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Using An Atomic Molecular Optics Laboratory For Undergraduate Research And Mentoring Of Physics Students In Georgia, Matthew P. Dallas

Georgia College Student Research Events

Using an Atomic Molecular Optics Laboratory for Undergraduate Research and Mentoring of Physics Students in Georgia

An Atomic and Molecular Optical (AMO) Physics research lab is an excellent tool to train and mentor undergraduate students in advanced laboratory techniques. Students gain valuable basic experience in experimental designs, data acquisition techniques, working with high precision optical equipment, building electronics, and working in the machine shop. The current project is building and testing an enclosure for the diode laser to reduce sound and vibrational interference. In addition, we are developing and evaluating a new, more compact laser cavity which is 3d printed. …

College Of Science And Mathematics Newsletter, Spring 2017, College Of Science And Mathematics, Wright State University

College of Science and Mathematics Newsletters

This 9 page newsletter discusses various happenings within the College of Science and Mathematics. It begins with a letter from the dean, and continues on with news, events, alumni news, and other community news.

Physics Discipline 5-Year Assessment Plan 2016-2021, Physics Discipline

Assessment of Student Learning Reports

No abstract provided.

Physics Alumni Newsletter Spring 2017, Terry Goforth

Physics Alumni Newsletter

Physics Alumni Newsletter

The Physics Alumni Newsletter is produced by the SWOSU Physics Department.

Our Engineering Physics students are recruited in fields such as electronics, aerospace, mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering and software engineering. Graduates also have careers in meteorology, architecture, education and more.

The Physics Of Skateboarding: Making Science Relevant, Engaging And Motivational, William Robertson

Selected Works Temporary Series

For me, skateboarding became the vehicle that lead to my success in education. In fact, the skills I learned in skateboarding, such as practice, creativity, discipline, persistence and setting goals, later made me successful in school. For young people, by knowing the terms, they can in effect learn more, when they can see practical applications in their own lives. My inspiration for choosing skateboarding to teach physics came from my work with middle school students who were not interested in the topics of science class until I showed how much of physics, such as forces and motion, were found in …

The Physics Of Skateboarding: Making Science Relevant, Engaging And Motivational, William Robertson

Departmental Papers (TE)

For me, skateboarding became the vehicle that lead to my success in education.  In fact, the skills I learned in skateboarding, such as practice, creativity, discipline, persistence and setting goals, later made me successful in school. For young people, by knowing the terms, they can in effect learn more, when they can see practical applications in their own lives. My inspiration for choosing skateboarding to teach physics came from my work with middle school students who were not interested in the topics of science class until I showed how much of physics, such as forces and motion, were found in …

Calibration Of The Advanced Ligo Detectors For The Discovery Of The Binary Black-Hole Merger Gw150914, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, E. A. Huerta, S. T. Mcwilliams

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

In Advanced LIGO, detection and astrophysical source parameter estimation of the binary black hole merger GW150914 requires a calibrated estimate of the gravitational-wave strain sensed by the detectors. Producing an estimate from each detector's differential arm length control loop readout signals requires applying time domain filters, which are designed from a frequency domain model of the detector's gravitational-wave response. The gravitational-wave response model is determined by the detector's opto-mechanical response and the properties of its feedback control system. The measurements used to validate the model and characterize its uncertainty are derived primarily from a dedicated photon radiation pressure actuator, with …

Multiscale Modeling Of Carbon Nanotube Synthesis In A Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition Reactor, Jonathan Troville

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The bottom-up analysis of Carbon Nanotube synthesis is not well understood. Specifically, the question as to how carbon adsorbs to a substrate inclusive of a supported catalyst may lead to the energetically favorable structure of a hexagonal close- packed structure along the wall, or walls, of the tube. A first time simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics has been generated in order to capture the gas-phase mech- anism which leads to carbon production. It is thought that the carbon adsorbs and the walls are formed from the bottom up and the inside out for multi-wall CNTs. The studies involved accurately setting up …

M Dwarf Planet Habitability, Ben Koenigs

Gateway Prize for Excellent Writing

The habitability of M dwarf planets has been debated greatly, as their parent stars possess both beneficial and detrimental qualities for the development of life. Initially, the astrobiological community questioned their habitability (Dole 1964), but as research and modeling techniques have improved, astrobiologists have become more accepting of the idea of life on M dwarf planets (Shields et al. 2016). The question of these planets’ habitability has great significance, because their long lifespans and commonality in the universe make them legitimate candidates for a plethora of extrasolar spacecraft missions, and potentially for the first discovery of life in other systems.

On Marie Curie And Me, Sharon L. Stephenson

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

When people discover I am a nuclear physicist, they often say, "Oh, like Marie Curie!" And yes, I am like Marie in that I have woman parts, I study nuclei, I have two children and a physicist husband. But had I lived in her time, I would not have been that rare female admitted to the Sorbonne. I could not have quietly made the top scores on the math and physics examinations. I am impulsive and thin-skinned, my occasional cleverness passing for deeper talent. I would probably have been a cleaning girl, pregnant at 15, unable to speak any language …

Math And Physics Activities, Maureen Miller, Hope Bragg, Christy Keefer

Integrated Math & Social Studies Lessons

Mathematics is at the core of the Hidden Figures story. These women were united by their passion for the field of mathematics. Society often portrays that there are “bad” math students, those that struggle with calculations and applications. The structure of these activities, pairing of students, permits students to support each other in working through the problems. The video clip allows students to establish connections between mathematical calculations and scientific concepts. The physics problems that students complete are motion problems that beginning rocket engineers would have solved to determine how high their rocket flew.

Search For Single Production Of A Heavy Vector-Like T Quark Decaying To A Higgs Boson And A Top Quark With A Lepton And Jets In The Final State, The Cms Collaboration, Marc M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, Daniel Noonan, Tuhin Roy, Francisco Yumiceva

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A search for single production of vector-like top quark partners (T) decaying into a Higgs boson and atop quark is performed using data from pp collisions at acentre-of-mass energy of 13TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3fb−1. The top quark decay includes an electron or a muon while the Higgs boson decays into a pair of b quarks. No significant excess over standard model backgrounds is observed. Exclusion limits on the product of the production cross section and the branching fraction are derived in the T quark mass range 700 …

Search For Top Squark Pair Production In Compressed-Mass-Spectrum Scenarios In Proton-Proton Collisions At S=8 Tev Using The Αt Variable, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, H Kalakhety, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

An inclusive search is performed for supersymmetry in final states containing jets and an apparent imbalance in transverse momentum, p→T miss, due to the production of unobserved weakly interacting particles in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data, recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 18.5 fb−1. The dimensionless kinematic variable αT is used to discriminate between events with genuine p→T miss associated with unobserved particles and spurious values of p→T miss arising from jet energy mismeasurements. No excess of event yields above the expected standard model backgrounds …

Measurements Of Tt¯ Cross Sections In Association With B Jets And Inclusive Jets And Their Ratio Using Dilepton Final States In Pp Collisions At S=13tev, A. M. Sirunyan, M. M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, M. Hohlmann, D. Noonan, T. Roy, F. Yumiceva, The Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The cross sections for the production of tt¯bb¯ and tt¯jj events and their ratio σtt¯bb¯/σtt¯jj are measured using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 fb−1collected in pp collisions at s=13 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. Events with two leptons (e or μ) and at least four reconstructed jets, including at least two identified as b quark jets, in the final state are selected. In the full phase space, the measured ratio is 0.022±0.003(stat)±0.006(syst), the cross section σtt¯bb¯ is 4.0±0.6(stat)±1.3(syst) pb and σtt¯jj is 184±6(stat)±33(syst) pb. The measurements are compared with the standard model expectations obtained …

Multiplicity And Rapidity Dependence Of Strange Hadron Production In Pp, Ppb, And Pbpb Collisions At The Lhc, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, H Kalakhety, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Measurements of strange hadron (KS 0, Λ+Λ‾, and Ξ−+Ξ‾+) transverse momentum spectra in pp, pPb, and PbPb collisions are presented over a wide range of rapidity and event charged-particle multiplicity. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in pp collisions at s=7TeV, pPb collisions at sNN=5.02TeV, and PbPb collisions at sNN=2.76TeV. The average transverse kinetic energy is found to increase with multiplicity, at a faster rate for heavier strange particle species in all systems. At similar multiplicities, the difference in average transverse kinetic energy between different particle species is observed to be larger for pp …

Measurement Of The Wz Production Cross Section In Pp Collisions At S=13 Tev, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The WZ production cross section in proton–proton collisions at s=13 TeV is measured with the CMS experiment at the LHC using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 fb−1. The measurement is performed in the leptonic decay modes WZ→ℓνℓ′ℓ′, where ℓ,ℓ′=e,μ. The measured cross section for the range 60

Measurement Of The Cross Section For Electroweak Production Of Zγ In Association With Two Jets And Constraints On Anomalous Quartic Gauge Couplings In Proton–Proton Collisions At S=8 Tev, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A measurement is presented of the cross section for the electroweak production of a Z boson and a photon in association with two jets in proton–proton collisions at s=8 TeV. The Z bosons are identified through their decays to electron or muon pairs. The measurement is based on data collected with the CMS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb−1. The electroweak contribution has a significance of 3.0 standard deviations, and the measured fiducial cross section is 1.86−0.75 +0.90(stat)−0.26 +0.34(syst)±0.05(lumi) fb, while the summed electroweak and quantum chromodynamic total cross section in the same region is observed to …

Observation Of The Decay B+ → Ψ(2s)Φ(1020)K+ In Pp Collisions At S=8tev, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The decay B+→ψ(2S)ϕ(1020)K+ is observed for the first time using data collected from pp collisions at s=8TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6fb−1. The branching fraction of this decay is measured, using the mode B+→ψ(2S)K+ as normalization, to be (4.0±0.4(stat)±0.6(syst)±0.2(B))×10−6, where the third uncertainty is from the measured branching fraction of the normalization channel.

Coherent J/Ψ Photoproduction In Ultra-Peripheral Pbpb Collisions At Snn=2.76tev With The Cms Experiment, V. Khachatryan, Marc M. Baarnabd, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, H. Kalakhety, Daniel Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, F. Yumiceva, The Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The cross section for coherent J/ψ photoproduction accompanied by at least one neutron on one side of the interaction point and no neutron activity on the other side, Xn0n, is measured with the CMS experiment in ultra-peripheral PbPb collisions at sNN=2.76TeV. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 159μb−1, collected during the 2011 PbPb run. The J/ψ mesons are reconstructed in the dimuon decay channel, while neutrons are detected using zero degree calorimeters. The measured cross section is dσXn0n coh/dy(J/ψ)=0.36±0.04(stat)±0.04(syst) mb in the rapidity interval 1.8<|y|<2.3. Using a model for the relative rate of coherent photoproduction processes, this Xn0n measurement gives a total coherent photoproduction cross section of dσcoh/dy(J/ψ)=1.82±0.22(stat)±0.20(syst)±0.19(theo) mb. The data strongly disfavor the impulse approximation model prediction, indicating that nuclear effects are needed to describe coherent J/ψ photoproduction in γ+Pb interactions. The data are found to be consistent with the leading twist approximation, which includes nuclear gluon shadowing.

Search For Dijet Resonances In Proton–Proton Collisions At S=13tev And Constraints On Dark Matter And Other Models, A. M. Sirunyan, Marc M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, Daniel Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, F. Yumiceva, The Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A search is presented for narrow resonances decaying to dijet final states in proton–proton collisions at s=13TeV using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.9 fb−1. The dijet mass spectrum is well described by a smooth parameterization and no significant evidence for the production of new particles is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are reported on the production cross section for narrow resonances with masses above 0.6 TeV. In the context of specific models, the limits exclude string resonances with masses below 7.4 TeV, scalar diquarks below 6.9 TeV, axigluons and colorons below 5.5 TeV, excited quarks …

Measurement Of The Differential Inclusive B+ Hadron Cross Sections In Pp Collisions At √S=13 Tev, Vardan Khachatryan, Marc M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhoptkar, S. Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, Daniel Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco Yumiceva, The Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The differential cross sections for inclusive production of B+ hadrons are measured as a function of the B+ transverse momentum pT B and rapidity yB in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, using data collected by the CMS experiment that correspond to an integrated luminosity of 48.1 pb−1. The measurement uses the exclusive decay channel B+→J/ψK+, with J/ψ mesons that decay to a pair of muons. The results show a reasonable agreement with theoretical calculations within the uncertainties.

Search For Single Production Of Vector-Like Quarks Decaying Into A B Quark And A W Boson In Proton–Proton Collisions At √S=13 Tev, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A search is presented for a heavy vector-like quark, decaying into a b quark and a W boson, which is produced singly in association with a light flavor quark and a b quark. The analysis is performed using a data sample of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of s=13TeV collected at the LHC in 2015. The data set used in the analysis corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.3fb−1. The search is carried out using events containing one electron or muon, at least one b-tagged jet with large transverse momentum, at least one jet in the forward region of …

Search For Anomalous Couplings In Boosted Ww/Wz→ℓνqq‾ Production In Proton–Proton Collisions At √S=8tev, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

This Letter presents a search for new physics manifested as anomalous triple gauge boson couplings in WW and WZ diboson production in proton–proton collisions. The search is performed using events containing a W boson that decays leptonically and a W or Z boson whose decay products are merged into a single reconstructed jet. The data, collected at s=8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19 fb−1. No evidence for anomalous triple gauge couplings is found and the following 95% confidence level limits are set on their values: λ ([−0.011,0.011]), Δκγ ([−0.044,0.063]), and …

Search For Supersymmetry In Events With Photons And Missing Transverse Energy In Pp Collisions At 13tev, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The results of a search for new physics in final states with photons and missing transverse energy are reported. The study is based on a sample of proton–proton collisions collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector in 2015, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 fb−1. Final states with two photons and significant missing transverse energy are used to search for supersymmetric particles in models of supersymmetry (SUSY) with general gauge-mediated (GGM) supersymmetry breaking. No excess is observed with respect to the standard model expectation, and the results are used to set limits on gluino …

Search For Heavy Resonances Decaying Into A Vector Boson And A Higgs Boson In Final States With Charged Leptons, Neutrinos, And B Quarks, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A search for heavy resonances decaying to a Higgs boson and a vector boson is presented. The analysis is performed using data samples collected in 2015 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 2.2–2.5 fb−1. The search is performed in channels in which the vector boson decays into leptonic final states (Z→νν, W→ℓν, and Z→ℓℓ, with ℓ=e,μ), while the Higgs boson decays to collimated b quark pairs detected as a single massive jet. The discriminating power of a jet mass requirement and a b jet …

The Philosophy And Physics Of Time Travel: The Possibility Of Time Travel, Ramitha Rupasinghe

Honors Capstone Projects

Time travel to the past is an alluring subject for many science fiction writers but is it really science fiction or is there a way to make it happen, possibly in the distant future? In the world of physics, time travel to the future has already been accomplished but time travel to the past seems to be a subject of controversy. Similarly, both philosophers and physicists cannot completely agree on one fundamental question about time: what is it? In this interdisciplinary project, I will explore the fundamental nature of time as a building block to help me understand time travel. …

Modeling And Observation Of He+ Pickup Ions In The Inner Heliosphere, Junhong Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

Interstellar pickup ions constitute a charged particle population that originates from interstellar neutrals inside the heliosphere. They are produced by photoionization, charge exchange with solar wind ions, and electron impact ionization (EI). Once ionized, they are picked up by the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and rapidly swept outward with the solar wind. Typically, pickup ion distributions have been described in terms of a velocity distribution function that evolves through fast pitch angle scattering followed by adiabatic cooling during radial transport in the reference frame of the solar wind [e.g., Vasyliunas & Siscoe, 1976, VS76 hereafter].

In the VS76 model, the …

A Dynamical-Systems Approach To Understanding Turbulence In Plane Couette Flow, Mimi Szeto

Doctoral Dissertations

Dynamical systems theory is used to understand the dynamics of low-dimensional spatio-temporal chaos. Our research aimed to apply the theory to understanding turbulent fluid flows, which could be thought of as spatio-temporal chaos in a very-high dimensional space. The theory explains a system's dynamics in terms of the local dynamics of its periodic solutions; these are the periodic orbits in state space. We considered the development of a model for the dynamics of plane Couette flow based on the theory. The proposed model is essentially a set of low-dimensional models for the local dynamics of the periodic orbits of the …

A Study Of Reconnection Poleward Of The Cusp: Cluster And Polar, Fathima M. Muzamil

Doctoral Dissertations

Asymmetries in plasma density and the presence of a guide field significantly alter the structure of the ion diffusion region (IDR) in symmetric, collisionless reconnection. These features have been shown by numerical simulations under moderate density asymmetries (~10), and theoretical analyses. However, very few studies have addressed these issues with in-situ observations, particularly at high magnetic latitudes. By the structure of the IDR we refer to features such as the non-colocation of the X-line and stagnation line, the distortion of the Hall magnetic and electric fields, outflow speed, outflow density etc. We have compiled a collection of Cluster crossings of …

Cross Section Measurement Of T-Channel Single Top Quark Production In Pp Collisions At √S=13 Tev, M M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, D Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The cross section for the production of single top quarks in the t channel is measured in proton–proton collisions at 13TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.2fb−1. The event selection requires one muon and two jets where one of the jets is identified as originating from a bottom quark. Several kinematic variables are then combined into a multivariate discriminator to distinguish signal from background events. A fit to the distribution of the discriminating variable yields a total cross section of 238±13(stat)±29(syst) pb and a ratio of top quark and …