Physics Commons^™

A Review On Antibacterial Activity Of Nanoparticles, Badr-Edine Sadoq, Mohammed Reda Britel, Adel Bouajaj, Ramzi Maâlej, Ahmed Touhami, Marwa Abid, Hanen Douiri, Fakhita Touhami, Amal Maurady

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotic agents is a main global public health problem. The use of nanoparticles is one of the promising ways to overcome microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents. Metal nanoparticles are increasingly used to target bacterial strains. Advances in nanotechnology, in particular the ability to synthesize nanoparticles of specific size and shape, are likely to lead to the development of new antibacterial agents. The antibacterial activities of nanoparticles are largely influenced by their sizes and large surface area/mass ratio. The antibacterial mechanisms of nanoparticles are poorly understood, but the currently accepted mechanisms include oxidative stress induction, …

Topological Hall Effect In Particulate Magnetic Nanostructure, Ahsan Ullah

Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research: Department of Physics and Astronomy

Conduction electrons change their spin direction due to the exchange interaction with the lattice spins. Ideally, the spins of the conduction electrons follow the atomic spin adiabatically, so that spins like S1, S2, and S3 can be interpreted as time-ordered sequences t1 < t2 < t3. Such spin sequences yield a quantum-mechanical phase factor in the wave function,  →ei, where  is known as the Berry phase. The corresponding spin rotation translates into a Berry curvature and an emergent magnetic field and subsequently, Hall-effect contribution known as the topological Hall-effect. This dissertation explores topological Hall-effect in particulate magnets, where noncollinear spins are stabilized by competition between different magnetic interactions. The topologically non-trivial spin textures in these nanostructures are flower states, curling states, vortex, and magnetic bubbles, which give rise to topological Hall-effect and have finite spin chirality and Skyrmion number Q. Topological Hall-effect is investigated in noninteracting nanoparticles, exchanges coupled centrosymmetric nanoparticles, exchanges coupled non-centrosymmetric nanoparticles which possess Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), and exchanged coupled Hard and soft magnetic films. Micromagnetic modeling, simulations, analytical calculations, and experimental methods are used to determine topological Hall-effect. In very small noninteracting nanoparticles, the reverse magnetic fields enhance Q due to the flower state until the reversal occurs, whereas, for particles with a radius greater than coherence radius, the Q jumps to a larger value at the nucleation field representing the curling state. The comparisons of magnetization patterns between experimental and computed magnetic force microscopy (MFM) measurements show the presence of spin chirality. Magnetic and Hall-effect measurements identify topological Hall-effect in the exchange-coupled Co and CoSi-nanoparticle films. The origin of the topological Hall-effect namely, the chiral domains with domain-wall chirality quantified by an integer skyrmion number in Co and chiral spins with partial skyrmion number in CoSi. These spin structures are different from the Skyrmions due to DMI in B-20 crystals and multilayered thin films with Cnv symmetry. In these films THE caused by cooperative magnetization reversal in the exchange-coupled Co-nanoparticles and peripheral chiral spin textures in CoSi-nanoparticles.

Advisor: Xiaoshan Xu

Optimization Of A Ball's Launch In Sports, Andrew C. Smith, Javier E. Hasbun

Georgia Journal of Science

Newton's laws are used to study the effects of air resistance on an object's motion. In ball-related sports such as baseball, soccer, etc., understanding the effects of air resistance is essential to optimize ball launch performance. This performance optimization can be studied by identifying the minimal time it takes for a ball with speed to travel a certain distance. We work with two models that apply to an object's motion. One of the models assumes a linear air drag while a second model makes use of a quadratic air drag. We do investigate known differential equations for when the Magnus …

Representing Quantum Spins In Different Coordinate Systems For Modelling Rigid Body Orientation, Nadjet Zioui, Aicha Mahmoudi, Mohamed Tadjine

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Various methods for representing the spatial orientation and rotation of objects are presented and compared with the quantum bit state representation. By contrasting spherical, Euler angle, quaternion, and quantum spin coordinate systems, this work highlights important concepts regarding the rotation axis of the X gate. Several ambiguities and incomplete definitions associated with the qubit state representation are discussed, such as the spin around the qubit itself and the explanation of the considered rotation angles and signs. A mathematical analysis of the physical meaning of each eigenstate is provided along with a new comprehensive and meaningful YPR-based 3D representation of a …

Improving The Burt’S Sensitivity Using Noise Calibration Unit Via Crab Nebula Observations, Uday E. Jallod, Lana T. Ali, Hareth S. Mahdi, Kamal M. Abood

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Radio observations from astronomical sources like supernovae became one the most important sources of information about the physical properties of those objects. However, such radio observations are affected by various types of noise such as those from sky, background, receiver, and the system itself. Therefore, it is essential to eliminate or reduce these undesired noise from the signals in order to ensure accurate measurements and analysis of radio observations. One of the most commonly used methods for reducing the noise is to use a noise calibrator. In this study, the 3-m Baghdad University Radio Telescope (BURT) has been used to …

Growth And Emergent Functionalities Of Oxide Thin Films Utilizing Interface Engineering, Detian Yang

Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research: Department of Physics and Astronomy

Complex oxide interfaces have offered intriguing novel emergent phenomena and multiple functionalities through interfacial reconstructions of spin, orbital, charge, and lattice degrees of freedom. Interface engineering via manipulating interfacial interaction, defects and multiple interfacial quantum charges and orders constitutes the essential method and technique to achieve desired functionalities in oxide heterostructures. In this thesis, shown are two examples of utilizing interfacial reconstruction and interfacial strain engineering to achieve intrinsic exchange bias and realize epitaxial growth of mixed-valence hexagonal manganite thin films, respectively.

Firstly, we demonstrated intrinsic exchange bias induced by interfacial reconstruction in Ni_xCo_yFe_3-x-yO …

Precise Determination Of Charge Distributions In Electron Irradiated Polymers Via Pulsed Electroacoustic Measurements With Applications To Spacecraft Charging, Zachary Gibson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how charge builds up and moves around in materials that are highly insulating, such as dielectrics, is important for many applications from power transmission to spacecraft charging. The leading cause of issues in spacecraft due to interactions with the space environment is spacecraft charging. That is, the accumulation of charge on insulating materials leads to arcing and sparking aboard the spacecraft. The most critical charging occurs due to electrons in a particular energy range of 10-50 keV. Electrons with these energies can travel 1’s to 10’s of microns into relevant materials. To measure where the charge is embedded and …

The Influence Of Allostery Governing The Changes In Protein Dynamics Upon Substitution, Joseph Hess

All Dissertations

The focus of this research is to investigate the effects of allostery on the function/activity of an enzyme, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease, using well-defined statistical analyses of the dynamic changes of the protein and variants with unique single point substitutions ¹. The experimental data¹ evaluated here only characterized HIV-1 protease with one of its potential target substrates. Probing the dynamic interactions of the residues of an enzyme and its variants can offer insight of the developmental importance for allosteric signaling and their connection to a protein’s function. The realignment of the secondary structure elements can …

Self-Calibrating Optical Galaxy Cluster Selection Bias Using Cluster, Galaxy, And Shear Cross-Correlations, Chenxiao Zeng, Andrés N. Salcedo, Hao-Yi Wu, Christopher M. Hirata

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The clustering signals of galaxy clusters are powerful tools for self-calibrating the mass–observable relation and are complementary to cluster abundance and lensing. In this work, we explore the possibility of combining three correlation functions – cluster lensing, the cluster–galaxy cross-correlation function, and the galaxy autocorrelation function – to self-calibrate optical cluster selection bias, the boosted clustering and lensing signals in a richness-selected sample mainly caused by projection effects. We develop mock catalogues of redMaGiC-like galaxies and redMaPPer-like clusters by applying halo occupation distribution models to N-body simulations and using counts-in-cylinders around massive haloes as a richness proxy. In addition …

Modelling Galaxy Cluster Triaxiality In Stacked Cluster Weak Lensing Analyses, Hao-Yi Wu

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Counts of galaxy clusters offer a high-precision probe of cosmology, but control of systematic errors will determine the accuracy of this measurement. Using Buzzard simulations, we quantify one such systematic, the triaxiality distribution of clusters identified with the redMaPPer optical cluster finding algorithm, which was used in the Dark Energy Survey Year-1 (DES Y1) cluster cosmology analysis. We test whether redMaPPer selection biases the clusters’ shape and orientation and find that it only biases orientation, preferentially selecting clusters with their major axes oriented along the line of sight. Modelling the richness–mass relation as log-linear, we find that the log-richness amplitude …

Signatures Of Black Holes, Alexandra B. Chanson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this defense I will describes three approaches to learn more about the relationship between the dynamics of black-holes and the distinctive signatures of a black hole systems: infinitesimal changes in the black hole background producing field excitations relating new fundamental black hole thermodynamic relations, mechanisms powering relativistic black hole jets and spontaneous symmetry breaking in five space-time dimensions, and physical signatures of black hole event horizons as conformal field theory duals (in both d=4,5 dimensional axisymmetric spacetimes).

The Derivation Of Sodium Density In The Mesosphere And Lower Thermosphere From The Na Lidar Photon Counting Profiles, Xiaoqi Xi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Derivation of Sodium (Na) number density from the Na lidar observations requires the in situ temperature and wind information because the absorption cross-section of the Na atom is a function of these dynamic parameters. The Na number density above ~ 110 km altitude was difficult to derive with the conventional algorithm, however. The standard output of the Na number density that utilizes the lidar-measured wind and temperature information falls short at ~ 110 km altitude and above due to the relatively large measurement uncertainties in the two critical parameters (low signal-to-noise ratio). Therefore, an innovative algorithm that may drive the …

The Time-Dependent Ionospheric Model Using A Tec-Driven Servo: An Investigation Of The Capabilities And Limitations, Jenny Rebecca Whiteley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ionosphere is a region of the atmosphere with a high density of electrons. These electrons affect the behavior of any electromagnetic wave that passes through the ionosphere. Communication and geolocation systems, such as traditional radio and Global Positioning Systems, depend on emitted electromagnetic signals being picked up by a receiver. The presence of the ionosphere affects the behavior of the signal and the quality of the service. Hence, the interactions between electromagnetic waves and the ionosphere provide a major motivation to understand, research, and successfully model and predict the ionosphere and its physical phenomena. This study focused on determining …

Spectral Broadening Effects On Pulsed-Source Digital Holography, Steven A. Owens, Mark F. Spencer, Glen P. Perram

Faculty Publications

Using a pulsed configuration, a digital-holographic system is setup in the off-axis image plane recording geometry, and spectral broadening via pseudo-random bit sequence is used to degrade the temporal coherence of the master-oscillator laser. The associated effects on the signal-to-noise ratio are then measured in terms of the ambiguity and coherence efficiencies. It is found that the ambiguity efficiency, which is a function of signal-reference pulse overlap, is not affected by the effects of spectral broadening. The coherence efficiency, on the other hand, is affected. As a result, the coherence efficiency, which is a function of effective fringe visibility, is …

Enhanced Quantum Chemistry With Machine Learning, Brock Dyer

Physics and Astronomy Summer Fellows

This file is a catalogue of the relevant quantum mechanical and computer programming topics that I learned during the summer which will be helping me to generate an artificial intelligence that will be able to perform computational chemical calculations at a much faster rate and comparable or better accuracy than current methods.

Improving The Efficiency Of Liquid-Hydrogen Simulation Via Event Storage, Jake Kosa

Physics and Astronomy Summer Fellows

We contributed to the analysis of gamma-ray spectroscopy data collected at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University by speeding up the UCGretina simulation code, used in the analysis and planning of experiments. Simulating beam-target interactions in a liquid-hydrogen target system is a time intensive task, even when parallelized. In the process of analyzing data, a large number of simulations must be run for different gamma-ray energies, target positions, and lifetimes of excited states. We are addressing the most computationally intensive component of the simulations by adding the ability to simulate a large sample of beam particles …

Self-Inductance And Magnetic Flux, Diego Castano, Teresa M. Castano

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

The canonical equation for self-inductance involving magnetic flux is examined, and a more general form is presented that can be applied to continuous current distributions. We attempt to clarify and extend the use of the standard equation by recasting it in its more versatile form.

A Method For Calculating Lateral Surface Area Of Bistatic Radar Beam Overlap, James I. Murray, Fredrick A. Jenet

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

It has been shown that bistatic radars using radio telescopes as receivers can be used to increase the sensitivity of orbital debris measurements over traditional terrestrial monostatic radar. A method to calculate the lateral surface area of a bistatic radar is needed to evaluate the efficacy of a proposed bistatic radar configuration for orbital debris measurements. For over three decades, models of the orbital debris (OD) environment in low Earth orbit (LEO) have been developed to assess the risk posed by OD to spacecraft. While terrestrial radar measures debris 3 mm and larger and in situ measurements provide data for …

Enhanced Acousto-Optic Properties Of Silicon Carbide Based Layered Structure, Namrata Dewan Soni

Al-Bahir Journal for Engineering and Pure Sciences

This study investigates the feasibility of using silicon carbide-based layered surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices in acousto-optic applications. The acousto-optic properties of the temperature-stable layered structure TeO3/SiC/128oY-X LiNbO3 are investigated through theoretical analysis. This analysis includes the evaluation of key parameters such as the overlap integral, figure of merit, and diffraction efficiency. The SAW propagation characteristics and field profiles required for these calculations are obtained using SAW software. Results show that the layered structure has high diffraction efficiency of nearly 96% and a promising value for the acousto-optic figure of merit, indicating potential use in low driving power acousto-optic devices. …

Entanglement In The Hawking Effect: From Astrophysical To Optical Black Holes, Dimitrios Kranas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Hawking effect is an exciting physical prediction lying at the intersection of the two most successful theories of the past century, namely, Einstein’s theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. In this dissertation, we put special emphasis on the quantum aspects of the Hawking process encoded in the entanglement shared by the emitted fluxes of created quanta. In particular, we employ sharp tools from quantum information theory to quantify the entanglement produced by the Hawking effect throughout the black hole evaporation process. Our framework allows us to extend previous calculations of entanglement to a larger set of cases, for instance, …