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Effective Field Theory And Machine Learning Approaches To Controlling Nonperturbative Uncertainties In Flavor Physics, Ayesh Gunawardana

Wayne State University Dissertations

The radiative decay $\bar{B}\to X_s\gamma$ and semileptonic heavy meson decay $D\to \pi l \nu$ are important flavor physics probes of new physics. However, these decays are plagued with nonperturbative uncertainties that are needed to be controlled to obtain a theoretically clean description. In this dissertation, we provide effective field theory and machine learning approaches to controlling these uncertainties.\par

In $\bar B\to X_s\gamma$, the largest uncertainty on the total rate and the CP asymmetry arises from resolved photon contributions. These appear first at order $1/m_b$ and are related to operators other than $Q_{7\gamma}$ in the effective weak Hamiltonian. One of the …

Polarization Dependence Of High Order Harmonic Generation From Solids In Reflection And Transmission Geometries, Erin L. Crites

Honors Undergraduate Theses

High harmonic generation (HHG) is a process that occurs when an intense laser interacts with a material and generates new frequencies of light. HHG has many practical applications, namely as a spectroscopy technique and source for high frequency light and attosecond pulses. While HHG has been done extensively in gases, HHG in solids is a relatively new field. Solids are appealing as an HHG medium as they require much simpler equipment and are subsequently much more compact, and thus may have a variety of applications previously inaccessible to gas-phase HHG. However, the generation mechanism of HHG in solids has not …

Characterization Of The Physical And Chemical Effect Of Membrane Disruption And Protein Inhibiting Treatments On E. Coli, Khadijah Wright

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The increase in antibacterial resistance has placed the issue of microbial multi-drug resistance on a global stage (Gurunathan, 2019). This issue poses a threat to human and animal health as well as to the environment (Aslam et al., 2018). It affects not only the efficacy of treatment but also how those treatments are conducted (Friedman, Temkin, & Carmeli, 2016). As a result of this ongoing threat, new treatments that have potent effects on bacteria are necessary. One scientific response to this issue has been the development of multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs)(H. Wang et al., 2018). NPs have the ability to be …

Crystal Structure Of Thermus Thermophilus Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase And Determinants Of Thermostability, Fernando Maiello, Gloria Gallo, Camila Coelho, Fernanda Sucharski, Leon Hardy, Martin Würtele

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

The elucidation of mechanisms behind the thermostability of proteins is extremely important both from the theoretical and applied perspective. Here we report the crystal structure of methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (MTHFD) from Thermus thermophilus HB8, a thermophilic model organism. Molecular dynamics trajectory analysis of this protein at different temperatures (303 K, 333 K and 363 K) was compared with homologous proteins from the less temperature resistant organism Thermoplasma acidophilum and the mesophilic organism Acinetobacter baumannii using several data reduction techniques like principal component analysis (PCA), residue interaction network (RIN) analysis and rotamer analysis. These methods enabled the determination of important residues for …

Atomic Scale Processes And Electronic Band Structure Engineering In Thin Layered Materials, Brandon Blue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In this work, a variety of layered materials are considered for their potential technologic applications and the role of structure on the physical properties of the material system as a whole. Transition metal dichalcogenides form the core of the work discussed here, with additional results from an iron pnictide-based superconductor and for a biologically-sourced proton conductor. Here, a commercial scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with liquid cryogenic cooling provides information about both the atomic-scale structure of the surface and the local electronic density of states (LDOS) as a function of position. The interplay of superconducting and charge-density wave states is discussed …

Stable Anisotropic Single-Layer Of Rete$_2$: A First Principles Prediction, Mehmet Yağmurcukardeş

Turkish Journal of Physics

In order to investigate the structural, vibrational, electronic, and mechanical features of single-layer ReTe$_2$ first-principles calculations are performed. Dynamical stability analyses reveal that single-layer ReTe$_2$ crystallize in a distorted phase while its 1H and 1T phases are dynamically unstable. Raman spectrum calculations show that single-layer distorted phase of ReTe$_2$ exhibits 18 Raman peaks similar to those of ReS$_2$ and ReSe$_2$. Electronically, single-layer ReTe$_2$ is shown to be an indirect gap semiconductor with a suitable band gap for optoelectronic applications. In addition, it is found that the formation of Re-units in the crystal induces anisotropic mechanical parameters. The in-plane stiffness and …

Analysis Of Magnetization Directions Of Lunar Swirls, Lillie Cole

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Lunar Swirls are high albedo markings on the Moon that exist in the regions of some crustal magnetic anomalies. The precise mechanism responsible for the swirl features is unknown but a prevailing theory is solar wind standoff, where the magnetic field from subsurface magnetized sources protects the lunar surface from solar wind ions, leading to their lesser maturation and brighter appearance. If this theory is correct, the magnetic field of the anomalies should heavily influence the appearance of the swirl. To better understand the cause of swirls, the magnetization direction of the source creating the field is analyzed. This study …

Development Of A Robust Treatment Delivery Framework For Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (Sbrt) Of Synchronous Multiple Lung Lesions, Lana Catherine Critchfield

Theses and Dissertations--Radiation Medicine

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) of lung tumors uses high doses of radiation to deliver high biological effective doses (BED) in very few fractions (1-5). With the use of highly conformal fields to cover the tumor without depositing large doses to non-cancerous structures, this technique has proven time and again to be successful at achieving high local control. However, frequently patients receiving SBRT are elderly with multiple medical comorbidities who may not tolerate long treatment times. Furthermore, many patients present with oligometastatic or multiple primary lung tumors. The success of SBRT on oligometastatic lung disease relies on physician experience with …

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 …

Corrections To ‘‘Glaciernet: A Deep-Learning Approach For Debris-Covered Glacier Mapping’’, Zhiyuan Xie, Umesh K. Haritashya, Vijayan K. Asari, Brennan W. Young, Michael P. Bishop, Jeffrey S. Kargel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In the above article [1], Figure 2 was incorrect. Unfortunately, we mixed the color label of "CONV $\to $ BN $\to $ ReLu" and "Unpooling" in the CNN structure section of Figure 2. The color label of "CONV $\to $ BN $\to $ ReLu" should be orange while the color label of "Unpooling" should be green. Also, the word "Decoder" is misspelled. That same figure with the same error is also used for the graphic abstract. The corrected figure is given here. None of the sections in the figure is modified. The only change is in the color label of …

Wave-Optics Simulation Of Correlated Speckle Fields, Derek Burrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Laser speckle poses an ongoing challenge to optical systems that utilize coherent light for active illumination, including applications in holography, free-space communications, remote sensing and target tracking. Speckle averaging offers one potential path forward by reducing the contrast, thereby boosting signal-to-noise ratios. This approach becomes limited, however, by the degree of correlation between successive frames. Wave-optics simulations help to characterize performance gains through speckle averaging, and so it is important that existing models properly account for decorrelation rates of dynamic speckle. With that goal in mind, this research seeks to build a suite of computational wave-optics experiments that verify speckle …

Investigating Size-Segregated Sources Of Elemental Composition Of Particulate Matter In The South China Sea During The 2011 Vasco Cruise, Miguel Ricardo Hilario, Melliza Templonuevo Cruz, Maria Obiminda L. Cambaliza, Jeffrey S. Reid, Peng Xian, James Bernard Simpas, Nofel Lagrosas, Sherdon Niño Uy, Steve Cliff, Yongjing Zhao

Physics Faculty Publications

The South China Sea (SCS) is a receptor of numerous natural and anthropogenic aerosol species from throughout greater Asia. A combination of several developing countries, archipelagic and peninsular terrain, a strong Asian monsoon climate, and a host of multi-scale meteorological phenomena make the SCS one of the most complex aerosol–meteorological systems in the world. However, aside from the well-known biomass burning emissions from Indonesia and Borneo, the current understanding of aerosol sources is limited, especially in remote marine environments. In September 2011, a 2-week research cruise was conducted near Palawan, Philippines, to sample the remote SCS environment. Size-segregated aerosol data …

Rod-Shape Theranostic Nanoparticles Facilitate Antiretroviral Drug Biodistribution And Activity In Human Immunodeficiency Virus Susceptible Cells And Tissues, Bhavesh D. Kevadiya, Brendan Ottemann, Insiya Z. Mukadam, Laura Castellanos, Kristen Sikora, James R. Hilaire, Jatin Machhi, Jonathan Herskovitz, Dhruvkumar Soni, Mahmudul Hasan, Wenting Zhang, Anandakumar Sarella, Jered Garrison, Joellyn Mcmillan, Benson Edagwa, R. Lee Mosley, Richard W. Vachet, Howard E. Gendelman

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Human immunodeficiency virus theranostics facilitates the development of long acting (LA) antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) by defining drug-particle cell depots. Optimal drug formulations are made possible based on precise particle composition, structure, shape and size. Through the creation of rod-shaped particles of defined sizes reflective of native LA drugs, theranostic probes can be deployed to measure particle-cell and tissue biodistribution, antiretroviral activities and drug retention.

Methods: Herein, we created multimodal rilpivirine (RPV) ¹⁷⁷lutetium labeled bismuth sulfide nanorods (¹⁷⁷LuBSNRs) then evaluated their structure, morphology, configuration, chemical composition, biological responses and adverse reactions. Particle biodistribution was analyzed by single …

Svat4: A Computer Program For Visualization And Analysis Of Crystal Structures, Xingzhong Li

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

SVAT4 is a computer program for interactive visualization of three-dimensional crystal structures, including chemical bonds and magnetic moments. A wide range of functions, e.g. revealing atomic layers and polyhedral clusters, are available for further structural analysis. Atomic sizes, colors, appearance, view directions and view modes (orthographic or perspective views) are adjustable. Customized work for the visualization and analysis can be saved and then reloaded. SVAT4 provides a template to simplify the process of preparation of a new data file. SVAT4 can generate high-quality images for publication and animations for presentations. The usability of SVAT4 is broadened by a software suite …

Effects Of Energy Resolution And Bin Size On The Measurements Of Nuclear Neutron Distributions Using Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering, Hongyong Zhang

Honors Theses

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering is a process that involves the neutral-current scattering of a neutrino with an entire nucleus, which probes more bulk properties of the nucleus. Using the Taylor expansion of the form factors and calculation of effective moments that sums over isotopes, we successfully simulate the events for coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering for detectors using Ar and Ge and demonstrate that coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering can determine both the second moment and the fourth moment. Running the Monte Carlo simulation using a detector filled with 10 tonnes of natural germanium, a neutrino flux of 3*10^7 neutrinos per second …

Quantum Defect Measurements For High Angular Momentum Rydberg States Of Potassium, Abraham Hill

Honors Theses

We report measurements of the quantum defect for the f-, g-, and h-states of potassium with principal quantum number n between 26 and 29. Ground state potassium atoms in a magneto-optical trap are excited from the 4s state to the 5p state, then from the 5p state to the nd_j state using lasers at 405nm and 980nm, respectively. We then measure the millimeter wave frequencies of the nd_j to nl transitions. We extract the quantum defects from these frequency measurements in conjunction with the known d-state quantum defects. Experimental challenges with …

Characterization Of Neutron Irradiated Accident Tolerant Nuclear Fuel Cladding Silicon Carbide & Radiation Detector Deadtime, Bader Almutairi

Doctoral Dissertations

“In part I, the pulse shape characteristics generated by a Geiger Muller (GM) detector and recorded by an oscilloscope manually, were investigated. The objective of part I was (1) to find a correlation between pulse shape and the operating voltage; and (2) to assess if pulse shape properties followed distinct patterns comparable to detector deadtime findings reported by a previous study. It was observed that (1) there is a strong correlation between pulse shape and operating voltage, and (2) pulse shape falls in three distinct regions similar to detector deadtime. Furthermore, parts II and III are companions and share the …

Special Issue On The Third Workshop On Biological Mentality, Kenneth A. Augustyn

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The Third Workshop on Biological Mentality was held from September 23, 2019 to March 2, 2020 as a series of twenty-one Monday online conferencing sessions, each consisting of a talk followed by a Q&A discussion. Like the two previous workshops [1, 2], the objective of this workshop was to seek a deeper level of understanding the physical foundations of biological mentality (whether conscious or nonconscious).

Consciousness As A Factor In Evolution, Kenneth A. Augustyn

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

What I call the mind began as a non-conscious robotic biochemical process control system in the very earliest forms of life. As life evolved, problems in control became more difficult and exceeded the computational capabilities of the organisms. Nature discovered a means of transcending computable physical processes resulting in non-computational subjective mental capabilities that, while still not conscious, had a degree of genuine autonomy from the physical world. These autonomous subjective wants and goals now affected the course of (but not the mechanism of) evolution. The integrated amalgam of robotic and transrobotic unconscious capabilities eventually gave rise to consciousness, which …

On Systematics And Their Mitigation In Magis-100 Atomic Interferometer Experiment To Explore The Dark Sector And Early Universe, Jeremiah Thomas Mitchell

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the dark sector and early universe are of great importance to those in cosmology as well as physics in general. To probe these areas many large detector platforms and international experiments have come online to work in unison to test proposed models of dark matter and to provide direct detection of gravitational waves to explore what cannot be seen. Along these lines the Matter-wave Atomic Gradiometer and Interferometric Sensor (MAGIS-100) has set out to explore these fields of study using atom interferometry which provides a unique and scalable method for making sensitive measurements as well as being a test …

Particle Injection Simulation On Cold Spray Technology, Christopher A. Santini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a useful tool when it comes to research in the fields of Aerodynamics, Turbomachinery, and is used in several other fields of research. CFD is an important tool in the engineering industry because it allows for understanding and evaluation of a new design, this can lead to advancements in developing a more efficient and effective design. This tool helps in the understanding of the flow phenomena and how it can interact with its surroundings. One of the main reasons in the use of CFD is to reduce the cost of testing a design by running …

Swirling Fluid Flow In Flexible, Expandable Elastic Tubes: Variational Approach, Reductions And Integrability, Rossen Ivanov, Vakhtang Putkaradze

Articles

Many engineering and physiological applications deal with situations when a fluid is moving in flexible tubes with elastic walls. In real-life applications like blood flow, a swirl in the fluid often plays an important role, presenting an additional complexity not described by previous theoretical models. We present a theory for the dynamics of the interaction between elastic tubes and swirling fluid flow. The equations are derived using a variational principle, with the incompressibility constraint of the fluid giving rise to a pressure-like term. In order to connect this work with the previous literature, we consider the case of inextensible and …

Numerical Study Of Klebanov-Tarnopolsky Models, Nathaniel Avish

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In this thesis we perform a numerical study of the $O(N_1)\times O(N_2)\times O(N_3)$ Klebanov-Tarnopolsky (KT) model, whose large-$N$ limit is expected to admit a simple gravitational dual under the AdS/CFT correspondence. We study the $25$ special cases of the KT model which have fewer than $2^{13}$ states. For all such systems we diagonalize the Hamiltonian matrices, identify sectors which have specific charges, and compute the number of singlet states. Our findings support prior evidence that the KT model can be exactly diagonalized and therefore may have an exact analytic solution, which would be helpful in learning more about the AdS/CFT …

The Influence Network In 1+1 Dimensions, James Lyons Walsh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Influence Network research program [1] [2] [3] [4] starts with a very simple model

Acoustic Confinement And Characterization Of A Microwave Plasma, Seth Lee Pree '09

Doctoral Dissertations

High amplitude acoustic fields are used to confine, characterize, and manipulate collisional plasmas with temperatures of a few thousand Kelvin. This dissertation describes the theory, experimental techniques, and apparatus necessary both to generate high amplitude sound in a few thousand Kelvin plasma and to use that sound field to manipulate the plasma within a resonant acoustic cavity. The acoustic field in a spherically symmetric oscillating plasma has been measured to have a Mach number of .03, which is sufficient to cause acoustic radiation pressure effects to confine the plasma to the center of its container. This field also generates convection …

Long-Range Electroweak Amplitudes Of Single Hadrons From Euclidean Finite-Volume Correlation Functions, Raúl A. Briceño, Zohreh Davoudi, Maxwell T. Hansen, Matthias R. Schindler, Alessandro Baroni

Physics Faculty Publications

A relation is presented between single-hadron long-range matrix elements defined in a finite Euclidean spacetime and the corresponding infinite-volume Minkowski amplitudes. This relation is valid in the kinematic region where any number of two-hadron states can simultaneously go on shell, so that the effects of strongly coupled intermediate channels are included. These channels can consist of nonidentical particles with arbitrary intrinsic spins. The result accommodates general Lorentz structures as well as nonzero momentum transfer for the two external currents inserted between the single-hadron states. The formalism, therefore, generalizes the work by Christ et al. [Phys. Rev. D 91, 114510 …

Neutron Valence Structure From Nuclear Deep Inelastic Scattering, E. P. Segarra, A. Schmidt, T. Kutz, D. W. Higinbotham, E. Piasetzky, M. Strikman, L. B. Weinstein, O. Hen

Physics Faculty Publications

Mechanisms of spin-flavor SU(6) symmetry breaking in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) are studied via an extraction of the free neutron structure function from a global analysis of deep inelastic scattering (DIS) data on the proton and on nuclei from A = 2 (deuterium) to 208 (lead). Modification of the structure function of nucleons bound in atomic nuclei (known as the EMC effect) are consistently accounted for within the framework of a universal modification of nucleons in short-range correlated (SRC) pairs. Our extracted neutron-to-proton structure function ratio Fⁿ₂/F^p₂ becomes constant for x_B ≥ 0.6, equaling 0.47 …

Intrinsic Transverse Momentum And Evolution In Weighted Spin Asymmetries, Jian-Wei Qiu, Ted C. Rogers, Bowen Wang

Physics Faculty Publications

The transverse momentum-dependent (TMD) and collinear higher twist theoretical factorization frameworks are the most frequently used approaches to describe spin-dependent hard cross sections weighted by and integrated over transverse momentum. Of particular interest is the contribution from small transverse momentum associated with the target bound state. In phenomenological applications, this contribution is often investigated using transverse momentum weighted integrals that sharply regulate the large transverse momentum contribution, for example, with Gaussian parametrizations. Since the result is a kind of hybrid of TMD and collinear (inclusive) treatments, it is important to establish if and how the formalisms are related in applications …

Chiral Effective Field Theory Calculations Of Weak Transitions In Light Nuclei, G.B. King, L. Andreoli, S. Pastore, M. Piarulli, R. Schiavilla, R.B. Wiringa, J. Carlson, S. Gandolfi

Physics Faculty Publications

We report quantum Monte Carlo calculations of weak transitions in A 10 nuclei, based on the Norfolk two-and three-nucleon chiral interactions, and associated one-and two-body axial currents. We find that the contribution from two-body currents is at the 2-3% level, with the exception of matrix elements entering the rates of Li-8, B-8, and He-8 beta decay. These matrix elements are suppressed in impulse approximation based on the (leading order) Gamow Teller transition operator alone; two-body currents provide a 20-30% correction, which is, however, insufficient to bring theory in agreement with experimental data. For the other transitions, the agreement with the …

Magnetic Structure And Radiative Captures Of Few-Nucleon Systems: Status And Prospects, Laura Elisa Marcucci, Rocco Schiavilla, Alex Gnech, Michele Viviani

Physics Faculty Publications

We review the main ingredients for an ab-initio study of few-nucleon reactions of astrophysical interest within the chiral effective field theory approach, with particular attention to radiative captures relevant for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and stellar evolution. We conclude with an outlook for ongoing and future work.