Physics Commons^™

Developing And Testing Visualization Simulations For The Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (Greta), Blake Mcnulty

Physics and Astronomy Summer Fellows

GRETA is a recently-completed Department of Energy-funded project to construct an array of 120 gamma-ray detectors for use in nuclear physics experiments. The Gretina Array was the successful pilot project to construct 48 of the eventual 120 detectors that would be used in the array. UCGretina is a program that is used to simulate the GRETA array for the purposes of planning experiments and analyzing measurements. My job for this summer, with the advent of the full GRETA system, was to implement the new modular mounting structure for the full GRETA array in the simulation code. This involves creating the …

Form And Fusion: The Art And Science Of Ceramics And Glass, Juniper J. Bauroth-Sherman, Kaleigh Evans

Interdivisional Studies Presentations

The first Ceramics & Art class (IDS-110-F: ST: Ceramics) has completed an immersive, interdisciplinary exploration of stained glass and we’re excited to showcase it now. Through hands-on studio work, experiments, and design projects, we combined artistic expression with the science of glass—learning how physics and chemistry shape everything from color to strength and light interaction. The students have developed practical skills in cutting, grinding, foiling, soldering, and assembling stained-glass pieces, while also experimenting with thermal stress, light transmission, and color chemistry. Glass is now understood as not just as an art form, but as a dynamic material grounded in scientific …

Modeling Mineral Redistribution In Biological Tissue Using Apple As An In Vitro Analogue, Daler Djuraev, Ali Algemsh, Halima Alazeb, Zeenia Ahmed

Publications and Research

This project aims to model mineral (ion) redistribution that occurs in human soft tissue after injury or mechanical/thermal stress. Because direct, repeatable in vivo measurements are difficult, we use apples as an in vitro analogue: their mineral content is relatively uniform and the tissue can be cut, dried, and repeatedly imaged under controlled conditions. Using X-ray imaging, we tracked how minerals in apple tissue move toward damaged regions immediately after cutting, and how subsequent drying at room temperature drives a redistribution toward the central core. We also observed that biological degradation (decay) alters mineral density over time, indicating that even …

Challenges In Developing Physical Intuition In College General Physics Courses, Vasiliy S. Znamenskiy, Rafael Niyazov

Open Educational Resources

Many students can memorize formulas but struggle to feel what a newton, joule, or volt means; they treat formulas as plug-and-chug templates rather than descriptions of relationships among physical quantities. This presentation introduces three types of learning activities: (1) text-free (“no-text”) problems, in which carefully designed visuals replace prose to convey relationships and constraints; (2) anti-problems, which begin with a mathematical expression and ask students to imagine a physical situation it could describe; and (3) lab games that turn routine measurement into purposeful play, emphasizing estimation, scaling, and unit sense. We provide ready-made, Brightspace-compatible assessments alongside low-tech implementation options. The …

The Atmospheric Characterization Of Abnormally Blue Early T-Dwarfs Midterm Presentation, Reu/Fri Program Physics And Astronomy, Madalyn Chapleski

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Energy And Timing Resolution Of Cerium Bromide Detectors For Nuclear Applications, Madyson C. Hickman

Physics and Astronomy Summer Fellows

We tested the timing and energy resolution of cerium bromide (CeBr₃) detectors for use in the CeBrA array of gamma-ray detectors in the John D. Fox lab at Florida State University. Using different sources, we calibrated energy spectra and analyzed FWHM values to determine the energy resolution. Timing resolution from a ⁶⁰Co source was measured using coincident gamma rays from the sources. Our results showed the expected energy dependence and confirmed that the detectors meet performance standards.

Quantum Memory, Isabel Martinez-Robles

Physics and Astronomy Summer Fellows

Isolated quantum systems are almost always observed to achieve thermal equilibrium in experiments. Understanding cases where they do not thermalize, and therefore retain memory about the initial state, could lead to the development of a quantum memory. We excite atoms in a magneto-optical trap, where they are cold enough to treat as stationary. In our experiment, our atoms exchange energy via dipole-dipole interactions and fail to thermalize. We present a theoretical and computational analysis that suggests that our system starts in an exceptional initial state.

Analyzing Meteor Shower Radiants, Elise Springman

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Meteor shower origin points, or radiants, are a widely studied topic in astrophysics as they give a lot of context to the meteor shower itself as well as provide a way study broader space. Specifically, when it comes to annual showers, these radiant points are compared with previous years to create a broader database about the shower and check accuracy of instruments. This project is ongoing with several places tracking these annual showers and comparing data to give a more detailed history of each shower. Here at CSBSJU, meteor showers were analyzed using an AllSky camera, and a few additional …

An Analysis On The Time Effectiveness Of Speeding While Driving A Vehicle, Joy Skaggs

ATU Scholars Symposium

Speeding is responsible for roughly a third of all crashes, often coming at a deadly cost. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports many negative consequences, such as a greater likelihood of loss of vehicle control, reduced protection equipment effectiveness, increased stopping distance, crash severity, and fuel consumption (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, n.d.). Yet despite these costs, drivers continue to speed. In fact, in our fast paced world, speeding is so normalized that it’s uncommon to encounter a driver following the speed limit. Hawaiian psychology professor Leon James explains it best: people have twisted their definitions of speeding to …

There's A Method To This Physics Madness, Hanna J. Ross

Physics and Astronomy Presentations

Physics tends to be seen by the general public as scary and unattainable, especially for students who are non-STEM majors. However, at Ursinus College (as well as many other institutions) the professors employ the use of specific problem-solving strategy instruction to mitigate these fears and further general problem solving skills. This study reviews previous experiments evaluating the merit of this strategy and analyzes its results as it relates to Physics on Screen, a physics class at Ursinus geared specifically towards non-majors.

Microcanonical Analysis Of Semiflexible Homopolymers With Variable Bending Potential Width, Michael Gray

Scholars Week

I have developed an algorithm for finding phase transition in microcanonical data of simulations of homopolymers. These simulations model the behavior of homopolymers in an array of different conditions. This algorithm is generalized and can be applied to a variety of different systems. It works by taking repeated derivatives of the microcanonical entropy of the system and applying several filters, whose parameters are tuned algorithmically as well. Identification of phase transitions allows for the construction of a phase diagram.

Computational Modeling Of Astrophysical Systems, Leleya Iris Stallard

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

This research project focuses on the computational modeling of astrophysical systems using Femap with NX Nastran. The goal was to simulate and analyze the vibrational behavior and structural deformation of celestial bodies under different material compositions and collision conditions. Materials such as iron, granite, titanium, and models for white dwarf stars were used to investigate how varying physical properties affect the systems' dynamic responses. Both isotropic and anisotropic models were created to represent realistic astrophysical materials. Through static and modal analyses, the study explored how internal structure and material stiffness influence the reaction of celestial objects to applied forces and …

How Does Honey Make Gold Nanoparticles? Optical Analysis Of The Effects Of Temperature And Composition, Lydia Alvarnaz, Davon Ferrara Phd

SPARK Symposium Presentations

In recent years, with an increasing interest in green chemistry, there has been an effort to find and understand synthesis methods using biologically-produced reducing and capping agents to produce stable gold nanoparticles (GNPs). Previous research using honey has shown this substance is a viable reducing agent in the formation of nanoparticles but have not looked at the stability of the colloidal gold nanoparticles. In this work, gold nanoparticles were reduced from an aqueous solution of gold chloroauric acid and a solution of varying concentrations of honey and water. The formation of NPs was analyzed using UV-Visible transmission spectroscopy to confirm …

Using Cache Files To Improve The Efficiency Of The Ucgretina Simulation Code, Blake Mcnulty

Physics and Astronomy Summer Fellows

UCGretina is a program that is used to simulate the Gretina gamma-ray tracking array used in experiments at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) to collect gamma rays produced in reactions such as proton scattering. This is done by generating a simulation of the beam particles used and sending them into a simulated recreation that mimics the experimental environment. My job this summer was to tackle a major issue that the program had which is the speed or efficiency at which it ran. The main issue was that it would take days for certain simulation sets to run which …

Development Of A Fast-Neutron Source Localization System, Abdulsalam F. Al Mutairi

Student Research Symposium

Power generation by nuclear fusion is a continuing ambition that has been the focus of nuclear fusion research for nearly a hundred years. However, small-scale fusion reactors have further propulsion and neutron imaging applications that don’t require greater than breakeven efficiencies that a fusion energy source needs. Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) fusion devices have the potential for miniaturization, making them a strong candidate for such applications. Yet the contributions of different interactions within an IEC fusion device are still not fully understood. Imaging an IEC device and investigating each interaction's Neutron Production Rate (NPR) can enhance design efficiency. Neutron imaging …

Creating An Interdisciplinary Learning Community Between Two Cross-Departmental Courses, Krista Mcbride, Maggie Monteverde

Faculty Scholarship Symposium

An Interdisciplinary Learning Community (ILC) consisting of two cross-departmental general education courses has been created. Advantages to linking these courses will be presented. Further, the assignments and course material used to make this learning community successful will be presented. Challenges to developing and evaluating shared assignments for such linked classes will also be discussed. Finally, student feedback will be shown from students enrolled in these courses, which illustrate the positive effects blending these two classes had on the student’s learning experience. As an example, an ILC between a general physics course and a literature course will be introduced.

Machine Learning Prediction Of Photoluminescence In Mos2: Challenges In Data Acquisition And A Solution Via Improved Crystal Synthesis, Ethan Swonger, John Mann, Jared Horstmann, Daniel Yang

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) like molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) possess unique electronic and optical properties, making them promising materials for nanotechnology. Photoluminescence (PL) is a key indicator of MoS2 crystal quality. This study aimed to develop a machine-learning model capable of predicting the peak PL wavelength of single MoS2 crystals based on micrograph analysis. Our limited ability to consistently synthesize high-quality MoS2 crystals hampered our ability to create a large set of training data. The project focus shifted towards improving MoS2 crystal synthesis to generate improved training data. We implemented a novel approach utilizing low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) combined with …

X-Currents And Extreme Brightening Events, Abrielle Tio An Mei Wang, Gerard J. Fasel, Audrey Daucher, Makena Swenski, Andrea Black, John Mann, Maame Osei-Tutu

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The solar-terrestrial interaction is a dynamic process which manifests itself in the ionosphere. Interplanetary (IP) shocks or solar wind dynamic pressure pulses can generate enhanced brightening in dayside aurora. Foreshock transients are capable of inducing pressure changes, larger in magnitude than solar wind pressure pulses, which also contribute to intensifying dayside aurora. These pressure variations can accelerate particles into the ionosphere, generating field- aligned currents that produce magnetic impulse events and enhanced dayside auroral activity with periods of increased brightening. This study presents several dayside auroral brightening events which are not associated with IP shocks or solar wind dynamic pressure …

Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy Of One-Neutron Knockout From 72se, Alyssa Himmelreich

Physics and Astronomy Summer Fellows

We studied single-neuron excitations of the exotic nucleus ⁷¹Se with the one-neutron knockout reaction from a ⁷²Se beam at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. We measured gamma rays de-exciting states in ⁷¹Se using the Gretina gamma-ray tracking array and the momentum of the ⁷¹Se reaction product with the S800 Magnetic Spectrograph. We utilize a supercomputer to run multiple simulations and fit them to our gamma-ray spectrum. Using gamma-ray yields and level schemes, we can determine the number of times each excited state was populated by neutron knockout. We deduced cross sections for populating single-neutron excitations of …

Improving The Efficiency Of Liquid-Hydrogen Simulation Via Event Storage, Jake Kosa

Physics and Astronomy Summer Fellows

We contributed to the analysis of gamma-ray spectroscopy data collected at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University by speeding up the UCGretina simulation code, used in the analysis and planning of experiments. Simulating beam-target interactions in a liquid-hydrogen target system is a time intensive task, even when parallelized. In the process of analyzing data, a large number of simulations must be run for different gamma-ray energies, target positions, and lifetimes of excited states. We are addressing the most computationally intensive component of the simulations by adding the ability to simulate a large sample of beam particles …

Electron Charge To Mass Ratio, Tori Freeman, Quinlin Reynolds

ATU Scholars Symposium

The purpose of this experiment is to confirm the e/m ratio and charge of an electron discovered initially by J.J. Thomson. We use an electron beam generated inside an e/m tube and Helmholtz coils that generate a magnetic field which deflects the path of the electrons. The radius of the path can be measured and from there the magnitude of the magnetic field and the charge-to-mass ratio can be found. This experiment was successful in confirming the results found by J.J. Thomson and his cathode ray experiments. The results of this experiment had a 0.5% error with the accepted e/m …

Process Of Building And Designing A Spectrometer, Tori Freeman

ATU Scholars Symposium

Spectroscopy is the study and measurement of electromagnetic spectra resulting from electromagnetic radiation interacting with matter. Each element when excited emits a unique spectrum containing light of various wavelengths. The identity of the element can then be determined by examining the spectra. A spectrometer is a scientific instrument that utilizes optics, mirrors, and lenses to capture and examine spectra. A classroom spectrometer is potentially useful in the demonstration of numerous physics principles such as diffraction, reflection, ray optics, etc.

Keywords: Spectrometry, optics, spectrum

Applying Bioactive Glass Beads For Long-Term Drug Delivery, Marie O. Sykes, Rashi Sharma

Physics and Astronomy Presentations

Bioactive glass beads have been used to distribute medicine over extended periods of time in limited uses. They can be engineered to have a porous and hollow structure, and using Mo-Sci's OL-GL 1756b (1756b), the fundamental notion of dosage distribution can be tested in preparation to design the optimal glass for medicine distribution. A few key factors in this is how long does it take the liquid to release from the beads, how do the beads decay, and how well the glass can bond to human tissue. This research demonstrates the capacities of the 1756b type as a promising start …

P-39 Interdisciplinary Diffusion Lab, Sable Canales, Chloe Gaban, Mickey Kutzner

Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship

Diffusion is a principle in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. The rate of diffusion is affected by temperature, particle size, concentration, and material type. Students can model the rate of diffusion based on particle size by contrasting blue and yellow dyes. Two petri dishes containing agar-agar receive a drop of dye at the center. The radius of expansion is recorded over time. The variance of the distribution grows as ��2=4����, where ��2 is the variance, D is the diffusion constant, and t is time. Graphing variance versus time gives a slope of 4D. Diffusion constants vary by particle size, allowing for …

Seizure Prediction In Epilepsy Patients, Gary Dean Cravens

NSU REACH and IPE Day

Purpose/Objective: Characterize rigorously the preictal period in epilepsy patients to improve the development of seizure prediction techniques. Background/Rationale: 30% of epilepsy patients are not well-controlled on medications and would benefit immensely from reliable seizure prediction. Methods/Methodology: Computational model consisting of in-silico Hodgkin-Huxley neurons arranged in a small-world topology using the Watts-Strogatz algorithm is used to generate synthetic electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals. ECoG data from 18 epilepsy patients is used to validate the model. Unsupervised machine learning is used with both patient and synthetic data to identify potential electrophysiologic biomarkers of the preictal period. Results/Findings: The model has shown states corresponding to …

54fe(D,P)55fe Single Neutron Transfer Presentation, Matthew Quirin, Raymond Saunders

Physics and Astronomy Presentations

During our summer research at the John D Fox Laboratory, we used the 9 MV Tandem van de Graaff accelerator and the Super Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph to make measurements of the neutron transfer reaction 54Fe(d,p) 55Fe to observe and explore excited states of 55Fe and shell structure beyond the magic number N=28. We have created momentum spectra and angular distribution plots of the protons from the reaction which will be analyzed to determine the angular momentum values of states and single-neutron energies in 55Fe in an effort to better understand nuclear structure.

Dipolariton Propagation In A Van Der Waals Tmdc With Ψ-Shaped Channel Guides And Buffered Channel Branches, Patrick Serafin, German Kolmakov

Publications and Research

Using a computational approach based on the driven diffusion equation for a dipolariton wave packet, we simulate the diffusive dynamics of dipolaritons in an optical microcavity embedded with a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) heterogeneous bilayer encompassing a Ψ-shaped channel. By considering exciton dipolaritons, which are a three way superposition of direct excitons, indirect excitons and cavity photons; we are able to drive the dipolaritons in our system by the use of an electric voltage and investigate their diffusive properties. More precisely, we study the propagation of dipolaritons present in a MoSe₂-WS₂ heterostructure, where the dipolariton propagation is …

Understanding Of Aerosol Transmission Of Covid 19 In Indoor Environments, Adama Barro, Cathal O'Toole, Jacob S. Lopez, Matthew Quinones, Sherene Moore

Publications and Research

Our reason for discussing severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or 2019 novel corona virus (Covid-19), is to understand its aerosol transmission characteristics in indoor spaces and to mitigate further spread of this disease by designing a new HVAC system. The problem that we are tackling is the spread of covid-19 droplets through aerosol transmission by looking at potential engineering solutions to the existing HVAC systems. The purpose is to eradicate the spread of the COVID-19 by testing indoor spaces in an effort to understand the effectiveness of ventilation controls. We believe that scientists and engineers have not …

Developing A Portable, Smartphone-Based Schlieren Imaging System, Grace Riermann, Keith R. Stein

Honors Student Works

Schlieren imaging is a technique for visualizing fluid flows that are characterized by spatial variations in density or refractive index. Because schlieren imaging is commonly performed with expensive equipment in a lab setting, we sought cost efficiency, accessibility, and ease of fabrication by designing a portable, smartphone-based system.

Physics For Everyone, Charles Liu, Sarang Gopalakrishnan, Vadim Oganesyan

Open Educational Resources

The online educational resource Physics For Everyone is the scaffolding for a 3 contact hour, 3 credit general education course that will be offered for the first time at the CUNY College of Staten Island in the spring semester of 2021. This work has been generously supported by New America’s PIT-UN (Public Interest Technology University Network) challenge grant program, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

This slide deck provides the outline for the semester-long course. Each week’s lecture topics, with key points to be covered, are highlighted in two slides, which also list writing prompts, …