Physics Commons^™

An Investigation Of Refractive Index Of Solutions Of Ammonia And Water At Various Concentrations And Temperatures, Effendy Arif

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Refractive index of ammonia-water solutions is investigated experimentally (for (lamda) = 632.8 nm) and semi-empirically (for (lamda) = 589.3 and 632.8 nm) in ammonia-weight concentration of up to 30%, over a temperature range of 20 to 60(DEGREES)C. The experiment employs a specially designed and built refractometer that measures the displacement of a laser beam due to refraction in the test solution. The refractive index is then deduced from the beam displacement. Based on the experimental data, the refractive index is correlated empirically with the concentration and temperature. A semi-empirical investigation is developed based on the Lorentz-Lorenz equation and the additive …

Systematic Estimate Of Binding Energies Of Weakly Bound Diatomic Molecules, Linda L. Vahala, Mark D. Havey

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

There is often insufficient spectroscopic data for a full RKR inversion to yield a potential for weakly bound diatomic molecules. In these cases, parametrized functions such as the Morse or Thakkar potentials may be used to obtain estimates of the binding energy. The Thakkar potential is more flexible, and has been used successfully on some weakly bound systems. In the more usual case, the Thakkar parameter p, which determines long range behavior R^-p, is chosen by p=-a₁-1, where a₁ is the first Dunham coefficient; p is usually noninteger. The authors present …

Underwater Acoustic Wavefront Phase Fluctuations, George L. Vojtech Jr.

OES Theses and Dissertations

In conventional underwater acoustics sound propagation is generally modeled and applied as a coherent or incoherent process. This paper addresses a relatively new theory, that of a range driven increasingly incoherent ray propagation through a real ocean environment, Possible mechanisms are discussed and experimental data presented to reinforce the theory.

Radiation Damage To Gaas Solar Cells Including Isotropic Effects, Larry Victor Stock

Physics Theses & Dissertations

A model is developed for the short circuit current of a GaAs solar cell due to radiation (proton or electron) induced defects in the crystal structure. This model is verified by a comparison with proton and electron irradiation results. For electron radiation and energetic protons (energy> 10 MeV), it is found that the damage in the crystal is independent of the angle of incidence. On the other hand, for lower energy proton radiation, the damage as a function of cell thickness is highly dependent on incident angle and energy. The cell's response to low energy protons is strongly dependent on …

Close-Coupling Calculations For Naar, Nane, And Nahe, Linda Lindroth Vahala

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The non-adiabatic close-coupled theory, developed by Mies and by George, is employed in a time-independent molecular calculation for Na-rare gas collisions in a radiations field. The intensity of the Na D1/D2 lines is calculated for both blue- and red-wing excitation and is in good agreement with the experimental results of Havey, Copeland, and Wang for NaAr. The effects of different Born-Oppenheimer potentials on D1/D2 line intensity is considered by also treating NaNe and NaHe. The individual parity contributions to the line intensities are significantly different from each other.

Collision-Induced Bands Of Lithium-Rare Gas Molecules, Wen Jong Wang

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Lithium vapor is optically excited by two-step laser excitation of the 3d state in the presence of the rare gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe. Collision induced bands are observed in Li-Ar, Li-Kr, and Li-Xe mixtures. The bands are believed to be due to transitions to the dissociating 2s~ ground state from states above the 2p state of the Li-RG molecules. The Li-Ar, Li-Kr, and Li-Xe 3sб -2sб collision induced bands are progressively shifted, for the heavier rare gases, further to the red of the asymptotic atomic Li 3s-2s energy difference. A qualitative comparison is made between the spectra …

Experiments Conducted On The Electron Beam Produced By A Dense Plasma Focus, Mark Steven Pronko

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An experimental investigation was conducted using a 34-kJ Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) in which the possible enhancement of the electron beam was addressed. Electron beams ejected from the DPF have been observed to exceed 30 kA with pulse durations of a few nanoseconds. Enhancement was considered to be either an increase in the probability that the peak beam current exceeded some lower limit, or an increase in the mean energy of the beam electrons. The investigation was divided into two parts, each addressing one of the aspects of enhancement.

In the first part of the investigation, an axial magnetic field …

Transient Two Dimensional Ground-Water Flow: A Comparison Of Computed And Analytical Results, Robert Jan Fennema

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The exact analytical solution of the transient-flow equation is compared with the finite difference solution. The finite difference program, written by the author, uses an iterative alternating direction implicit procedure to solve the linearized partial differential equation. A second order accurate central difference method is employed to solve the equation in two dimensions.

Variable cell spacing to divide the physical domain, a weighting factor and a time acceleration function were used to investigate rate of convergence and accuracy of the numerical solution. The exact integral solution to the one-dimensional form of the flow equation i n radial coordinates is used …

Application Of The Method Of Lines For Solutions Of The Navier-Stokes Equations Using A Nonuniform Grid Distribution, Jamshid Samareh Abolhassani

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The feasibility of the method of lines is investigated for solutions of physical problems requiring nonuniform grid distributions. To attain this, it was also necessary to investigate the stiffness characteristics of the pertinent equations. For specific applications, the governing equations considered are those for viscous, incompressible, two-dimensional and axisymmetric flows. These equations are transform­ ed from the physical domain having a variable mesh to a computational domain with a uniform mesh. The two governing partial differential equations are the vorticity and stream function equations. The method of lines is used to solve the vorticity equation and the successive over relaxation …

Modeling Charge Diffusion From Proton-Induced Ionization Tracks In Silicon Photodiode Arrays, Lee Cole Smith

Physics Theses & Dissertations

We are modeling the combined problem of generation and collection of charge carriers created during passage of energetic protons through a silicon photodiode array. We have also experimentally obtained pulse-height distributions of noise charge collected during exposure of a Digicon-type diode array to 21 and 75 MeV protons. It is shown that the magnitude of charge collected by a diode from each proton event is determined not only by diffusion, but by statistical considerations involving the ionization process itself. Utilizing analytical solutions to the diffusion equation for transport of minority carriers, together with the Vavilov-Landau theory of energy-loss fluctuations in …

Absorption Coefficients Of Ozone At Low Temperature In The Visible Region, Hessameddin Ghiassi

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The temperature dependence of absorption coefficients of ozone was studied between 7567 Å and 4630 Å . When the gas was cooled from room temperature to -108° C, an overall increase in the absorption coefficients was noticed. The maximum increase of 5% occurred at λ = 6020 Å. In general, the absorption is linearly dependent on temperature.

Picosecond Laser Pulse Irradiation Of Crystalline Silicon, K. L. Merkle, H. Baumgart, R.H. Uebbing, F. Phillipp

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Morphology changes introduced by picosecond laser pulses at λ = 532 nm and 355 nm in (111) and (100) silicon samples are studied by means of optical and high-voltage electron microscopy. Depending on energy fluence, orientation and wavelength, amorphous or highly defective regions may be created. From an analysis of damage thresholds and damage depth distributions it is concluded that melting and energy confinement precedes the formation of the structural changes.

Experimental Investigation Of A Rectangular Surface Thermal Plume, Li-Cheng Chu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An experimental investigation of the three dimensional mean temperature distribution of a rectangular buoyant surface thermal plume has been conducted for a range of buoyancies, velocity ratios, Reynolds numbers, and for various turbulence generating screens in the crossflow. This study has been motivated by a concern about the applicability of laboratory model data for predicting prototype plume behavior.

A large scale model has been built to study a buoyant, rectangular surface thermal plume which enters at right angles to a constant temperature uniform crossflow of depth equal to that of the plume. A large water tank and flume with weir …

Sound Absorption In N2-H2O Gas Mixtures At Elevated Temperatures, Roger W. Meredith

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Sound absorption measurements were conducted in N₂ -H₂O gas mixtures at 297, 343, and 387 Kelvin to determine the location of the vibrational relaxation peak of nitrogen on the frequency/pressure, (f/P), axis as a function of humidity and temperature. At low humidities the best fit of the data is to a linear relationship between (f/P)_max and humidity (h) yields a slope of 1 .84 X 10⁴ Hz/ atm mole fraction at all three temperatures. The slope is the same as that reported by Zuckerwar and Griffin (2.00 X 10⁴ Hz/atm mole fraction) but is …

High Resolution Laser Absorption Spectroscopy Of Ozone Near 1129.4 Cm-1, Lawrence N. Majorana

Physics Theses & Dissertations

A Beer's Law experiment was performed with a tunable laser to determine self broadened line shape parameters of one infrared absorption ozone line in the v1 band for ten pressures from 0.26 to 6.29 Torr at 285K. SO₂ line positions were used for wavelength calibration. Line shapes were iteratively fitted to the Voigt function at a Doppler width of 29.54 MHz (HWHM) resulting in values for the integrated line• strength, ( S), of (0.144 +/- 0.007 ) x ·10^-20 cm-1/molecule cm-2, line center frequency, (υ_ο) of 1129.426 cm-1 and the Lorentzian contributions to half width, (α …

An Apparatus For Measuring The Thermal Conductivity Of Cast Insulation Materials, Christine A. Wilkins, Robert L. Ash

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

A steady-state apparatus has been developed for measuring the thermal conductivity of cast materials. The design has employed a novel thermal symmetry arrangement which can permit total electrical isolation of the test material from its surroundings. © 1980 American Institute of Physics

Franck Condon Factors And R-Centeroids For Six Diatomic Molecules, Patricia M. Fazio

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The Franck Condon factor is defined as the square of the overlap integral and is so named because of its ties with the Franck Condon Principle. The r-centroid is the internuclear separation associated with the electronic transition of the diatomic molecule. The physical meaning of these integrals is discussed. Two methods for construction of the wavefunctions are presented. Both methods employ the Morse Potential Energy function. The first method calculates the integrals using the analytic wavefunction of Morse and the second method has numerically constructed wavefunct!ons. The twelve transitions and six diatomic molecules studied include; B ²Σ+ to X …

The Effects Of Proton Irradiation On The Absorption Of Multi Component Glasses, Marcia Frances Bartusiak

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Three Schott glasses typically used in space technology -­ LaK 21, KzFS N4, and LF 5 -- were irradiated with 85 MeV protons. Induced absorption spectra were determined for each glass after varying fluences of radiation. It was found that the spectra for each glass can be fitted with three Gaussian shaped bands in the near ultraviolet-visible region, while a fourth Gaussian characterizes the absorption edge. For doses up to 10⁷ rads, the dependence of the induced absorption a on total dose is accurately described by the saturating exponential function a(Φ)= a_s (1 - e-^{-b Φ} ) …

Stable Equilibrium Statistical States For Spheromaks, George Vahala, Linda L. Vahala

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Incompressible nondissipative magnetohydrodynamic turbulence is treated for spherical systems. From the absolute equilibrium expectation values of the fields one can investigate those initially quiescent states for which no large mean square velocity will develop. This stable state is force-free and gives rise to the Hill vortex structure for the magnetic flux surfaces.

Static Temperature Measurements In Supersonic Flow Using Lasar Raman Spectroscopy, Paul A. Nystrom

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Laser Raman spectroscopy is a nonintrusive technique which can generate mean static temperature (MST) data within flow fields. By ratioing two simultaneously gathered portions of the Raman scattered spectrum, absolute intensity measurements were not needed. This method was applied to a supersonic cold air jet, where the NST ranged from 160'K to 300'K. Accurate measurements were not realized due to the presence of flow contaminates, especially water vapor.

The Effects Of Electron Irradiation On Mosfets, Mark D. Skeldon

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The characteristics of n and p-channel MOSFETs have been investigated while irradiated with electron radiation from Strontium 9Ø. The drain current vs. gate voltage of the p-channel MOSFET and the threshold voltage changes in n and p-channel MOSFETs have been studied with and without aluminum shielding. The switching characteristics and threshold voltage changes of COS/MOS dual input NAND gates have been investigated while exposed to electron radiation. Various methods of annealing the radiation damage to these devices is discussed.

Effect Of Compliant Wall Motion On Turbulent Boundary Layers, Dennis M. Bushness, Jerry N. Hefner, Robert L. Ash

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

A critical analysis of available compliant wall data which indicated drag reduction under turbulent boundary layers is presented. Detailed structural dynamic calculations suggest that the surfaces responded in a resonant, rather than a compliant, manner. Alternate explanations are given for drag reductions observed in two classes of experiments: (1) flexible pipe flows and (2) water-backed membranes in air. Analysis indicates that the wall motion for the remaining data is typified by short wavelengths in agreement with the requirements of a possible compliant wall drag reduction mechanism recently suggested by Langley. Copyright © 1977 American Institute of Physics.

Sensitivity Of A Gas Filter Correlation Instrument To Variations In Atmospheric Profile And Earth Surface Temperatures, Joseph C. Casas

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The Gas Filter Correlation Radiometer Analyzer (GFCR), in application to the remote sensing of trace gases in the atmosphere, is potentially limited by the sensitivity of the measured upwelling thermal radiation to surface temperature and atmospheric temperature conditions. This study has been carried out to examine the principles of operation of the GFCR Analyzer and to obtain quantitative estimates of the errors produced in GFCR Analyzer measurements of CO (4.6μ), S02 (8.6μ), NH3 (11.0μ), and CH4 (8.1μ) resulting from uncertainties in the atmospheric temperature profile and ground temperature.

A simple mathematical prototype GFCR Analyzer was assumed. A line-by-line atmospheric radiative …

An Experimental And Theoretical Study Of The Flow Phenomena Within A Vortex Sink Rate Sensor, Dashrath Khodidas Patel

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this investigation was to obtain a detailed description of the flow field within a vortex sink rate sensor and to observe the influence of viscous effects on its performance.

The sensor basically consists of a vortex chamber and a sink tube. The vortex chamber consists of two circular coaxial disks held apart, at their periphery, by a porous coupling. One circular disk has an opening to permit the mounting of the sink tube, in such a manner that the vortex chamber as well as the sink tube have a common axis of rotation.

Air was supplied radially …

Comments On 'Fluctuations In Guiding Center Plasma In Two Dimensions', George Vahala, Linda L. Vahala, David Montgomery, Glenn Joyce

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

It is stated that the principal result of the paper by Taylor and Thompson (see abstr. A14511 of 1973) on autocorrelations in density for the electrostatic guiding center plasma in two dimensions is wrong owing to an incorrect integration. It is further stated that there is no meaningful distinction between an `interaction cutoff' and a `fluctuation cutoff'.

An Application Of Spectroscopic Techniques To The Measurement Of Electron Density And Temperature In A Brush Cathode Plasma, Ramabhai M. Patel

Physics Theses & Dissertations

A brief review of the Langmuir probe, microwave and spectroscopic techniques most commonly used to make measurements .of plasma electron temperature and density is presented. Of these various methods, certain spectroscopic methods are applied to the measurements of electron density and temperature in a helium brush cathode plasma. The density measurement is based on the manner in which a series of Stark broadened spectral lines merges into an apparent continuum before the normal series limit is reached. This approach met with only limited success in that the density could be determined only by extrapolating the data obtained. Primarily because of …

Spectroscopic Measurement Of The Electron Temperature In The Tenuous Argon Ion Laser Plasma, Dane Danijel Bicanic

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The validity of the line intensity ratio technique for measuring the electron temperature was examined for an argon plasma with a "population inversion" i.e., the number of ions with electrons in the upper 4p levels was greater than in the lower 4s levels. The line intensities from these levels, the argon ion lasing transitions, were measured in a pulsed tenuous plasma at 110μ Hg produced by discharging a capacitor through a tube 2m long and 7mm inside diameter. The electron impact cross sections for simultaneous excitation and ionization as measured by Latimer and St. John were used and averaged over …

An Experimental Investigation Of The Vortex Sink Rate Sensors, Nelson L. Lu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The vortex sink rate sensor device consists basically of an ideal sink flow between two coaxial disks. A sink tube was located at the center of one disk. The vortex was created by the rotation of the unit about its axis of symmetry. Five inch and 10 inch diameter of porous couplers were used for the air chamber here in this investigation. Several slenderness parameters, i.e., the ratio of the sink tube diameter to the height of the air chamber ^ro/n were conducted. Two probes were used to measure the static pressure and stagnation pressure respectively at various positions …

A Numerical Solution To The Problem Of Rotation Near The Ground, David D. Chen

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.

An Investigation Of A Gas Measurement Technique Employing Ultraviolet Excitation, Alphonso Vincent Diaz

Physics Theses & Dissertations

A study was undertaken to determine the general applicability of a temperature measurement technique which uses the fluorescence stimulated by a vacuum ultraviolet continuum as the indicator. This study was directed toward determining the temperature of nonradiating carbon monoxide. A number of ultraviolet radiation sources which produced high intensity in the region of l,150 A were investigated. This study led to the conclusion that the technique was not applicable to measurements in carbon monoxide within the present limits of' detectability.