In A Novel Group Of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria, Christopher T. Lefèvre, Nicholas Menguy, Fernanda Abreu, Ulysses Lins, Mihály Pósfai, Tanya Prozorov, David Pignol, Richard B. Frankel, Dennis A. Bazylinski

Physics

Magnetotactic bacteria contain magnetosomes—intracellular, membrane-bounded, magnetic nanocrystals of magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4)—that cause the bacteria to swim along geomagnetic field lines. We isolated a greigite-producing magnetotactic bacterium from a brackish spring in Death Valley National Park, California, USA, strain BW-1, that is able to biomineralize greigite and magnetite depending on culture conditions. A phylogenetic comparison of BW-1 and similar uncultured greigite- and/or magnetite-producing magnetotactic bacteria from freshwater to hypersaline habitats shows that these organisms represent a previously unknown group of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the Deltaproteobacteria. Genomic analysis of BW-1 reveals …


Are Three Flavors Special?, Joseph Schechter, Amir H. Fariborz, Renata Jora, M. Naeem Shahid Dec 2011

Are Three Flavors Special?, Joseph Schechter, Amir H. Fariborz, Renata Jora, M. Naeem Shahid

Physics - All Scholarship

It has become clearer recently that the regular pattern of three flavor nonets describing the low spin meson multiplets seems to require some modification for the case of the spin 0 scalar mesons. One picture which has had some success, treats the scalars in a chiral Lagrangian framework and considers them to populate two nonets. These are, in turn, taken to result from the mixing of two "bare" nonets, one of which is of quark- antiquark type and the other of two quark- two antiquark type. Here we show that such a mixing is, before chiral symmetry breaking terms are …


Characterization And Discrimination Of Large Caliber Gun Blast And Flash Signatures, Bryan J. Steward Dec 2011

Characterization And Discrimination Of Large Caliber Gun Blast And Flash Signatures, Bryan J. Steward

Theses and Dissertations

Two hundred and one firings of three 152 mm howitzer munitions were observed to characterize firing signatures of a large caliber gun. Muzzle blast expansion was observed with high-speed (1600 Hz) optical imagery. The trajectory of the blast front was well approximated by a modified point-blast model described by constant rate of energy deposition. Visible and near-infrared (450 - 850 nm) spectra of secondary combustion were acquired at 0.75 nm spectral resolution and depict strong contaminant emissions including Li, Na, K, Cu, and Ca. The O2 (X-b) absorption band is evident in the blue wing of the potassium D lines …


Electroluminescence Studies On Longwavelength Indium Arsenide Quantum Dot Microcavities Grown On Gallium Arsenide, John C. Ramsey Dec 2011

Electroluminescence Studies On Longwavelength Indium Arsenide Quantum Dot Microcavities Grown On Gallium Arsenide, John C. Ramsey

Theses and Dissertations

A comprehensive study of the electroluminescence of four GaAs/AlGaAs microcavity devices with InAs/GaInAs quantum dot active regions emitting near 1.3 µm was conducted. The four molecular beam epitaxial grown samples with AlAs oxide aperture confinement layers were fabricated, characterized, and optically modeled. Optical power transmission of the samples was modeled using Matlab and compared with measured transmission data. Resonant cavity light emitting diodes (RCLEDs) and three vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) samples were fabricated and electro-optically characterized over a range of injection currents and temperatures. Devices achieved continuous wave room temperature lasing at 1.28 µm with an output power …


Kinetics Of The Electrical Discharge Pumped Oxygen-Iodine Laser, Matthew A. Lange Dec 2011

Kinetics Of The Electrical Discharge Pumped Oxygen-Iodine Laser, Matthew A. Lange

Theses and Dissertations

A systematic study of microwave discharges at 2.45 GHz has been performed through the pressure range of sustainable electric discharges in pure oxygen flows of 2 to 10 Torr. A corresponding study of 13.56 MHz has also been performed at pressures of 2, 4, and 7 Torr. Optical emissions from O2(a 1Δ), O2(b 1Σ), and O-atoms have been measured from the center of a μ-wave discharge. Discharge residence times from 0.1 to 5 ms have been reported. The O2(b 1Σ) emissions, with a spectral resolution of 0.01 nm, have been used to measure the temperature of the gas, which typically …


Formation Of Organized Nanostructures From Unstable Bilayers Of Thin Metallic Liquids, Mikhail Khenner, Sagar Yadavali, Ramki Kalyanaraman Dec 2011

Formation Of Organized Nanostructures From Unstable Bilayers Of Thin Metallic Liquids, Mikhail Khenner, Sagar Yadavali, Ramki Kalyanaraman

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Dewetting of pulsed-laser irradiated, thin (< 20 nm), optically reflective metallic bilayers on an optically transparent substrate with a reflective support layer is studied within the lubrication equations model. A steady-state bilayer film thickness (h) dependent temperature profile is derived based on the mean substrate temperature estimated from the elaborate thermal model of transient heating and melting/freezing. Large thermocapillary forces are observed along the plane of the liquid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces due to this h-dependent temperature, which, in turn, is strongly influenced by the h-dependent laser light reflection and absorption. Consequently the dewetting is a result of the competition between thermocapillary and intermolecular forces. A linear analysis of the dewetting length scales established that the non-isothermal calculations better predict the experimental results as compared to the isothermal case within the bounding Hamaker coefficients. Subsequently, a computational non-linear dynamics study of the dewetting pathway was performed for Ag/Co and Co/Ag bilayer systems to predict the morphology evolution. We found that the systems evolve towards formation of different morphologies, including core-shell, embedded, or stacked nanostructure morphologies.


Formation Of Organized Nanostructures From Unstable Bilayers Of Thin Metallic Liquids, Mikhail Khenner, Sagar Yadavali, Ramki Kalyanaraman Dec 2011

Formation Of Organized Nanostructures From Unstable Bilayers Of Thin Metallic Liquids, Mikhail Khenner, Sagar Yadavali, Ramki Kalyanaraman

Mikhail Khenner

Dewetting of pulsed-laser irradiated, thin (< 20 nm), optically reflective metallic bilayers on an optically transparent substrate with a reflective support layer is studied within the lubrication equations model. A steady-state bilayer film thickness (h) dependent temperature profile is derived based on the mean substrate temperature estimated from the elaborate thermal model of transient heating and melting/freezing. Large thermocapillary forces are observed along the plane of the liquid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces due to this h-dependent temperature, which, in turn, is strongly influenced by the h-dependent laser light reflection and absorption. Consequently the dewetting is a result of the competition between thermocapillary and intermolecular forces. A linear analysis of the dewetting length scales established that the non-isothermal calculations better predict the experimental results as compared to the isothermal case within the bounding Hamaker coefficients. Subsequently, a computational non-linear dynamics study of the dewetting pathway was performed for Ag/Co and Co/Ag bilayer systems to predict the morphology evolution. We found that the systems evolve towards formation of different morphologies, including core-shell, embedded, or stacked nanostructure morphologies.


Ordered Phases In Ruthenium Binary Alloys From High-Throughput First-Principles Calculations, Gus L. W. Hart, Lance J. Nelson, Michal Jahnátek, Ohad Levy, Roman V. Chepulskii, J. Xue, Stephano Curtarolo Dec 2011

Ordered Phases In Ruthenium Binary Alloys From High-Throughput First-Principles Calculations, Gus L. W. Hart, Lance J. Nelson, Michal Jahnátek, Ohad Levy, Roman V. Chepulskii, J. Xue, Stephano Curtarolo

Faculty Publications

Despite the increasing importance of ruthenium in numerous technological applications, e.g., catalysis and electronic devices, experimental and computational data on its binary alloys are sparse. In particular, data are scant on those binary systems believed to be phase-separating. We performed a comprehensive study of ruthenium binary systems with the 28 transition metals, using high-throughput first-principles calculations. These computations predict novel unsuspected compounds in 7 of the 16 binary systems previously believed to be phase-separating and in two of the three systems reported with only a high-temperature σ phase. They also predict a few unreported compounds in five additional systems and …


Determining Magnetic Nanoparticle Size Distributions From Thermomagnetic Measurements., R. S. Dipietro, H. G. Johnson, S. P. Bennett, T. J. Nummy, L. H. Lewis, D. Heiman Dec 2011

Determining Magnetic Nanoparticle Size Distributions From Thermomagnetic Measurements., R. S. Dipietro, H. G. Johnson, S. P. Bennett, T. J. Nummy, L. H. Lewis, D. Heiman

Laura H. Lewis

Thermomagnetic measurements are used to obtain the size distribution and anisotropy of magnetic nanoparticles. An analytical transformation method is described which utilizes temperature-dependent zero-field cooling magnetization data to provide a quantitative measurement of the average diameter and relative abundance of superparamagnetic nanoparticles. Applying this method to self-assembled MnAs nanoparticles in MnAs–GaAs composite films reveals a log-normal size distribution and reduced anisotropy for nanoparticles compared to bulk materials. This analytical technique holds promise for rapid assessment of the size distribution of an ensemble of superparamagnetic nanoparticles.


Universal Properties Of Linear Magnetoresistance In Strongly Disordered Mnas-Gaas Composite Semiconductors, H. G. Johnson, S. P. Bennett, R. Barua, L. H. Lewis, D. Heiman Dec 2011

Universal Properties Of Linear Magnetoresistance In Strongly Disordered Mnas-Gaas Composite Semiconductors, H. G. Johnson, S. P. Bennett, R. Barua, L. H. Lewis, D. Heiman

Laura H. Lewis

Linear magnetoresistance (LMR) occurs in semiconductors as a consequence of strong electrical disorder and is characterized by nonsaturating magnetoresistance that is proportional to the applied magnetic field. By investigating a disordered MnAs-GaAs composite material, it is found that the magnitude of the LMR is numerically equal to the carrier mobility over a wide range and is independent of carrier density. This behavior is complementary to the Hall effect that is independent of the mobility and dependent on the carrier density. Moreover, the LMR appears to be insensitive to the details of the disorder and points to a universal explanation of …


Determining Magnetic Nanoparticle Size Distributions From Thermomagnetic Measurements., R. S. Dipietro, H. G. Johnson, S. P. Bennett, T. J. Nummy, L. H. Lewis, D. Heiman Dec 2011

Determining Magnetic Nanoparticle Size Distributions From Thermomagnetic Measurements., R. S. Dipietro, H. G. Johnson, S. P. Bennett, T. J. Nummy, L. H. Lewis, D. Heiman

Donald Heiman

Thermomagnetic measurements are used to obtain the size distribution and anisotropy of magnetic nanoparticles. An analytical transformation method is described which utilizes temperature-dependent zero-field cooling magnetization data to provide a quantitative measurement of the average diameter and relative abundance of superparamagnetic nanoparticles. Applying this method to self-assembled MnAs nanoparticles in MnAs–GaAs composite films reveals a log-normal size distribution and reduced anisotropy for nanoparticles compared to bulk materials. This analytical technique holds promise for rapid assessment of the size distribution of an ensemble of superparamagnetic nanoparticles.


Magnetotransport Properties Of Mn-Si-C Based Nanostructures, Sungmu Kang, Greg A. Brewer, Battogtokh Jugdersuren, Robert Dipietro, Don Heiman, Andrew C. Buechele, David A. Mckeown, Ian L. Pegg, John Philip Dec 2011

Magnetotransport Properties Of Mn-Si-C Based Nanostructures, Sungmu Kang, Greg A. Brewer, Battogtokh Jugdersuren, Robert Dipietro, Don Heiman, Andrew C. Buechele, David A. Mckeown, Ian L. Pegg, John Philip

Donald Heiman

Boron-incorporated Mn5SiC nanowires were grown using chemical vapor deposition method. The nanowire cluster exhibits magnetic hysteresis loops at room temperature and the strength of the magnetic behavior depends on the concentration of the boron incorporation. Mn5SiC nanowire-based devices exhibit spin dependent transport properties which shows significant changes with boron content. Large magnetoresistance is observed in lightly boron-incorporated nanowire devices and it decreases with increase in boron content.


Magnetic Signature Of Symmetry Reduction In Epitaxial La₀.₆₇Sr₀.₃₃Mno₃ Films, Radhika Barua, L. H. Lewis, D. Heiman Dec 2011

Magnetic Signature Of Symmetry Reduction In Epitaxial La₀.₆₇Sr₀.₃₃Mno₃ Films, Radhika Barua, L. H. Lewis, D. Heiman

Donald Heiman

The magnetic properties of epitaxially grown La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 perovskite thin films were investigated to elucidate an unexpected broken symmetry between orthogonal [100] and [010] inplane directions, resulting from the magnetostructural coupling between the film and the cubic SrTiO3 (001) substrate. The films were synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy with either complete or zero A-site cation disorder. Magnetization measured in [100] and [010] directions shows differences that signal a reduction of the in-plane cubic symmetry only for T < 290 K. The magnetization asymmetry is more robust in the film with complete A-site disorder. These results are attributed to a dominant Mn3+ character …


Large Low Field Magnetoresistance In La₀.₆₇Sr₀.₃₃Mno₃ Nanowire Devices, Battogtokh Jugdersuren, Sungmu Kang, Robert S. Dipietro, Don Heiman, David Mckeown, Ian L. Pegg, John Philip Dec 2011

Large Low Field Magnetoresistance In La₀.₆₇Sr₀.₃₃Mno₃ Nanowire Devices, Battogtokh Jugdersuren, Sungmu Kang, Robert S. Dipietro, Don Heiman, David Mckeown, Ian L. Pegg, John Philip

Donald Heiman

Large low field magnetoresistance (LFMR) of about 28% is observed in La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 nanowires with 80 nm in diameter at T = 300 K. A gradual decrease in the LFMR has been found with increase in wire diameter. The LFMR drops to zero for wires above 280 nm in diameter. The nanowires are grown by means of electrospinning process and exhibit distorted orthorhombic crystal structure. The large LFMR is considered as a grain boundary effect as observed in several perovskite systems. The large LFMR observed in these manganites with reduced dimensions may be useful for room temperature device applications.


Large Coercivity In Nanostructured Rare-Earth-Free Mnxga Films, Don Heiman, Tom Nummy, Steve Bennett, Tom Cardinal Dec 2011

Large Coercivity In Nanostructured Rare-Earth-Free Mnxga Films, Don Heiman, Tom Nummy, Steve Bennett, Tom Cardinal

Donald Heiman

The magnetic hysteresis of MnxGa films exhibit remarkably large coercive fields as high as HC=2.5 T when fabricated with nanoscale particles of a suitable size and orientation. This coercivity is an order of magnitude larger than in well-ordered epitaxial film counterparts and bulk materials. The enhanced coercivity is attributed to the combination of large magnetocrystalline anisotropy and ~50-100 nm size nanoparticles. The large coercivity is also replicated in the electrical properties through the anomalous Hall effect. The magnitude of the coercivity approaches that found in rare-earth magnets, making them attractive for rare-earth-free magnet applications.


Statistical Spectral Parameter Estimation Of Acoustic Signals With Applications To Byzantine Music, Kyriakos Michael Tsiappoutas Dec 2011

Statistical Spectral Parameter Estimation Of Acoustic Signals With Applications To Byzantine Music, Kyriakos Michael Tsiappoutas

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Digitized acoustical signals of Byzantine music performed by Iakovos Nafpliotis are used to extract the fundamental frequency of each note of the diatonic scale. These empirical results are then contrasted to the theoretical suggestions and previous empirical findings. Several parametric and non-parametric spectral parameter estimation methods are implemented. These include: (1) Phase vocoder method, (2) McAulay-Quatieri method, (3) Levinson-Durbin algorithm,(4) YIN, (5) Quinn & Fernandes Estimator, (6) Pisarenko Frequency Estimator, (7) MUltiple SIgnal Characterization (MUSIC) algorithm, (8) Periodogram method, (9) Quinn & Fernandes Filtered Periodogram, (10) Rife & Vincent Estimator, and (11) the Fourier transform. Algorithm performance was very precise. …


Multimessenger Astronomy: Modeling Gravitational And Electromagnetic Radiation From A Stellar Binary System, Kevin Kern Dec 2011

Multimessenger Astronomy: Modeling Gravitational And Electromagnetic Radiation From A Stellar Binary System, Kevin Kern

Honors Theses

Our Solar System is one of roughly 100 billion other stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy. Two-thirds of all stars are paired off, forming a gravitational bond between one another. Such systems are known as stellar binaries. Although these binaries are prevalent there is much yet to be learned about their formation, evolution, and interactions. The approach taken in this thesis is to produce simulated data representing the expected measurements that an observational astronomer would collect. Specifically, we have simulated the data from an eclipsing binary light curve, spectroscopic velocity curve, and the gravitational wave times series form …


Absolute Quantification Of Gene Expression In Individual Bacterial Cells Using Two-Photon Fluctuation Microscopy, Matthew L. Ferguson, Dominique Le Coq, Matthieu Jules, Stéphane Aymerich, Nathalie Declerck, Catherine A. Royer Dec 2011

Absolute Quantification Of Gene Expression In Individual Bacterial Cells Using Two-Photon Fluctuation Microscopy, Matthew L. Ferguson, Dominique Le Coq, Matthieu Jules, Stéphane Aymerich, Nathalie Declerck, Catherine A. Royer

Matthew L. Ferguson

Quantification of promoter activity or protein expression in gene regulatory networks is generally achieved via measurement of fluorescent protein (FP) intensity, which is related to the true FP concentration by an unknown scaling factor, thereby limiting analysis and interpretation. Here, using approaches originally developed for eukaryotic cells, we show that two-photon (2p) fluorescence fluctuation microscopy, specifically scanning number and brightness (sN&B) analysis, can be applied to determine the absolute concentrations of diffusing FPs in live bacterial cells. First, we demonstrate the validity of the approach, despite the small size of the bacteria, using the central pixels and spatial averaging. We …


Photocatalytic Activity Of Zinc Oxide Thin Films Prepared By Dc Sputter Deposition And Thermal Oxidation, Robert Louder Dec 2011

Photocatalytic Activity Of Zinc Oxide Thin Films Prepared By Dc Sputter Deposition And Thermal Oxidation, Robert Louder

Honors Theses

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor with a broad range of applications, such as photocatalysis. The photocatalytic properties of ZnO result from the highly oxidizing holes and reducing electrons that are induced on the ZnO surface by ultraviolet (UV) light. The efficiency of electron-hole pair formation is therefore critical for photocatalysis, and thus the optical quality of the films in the UV region is of critical importance. ZnO thin films have been fabricated using DC sputter deposition of Zn-metal films followed by thermal oxidation at different temperatures (300, 600, and 900°C). Characterization of the optical properties of the resulting …


Molecular Dynamics Studies Of Interactions Of Phospholipid Membranes With Dehydroergosterol And Penetrating Peptides, Amir Mohsen Pourmousa Abkenar Dec 2011

Molecular Dynamics Studies Of Interactions Of Phospholipid Membranes With Dehydroergosterol And Penetrating Peptides, Amir Mohsen Pourmousa Abkenar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

We have performed molecular modeling of membrane and peptide systems by employing the classical molecular dynamics method and force field parameterizations. In this thesis, our main interest is the interaction of sterols as well as peptides with membranes. The thesis consists of three related projects. The first project focuses on cholesterol (CHOL) and dehydroergosterol (DHE) interacting with palmitoyl-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC) lipid bilayers. We study the effects of both sterols on the bilayer and compare them with each other. We first study the condensing and ordering effect of these sterols. Then, we study their orientations within the bilayer and relate them …


Development Of A Strontium-87 Ion Interferometer, Christopher Joseph Erickson Dec 2011

Development Of A Strontium-87 Ion Interferometer, Christopher Joseph Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

I present the construction of a low-velocity intense source (LVIS) of laser-cooled neutral strontium using permanent ring magnets. The LVIS consists of a magneto-optical trap from which cold strontium is extracted in a well-collimated beam. I also present the development and implementation of a full suite of low-noise, high-bandwidth laser control electronics including a microcontroller unit. This microcontroller remotely controls and monitors the current driver, temperature controller, and PID lock circuit for each diode laser simultaneously. The current driver output is accurate to within 2 micro-amps and repeatable to with a few nano-amps. The noise spectral density of the current …


Background-Oriented Schlieren Pattern Optimization, Jeffery E. Hartberger Dec 2011

Background-Oriented Schlieren Pattern Optimization, Jeffery E. Hartberger

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes a test series to investigate background patterns used for the Background-Oriented Schlieren field density measurement technique. Several varying background patterns were substituted under similar fluid density conditions to visualize and isolate the effects of patterns in the background images. A qualitative comparison was completed of the flow visualization results of each background pattern to categorize background conditions that improved the flow visualization image. Changes in background patterns revealed significant changes in flow visualization. Pattern contrast, spacing and sizing all played large parts in the quality of the visual density gradient imaging during the test series.


Second-Order Weak Lensing From Modified Gravity, R. Ali Vanderveld, Robert R. Caldwell, Jason Rhodes Dec 2011

Second-Order Weak Lensing From Modified Gravity, R. Ali Vanderveld, Robert R. Caldwell, Jason Rhodes

Dartmouth Scholarship

We explore the sensitivity of weak gravitational lensing to second-order corrections to the spacetime metric within a cosmological adaptation of the parametrized post-Newtonian framework. Whereas one might expect nonlinearities of the gravitational field to introduce non-Gaussianity into the statistics of the lensing convergence field, we show that such corrections are actually always small within a broad class of scalar-tensor theories of gravity. We show this by first computing the weak lensing convergence within our parametrized framework to second order in the gravitational potential, and then computing the relevant post-Newtonian parameters for scalar-tensor gravity theories. In doing so we show that …


Veritas Observations Of Gamma-Ray Bursts Detected By Swift, V. A. Acciari, E. Aliu, T. Arlen, T. Aune, M. Beilicke, W. Benbow, S. M. Bradbury, J. H. Buckley, V. Bugaev, K. Byrum, A. Cannon, A. Cesarini, J. L. Christiansen, L. Ciupik, E. Collins-Hughes, M. P. Connolly, W. Cui, C. Duke, M. Errando, A. Falcone, J. P. Finley, G. Finnegan, L. Fortson, A. Furniss, N. Galante, D. Gall, S. Godambe, S. Griffin, J. Grube, R. Guenette, G. Gyuk, D. Hanna, J. Holder, G. Hughes, C. M. Hui, T. B. Humensky, D. J. Jackson, P. Kaaret, N. Karlsson, M. Kertzman, D. Kieda, H. Krawczynski, F. Krennrich, M. J. Lang, A. S. Madhavan, G. Maier, S. Mcarthur, A. Mccann, P. Moriarty, M. D. Newbold, R. A. Ong, M. Orr, A. N. Otte, N. Park, J. S. Perkins, M. Pohl, H. Prokoph, J. Quinn, K. Ragan, L. C. Reyes, P. T. Reynolds, E. Roache, H. J. Rose, J. Ruppel, D. B. Saxon, M. Schroedter, G. H. Sembroski, G. D. Şentürk, A. W. Smith, D. Staszak, S. P. Swordy, G. Tešić, M. Theiling, S. Thibadeau, K. Tsurusaki, A. Varlotta, V. V. Vassiliev, S. Vincent, M. Vivier, S. P. Wakely, J. E. Ward, T. C. Weekes, A. Weinstein, T. Weisgarber, D. A. Williams, M. Wood Dec 2011

Veritas Observations Of Gamma-Ray Bursts Detected By Swift, V. A. Acciari, E. Aliu, T. Arlen, T. Aune, M. Beilicke, W. Benbow, S. M. Bradbury, J. H. Buckley, V. Bugaev, K. Byrum, A. Cannon, A. Cesarini, J. L. Christiansen, L. Ciupik, E. Collins-Hughes, M. P. Connolly, W. Cui, C. Duke, M. Errando, A. Falcone, J. P. Finley, G. Finnegan, L. Fortson, A. Furniss, N. Galante, D. Gall, S. Godambe, S. Griffin, J. Grube, R. Guenette, G. Gyuk, D. Hanna, J. Holder, G. Hughes, C. M. Hui, T. B. Humensky, D. J. Jackson, P. Kaaret, N. Karlsson, M. Kertzman, D. Kieda, H. Krawczynski, F. Krennrich, M. J. Lang, A. S. Madhavan, G. Maier, S. Mcarthur, A. Mccann, P. Moriarty, M. D. Newbold, R. A. Ong, M. Orr, A. N. Otte, N. Park, J. S. Perkins, M. Pohl, H. Prokoph, J. Quinn, K. Ragan, L. C. Reyes, P. T. Reynolds, E. Roache, H. J. Rose, J. Ruppel, D. B. Saxon, M. Schroedter, G. H. Sembroski, G. D. Şentürk, A. W. Smith, D. Staszak, S. P. Swordy, G. Tešić, M. Theiling, S. Thibadeau, K. Tsurusaki, A. Varlotta, V. V. Vassiliev, S. Vincent, M. Vivier, S. P. Wakely, J. E. Ward, T. C. Weekes, A. Weinstein, T. Weisgarber, D. A. Williams, M. Wood

Physics

We present the results of 16 Swift-triggered Gamma-ray burst (GRB) follow-up observations taken with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) telescope array from 2007 January to 2009 June. The median energy threshold and response time of these observations were 260 GeV and 320 s, respectively. Observations had an average duration of 90 minutes. Each burst is analyzed independently in two modes: over the whole duration of the observations and again over a shorter timescale determined by the maximum VERITAS sensitivity to a burst with a t−1.5 time profile. This temporal model is characteristic of GRB …


The Lick Agn Monitoring Project 2011: Reverberation Mapping Of Markarian 50, Aaron J. Barth, Anna Pancoast, Shawn J. Thorman, Vardha N. Bennert, David J. Sand, Weidong Li, Gabriela Canalizo, Alexei V. Filippenko, Elinor L. Gates, Jenny E. Greene, Matthew A. Malkan, Daniel Stern, Tommaso Treu, Jong-Hak Woo, Roberto J. Assef, Hyun-Jin Bae, Brendon J. Brewer, Tabitha Buehler, S. Bradley Cenko, Kelsey I. Clubb, Michael C. Cooper, Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, Kyle D. Hiner, Sebastian F. Hönig, Michael D. Joner, Michael T. Kandrashoff, C. David Laney, Mariana S. Lazarova, A. M. Nierenberg, Dawoo Park, Jeffrey M. Silverman, Donghoon Son, Alessandro Sonnenfeld, Erik J. Tollerud, Jonelle L. Walsh, Richard Walters, Robert L. Da Silva, Michele Fumagalli, Michael D. Gregg, Chelsea E. Harris, Eric Y. Hsiao, Jeffrey Lee, Liliana Lopez, Jacob Rex, Nao Suzuki, Jonathan R. Trump, David Tytler, Gábor Worseck, Hassan M. Yesuf Dec 2011

The Lick Agn Monitoring Project 2011: Reverberation Mapping Of Markarian 50, Aaron J. Barth, Anna Pancoast, Shawn J. Thorman, Vardha N. Bennert, David J. Sand, Weidong Li, Gabriela Canalizo, Alexei V. Filippenko, Elinor L. Gates, Jenny E. Greene, Matthew A. Malkan, Daniel Stern, Tommaso Treu, Jong-Hak Woo, Roberto J. Assef, Hyun-Jin Bae, Brendon J. Brewer, Tabitha Buehler, S. Bradley Cenko, Kelsey I. Clubb, Michael C. Cooper, Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, Kyle D. Hiner, Sebastian F. Hönig, Michael D. Joner, Michael T. Kandrashoff, C. David Laney, Mariana S. Lazarova, A. M. Nierenberg, Dawoo Park, Jeffrey M. Silverman, Donghoon Son, Alessandro Sonnenfeld, Erik J. Tollerud, Jonelle L. Walsh, Richard Walters, Robert L. Da Silva, Michele Fumagalli, Michael D. Gregg, Chelsea E. Harris, Eric Y. Hsiao, Jeffrey Lee, Liliana Lopez, Jacob Rex, Nao Suzuki, Jonathan R. Trump, David Tytler, Gábor Worseck, Hassan M. Yesuf

Physics

The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2011 observing campaign was carried out over the course of 11 weeks in spring 2011. Here we present the first results from this program, a measurement of the broad-line reverberation lag in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 50. Combining our data with supplemental observations obtained prior to the start of the main observing campaign, our data set covers a total duration of 4.5 months. During this time, Mrk 50 was highly variable, exhibiting a maximum variability amplitude of a factor of ~4 in the U-band continuum and a factor of ~2 in the Hβ …


Quantum Coherence And Interference In Metallic Photonic Crystals And Hybrid Systems, Ali Hatef Dec 2011

Quantum Coherence And Interference In Metallic Photonic Crystals And Hybrid Systems, Ali Hatef

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the first part of the thesis, we study the absorption coefficient of quantum dots doped in metallic photonic crystals under different circumferences. We study numerically the temporal evolution of the absorption coefficient profile where a probe field is applied to monitor the absorption process in two cases, when quantum dots are embedded lightly and densely. We also studied the effect of a changing plasma frequency on the absorption profile of quantum dots two possible field configurations. We show that the changes in plasma energy can take the system from the absorption region to the transparent and gain region.

As …