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William & Mary

Undergraduate Honors Theses

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Alkali Linewidths Under High Temperatures And Pressures Of 3he, Michael Parker May 2022

Alkali Linewidths Under High Temperatures And Pressures Of 3he, Michael Parker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Current research at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is being conducted to study the spin structure of the neutron through collisions with polarized 3He nuclei. The helium is contained in high pressure glass vessels (called cells) along with nitrogen, rubidium, and potassium. To deduce the spin structure from collisions, we need to know the precise number density of 3He in the cell. The process of polarizing 3He through spin-exchange optical pumping requires nitrogen and alkali metal. We can use the absorption linewidths of rubidium and potassium to more accurately determine the density of helium. Throughout my research, I collected absorption …


Development Of A Vector Magnetometer Based On Electromagnetically Induced Transparency In 87rb Atomic Vapor, Alexander Toyryla May 2022

Development Of A Vector Magnetometer Based On Electromagnetically Induced Transparency In 87rb Atomic Vapor, Alexander Toyryla

Undergraduate Honors Theses

We present progress towards the development of an atomic magnetometer capable of accurate scalar and vector magnetic field measurements with high sensitivity and no need for external calibration. The proposed device will use the interaction between a bi-chromatic laser field and rubidium vapor to derive magnetic field magnitude and direction from measured amplitudes of Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) resonances. Since the proposed method requires precision control of light polarization, we observe the performance capabilities of a liquid crystal device to dynamically rotate the polarization of the laser field. Another goal in this project is to establish a polarization locking mechanism …


Progress Towards Electromagnetic Manipulation And Trapping Of Micro-Particles, Andrew John Beling May 2021

Progress Towards Electromagnetic Manipulation And Trapping Of Micro-Particles, Andrew John Beling

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis describes research to investigate the electromagnetic manipulation of microspheres and microrings. The work consists of three main thrusts: 1) the use of an electric field gradient to move dielectric microspheres, 2) the use of an AC magnetic field to move a conducting ring, and 3) the preparation of substrates for a microwave atom chip. The electrostatic movement of dielectric polyethylene microspheres was observed and recorded with a CCD imaging system. The microspheres were suspended in various liquids and placed on top of a microstrip transmission line, which consists of a conducting copper trace separated from a ground plate …