Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Solid Phase Crystallization Of Vanadium Dioxide Thin Films And Characterization Through Scanning Electron Microscopy, Felipe Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

Crystalline films of vanadium dioxide were obtained through thermal annealing of amorphous vanadium dioxide thin films sputtered on silicon dioxide. An annealing process was found that yielded polycrystalline vanadium dioxide thin films, semi-continuous thin films, and films of isolated single-crystal particles. Orientation Imaging Microscopy (OIM) was used to characterize and study the phase and the orientation of the vanadium dioxide crystals obtained, as well as to diferentiate them from other vanadium oxide stoichiometries that may have formed during the annealing process. There was no evidence of any other vanadium oxides present in the prepared samples. Indexing of the crystals for …

New Multiwavelength Variability And Optical Microvariability Investigations Of X-Ray And Radio Selected Blazars, Margaret Angela Osterman

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

The extreme AGN known as blazars can be classified based on their spectral properties into X-ray and radio selected objects, known as XBLs and RBLs, respectively. In this work, the results of new multiwavelength campaigns are presented for two XBLs and two RBLs. Each campaign contains simultaneous observations in the radio, optical, and X-ray regimes. A campaign on a third RBL was completed using near-simultaneous archival radio, optical/IR, and gamma-ray data. The simultaneous multiwavelength behavior exhibited in each campaign was analyzed by examining the multiwavelength variability and using spectral analysis. Observations of prominent optical microvariability were quantitatively analyzed. Previously published …

Slowmo: A Search For Nearby Stars, Misty Adana Brown

Physics and Astronomy Theses

I report on suspected nearby stars with proper motions 1.0 arcsec > μ ≥ 0.5 arcsec/yr in the southern sky (DEC = −90° to 00°). This sample of slow-motion (SLOWMO) stars complements the work of Jao (2004), who reported on faster moving stars with μ ≥ 1.0 arcsec/yr in the entire sky for his doctoral dissertation, and the work of Finch (2007), who uncovered stars moving slower than 0.5 arcsec/yr between declinations −90° and −47°. Characterizations of SLOWMO systems include trigonometric parallaxes, optical and infrared photometry. For stars without trigonometric parallaxes, colors and apparent magnitudes are used to calculate photometric distance …

An Examination Of Colliding Galaxy Clusters: Recreating 1e 0657-56 With Gadget-2, Joseph Johnson

All Theses

In this thesis I use the publicly available smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code GADGET-2 to investigate and recreate the phenomenon of two merging galaxy clusters, as currently seen in the hot X-ray cluster 1E 0657-56 (the 'bullet cluster'). In this scenario, the stellar and dark matter components of the galaxies pass through the collision without experiencing strong stopping forces, but the intra-cluster gas is significantly slowed by ram pressure. This leads to a spatial separation between the galaxies and the intra-cluster gas, which provides a testing ground for gravitational theories. Weak gravitational lensing in the cluster has been used to …

Scandium Oxide Thin Films And Their Optical Properties In The Extreme Ultraviolet, Guillermo Antonio Acosta

Theses and Dissertations

This study reports on the physical and optical characterization of scandium oxide thin films. Thin films of scandium oxide, 20-40 nm thick, were deposited on silicon wafers, quartz slides, and silicon photodiodes by reactively sputtering scandium in an oxygen environment. These samples were characterized using ellipsometry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. A 28.46 nm thick scandium oxide thin film was measured in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) from 2.7 to 50 nm (459.3 to 24.8 eV) using synchrotron radiation at the Advanced Light Source Beamline 6.3.2 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In …

Intrinsic Absorption With The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, Jay Patrick Dunn

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

We present a survey of 72 Seyfert galaxies and quasars observed by the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE). Our survey is the largest to date searching for intrinsic UV absorption with high spectral resolution, and is the first step toward a more comprehensive study of intrinsic absorption in low-redshift AGN. We have determined that 72 of 253 available active galactic nuclei (AGN) are viable targets for detection of intrinsic absorption lines. We examined these spectra for signs of intrinsic absorption in the O VI doublet (lambda lamdba 1031.9, 1037.6) and Lyman beta (lambda 1025.7). The fraction of Seyfert 1 galaxies …

Construction Of A Calcium Matter-Wave Interferometer, Christopher Joseph Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

I describe the construction of a calcium matter-wave interferometer. The interferometer is based on a Ramsey-Borde scheme, and uses a thermal beam of atoms excited by an optical-frequency transition in calcium. In our experiment four pi/2 pulses of light are delivered to the atoms, which split and recombine the wave functions of the atoms. Our experimental design minimizes first-order Doppler shifts, and allows for the cancellation of systematic errors including phase shifts due to rotation and acceleration. I describe the individual components of the interferometer and its assembly. The requirements for the electronics used in the experiment as well as …

Error Sensor Placement For Active Control Of An Axial Cooling Fan, Benjamin M. Shafer

Theses and Dissertations

Recent experimental achievements in active noise control (ANC) for cooling fans have used near-field error sensors whose locations are determined according to a theoretical condition of minimized sound power. A theoretical point source model, based on the condition previously stated, reveals the location of near-field pressure nulls that may be used to optimize error sensor placement. The actual locations of these near-field pressure nulls for both an axial cooling fan and a monopole loudspeaker were measured over a two-dimensional grid with a linear array of microphones. The achieved global attenuation for each case is measured over a hemisphere located in …

Development Of A Method For Calculating Delta Scuti Rotational Velocities And Hydrogen Beta Color Indices, Tabitha Christi Buehler

Theses and Dissertations

To add to the understanding of the structure and evolution of Delta Scuti stars, 167 Delta Scutis north of -01 degrees declination and brighter than 13th magnitude have been observed spectroscopically. A method for calculating rotational velocity values and Hydrogen-Beta color indices for the stars in the data set with no previously published values is developed, using the stars in the data set brighter than 7th magnitude. Rotational velocity values for four stars with previously unknown values and Hydrogen-Beta index values for five stars with previously unknown values are calculated.

Optimization Of Control Source And Error Sensor Locations In Free Field Active Noise Control, Connor Raymond Duke

Theses and Dissertations

Previous work has shown that active noise control (ANC) can be applied to axial cooling fans. Optimization of the control source and error sensor placement is desired to maximize the attenuation using ANC. A genetic algorithm was developed to find the optimal placement of control sources for a given primary source. The optimal configuration of control sources around a single primary source was shown to be a linear arrangement of the sources. This holds true for both two-dimensional as well as three-dimensional configurations. The higher-order radiation of the linear arrangement has also been verified experimentally, but the improvement in the …

Development Of A New Ca Ii H And K Spectrophotometric Temperature Index, Kathleen Elizabeth Moncrieff

Theses and Dissertations

We are developing a new spectrophotometric temperature index based on the Ca II H and K lines. Because these lines are present even in very cool stars and because the Ca II H line is blended with the H-epsilon line in hot stars, this index should cover a very broad range of spectral types. Our data set consisted of 95 stars with spectral types ranging from O9 to M1. We examined five different indices based on the Ca II H + H-epsilon and K lines, as well as single-wavelength indices centered on each of the H-delta and H-gamma lines, which …

The Effect Of Nonlinear Propagation On Near-Field Acoustical Holography, Micah Raymond Shepherd

Theses and Dissertations

Near-field acoustical holography (NAH) has been used extensively for acoustical imaging of infinitesimal-amplitude (or small-amplitude) sources. However, recent interests are in the application of NAH to image finite-amplitude (or high-amplitude) sources such as jets and rockets. Since NAH is based on linear equations and finite-amplitude sources imply nonlinear effects, which cause shock formation and consequently an altered spectral shape, a feasibility study is carried out to determine the effect of nonlinear propagation on NAH. Jet and rocket sources typically have a distinct spectral shape resembling a ‘haystack’ and center frequencies varying from 30 to 300 Hz. To test the effect …

Hot Stars With Disks, Erika Dawn Grundstrom

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

The evolutionary paths of the massive O and B type stars are often defined by angular momentum transformations that involve circumstellar gas disks. This circumstellar gas is revealed in several kinds of observations, and here I describe a series of investigations of the hydrogen line emission from such disk using detailed studies of five massive binaries and a survey of 128 Be stars. By examining three sets of spectra of the active mass-transfer binary system RY Scuti, I determined masses of 7.1 +/- 1.2 M_sun for the bright supergiant and 30.0 +/- 2.1 M_sun for the massive companion that is …

Inspection And Characterization Of Exoplanet Using The Chara Array, Ellyn K. Baines

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

Until the last decade or so, our entire knowledge of planets around Sun-like stars consisted of those in our own Solar System. This is no longer the case. Over 200 planets have been discovered through radial velocity surveys and photometric studies, both of which depend on observing the planet's effects on its host star. Much of our knowledge of the planets orbiting these stars is uncertain, based on assumptions about the stars' masses and the planets' orbital inclinations. This dissertation is comprised of two main sections. The first involves measuring the angular diameters for a sample of exoplanet host stars …

Semiconductor Quantum Structures For Ultraviolet-To-Infrared Multi-Band Radiation Detection, Gamini Ariyawansa

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

In this work, multi-band (multi-color) detector structures considering different semiconductor device concepts and architectures are presented. Results on detectors operating in ultraviolet-to-infrared regions (UV-to-IR) are discussed. Multi-band detectors are based on quantum dot (QD) structures; which include quantum-dots-in-a-well (DWELL), tunneling quantum dot infrared photodetectors (T-QDIPs), and bi-layer quantum dot infrared photodetectors (Bi-QDIPs); and homo-/heterojunction interfacial workfunction internal photoemission (HIWIP/HEIWIP) structures. QD-based detectors show multi-color characteristics in mid- and far-infrared (MIR/FIR) regions, where as HIWIP/HEIWIP detectors show responses in UV or near-infrared (NIR) regions, and MIR-to-FIR regions. In DWELL structures, InAs QDs are placed in an InGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) to …

Dust Within The Central Regions Of Seyfert Galaxies, Rajesh Deo

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

We present a detailed study of mid-infrared spectroscopy and optical imaging of Seyfert galaxies with the goal of understanding the properties of astronomical dust around the central supermassive black hole and the accretion disk. Specifically, we have studied Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared spectra of 12 Seyfert 1.8-1.9s and 58 Seyfert 1s and 2s available in the Spitzer public archive, and the nuclear dust morphology in the central 500 pc of 91 narrow and broad-line Seyfert 1s using optical images from the Hubble Space Telescope. We have also developed visualization software to aid the understanding of the geometry of the central …

A Mechanism Of Co-Existence Of Bursting And Silent Regimes Of Activities Of A Neuron, Tatiana Igorevna Malashchenko

Physics and Astronomy Theses

The co-existence of bursting activity and silence is a common property of various neuronal models. We describe a novel mechanism explaining the co-existence of and the transition between these two regimes. It is based on the specific homoclinic and Andronov-Hopf bifurcations of the hyper- and depolarized steady states that determine the co-existence domain in the parameter space of the leech heart interneuron models: canonical and simplified. We found that a sub-critical Andronov-Hopf bifurcation of the hyperpolarized steady state gives rise to small amplitude sub-threshold oscillations terminating through the secondary homoclinic bifurcation. Near the corresponding boundary the system can exhibit long …

White Dwarfs In The Solar Neighborhood, John P. Subasavage, Jr.

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

The study of white dwarfs (WDs) provides insight into understanding WD formation rates, evolution, and space density. Individually, nearby WDs are excellent candidates for astrometric planetary searches because the astrometric signature is greater than for an identical, more distant WD system. As a population, a complete volume-limited sample is necessary to provide unbiased statistics; however, their intrinsic faintness has allowed some to escape detection.

The aim of this dissertation is to identify nearby WDs, accurately characterize them, and target a subset of potentially interesting WDs for follow-up analyses. The most unambiguous method of identifying new WDs is by their proper …

Electrical And Optical Characterization Of Group Iii-V Heterostructures With Emphasis On Terahertz Devices, Aruna Bandara Weerasekara

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

Electrical and optical characterizations of heterostructures and thin films based on group III-V compound semiconductors are presented. Optical properties of GaMnN thin films grown by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) on GaN/Sapphire templates were investigated using IR reflection spectroscopy. Experimental reflection spectra were fitted using a non - linear fitting algorithm, and the high frequency dielectric constant (ε∞), optical phonon frequencies of E1(TO) and E1(LO), and their oscillator strengths (S) and broadening constants (Γ) were obtained for GaMnN thin films with different Mn fraction. The high frequency dielectric constant (ε∞) of InN thin films grown by the high pressure chemical …

Supernova Injection Of Short-Lived Radionuclides Into The Presolar Cloud: A Feasibility Study, Keith Davis

All Dissertations

Meteorite inclusions show that the early solar system was radioactive with species of short lifetimes compared to the formation time of the solar system. Transporting the radioactive material from the creation site to the formation site of the sun was expected to take enough time that these species should have decayed to nonexistence. Some special series of events seems necessary to speed the process along. Cameron & Truran (1977) suggested that the source of these short-lived radionuclides could have been a supernova. Numerical hydrodynamic studies have shown that slow shockwaves can inject material into a small, dense cloud core. Most …

On Stability And Evolution Of Solutions In General Relativity, Stephen M. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is concerned with several problems in general relativity and low energy string theory that are pertinent to the time evolution of the gravitational field. We present a formulation of the Einstein field equations in terms of variational techniques borrowed from geometric analysis. These equations yield the evolution equations for the Cauchy problems of both general relativity and low energy string theory. We then proceed to investigate the evolutionary linear stability of Schwarzschild-like solutions in higher dimensional relativity called black strings. These objects are determined to be linearly unstable. This motivates a further stability analysis of the charged p-brane …

Development Of A Mevva Based Beryllium-7 Plasma Source, David K. Olson

Theses and Dissertations

We have designed a new type of plasma gun ion source for a Malmberg-Penning trap based on Metal Vapor Vacuum Arc (MeVVA) ion source designs. Our primary intent with this MeVVA-type source is to create a confinable beryllium-7 (7-Be) plasma. 7-Be is a peculiar isotope due to its varying radioactive decay half-life in different electro-chemical configurations. It is also found in an unexpected abundance at high altitudes of the Earth's atmosphere. It is possible ioniziation affects the radioactivity of the isotope, partly explaining this discrepancy with atmospheric models. The short half-life of 7-Be requires us to replace the sample inside …

Extreme Ultraviolet Polarimetry With Laser-Generated High-Order Harmonics, Nicole Brimhall

Theses and Dissertations

We developed an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) polarimeter, which employs laser-generated high-order harmonics as the light source. This relatively high-flux directional EUV source has available wavelengths between 8 nm and 62 nm and easily rotatable linear polarization. The polarimeter will aid researchers at BYU in characterizing EUV thin films and improving their understanding of materials for use in EUV optics. This first-time workhorse application of laser high harmonics enables polarization-sensitive reflection measurements not previously available in the EUV. We have constructed a versatile positioning system that places harmonics on the microchannel plate detector with an accuracy of 0.3 mm, which allows …

Energy Deposition Study Of Low-Energy Cosmic Radiation At Sea Level, Pushpa Indumathie Wijesinghe

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

In this dissertation work, a computer simulation model based on the Geant4 simulation package has been designed and developed to study the energy deposition and track structures of cosmic muons and their secondary electrons in tissue-like materials. The particle interactions in a cubic water volume were first simulated. To analyze the energy deposition and tracks in small structures, with the intention of studying the energy localization in nanometric structures such as DNA, the chamber was sliced in three dimentions. Validation studies have been performed by comparing the results with experimental, theoretical, and other simulation results to test the accuracy of …

Factors That Affect The Global Positioning System And Global Navigation Satellite System In An Urban And Forested Environment., Douglas Allen Ritchie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy in real time measurements acquired from GPS and GLONASS satellite observations using RTK techniques in an urban and forested environment. To determine this accuracy, 2 data sets of 3-dimensional coordinates were created and compared at 14 stations situated at East Tennessee State University. One data set included coordinates determined by conventional land survey methods; the second was solved by RTK GPS/GLONASS. Once the magnitude of any deviation in the coordinate positions was determined, the contributions to the accuracies from cycle slips, multipath, satellite availability, PDOP, and fixed or float solutions …

Development Of Cosmic Ray Simulation Program -- Earth Cosmic Ray Shower (Ecrs), Sampath S. Hakmana Witharana

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

ECRS is a program for the detailed simulation of extensive air shower initiated by high energy cosmic ray particles. In this dissertation work, a Geant4 based ECRS simulation was designed and developed to study secondary cosmic ray particle showers in the full range of Earth's atmosphere. A proper atmospheric air density and geomagnetic field are implemented in order to correctly simulate the charged particles interactions in the Earth's atmosphere. The initial simulation was done for the Atlanta (33.460 N , 84.250 W) region. Four different types of primary proton energies (109, 1010, 1011 and 1012 eV) were considered to determine …

Numerical Hydrodynamics Of Relativistic Extragalactic Jets, Eunwoo Choi

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

This dissertation describes a multidimensional relativistic hydrodynamic code which solves the special relativistic hydrodynamic equations as a hyperbolic system of conservation laws based on the total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme. Several standard tests and test simulations are presented to demonstrate the accuracy, robustness and flexibility of the code. Using this code we have studied three-dimensional hydrodynamic interactions of relativistic extragalactic jets with two-phase ambient media. The deflection angle of the jet is influenced more by the density contrast of the cloud than by the beam Mach number of the jet, and a relativistic jet with low relativistic beam Mach number …

Minimo: A Search For Mini Proper Motion Stars In The Southern Sky, Charlie Thomas Finch

Physics and Astronomy Theses

I report 1684 new proper motion systems in the southern sky (declinations -90 degrees to -47 degrees) with 0.50 arcsec/yr > mu >= 0.18 arcsec/yr. This effort is a continuation of the SuperCOSMOS-RECONS (SCR) proper motion search to lower proper motions than reported in Hambly et al. (2004); Henry et al. (2004); Subasavage et al. (2005a,b). Distance estimates are presented for the new systems, assuming that all stars are on the main sequence. I find that 34 systems are within 25 pc, including three systems --- SCR 0838-5855, SCR 1826-6542, and SCR 0630-7643AB --- anticipated to be within 10 pc. These …

Determining The Agn Fraction Of Galaxy Groups, Rachel Paterno-Mahler

Pomona Senior Theses

Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Martini et al. (2006) found that the AGN fraction of galaxy clusters was five times higher than previous optical studies suggested. Using visual observations only, Dressler et al. (1985) estimated the AGN fraction of field galaxies to be 5%, while that of clusters was thought to be 1%. To understand the role that the environment plays in AGN fueling, the author studied a variety of environments, ranging from the field to groups to clusters. Will the AGN fraction of groups also be higher than that of the field? The author demonstrates how the AGN fraction …

Fuzzy Blackholes, Anand Murugan

Pomona Senior Theses

The fuzzball model of a black hole is an attempt to resolve the many paradoxes and puzzles of black hole physics that have revealed themselves over the last century. These badly behaved solutions of general relativity have given physicists one of the few laboratories to test candidate quantum theories of gravity. Though little is known about exactly what lies beyond the event horizon, and what the ultimate fate of matter that falls in to a black hole is, we know a few intriguing and elegant semi-classical results that have kept physicists occupied. Among these are the known black hole entropy …