Physics Commons^™

Correlations Between Introductory Students’ Attitudes About Physics And Conceptual Understanding, Raym Alzahrani

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The purpose of this study is to measure correlations between the students’ incoming attitudes, beliefs and expectations about physics and their conceptual understanding. The study presents a profile of the attitudes and beliefs for Wright State University students who enrolled in calculus-based General Physics I courses during academic years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. Students’ initial and final attitudes, measured using the CLASS, are correlated with initial and final conceptual gain, measured using the Force Concept Inventory. Students’ initial attitudes (Opre) was correlated with students’ gain (FCIgain) in many sections. Correlations between students’ final attitudes (Opost) and their conceptual understanding (FCIpost), reported …

How Does The Connectivity Of Open-Framework Conglomerates Within Multi-Scale Hierarchical Fluvial Architecture Affect Oil-Sweep Efficiency In Waterflooding?, Naum I. Gershenzon, Mohamad Reza Soltanian, Robert W. Ritzi, David F. Dominic, Don Keefer, Eric Shaffer, Brynne Storsved

Physics Faculty Publications

Understanding multi-phase fluid flow and transport processes within aquifers, candidate reservoirs for CO2 sequestration, and petroleum reservoirs requires understanding a diverse set of geologic properties of the aquifer or reservoir, over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. We focus on multiphase flow dynamics with wetting (e.g., water) and non-wetting (e.g., gas or oil) fluids, with one invading another.

Controlling Surface Chemistry Of Liquid Metals To Enhance Their Fluidic Properties, Nahid Ilyas

Physics Seminars

Gallium liquid metal alloys (GaLMA) are one of the key components of emerging technologies in reconfigurable, flexible, and printable electronics. Surface properties of GaLMA play important roles in its application in reconfigurable devices, such as tunable radio frequency antennas and electronic swilches. Reversible flow of GaLMA in microchannels of these types of devices is hindered by the presence of an oxide skin that forms spontaneously in ambient environment. The oxide film sticks to most surfaces leaving unwanted residues behind that can cause undesired electronic properties. This presentation describes a novel method that enables the movement of gallium liquid metal alloys …

Enriching Gender In Per: A Binary Past And A Complex Future, Adrienne L. Traxler, Ximena C. Cid, Jennifer Blue, Ramón Barthelemy

Physics Faculty Publications

In this article, we draw on previous reports from physics, science education, and women's studies to propose a more nuanced treatment of gender in physics education research (PER). A growing body of PER examines gender differences in participation, performance, and attitudes toward physics. We have three critiques of this work: (1) it does not question whether the achievements of men are the most appropriate standard, (2) individual experiences and student identities are undervalued, and (3) the binary model of gender is not questioned. Driven by these critiques, we propose a conception of gender that is more up-to-date with other fields …

Community Structure In Introductory Physics Course Networks, Adrienne L. Traxler

Physics Faculty Publications

Student-to-student interactions are foundational to many active learning environments, but are most often studied using qualitative methods. Quantitative network analysis tools complement this picture, allowing researchers to describe the social interactions of whole classrooms as systems. Past results in introductory physics have suggested a sharp division in the formation of social structure between large lecture sections and small studio classroom environments. Extending those results, this study focuses on calculus-based introductory physics courses at a large public university with a heavily commuter and nontraditional student population. Community detection network methods are used to characterize pre- and post-course collaborative structure in several …

How Does Dissipation Affect The Transition From Static To Dynamic Macroscopic Friction?, Naum I. Gershenzon, Gust Bambakidis, Thomas E. Skinner

Physics Faculty Publications

Description of the transitional process from a static to a dynamic frictional regime is a fundamental problem of modern physics. Previously, we developed a model based on the well-known Frenkel-Kontorova model to describe dry macroscopic friction. Here, this model has been modified to include the effect of dissipation in derived relations between the kinematic and dynamic parameters of a transition process. The main (somewhat counterintuitive) result is a demonstration that the rupture (i.e., detachment front) velocity of the slip pulse which arises during the transition does not depend on friction. The only parameter (besides the elastic and plastic …

Understanding The Impact Of Open-Framework Conglomerates On Water-Oil Displacements: Victor Interval Of The Ivishak Reservoir, Prudhoe Bay Field, Alaska, Naum I. Gershenzon, Mohamadreza Soltanian, Robert W. Ritzi, David F. Dominic

Physics Faculty Publications

The Victor Unit of the Ivishak Formation in the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield is characterized by high net-to-gross fluvial sandstones and conglomerates. The highest permeability is found within sets of cross-strata of open-framework conglomerate (OFC). These cross-strata are preserved within unit-bar deposits and assemblages of unit-bar deposits within compound (braid)-bar deposits, and may form thief zones limiting enhanced oil recovery. We incorporate recent research that has quantified important attributes of preserved sedimentary architecture into high-resolution models. Waterflooding experiments using these models demonstrate the control that such architecture has on oil production rate, water breakthrough time, and spatial and temporal distribution of …

Scaling Of Geochemical Reaction Rates Via Advective Solute Transport, Allen Hunt, B. Ghanbarian-Alavijeh, Thomas E. Skinner, R. P. Ewing

Physics Faculty Publications

Transport in porous media is quite complex, and still yields occasional surprises. In geological porous media, the rate at which chemical reactions (e.g., weathering and dissolution) occur is found to diminish by orders of magnitude with increasing time or distance. The temporal rates of laboratory experiments and field observations differ, and extrapolating from laboratory experiments (in months) to field rates (in millions of years) can lead to order-of-magnitude errors. The reactions are transport-limited, but characterizing them using standard solute transport expressions can yield results in agreement with experiment only if spurious assumptions and parameters are introduced. We previously developed a …

Large Scale Laser Crystallization Of Solution-Based Alumina-Doped Zinc Oxide (Azo) Nanoinks For Highly Transparent Conductive Electrode, Qiong Nian, Michael J. Callahan, Mojib Saei, David C. Look, Harry Efstathiadis, John Bailey, Gary J. Cheng

Physics Faculty Publications

A new method combining aqueous solution printing with UV Laser crystallization (UVLC) and post annealing is developed to deposit highly transparent and conductive Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) films. This technique is able to rapidly produce large area AZO films with better structural and optoelectronic properties than most high vacuum deposition, suggesting a potential large-scale manufacturing technique. The optoelectronic performance improvement attributes to UVLC and forming gas annealing (FMG) induced grain boundary density decrease and electron traps passivation at grain boundaries. The physical model and computational simulation developed in this work could be applied to thermal treatment of many other …

Investigation Of Plasmon Resonance Tunneling Through Subwavelength Hole Arrays In Highly Doped Conductive Zno Films, Nima Nader, Shivashankar Vangala, Joseph R. Hendrickson, Kevin D. Leedy, David C. Look, Junpeng Guo, Justin W. Cleary

Physics Faculty Publications

Experimental results pertaining to plasmon resonance tunneling through a highly conductive zinc oxide (ZnO) layer with subwavelength hole-arrays is investigated in the mid-infrared regime. Gallium-doped ZnO layers are pulsed-laser deposited on a silicon wafer. The ZnO has metallic optical properties with a bulk plasma frequency of 214 THz, which is equivalent to a free space wavelength of 1.4 μm. Hole arrays with different periods and hole shapes are fabricated via a standard photolithography process. Resonant mode tunneling characteristics are experimentally studied for different incident angles and compared with surface plasmontheoretical calculations and finite-difference time-domain simulations. Transmission peaks, higher than the …

Equity Investigation Of Attitudinal Shifts In Introductory Physics, Adrienne L. Traxler, Eric Brewe

Physics Faculty Publications

We report on seven years of attitudinal data using the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey from University Modeling Instruction (UMI) sections of introductory physics at Florida International University. University Modeling Instruction is a curricular and pedagogical transformation of introductory university physics that engages students in building and testing conceptual models in an integrated lab and lecture learning environment. This work expands upon previous studies that reported consistently positive attitude shifts in UMI courses; here, we disaggregate the data by gender and ethnicity to look for any disparities in the pattern of favorable shifts. We find that women and students …

Model Of Deep Nonvolcanic Tremor Part Ii: Episodic Tremor And Slip, Naum I. Gershenzon

Physics Faculty Publications

Bursts of tremor accompany a moving slip pulse in Episodic Tremor and Slip (ETS) events. The sources of this non-volcanic tremor (NVT) are largely unknown. We have developed a model describing the mechanism of NTV generation. According to this model, NTV is a reflection of resonant-type oscillations excited in a fault at certain depth ranges. From a mathematical viewpoint, tremor (phonons) and slip pulses (solitons) are two different solutions of the sine-Gordon equation describing frictional processes inside a fault. In an ETS event, a moving slip pulse generates tremor due to interaction with structural heterogeneities in a fault and to …

Highly Transparent Conductive Electrode With Ultra-Low Haze By Grain Boundary Modification Of Aqueous Solution Fabricated Alumina-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanocrystals, Qiong Nian, Michael J. Callahan, David C. Look, Harry Efstathiadis, John Bailey, Gary J. Cheng

Physics Faculty Publications

Commercial production of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) polycrystalline films requires high electrical conductivity with minimal degradation in optical transparency. Aqueous solution deposited TCO films would reduce production costs of TCO films but suffer from low electrical mobility, which severely degrades both electrical conductivity and optical transparency in the visible spectrum. Here, we demonstrated that grain boundary modification by ultra-violet laser crystallization (UVLC) of solution deposited aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanocrystals results in high Hall mobility, with a corresponding dramatic improvement in AZO electrical conductance. The AZO films after laser irradiation exhibit electrical mobility up to 18.1 cm² V^{−1 …}

High Power Pulsed Terahertz Light Generation From Superconducting Antenna Arrays, Nicholas C. Padgett, Stephanie R. Lake, Jason A. Deibel, T. Bullard, D. Latypov, J. Patel, J. Murphy, J. Bulmer, W. Tang, M. Sebastian, Timothy J. Haugan

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

Terahertz radiation is invaluable in spectroscopy and imaging due to its nondestructive nature. It has become a key focus for those wishing to develop sensors capable of detecting weapons and narcotics unobtrusively and at a distance. An ultrafast pulsed (femtoseconds) laser incident on a superconducting ring causes the emission of terahertz (THz) radiation. It is theorized that the radiation is a result of the supercurrent being modulated by the breaking and recombining of Cooper pairs on the order of picoseconds, where the time scale determines the frequency of the emitted radiation. We propose to investigate the terahertz emission from Yttrium …

Laser Guide Star Design Project For The Usaf John Bryan State Park Quad Axis Observatory, Nathan Michael Figlewski

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Atmospheric Turbulence has long remained one of the great unsolved problems in physics. Laser guide stars were invented in order for telescopes to overcome atmospheric turbulence while used in combination with adaptive optics. This study focuses on the design and implementation phase of a Rayleigh laser guide star for the John Bryan State Park Observatory, owned and operated by the United States Air Force. Atmospheric simulations, as well as optical modelling of proposed equipment, were completed to optimize the design of this laser guide star. In addition, a novel method for the implementation of the guide star onto this very …

Assessment Of The Applicability Of Terahertz Spectroscopic Breath Sensing Towards Monitoring Type 1 Diabetic Mellitus, Jessica Rose Thomas

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Type 1 diabetes is a condition that cumulatively costs around $14.9 billion in medical expenses every year in the United States. Besides being costly, the monitoring of this disease is invasive, painful, and often embarrassing to the afflicted individual; blood and urine testing is currently the daily method of monitoring blood glucose and ketone levels in the body of type 1 diabetics. Though the use of these samples is standard, another avenue for possibly determining blood glucose has not been completely explored. With over 3000 chemicals reportedly found in exhaled human breath, biomarkers associated with this disorder and many of …

Multiple Representations And Epistemic Games In Introductory Physics Exam Solutions, Adrienne L. Traxler, Jonathan V. Mahadeo, Daryl Mcpadden, Eric Brewe

Physics Faculty Publications

Previous analysis of common exam questions in introductory physics at Florida International University has revealed differences in the number and type of epistemic games played by students in their solutions. Separated by course format (lecture/lab, lecture/lab/recitation, or inquiry-based), student work also shows varying use of multiple representational tools. Here we examine representation use in more detail to establish a descriptive picture of representation use across multiple instructors and course formats. We then compare these profiles with the epistemic games played by students, asking whether the same epistemic game shows the same pattern of representational tools across course types. We find …

Silicon Carbide-Based One-Dimensional Nanostructures Growth: Towards Electronics And Biology Perspectives, Laurence Latu-Romain

Special Session 5: Carbon and Oxide Based Nanostructured Materials (2014)

No abstract provided.

H(D)-Induced Nanotunnels Opening At Sic Sub-Surface And Graphene/Sic Grains Etching As A Path To Pahs' Formation In The Universe, Patrick Soukiassian

Special Session 5: Carbon and Oxide Based Nanostructured Materials (2014)

No abstract provided.

Field Emission Cathodes Made From Laser Cut Cnt Fibers And Films, Steven B. Fairchild, John Bulmer, Martin Sparkes, John J. Boeckl, Gregory Kozlowski

Special Session 5: Carbon and Oxide Based Nanostructured Materials (2014)

No abstract provided.

Room-Temperature In-Situ Nanostructure Synthesis Using Electron Beam Irradiation, Mark H. Rümmeli

Special Session 5: Carbon and Oxide Based Nanostructured Materials (2014)

No abstract provided.

Synthesis And Characterization: Low-Dimensional Carbon Nanomaterials On 3c-Sic/Si, John J. Boeckl, Weijie Lu, Hong Huang, Casey Strope, Li Wang, Neeraj Mishra, Francesca Iacopi

Special Session 5: Carbon and Oxide Based Nanostructured Materials (2014)

No abstract provided.

Si/Sige Bicmos Microsystems For Microwave And Millimeter-Wave Sensing And Communications, Hermann Schumacher

Physics Seminars

Since the early 1990’s, Silicon-Germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors revolutionized the way we build microwave and millimeter wave systems. Rivaling the once-dominant group III-V semiconductor devices in terms of speed, SiGe technologies also harness the maturity, yield and resulting complexity of Silicon based technology. The presentation will discuss this trend using examples from the author’s research in recent years.

The first example will show how a very inexpensive and „old“ SiGe HBT technology (0.8 μm feature size) was used to implement efficient impulse radio ultra-wideband (IUWB) sensors for vital sign detection and object tracking.

The second example, taken from a recently …

Saturated Low-Temperature Conductivity In Ultrafast Semiconductor Nanocomposites, John R. Middendorf, John S. Cetnar, Jack Owsley, Elliott R. Brown

Physics Faculty Publications

This Letter presents studies on low-field electrical conduction in the range of 4-300 K for an ultrafast material, i.e., InGaAs:ErAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The unique properties include nano-scale ErAs crystallites in the host semiconductor InGaAs, a deep Fermi level and picosecond ultrafast photocarrier recombination. As the temperature drops, the conduction mechanisms are in the sequence of: thermal activation, nearest-neighbor hopping, and variable-range hopping. In the low-temperature limit, finite-con-ductivity metallic behavior, not insulating, was observed. This unusual conduction behavior, related to the nanometer-scale ErAs crystallite islands, is explained with the Abrahams scaling theory. Current vs. temperature for (A) InGaAs:ErAs …

The Higgs Boson: Window On The Big Bang, Jim Brau

Physics Colloquiums

University of Oregon professor James Brau, Ph.D., guides you through the universe of particle physics. Find out about the Large Hadron Collider and the world’s biggest scientific experiment. Understand “dark matter” and “dark energy.” Consider what today’s collider experiments may reveal in the future about the structure, behavior, and history of the universe.

Ultraviolet Rayleigh Scatter Imaging For Spatial Temperature Profiles In Atmospheric Microdischarges, James E. Caplinger

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Spatially resolved temperature measurements within a microdischarge in atmospheric pressure air have been conducted using Rayleigh scattering of a pulsed ultraviolet laser. Scattering intensity images were used to generate a radial profile of translational temperature, with the analysis based on the ideal gas inverse relationship of temperature and gas density. Rayleigh scattering results were compared to standard optical emission spectral analyses of N2(C3Πu - B3Πg) bands, where the calculated rotational temperatures from emission were in reasonable agreement with the Rayleigh translational temperature profiles.

Special Session 8 Introduction: Fundamentals To Applications In 2d Materials, Gregory Kozlowski, Patrick Soukiassian, John J. Boeckl

Special Session 8: Fundamentals to Applications in 2D Materials

Provides an overview of the 2015 Special Session 8 meeting as part of the 11th International Conference on Diffusion in Solids and Liquids, Munich, Germany, June 22-26, 2015.

The Look-Locker Method In Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Brief, Personal History, David C. Look

Physics Faculty Publications

The “Look-Locker” method of measuring nuclear spin-lattice relaxation times in a single sweep was invented by David C. Look and Donald R. Locker in 1970 and in the last twenty years has become widely used in magnetic resonance imaging. This article is a brief history of the invention from the remembrances of David Look.

Model Of Deep Nonvolcanic Tremor Part I: Ambient And Triggered Tremor, Naum I. Gershenzon, Gust Bambakidis

Physics Faculty Publications

There is evidence of triggering of tremor by seismic waves emanating from distant large earthquakes. The frequency content of triggered and ambient tremor are largely identical, suggesting that tremor does not depend directly on the nature of the source. We show here that the model of plate dynamics developed earlier by us is an appropriate tool for describing the onset of tremor. In the framework of this model, tremor is an internal response of a fault to failure triggered by external disturbances. The model predicts generation of radiation in a frequency range defined by the fault parameters. Other specific features …

Influence Of Small Scale Heterogeneity On Co2 Trapping Processes In Deep Saline Aquifers, Naum I. Gershenzon, Mohamadreza Soltanian, Robert W. Ritzi, David F. Dominic

Physics Faculty Publications

The physical mechanism of CO₂ trapping in porous media by capillary trapping (pore scale) incorporates a number of related processes, i.e. residual trapping, trapping due to hysteresis of the relative permeability, and trapping due to hysteresis of the capillary pressure. Additionally CO₂ may be trapped in heterogeneous media due to difference in capillary pressure entry points for different materials (facies scale). The amount of CO₂ trapped by these processes depends upon a complex system of non-linear and hysteretic relationships including how relative permeability and capillary pressure vary with brine and CO₂ saturation, and upon the spatial …