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Gravity And Electromagnetism In Noncommutative Geometry, Giovanni Landi, Nguyen Ai Viet, Kameshwar C. Wali

Physics - All Scholarship

We present a unified description of gravity and electromagnetism in the framework of a Z 2 non-commutative differential calculus. It can be considered as a “discrete version” of Kaluza-Klein theory, where the fifth continuous dimension is replaced by two discrete points. We derive an action which coincides with the dimensionally reduced one of the ordinary Kaluza-Klein theory.

Direct Simulation Monte Carlo For Thin Film Bearings, Alejandro Garcia, B. Alder, F. J. Alexander

Faculty Publications

The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) scheme is used to study the gas flow under a read/write head positioned nanometers above a moving disk drive platter (the slider bearing problem). In most cases, impressive agreement is found between the particle-based simulation and numerical solutions of the continuum hydrodynamic Reynolds equation which has been corrected for slip. However, at very high platter speeds the gas is far from equilibrium, and the load capacity for the slider bearing cannot be accurately computed from the hydrodynamic pressure.

Compton Scattering Of Gamma-Rays From Electrons In Advanced Laboratory, Christine A. Byrd, Morgan T. Burks, Lawrence A. Yates, Wilfred J. Braithwaite

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A kinematically-complete 2-body final state measurement of Compton scattering of 662-keV photons is presened, where both scattered photon energy and electron recoil energy are measured versus photon scattering angle, theta gamma. Passive collimation of the photon beam is avoided; each recoiling electron triggers a photon-scattering event providing active beam collimation. Recoiling electrons have low energies at small theta gamma, impairing electron detection efficiency. Examining the recoiling-electron energy spectra in coincidence with high-resolution gammas indicates a 1"x 1"NaI detector is superior to a 1"x1" NE-102 plastic scintillator as the active scattering material, for efficient recoil-electron detection. Electron efficiencies versus theta gamma …

Fluid Dynamics Model Of Data Acquisition And Date Analysis For High-Energy Physics, Charles M. Byrd, Christine A. Byrd, Wilson H. Howe, W. J. Braithwaite

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

A Thermoelastic Model Applied To Stress Control In Laser Heating Of Ceramics, Jeff Alexander Wagner

Theses

Localized laser heating is widely used in materials processing. In extending these techniques to materials with relatively low thermal conductivities and ductilities such as ceramics and glasses, existing methods must be modified to control the high thermal stresses which are associated with the localized heating of these materials. Thermal profiles must be designed to minimize damage to regions adjacent to the processed area. To achieve this with single beam sources the power and radius can be varied in time, or the beam can be moved across the surface in a programmed pattern to achieve the desired thermal profile.

In this …

A Fringe Center Detection Technique Based On A Sub-Pixel Resolution, And Its Applications Using Sinusoidal Gratings, Ming Chang, Paul P. Lin, Wen Chih Tai

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

A common problem in optical profilometry is the accuracy in locating fringe centers. This paper presents an accurate fringe center detection technique based on sub-pixel resolution using the fringe projection method. An optimum reconstruction filter is developed which has low sensitivity to noise. In fringe center detection, computer simulation results of using one-pixel and sub-pixel resolutions are compared. The detection technique is then applied to radius measurement of cylindrical objects and surface profile measurement of diffuse objects. The experimental results thus obtained through the proposed optimum reconstruction filter show significant improvement in measurement accuracy.

Numerical Simulation Of Nonequilibrium Effects In An Argon Plasma Jet, C. H. Chang, John D. Ramshaw

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Departures from thermal (translational), ionization, and excitation equilibrium in an axisymmetric argon plasma jet have been studied by two?dimensional numerical simulations. Electrons, ions, and excited and ground states of neutral atoms are represented as separate chemical species in the mixture. Transitions between excited states, as well as ionization/recombination reactions due to both collisional and radiative processes, are treated as separate chemical reactions. Resonance radiation transport is represented using Holstein escape factors to simulate both the optically thin and optically thick limits. The optically thin calculation showed significant underpopulation of excited species in the upstream part of the jet core, whereas …

Computational Fluid Dynamics In Small Airway Models Of The Human Lung, G. Burnside, J. R. Hammersley, Rama N. Reddy, B. Catlin

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The promise of gene replacement therapy for cystic fibrosis, the administration of drugs via inhalation therapy, and die deposition location of man-made airborne particulates all involve a more complete understanding of the fluid dynamics in the human lung. Flow in the larger airways may be measured through life-sized models directly, but the airways in the peripheral lung are too small and the flows are too complex to be studied in this manner. Computational models can be developed which will accurately represent both the geometric nature of the central airways and the fluid dynamics with in them. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional models …

Using The Cern Program-Library Graphics And Interactive Data Display, Morgan T. Burks, Wilson H. Howe, Christine A. Byrd, Wilfred J. Braithwaite

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Small scale Monte Carlo programming is growing rapidly due to the ease with which complex problems may be formulated by any programmer. These programmers may choose to exploit graphics and interactive displays available in the program library developed and maintained by CERN (the Center for European Nuclear Research). This paper outlines the use of graphics and interactive data display features of the CERN program library, developed for visualizing simulated data events in particle detectors. One example uses GEANT, CERN's Monte Carlo modeling program, to simulate 300 MeV/c protons incident on a silicon slab. Display packages for GEANT are available both …

Dominance Of The Thomas Mechanism For Electron Capture From Orientated Rydberg Atoms, Jee-Ching Wang, Ronald E. Olson

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We investigate electron capture from initially oriented circular Rydberg atoms by proton impact at collision speeds comparable to the electron orbital speed. The Thomas double scattering mechanism is observed even at these low relative speeds. Furthermore, we find evidence for the dominance of a quasi Thomas capture mechanism in the form of not a single peak, but a double-peaked structure in the differential cross section when the plane of the circular orbit is nearly perpendicular to the incident direction of the projectile. © 1994 The American Physical Society.

Several Considerations Regarding The Variable Length Blade Rotor, Bogdan Popescu, Victor Giurgiutiu

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Reflection High-Energy Electron-Diffraction Study Of Surface Disorder And Anomalous Expansion Of Pb(100), D. Tang, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The temperature-dependent surface structural behavior of Pb(100) is studied using reflection high-energy electron diffraction. Anomalous surface expansion for temperatures between room temperature to about 500 K is observed. A high density of surface vacancies appears at temperatures above ~ 500 K. © 1994 The American Physical Society.

Multigrid Acceleration Of Time-Dependent Solutions Of Navier-Stokes Equations, Sarafa Oladele Ibraheem

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Recent progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics is encouraging scientists to look at fine details of flow physics of problems in which natural unsteady phenomena have hitherto been neglected. The acceleration methods that have proven very successful in steady state computations can be explored for time dependent computations. In this work, an efficient multigrid methods is developed to solve the time-dependent Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. The Beam-Warming ADI method is used as the base algorithm for time stepping calculations. Application of the developed algorithm proved very efficient in selected steady and unsteady test problems. For instance, the inherent unsteadiness present in …

A Fast Numerical Solution Of Scattering By A Cylinder: Spectral Method For The Boundary Integral Equations, Fang Q. Hu

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

It is known that the exact analytic solutions of wave scattering by a circular cylinder, when they exist, are not in a closed form but in infinite series which converge slowly for high frequency waves. In this paper, a fast numerical solution is presented for the scattering problem in which the boundary integral equations, reformulated from the Helmholtz equation, are solved using a Fourier spectral method. It is shown that the special geometry considered here allows the implementation of the spectral method to be simple and very efficient. The present method differs from previous approaches in that the singularities of …

Clean Ultrahigh Vacuum System With Single-Structure Diffusion Pumps, Timothy J. Gay, M. C. Fritts, E. R. Mell, M. T. Sieger

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

A practical example of the use of single-structure diffusion pumping groups in an experiment requiring hydrocarbon-free, ultrahigh vacuum is presented. With the use of proper vacuum procedures and careful foreline design and operation, but with no exotic hardware or liquid nitrogen, we have demonstrated that such a pump could provide vacuum that was "clean," i.e., which had no residual pump-oil contamination to a partial pressure below 10 -8 mbar. Their use is thus compatible, at least in peripheral vacuum chambers, with standard "UHV-surface science" processes. We discuss our vacuum system in detail, and present a review of the literature on …

Development Of Strength Theories For Random Fiber Composites, Victor Giurgiutiu

Faculty Publications

A ressessment of existing theories for calculating the strength of random and quasi-random fiber composites is presented. Fundamental aspects regarding the physical model, macromechanics analysis, fiber distribution functions, generalized failure criterion, and progressive versus sudden failure models are covered first. Progressive ductile failure, progressive brittle failure, and sudden brittle failure are treated in detail. In each case, the original theory is briefly reviewed, and then its extensions accompanied by numerical examples are presented. Several limitations originally imposed by Hahn, such as the monotonically nonincreasing requirement on the failure strain curve, are lifted and the mathematical formulations are generalized. Some common …

Final State Distributions For Electron Capture From Orientated Rydberg Atoms, Jee-Ching Wang, Ronald E. Olson

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Final state nim distributions are studied for electron capture from orientated circular Rydberg atoms. Strong orientation effects are found for all quantum numbers at collision speeds comparable to the electron orbital speed. Predominant population of large m states is observed when the plane of the circular orbit is nearly perpendicular to the incident direction of the projectile. The Ini distributions show structures due to quasi-Thomas scattering even at low relative collision velocities. © 1993 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Short Terahertz Pulses From Semiconductor Surfaces: The Importance Of Bulk Difference‐Frequency Mixing, Peter N. Saeta, Benjamin I. Greene, Shun Lien Chuang

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

The crystallographic orientation dependence of the far‐infrared (FIR) light generated at the (001) surface of a zincblende semiconductor is shown to derive principally from bulk difference‐frequency mixing. A strong modulation is observed for 1‐GW/cm² pulses on InP, which demonstrates that the radiated FIR wave produced by bulk optical rectification is comparable to that generated by the transport of photoinjected carriers. Using the bulk rectification light as a clock, we show that more than 95% of the light produced from an InP (111) crystal by 100‐fs, 100‐μJ pulses is generated in a time shorter than the excitation pulse.

Failure Mechanisms Of High Temperature Semiconductor Lasers, David H. Leicester

Theses and Dissertations

The primary intent of this research was to determine the influence of three common degradation mechanisms, dark area defects, facet degradation, and contact degradation, on the operational lifetime of GaAs edge-emitting semiconductor lasers driven by continuous current at 100°C. Inherent to this work was the quantified characterization of the lasers during their operation. This characterization arose as the power output as a function of driving current at room temperature before and after laser exposure to 100°C ambient temperature. These power vs. current characterizations were conducted at room temperature on each laser before and after exposure to 100°C as well as …

Performance Comparison Of Shearing Interferometer And Hartmann Wave Front Sensors, Timothy L. Pennington

Theses and Dissertations

The resolution of optical imaging systems is severely degraded from the diffraction limit by the random effects of the atmosphere. Techniques exist to compensate for the atmospheric turbulence, one of which is adaptive optics. A critical component in the adaptive optics system is the wavefront sensor. Presently, two types of sensors are being used-the Hartmann-Shack Wavefront Sensor and the Shearing Interferometer. Previous studies have compared these two sensors and found them to perform identically for a point source. However, to date, no comparison has been performed for an extended source and subaperture spacing larger than the correlation length of the …

Characterization Of Nonlinear Effects In Optically Pumped Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers, Scott L. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The nonlinear characteristics of optically pumped Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers VCSELs are identified, isolated, and quantified. Three different VCSELs are evaluated including two with gain regions of bulk GaAs operating at 875nm and one multi-quantum well MQW InGaAs VCSEL operating at 950nm. The nonlinearities evaluated include those due to cavity temperature, carrier injection, and internal lasing field. The VCSELs are pumped by a picosecondfemtosecond TiSapphire laser which is configured to operate in CW, gated CW minimum gate width was 200ns, picosecond, and gated picosecond modes. A linear relationship is shown between wavelength and substrate temperature, cavity temperature, and injected …

Predicting Nonlinear Time Series, James C. Gainey Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Predicting future values of a time series has many practical uses in real-time signal processing and understanding. This thesis implements an Adaptive Time Delay Neural Network ATNN capable of user-defined degeneration to the more common Time Delay Neural Network TDNN. Time delays along axons or at the synapses, which vary in biological systems, motivate this research. The ATNNTDNN test results and time series prediction capabilities are compared to those of the Real-Time Recurrent Learning RTRL algorithm. To show the advantages and disadvantages of using TDNN and ATNN for prediction versus the RTRL, the networks were applied to two problems incommensurate …

Optical Wavelet Transform For Fingerprint Identification, Robert P. Macdonald

Theses and Dissertations

The Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI has recently sanctioned a wavelet fingerprint image compression algorithm developed for reducing storage requirements of digitized fingerprints. This research implements an optical wavelet transform of a fingerprint image, as the first step in an optical fingerprint identification process. Wavelet filters are created from computer generated holograms of biorthogonal wavelets, the same wavelets implemented in the FBI algorithm. Using a detour phase holographic technique, a complex binary filter mask is created with both symmetry and linear phase. The wavelet transform is implemented with continuous shift using an optical correlation between binarized fingerprints written on a …

Color Image Segmentation, Kimberley A. Mccrae

Theses and Dissertations

The most difficult stage of automated target recognition ATR is segmentation. Current AFIT segmentation problems include faces and tactical targets previous efforts to segment these objects have used intensity and motion cues. This thesis develops a color preprocessing scheme to be used with the other segmentation techniques. A neural network is trained to identify the color of a desired object, eliminating all but that color from the scene. Gabor correlations and 2D wavelet transformations will be performed on stationary images and 3D wavelet transforms on multispectral data will incorporate color and motion detection into the machine visual system. The thesis …

Experimental Verification Of Tomographic Reconstruction Of Turbulent Air Flow Structure Using Optical Wavefront Measurements, Bryon L. Pedersen

Theses and Dissertations

The performance of an aircraft based optical system is degraded by aero-optic turbulence. The varying index of refraction within the turbulent field causes phase perturbation in an optical wave. In order to compensate for aero-optic turbulence effects, the nature of the turbulence must be understood. Large scale, organized structure within the turbulence has been found to contribute significantly to the overall phase perturbation caused by a turbulent field. A unique approach was devised to determine the turbulence structure using tomographic reconstruction techniques. Tomography provides an excellent means to determine the underlying structure within a turbulent field. The tomographic reconstruction produces …

A Theoretical Investigation Of Electrically Tunable Birefringent Optical Filters As The Special Discriminator In Hyperspectral Imaging Systems, Duane A. Sauve

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated electrically tunable birefringent optical filters for use as the spectral discriminator in hyperspectral imaging systems. Spectral discrimination requirements for hyperspectral systems were defined using specification from two state-of-the-art hyperspectral imaging systems. The spectral discrimination requirements led to the definition of the ideal tunable optical filter for spectral discrimination purposes. Analytical and computer an analysis was performed for known birefringent filters which showed promise of electrical tunability excluding acousto-optic filters. No perfect match was found to the ideal tunable optical filter for hyperspectral imaging defined in this thesis. Both Lyot and Solc based filters exhibited two drawbacks for …

Handwritten Word Recognition Based On Fourier Coefficients, Gary F. Shartle

Theses and Dissertations

A machine which can read unconstrained words remains an unsolved problem. For example, automatic entry o handwritten documents into a computer is yet to be accomplished. Most systems attempt to segment letters o a word and read words one character at a time. Segmenting a handwritten word is very difficult and often, the confidence of the results is low. Another method which avoids segmentation altogether is to treat each word as a whole. This research investigates the use of Fourier Transform coefficients, computed from the whole word, for the recognition of handwritten words. To test this concept, the particular pattern …

Improved Quality Of Reconstructed Images Through Sifting Of Data In Statistical Image Reconstruction, Craig A. Stoudt

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Air Force employs adaptive optics systems to produce images of exo-atmospheric objects. Typically, a large set of short exposure images are collected, re-centered to compensate for random image motion, averaged together to improve the signal to noise ratio, and then processed to form a reconstructed image. It is known that some short exposure images will be better than others, so some researchers have suggested that image quality can be improved by selecting a subset of the short exposure images according to some quality criterion, and then processing the average of this subset to form a single, high quality …

Performance Impacts For Actuator Misalignments And Failures In Large- Aperture Adaptive-Optic Telescopes, Timothy D. Hogan

Theses and Dissertations

Large-aperture telescopes require adaptive optics in order to compensate for atmospheric turbulence which would otherwise negate the resolution advantages of using large apertures. This investigation analyzes the impacts of misalignments and failures, in the deformable mirror actuators, upon the performance of such systems. A numerical simulation of a standard adaptive optics system is used to generate characteristic optical transfer function OTF and signal-to-noise ratio SNR performance metrics. The performance impacts of the misalignments are shown to be dependent upon the Fried parameter effective telescope diameter, the source object brightness, and the control system time delay. The degree of performance degradation …

Hyperspectral Analysis Of Space Objects: Signal To Noise Evaluation, Daniel Hrovat

Theses and Dissertations

Hyperspectral analysis of space objects is being considered as a means of enhancing Space Object Identification. SOI capabilities. This study develops a mathematical simulation based on fundamental radiometry principles to evaluate the feasibility of hyperspectral analysis of space objects. The study uses Signal to Noise Ratio SNR as the basis for the feasibility evaluation, and addresses the question Is there enough target signal in narrow wavelength bandwidths to conduct hyperspectral measurements of space objects The analysis characterizes the target signal and noise sources using fundamental radiometry, and develops a flexible radiometry model which calculates the target signal count rate, and …