Physics Commons^™

Quantum Mechanics & Its Broader Implications: The Von Neumann– Wigner Interpretation, Aeowyn Kendall

Computing, Mathematics and Physics Student Scholarship

Essay for PHYS 402 Quantum Mechanics

Like the popular Copenhagen Interpretation, the von Neumann-Wigner Interpretation of quantum mechanics posits that measurement causes a collapse of the wavefunction. Once observed, the wavefunction collapses from a superposition of various states to just one of the possibilities. While the Copenhagen Interpretation does not identify what constitutes a measurement, an observer, or an observation, the von Neumann-Wigner Interpretation specifies that consciousness is necessary for the measurement process to occur (we might say a reading of the measurement), and that it is consciousness itself that causes wavefunction collapse. In simple terms, the von Neumann-Wigner Interpretation …

Growth And Characterization Of Znse Thin Films By Rf Magnetron Co-Sputtering, Hallie Miller

Honors Projects and Presentations: Undergraduate

Zinc-selenide, ZnSe,is aII-IV semiconductor that is known for its wide band gap of ~2.6 eV. In the growing world of advanced electronics, ZnSe thin films are useful to study in order to widen our understanding of semiconductor physics and to enable us to create and develop higher preforming electronics. In this study, we have grown ZnSe thin films by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. We are specifically seeking to understand how the ratio of Zinc to Selenium,and the temperature the films are grown at, affects the band gap and crystalline structure. Ten different ratios of Zn to Se were grown, …