Digital Commons Network^™

Centered-Difference Applications For Schrödinger's Equation, Matthew Thomas Murachver

Physics

This project enumerates methods utilizing discretized centered-difference approximations on the second order differential equation for quantum particles known as Schrodinger’s Equation. An eigenvalue-eigenfunction scheme is developed to sieve for valid solutions to The Time Independent Schrodinger Equation. Additionally the Crank-Nicolson method is applied to the Time Dependent Schrodinger Equation to describe wavefunction (eigenfunction) time evolution. The validity of these methods is discussed with applications to several fundamental pedagogical introductory quantum mechanic systems.

The Icon Horn Loudspeaker, Vincent Phan

Mechanical Engineering

A horn loudspeaker in layperson terms is essentially taking a megaphone and integrating it into a standard speaker. Similar to a cheerleader yelling into a megaphone, the horn loudspeaker will amplify the sound from the speaker with no additional power needed. Using standard speaker horn theory, the geometry of the “megaphone” can be engineered to tune the acoustic performance tailored to loudness and/or specific acoustics frequencies. The horn contours are similar to traditional orchestra instruments such as the French horn, trumpet, and tuba. The iconic beauty of a horn married with the quantitative engineering theory creates an aesthetic yet functional …

Economic Impacts Of California Polytechnic State University, Kenneth Riener, Patrick Mayeda

Research and Economic Development Reports

No abstract provided.

Cal Poly Orfalea College Of Business Welcomes Executives In Residence, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Increasing Diversity Education At Cal Poly Through Intergroup Dialogues, W. David Conn, Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, Alice Zanmiller

Focus

No abstract provided.

October 15, 2014 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay In The Inverted Neutrino Hierarchy With Bolometric Detectors, D.R. Artusa, F.T. Avignone Iii, O. Azzolini, M. Balata, T.I. Banks, G. Bari, J. Beeman, F. Bellini, A. Bersani, M. Biassoni, C. Brofferio, C. Bucci, X.Z. Cai, A. Camacho, L. Canonica, X.G. Cao, S. Capelli, L. Carbone, L. Cardani, M. Carrettoni, N. Casali, D. Chiesa, N. Chott, M. Clemenza, C. Cosmelli, O. Cremonesi, R.J. Creswick, I. Dafinei, A. Dally, V. Datskov, A. De Biasi, M.M. Deninno, S. Di Domizio, M.L. Di Vacri, L. Ejzak, D.Q. Fang, H.A. Farach, M. Faverzani, G. Fernandes, E. Ferri, F. Ferroni, E. Fiorini, M.A. Franceschi, S.J. Freedman, B.K. Fujikawa, A. Giachero, L. Gironi, A. Giuliani, J. Goett, P. Gorla, C. Gotti, T.D. Gutierrez, E.E. Haller, K. Han, K.M. Heeger, R. Hennings-Yeomans, H.Z. Huang, R. Kadel, K. Kazkaz, G. Keppel, Yu. G. Kolomensky, Y.L. Li, C. Ligi, X. Liu, Y.G. Ma, C. Maiano, M. Maino, M. Martinez, R.H. Maruyama, Y. Mei, N. Moggi, S. Morganti, T. Napolitano, S. Nisi, C. Nones, E.B. Norman, A. Nucciotti, T. O'Donnell, F. Orio, D. Orlandi, J.L. Ouellet, M. Pallavicini, V. Palmieri, L. Pattavina, M. Pavan, M. Pedretti, G. Pessina, V. Pettinacci, G. Piperno, C. Pira, S. Pirro, E. Previtali, V. Rampazzo, C. Rosenfeld, C. Rusconi, E. Sala, S. Sangiorgio, N.D. Scielzo, M. Sisti, A.R. Smith, L. Taffarello, M. Tenconi, F. Terranova, W.D. Tian, C. Tomei, S. Trentalange, G. Ventura, M. Vignati, B.S. Wang, H.W. Wang, L. Wielgus, J. Wilson, L.A. Winslow, T. Wise, A. Woodcraft, L. Zanotti, C. Zarra, B.X. Zhu, S. Zucchelli

Physics

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ" style="position: relative;" tabindex="0" id="MathJax-Element-1-Frame">0νββ) is one of the most sensitive probes for physics beyond the Standard Model, providing unique information on the nature of neutrinos. In this paper we review the status and outlook for bolometric 0νββ" style="position: relative;" tabindex="0" id="MathJax-Element-2-Frame">0νββ decay searches. We summarize recent advances in background suppression demonstrated using bolometers with simultaneous readout of heat and light signals. We simulate several configurations of a future CUORE-like bolometer array which would utilize these improvements and present the sensitivity reach of a hypothetical next-generation bolometric 0νββ" style="position: relative;" tabindex="0" id="MathJax-Element-3-Frame">0νββ experiment. …

Alumni: Class Notes

Cal Poly Magazine

No abstract provided.

Boresight Alignment Station, Marco A. Scussat, Richard M. Goeden, Jeffrey S. Scott, Richard G. Lane, Gary B. Hughes

Statistics

A boresight alignment system facilitates aligning a plurality of cameras and/or images of the cameras with respect to one another. The system may have a mount configured to facilitate attachment of a bezel containing a plurality of cameras to the mount. The system may have a plurality of targets and each target may be configured to provide light of at least two different wavelengths and/or ranges of wavelengths. One or more baffles may be disposed optically between the mount and the target assembly to inhibit stray light from being incident upon the cameras.

Cal Poly Introduces Interdisciplinary Faculty Program To Promote Entrepreneurial Learning Across Campus, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Agenda, 10/7/2014, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Conjugate Heat Transfer In Fluid-Structure Interaction Modeling Using Openfoam, Andrew Brown

Aerospace Engineering

No abstract provided.

October 1, 2014 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Phase Transitions In Smectic Liquid Crystal Systems, John Van Atta, Josh Ziegler

Physics

Liquid crystal systems show strong responses to small changes in both temperature and electric field. Changing these conditions can result in phase shifts and other similar behaviors. We study several theoretical models of smectic liquid crystals. The ideas and notation are first developed in basic polynomial models used to describe liquid crystal systems dependent only on temperature. Specifically, smectic-C to smectic-A phase transitions are examined in a fourth-order polynomial model. The bifurcations in the nonlinear equations are shown to correspond to the phase transi- tions in the system. Similar analytic techniques are then applied to a more complex model, based …

Team Nathan Suspension, Frankie J. Wiggins, Alex D. Seitz, Justin P. Bautista

Mechanical Engineering

Nathan Cooper is an 8-year old boy with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA has affected Nathan’s muscle development and requires him to use the Standing Dani™ mobility device. The Standing Dani is a motorized standing wheelchair, or Wheelstand. Nathan controls and uses it to get around. Though the Standing Dani performs well for most functions, it has some distinct issues. The primary issue that this project addresses is its lack of suspension and the discomfort that Nathan feels as a result. After talking with our client, we developed several specifications generally related to geometry, safety, vehicle dynamics, and reliability. Many …

A Study Of Shock Analysis Using The Finite Element Method Verified With Euler-Bernoulli Beam Theory; Mechanical Effects Due To Pulse Width Variation Of Shock Inputs; And Evaluation Of Shock Response Of A Mixed Flow Fan, David Jonathan Gonzalez Campos

Master's Theses

A Study Of Shock Analysis Using The Finite Element Method Verified With Euler-Bernoulli Beam Theory; Mechanical Effects Due To Pulse Width Variation Of Shock Inputs; And Evaluation Of Shock Response Of A Mixed Flow Fan

David Jonathan González Campos

For many engineers that use finite element analysis or FEA, it is very important to know how to properly model and obtain accurate solutions for complicated loading conditions such as shock loading. Transient acceleration loads, such as shocks, are not as common as static loads. Analyzing these types of problems is less understood, which is the basis for this study. FEA …

Dcamp: Distributed Common Api For Measuring Performance, Alexander Paul Sideropoulos

Master's Theses

Although the nearing end of Moore’s Law has been predicted numerous times in the past, it will eventually come to pass. In forethought of this, many modern computing systems have become increasingly complex, distributed, and parallel. As software is developed on and for these complex systems, a common API is necessary for gathering vital performance related metrics while remaining transparent to the user, both in terms of system impact and ease of use.

Several distributed performance monitoring and testing systems have been proposed and implemented by both research and commercial institutions. However, most of these systems do not meet several …

Control Of A Spacecraft Using Mixed Momentum Exchange Devices, Blake J. Currie

Master's Theses

Hardware configurations, a control law, and a steering law are developed for a mixed hardware spacecraft that uses both control moment gyros and reaction wheels. Replacing one or more gyros in a spacecraft with a reaction wheel has potential for cost savings while still achieving much greater performance than using reaction wheels alone. Several simulated tests are run to compare the performance to a traditional all reaction wheel or all control moment gyro spacecraft, including analysis of failure modes and singular configurations. The mixed system performed similarly to all gyro systems, responding within 6% of the gyro system’s time for …

Fluid-Induced Propulsion Of Rigid Particles In Wormlike Micellar Solutions, David A. Gagnon, Nathan C. Keim, Xiaoning Shen, Paulo E. Arratia

Physics

In the absence of inertia, a reciprocal swimmer achieves no net motion in a viscous Newtonian fluid. Here, using tracking methods and birefringence imaging, we investigate the ability of a reciprocally actuated particle to translate through a complex fluid that possesses a network. A geometrically polar particle, a rod with a bead on one end, is reciprocally rotated using magnetic fields. The particle is immersed in a wormlike micellar (WLM) solution that is known to be susceptible to the formation of shear bands and other localized structures due to shear-induced remodeling of its microstructure. Results show that the nonlinearities present …

Cal Poly Bachelor's Degree Grads Rank 13th In Nation For Median Salaries Among Public Universities, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Undulatory Swimming In Shear-Thinning Fluids: Experiments With C. Elegans, David A. Gagnon, Nathan C. Keim, Paulo E. Arratia

Physics

The swimming behaviour of microorganisms can be strongly influenced by the rheology of their fluid environment. In this manuscript, we experimentally investigate the effects of shear-thinning viscosity on the swimming behaviour of an undulatory swimmer, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Tracking methods are used to measure the swimmer’s kinematic data (including propulsion speed) and velocity fields. We find that shear-thinning viscosity modifies the velocity fields produced by the swimming nematode but does not modify the nematode’s speed and beating kinematics. Velocimetry data show significant enhancement in local vorticity and circulation, and an increase in fluid velocity near the nematode’s tail, compared …

Focus Groups Planned, Case Studies Sought For 'More Than A Motto: Learn By Doing At Cal Poly' Project, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Estimating Migration Rates Between Populations Of Zostera Marina In The San Francisco Bay, Elizabeth S. Gutierrez

STAR Program Research Presentations

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a highly clonal marine angiosperm that can also reproduce sexually through flowering and seed formation. In a previous study, Fst values from six microsatellite loci suggested that a perennial San Francisco Bay subpopulation at Point Molate (Richmond, California) was able to recover from a drastic 2006 die-off through seed recruitment from neighboring eelgrass subpopulations, changing its reproductive strategy from clonal to sexual. Although Fst measures continue to be widely used in population genetics, the assumptions under which they operate are not always appropriate given certain circumstances, such small population sizes and/or asymmetrical migration rates. Our summer …

First Cuore-0 Performance Results And Status Of Cuore Experiment, L. Canonica, D.R. Artusa, F.T. Avignone Iii, N. Chott, R.J. Crewick, H.A. Farach, S. Newman, C. Rosenfeld, J. Wilson, O. Azzolini, A. Camacho, A. De Biasi, G. Keppel, V. Palmieri, C. Pira, V. Rampazzo, T.I. Banks, S.J. Freedman, L. Kogler, Yu. G. Kolomensky, T. O'Donnell, J.L. Ouellet, T. Bloxham, B.K. Fujikawa, K. Han, Y. Mei, G. Bari, M.M. Deninno, N. Moggi, F. Rimondi, S. Zucchelli, J. Beeman, E.E. Haller, F. Bellini, L. Cardani, C. Cosmelli, R. Faccini, F. Ferroni, G. Piperno, I. Dafinei, S. Morganti, F. Orio, C. Tomei, M. Vignati, A. Bersani, S. Didomizio, G. Fernandes, M. Pallavicini, M. Biassoni, C. Brofferio, S. Capelli, M. Carrettoni, D. Chiesa, M. Clemenza, M. Faverzani, E. Ferri, E. Fiorini, A. Giachero, L. Gironi, C. Gotti, C. Miaino, M. Maino, A. Nucciotti, M. Pavan, E. Sala, M. Sisti, L. Zanotti, L. Carbone, O. Cremonesi, V. Datskov, G. Pessina, S. Pirro, E. Previtali, C. Rusconi, F. Terranova, X.Z. Cai, X. Cao, D.Q. Fang, Y.L. Li, Y.G. Ma, W.D. Tian, H.W. Wang, A. Dally, L. Ejzak, K.M. Heeger, D. Lenz, R.H. Maruyama, L. Wielgus, T. Wise, M.A. Franceschi, C. Ligi, T. Napolitano, A. Guiliani, M. Tenconi, T. D. Gutierrez, E.E. Haller, H.Z. Huang, X. Liu, S. Trentalange, B.X. Zhu, R. Kadel, Yu.G. Kolomensky, K. Kazkaz, E.B. Norman, M. Pedretti, S. Sangiorgio, N.D. Scielzo, B.S. Wang, M. Martinez, C. Nones, F. Rimondi, S. Zucchelli, A.R. Smith, L. Taffarello, G. Ventura, A. Woodcraft

Physics

The CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) experiment will search for neutrinoless double beta decay in 130" style="position: relative;" tabindex="0" id="MathJax-Element-1-Frame">130Te. Observation of the process would unambiguously establish that neutrinos are Majorana particles as well as provide information about the absolute neutrino mass scale and mass hierarchy.The CUORE setup will consist of an array of 988 tellurium dioxide crystals (containing 206 kg of 130" style="position: relative;" tabindex="0" id="MathJax-Element-2-Frame">130Te in total), operated as bolometers at a temperature of ∼" style="position: relative;" tabindex="0" id="MathJax-Element-3-Frame">∼10 mK. The experiment is now under construction at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in …

Spatially Resolved Spectra Of The “Teacup” Active Galactic Nucleus: Tracing The History Of A Dying Quasar, J.P. Gagne, D.M. Crenshaw, S.B. Kraemer, H.R. Schmitt, W.C. Keel, S. Rafter, T.C. Fischer, K. Schawinski, V.N Bennert

Physics

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Galaxy Zoo project has revealed a number of spectacular galaxies possessing extended emission-line regions (EELRs), the most famous being Hanny’s Voorwerp galaxy. We present another EELR object discovered in the SDSS endeavor: the Teacup active galactic nucleus (AGN). Nicknamed for its EELR, which has a “handle”-like structure protruding 15 kpc into the northeast quadrant of the galaxy. We analyze the physical conditions of this galaxy with long-slit, ground-based spectroscopy from the Lowell, Lick, and KPNO observatories. With the Lowell 1.8 m Perkin’s telescope we took multiple observations at different offset positions, allowing us to …

Adapting Monte Carlo Localization To Utilize Floor And Wall Texture Data, Stephanie Krapil

Master's Theses

Monte Carlo Localization (MCL) is an algorithm that allows a robot to determine its location when provided a map of its surroundings. Particles, consisting of a location and an orientation, represent possible positions where the robot could be on the map. The probability of the robot being at each particle is calculated based on sensor input.

Traditionally, MCL only utilizes the position of objects for localization. This thesis explores using wall and floor surface textures to help the algorithm determine locations more accurately. Wall textures are captured by using a laser range finder to detect patterns in the surface. Floor …

Vibration Based Planetary Gear Analysis And Damage Detection, Rene Sawatzky

Master's Theses

With this thesis the research at the engineering department is continued, based on previous thesis projects. These projects were considering the possibility of simulation gears with rigid bodies. After researches with different emphasizes on the rigid body simulation, the gained knowledge showed limitations of the rigid body model. Gear failures are very diverse and the actual simulation technique could not represent all necessary failure modes that can occur. That led to this thesis as a research project to find a way to detect and analyze the failure modes that cannot be considered with the current rigid body approach. With the …

Cal Poly Computer Science Student Receives Csu Trustee Award, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

August 27, 2014 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Directed Energy Active Illumination For Near-Earth Object Detection, Jordan Riley, Philip Lubin, Gary B. Hughes, Hugh O'Neill, Peter Meinhold, Jonathan Suen, J Bible, Isabella E. Johansson, Janelle Griswold, Brianna Cook

Statistics

On 15 February 2013, a previously unknown ~20 m asteroid struck Earth near Chelyabinsk, Russia, releasing kinetic energy equivalent to ~570 kt TNT. Detecting objects like the Chelyabinsk impactor that are orbiting near Earth is a difficult task, in part because such objects spend much of their own orbits in the direction of the Sun when viewed from Earth. Efforts aimed at protecting Earth from future impacts will rely heavily on continued discovery. Ground-based optical observatory networks and Earth-orbiting spacecraft with infrared sensors have dramatically increased the pace of discovery. Still, less than 5% of near-Earth objects (NEOs) 100 m/~100 …