Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Real-Time, Online Beam Control Of Uhdr Irradiators To Facilitate Flash Translational Investigations, Austin M. Sloop

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The field of radiation oncology seeks novel techniques to increase the therapeutic ratio to treat malignancies while minimizing damage and toxicities in healthy tissues. While it was observed that delivering therapeutic doses at high dose rate could elicit lower biological effects over a half-century ago, the field of ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation therapy (colloquially known as FLASH RT) has seen a resurgence in recent years due to an alignment of accelerator capability, dosimetric advances, and improved biotechnological techniques. This has opened the door to studying potential underlying mechanisms such that we may leverage the effects of FLASH tissue sparing …

Baryon Number Violation Search, Tyler D. Stokes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding the fundamental forces and symmetries of nature has long been a central goal of particle physics. While the Standard Model (SM) provides a successful framework, it does not guarantee the conservation of baryon number B or lepton number L, thus motivating searches for their violation. Proton decay, a fundamental process violating B, has been at the forefront of experimental searches for decades.

The discovery of the weak neutral current in 1973 unified the electromagnetic and weak forces and inspired the creation of Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) that also unify the strong force. In 1974, the first-ever GUT, …

Studying The Low-Lying Structure Of 9b Via The 10b(3he,A)9b Reaction, Rachel M. Shaffer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The unstable nature of ⁹B makes it a challenging isotope to study. The first-excited state of ⁹B has been particularly difficult to characterize. Since the first experimental observation of this state in 1955, many experimental and theoretical nuclear structure studies have sought to classify it, but with large discrepancies in the energy and width values from these results, the properties of the state remain inconclusive.

An experiment using the ¹⁰B(³He,α)⁹B reaction was performed at the John D. Fox Superconducting Linear Accelerator Laboratory at Florida State University in an effort to populate and characterize …

Cloud Microphysical Response To Entrainment Of Dry Air Containing Aerosols, Jae Min Yeom, Hamed F. Sadi, Jesse Anderson, Fan Yang, Will Cantrell, Raymond Shaw

Michigan Tech Publications

Impacts of aerosol particles on clouds, precipitation, and climate remain one of the significant uncertainties in climate change. Aerosol particles entrained at cloud top and edge can affect cloud microphysical and macrophysical properties, but the process is still poorly understood. Here we investigate the cloud microphysical responses to the entrainment of aerosol-laden air in the Pi convection-cloud chamber. Results show that cloud droplet number concentration increases and mean radius of droplets decreases, which leads to narrower droplet size distribution and smaller relative dispersion. These behaviors are generally consistent with the scenario expected from the first aerosol-cloud indirect effect for a …

Impact Of Arctic And Antarctic Sudden Stratospheric Warmings On Thermospheric Composition, Jiarong Zhang, Jens Oberheide, Nicholas M. Pedatella, Guiping Liu

All Physics Faculty Publications

Using the Global‐scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) and the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI), we examine the impact of sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) on the changes of thermospheric composition during the 2018–2019 and 2020–2021 Arctic SSWs and the 2019 Antarctic SSW. Contributions of planetary waves, gravity waves, and migrating tides are assessed by performing numerical experiments with the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) vertically extended version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM‐X). The variations in the column integrated O and N2 density ratio (∑ O/N₂) are generally similar among WACCM‐X, GOLD, …

New Frontiers In Synthesis Of High-Entropy Materials Enabled By Microwave-Induced Plasma, Bria Christina Storr

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation presents the novel approach for synthesizing high entropy borides (HEBs) and high entropy alloys (HEAs) using microwave-induced plasma as a rapid and efficient processing tool. High entropy materials (HEMs) have peaked interested in recent years due to their unique properties and practical applications such as thermal stability, and corrosion and wear resistance. HEMs are designed by combining multiple principal elements in near-equimolar ratios, enhancing stability, and offering a broad spectrum of tailored mechanical properties. The inclusion of multiple transition metals within these structures increases hardness and oxidation resistance, and the flexibility in element selection enables precise tuning for …

Evaluation Of Green Tea Yoghurt Enriched With Lacticaseibacillus Paracasei E1 Microcapsules On Macrophage M1 Profile In High Fat-Fructose Diet Mice, Esha Ardiansyah, Nur Alfi Maghfirotus Sa’Adah, Rahmi Izati, Belinda Nabiila Al Faizah, Dawama Nur Fadlilah, Septhyanti Aprilia Kavitarna, Mochammad Fitri Atho’Illah, Siti Nur Arifah, Yoga Dwi Jatmiko, Muhaimin Rifa’I

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Obesity is caused by an energy imbalance that increases chronic low-grade inflammation, including macrophage cell infiltration. Adipose tissue macrophages are polarized into pro-inflammatory macrophage type 1 (M1), secrete large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and activate transcription factors. Yoghurt with probiotics is popular at all ages for its health benefits and must be protected by microencapsulation. Green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) fortification provides yoghurt nutrients while improving its functional qualities and bioactivity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of microencapsulation of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei E1 in green tea yoghurt (GTY) on the profile of M1 macrophages in mice fed a …

The Nanograv 15 Yr Data Set: Running Of The Spectral Index, Gabriella Agazie, Akash Anumarlapudi, Anne M. Archibald, Zaven Arzoumanian, Jeremy G. Baier, Paul T. Baker, Bence Bécsy, Laura Blecha, Adam Brazier, Paul R. Brook, Sarah Burke-Spolaor, J. Andrew Casey-Clyde, Maria Charisi, Shami Chatterjee, Tyler Cohen, James M. Cordes, Neil J. Cornish, Fronefield Crawford, H. Thankful Cromartie, Kathryn Crowter, Megan E. Decesar

Pacific Faculty Work

The NANOGrav 15 yr data provide compelling evidence for a stochastic gravitational-wave (GW) background at nanohertz frequencies. The simplest model-independent approach to characterizing the frequency spectrum of this signal consists of a simple power-law fit involving two parameters: an amplitude A and a spectral index γ. In this Letter, we consider the next logical step beyond this minimal spectral model, allowing for a running (i.e., logarithmic frequency dependence) of the spectral index, grun (f ) = g + b ln (f /fref ). We fit this running-power-law (RPL) model to the NANOGrav 15 yr data and perform a Bayesian model …

Elastomeric Nanocomposite With Solvent-Free, One Step, In Situ Shear Exfoliation Of Graphite To Graphene, Ashiqur Rahman, Md Abdur Rahman Bin Abdus Salam, Matthew G. Boebinger, Ahmed Touhami, Jennifer Lynch, Ali Ashraf

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

A graphene nanoflake (GNF)-enhanced elastomeric nanocomposite (G-EMC) is fabricated following an innovative, cost-effective, single-step, in situ shear exfoliation (ISE) method from low-cost bulk material, graphite, where uniform mixing happens simultaneously within the elastomer matrix. Electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photo-induced force microscopy results show good dispersion of GNFs with exfoliation to a few layers and uniform distribution in the elastomer matrix. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows less than 1% oxygen-containing functional groups/impurity, enhanced bonding through the formation of edge sites as fracture occurs across the GNF basal plane, and pi-pi interactions with newly exfoliated planar basal plane surfaces of …

A Second Candidate Magnetic Helium Core White Dwarf And 3 Other Variable White Dwarfs In The Globular Cluster Ngc 6397, Manuel Pichardo Marcano, Liliana E. Rivera Sandoval, Thomas J. Maccarone, Rene D. Rohrmann, Leandro G. Althaus, Craig O. Heinke, Diogo Belloni, Arash Bahramian

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Using archival Hubble Space Telescope observations, we report the discovery of four variable low-mass white dwarfs (WDs; 0.18 M⊙ ≤ M ≤ 0.5 M⊙) in the globular cluster NGC 6397. One source exhibits a periodic optical modulation of 5.21 ± 0.02 hr, which we interpret as potentially due to the rotation of a magnetic helium core WD (He WD). This makes this candidate the second magnetic He WD in NGC 6397, and one of the few He WDs with a measured rotation period. The other three candidates show aperiodic variability, with a change in magnitude ranging from ∼0.11 …

Data Supporting "Cloud Microphysical Response To Entrainment Of Dry Air Containing Aerosols", Will Cantrell, Jae Min Yeom, Hamed F. Sadi, Jesse Anderson, Fan Yang, Raymond Shaw

Michigan Tech Research Data

Aerosol particles play a pivotal role in shaping clouds, precipitation, and climate. However, it still remains one of the significant uncertainties in climate change. While most aerosols are activated at the cloud base, the aerosol particles entrained from the cloud top or edges can also contribute to droplet formation above the base. This process might significantly impact cloud properties and lifetimes.

In this study, we investigate how entraining aerosol-laden air affects cloud microphysics by adding aerosol particles to the dry-air inflow in the Pi chamber experiments. The findings show that the cloud droplet number concentration and liquid water content increase …

Development And Characterization Of Sodium Alginate-Based Active Edible Films Functionalized With Olive Mill Wastewater Extract, Nassima Hadri, Mohamed Didi Ould El-Hadj, Zineb Mahcene, Fatih Bozkurt, Rusen Metin Yildirim, Youcef Rahmani, Aicha Tedjani, Muhammet Arici

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Phenolic compounds from olive mill wastewater (PCO) of Algerian origin were used to produce sodium alginate-based active films using the casting method. The effects of adding various concentrations of PCO (0%, 0.1%, and 0.2% w/v) were evaluated regarding the molecular, morphological, thermal, physicochemical, optical, barrier, biodegradability, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties of the alginate films. The FTIR and SEM results elucidated the development of a coherent cross-linked structure attributed to hydrogen bonding interactions between PCO and alginate chains. Consequently, the films exhibited enhanced crystallinity and thermal stability, as revealed by DSC analysis. Moreover, PCO addition positively influenced several film properties, including …

Deriving The Efficiency Of Electron Acceleration Within Current Sheets In The May 8th, 2021 Solar Flare Using A Centroid Analysis Method On Stix X-Ray Data, Isaiah Beauchamp

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Solar flares are powerful explosions that take place on the Sun, equivalent to a billion atomic bombs, and eject billions of tons of material into space. Flares that reach Earth can disrupt power grids and damage satellite communication systems, presenting challenges for our national security. Studying solar flares is crucial to better understand and prepare for these events.

During a solar flare, electrons are accelerated into the surrounding plasma. The interaction between electrons and heavier particles within the plasma causes the emission of powerful X-rays. Studying X-rays from solar flares can, therefore, provide insight into the accelerated electrons that produce …

Energy Dependence Of Polarized Γγ → E+E− In Peripheral Au + Au Collisions At √Snn = 54.4 And 200 Gev With The Star Experiment At Rhic, Star Collaboration

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report the differential yields at mid-rapidity of the Breit-Wheeler process (γ γ → e+e−) in peripheral Au + Au collisions at √s NN = 54.4 and 200 GeV with the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), as a function of energy √s NN , e+e− transverse momentum pT , p2 T , invariant mass Mee, and azimuthal angle. In the invariant mass range of 0.4 < Mee < 2.6 GeV/c2 at low transverse momentum (pT < 0.15 GeV/c), the yields increase while the pair √〈p2 T〉 decreases with increasing √s NN , a feature that is correctly predicted by the QED calculation. The energy dependencies of the measured quantities are sensitive to the nuclear form factor, infrared divergence and photon polarization. The data are compiled and used to extract the charge radius of the Au nucleus.

The Implosion Of The Titan Submersible: A Stress–Strain Experiment, Gregory A. Dilisi, Steven J. Eppell, Richard A. Rarick

2025 Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Fabrication Of Microscale Oxide Architectures On Silicon Via A Cmos-Compatible, Deposition-Last Process, Jamal A. Brown

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

This work explores the feasibility of integrating complex oxide devices on silicon using a CMOS-compatible, deposition-last approach. While previous demonstrations of this method have succeeded at larger scales, this study focuses on extending the process to microscale features, with lateral dimensions as small as two microns. The fabrication sequence begins with photolithographic patterning and reactive ion etching of the silicon substrate, followed by the deposition of a silicon nitride mask to delineate device regions. We then epitaxially grew SrTiO3 and La-doped SrTiO3 layers on top of the nitride mask via molecular beam epitaxy. Electrical transport measurements of the La:STO layer …

An Evaluation On The Uncertainty For The Routine Of Dosimetry Calibration At The National Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory, Albania, Klotilda Nikaj

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Every employer must, in relation to any work with ionizing radiation that they undertake, take all necessary steps to restrict so far as is reasonably practicable the extent to which their employees and other persons are exposed to ionizing radiation. This goal leads to an increased awareness about the proper maintenance and annual calibration of the personal dosimeters to ensure an accurate and precise radiation dose. The present work has described the performance of the radiation system of the ¹³⁷Cs source at the National Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL), located at the Institute of Applied Nuclear Physics at the …

Detection Of Hybrid Optical Anapoles In Dielectric Microspheres, Uttam Manna, Iker Gómez-Viloria, Robert Sevik, Isaac Tribaldo, Mahua Biswas, Gabriel Molina-Terriza, Jorge Olmos-Trigo

Faculty publications – Physics

Nonradiating optical anapoles are special configurations of charge-current distributions that do not radiate. It was theoretically predicted that, for microspheres, electric and magnetic dipolar coefficients can simultaneously vanish by engineering the incident light, leading to the excitation of nonradiating hybrid optical anapoles. In this work, the experimental detection of hybrid optical anapoles in dielectric microspheres (TiO₂) is reported using dual detection optical spectroscopy, developed to enable sequential measurement of forward and backward scattering under tightly-focused Gaussian beam (TFGB) illumination. The results show that the excitation of TiO₂ microspheres (diameter, d ≈1 µm) under TFGB illumination leads to …

Neutron Star Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries In And Out Of Focus: Nustar Stray Light, Songwei Li

Wayne State University Dissertations

Neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (NS LMXBs) provide crucial insights into the physics of accretion under extreme gravity. In this dissertation, we explore the capabilities of NuSTAR’s stray light (SL) observations to supplement, and in some cases, surpass focused data in spectral studies of bright LMXBs. Utilizing the use of SL datasets, we perform detailed spectral analyses of two Z sources: GX 340+0 and Sco X-1.

For GX 340+0, we compare 7 focused and 25 SL observations across multiple spectral states, demonstrating that SL data significantly expand temporal coverage and allow for the detection of long-term spectral evolution not evident …

Coding In Webassign, Gary Malek

Sabbatical Projects

Sabbatical presentation from a 2024 Spring Sabbatical

Advancing Particle Detection In High-Energy Physics Through Simulation And Experimentation, Ilker Parmaksiz

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Particle detectors are the cornerstone of experimental high energy physics. They enable physicists to study fundamental interactions and characterize subatomic particles. Recent advancements in detector technology have been propelled by the inventive integration of simulation, advanced materials, and improved electronic readouts. The primary motivation of this thesis is to advance the detector technologies to enhance sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decay in high pressure xenon time projection chambers. Additionally, it includes work on other detector technologies, such as liquid argon time projection chambers, and documents my involvement in assembly, measurement, and simulation efforts.

Summary of the Chapters and Appendices Included …

The Presence Of Outer Giant Planets And Their Role In Inner Planet Formation With And Without Their Influence, Mateo E. Guerra Toro

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

We performed dynamical simulations of the giant impact phase of planet formation to investigate the formation of inner terrestrial planets under the influence of 4 solar system-like outer giant planets. We developed a new code using the N-body simulation suite REBOUND and REBOUNDx (Rein et al. (2019) and Tamayo et al. (2019)) to simulate 2 stages of planetary formation: a residual gaseous protoplanetary disk phase and subsequent dynamical evolution after the disk photoevaporates. The initial conditions for the inner planetary embryos were taken by Morrison et al. (2020) based on a range of solid surface densities that produced Super-Earth terrestrial …

Polycaprolactone—Based Block Copolymers For Nanopatterning Oxide Materials Via Sequential Infiltration Synthesis, Sudarshana Patra, Carter Herbert, Lane Nichols, Prachi Sarwara, Uttam Manna, Mahua Biswas

Faculty publications – Physics

Sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) has emerged as a powerful technique to integrate inorganic materials into polymeric templates for fabricating functional hybrid and inorganic-only nanostructures. While several polymers, including self-assembled block copolymers (BCPs), have been widely used as templates for inorganic and hybrid oxide nanostructures, biocompatible polymers such as polycaprolactone (PCL) have not been explored for nanopatterning. In this work, we investigate SIS in polystyrene-block-polycaprolactone (PS-b-PCL) BCPs to demonstrate the feasibility of PCL as a guiding polymer for selective infiltration of Al₂O₃. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the strong interaction of TMA–H₂O precursors with …

A Random Walk Simulation Of Positron Annihilation Depth As A Function Of Positron Beam Energy, Saniya Anjum Aqeel Ahmed Yadgeer

Physics Theses - Archive

Depth resolved defect and chemical characterization studies using positron annihilation spectroscopy depend on the ability to estimate the fraction of positrons annihilating at surface, in the bulk, at defects or as Positronium. The depth resolution is limited by the implantation profile of the energetic positrons and the diffusion of the thermalized positrons. Here we implement a random walk simulation as described in S. Eichler et al. [1] to track the monoenergetic positrons implanted into multilayer graphene on Cu. For our simulations the implantation depths were sampled from a Makhovian distribution that has been shown to accurately represent the implantation profile …

Measurement Of Two-Point Energy Correlators Within Jets In P+P Collisions At Sqrt[S]=200  Gev, Star Collaboration

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Hard-scattered partons ejected from high-energy proton-proton collisions undergo parton shower and hadronization, resulting in collimated collections of particles that are clustered into jets. A substructure observable that highlights the transition between the perturbative and nonperturbative regimes of jet evolution in terms of the angle between two particles is the two-point energy correlator (EEC). In this Letter, the first measurement of the EEC at RHIC is presented, using data taken from 200 GeV p þ p collisions by the STAR experiment. The EEC is measured both for all the pairs of particles in jets and separately for pairs with like and …

Design Of The Ecce Detector For The Electron Ion Collider, J. K. Adkins

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The EIC Comprehensive Chromodynamics Experiment (ECCE) detector has been designed to address the full scope of the proposed Electron Ion Collider (EIC) physics program as presented by the National Academy of Science and provide a deeper understanding of the quark–gluon structure of matter. To accomplish this, the ECCE detector offers nearly acceptance and energy coverage along with excellent tracking and particle identification. The ECCE detector was designed to be built within the budget envelope set out by the EIC project while simultaneously managing cost and schedule risks. This detector concept has been selected to be the basis for the EIC …

Critical Behavior Ofthedilutedquasi-Onedimensionalquantum Ising Model, Logan Bradley Sowadski

Masters Theses

We explore the phase transition in the diluted quasi-one-dimensional quantum Ising model. We begin by giving an introduction to the Ising model followed by derivations of the properties and observables. A brief overview of Monte-Carlo simulations is also given focusing on two algorithms that make simulations for physically realizable systems possible, the Metropolis and Wolff algorithms. We finally discuss the concept of random disorder in the system and the effects this can have on the bulk of the system.

These concepts are then directly applied to a quasi-one-dimensional Ising model. Motivated by recent experiments on the spin-chain material cobalt niobate, …

Design And Construction Of An Affordable Adjustable Repetition Rate Optical Frequency Comb, Christopher Latchford

Physics, Astronomy and Geophysics Honors Papers

Two different adjustable repetition rate optical frequency combs were designed and constructed with off-the-shelf components, including several improvements to established erbium fiber designs. These designs were assembled at a fraction of the cost of a commercial comb. Both combs were constructed with a repetition rate of roughly 100 MHz, with one combs tuning range being 2 MHz and the others being 3 MHz. These combs followed different designs, the first being a modification of an established nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) design, the second being a modification to a “figure 9” design. A stabilization control loop for frep achieved long-term drifts …

Sustainable Water Purification Using Green-Synthesized Nanoparticles: A Comparison Between Mono- And Bimetallic Nanoparticle Systems, Sai Bhargava Vipparla, Naveen Debbata, Satyavardhan Dharmapuri, Anil Kumar Busi, Pranay Bhasker Kalakonda, Dayanand Aitipamula, Moses Kigozi, Pritam Mandal, Krishna Kumar Balu, Parvathalu Kalakonda

Michigan Tech Publications

This review explores recent advancements in using environmentally benign monometallic nanoparticles (MMNPs) and bimetallic nanoparticles (BMNPs) for photocatalytic water purification, addressing the urgent need for sustainable solutions to global water scarcity. This study systematically analyzes how key photocatalysis variables, including nanocatalyst concentration, dye selection, and pollutant concentration, influence dye degradation outcomes. Standardized experimental conditions utilizing UV irradiation, 10 ppm, methylene blue (MB), and green synthesis routes were employed for comparative assessment. Results indicate that BMNPs, particularly Ag-Cu BMNPs composites, consistently outperform their MMNPs, achieving degradation rates between 90% and 99%, compared to 70%–85% for MMNPs. This superior performance is attributed …

A Fault-Tolerant Exchange-Coupled Spin-Ensemble Qubit At Elevated-Temperatures, Aniruddha Chakraborty

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis introduces a novel qubit architecture: the ferromagnetic exchange-coupled spin ensemble qubit (E-qubit), designed to address the noise-induced instability. In this work, the time evolution of the ensemble’s density matrix is studied using the Liouville–von Neumann equation. To benchmark against a single-spin qubit, the gate fidelity of an E-qubit is computed in the presence of thermal noise. Coherence time is also analyzed under identical thermal condition and a linear scaling is observed with qubit size . The results show that, at 6 K , the gate fidelity error (0.7 % ) of the seven- spin ensemble is an order …