Physics Commons^™

Hexagonal Rare-Earth Manganites As Promising Photovoltaics And Light Polarizers, Xin Huang, Tula R. Paudel, Shuai Dong, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal

Evgeny Tsymbal Publications

Ferroelectric materials possess a spontaneous electric polarization and may be utilized in various technological applications ranging from nonvolatile memories to solar cells and light polarizers. Recently, hexagonal rareearth manganites, h-RMnO₃ (R is a rare-earth ion), have attracted considerable interest due to their intricate multiferroic properties and improper ferroelectricity characterized by a sizable remnant polarization and high Curie temperature. Here we demonstrate that these compounds can serve as very efficient photovoltaic materials and, in addition, possess remarkable optical anisotropy properties. Using first-principles methods based on density functional theory and considering h-TbMnO₃ as a representative …

Silicon Nitride Interfacial Layer Effect On Gallium Nitride Nanorod Growth, Filiz Keles

Theses and Dissertations

Gallium nitride (GaN) nanorods have been grown on Silicon substrate by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). An amorphous and inhomogeneous interfacial silicon nitride (SixNy) layer is unintentionally formed at the initial stage of the GaN growth due to the high affinity between Si and N. The GaN cluster formation on uncontrolled SixNy layer occurs not only tilted but also defect-included such as stacking faults and threading dislocations. These defects mostly would be kept and carried throughout the growth. In this work, we studied the effect of crystal properties of SixNy layer on GaN nanorod quality by varying the nitridation parameters …

The Schwarzschild Solution And Timelike Geodesics, Matthew B. Ross

Physics Capstone Projects

General Relativity is a major area of study in physics. It allows us to calculate the motion and interaction of particles in a non-Euclidean space-time. This presentation will examine the process of finding the Schwarzschild metric tensor field by finding a solution of the Einstein Equation for a non-rotating spherical mass. A general form of the Schwarzschild metric tenor field will be used to calculate the Riemann curvature tensor and subsequently the Ricci tensor and Ricci scalar which will be used to find a vacuum solution to the Einstein Equation. Once the solutions of the Einstein Equation are found, they …

Relative Proper Motions In The Rho Ophiuchi Cluster, Bruce Wilking, Frederick Vrba, Timothy Sullivan

Physics Faculty Works

Near-infrared images optimized for astrometry have been obtained for four fields in the high-density L 1688 cloud core over a 12 year period. The targeted regions include deeply embedded young stellar objects (YSOs) and very low luminosity objects too faint and/or heavily veiled for spectroscopy. Relative proper motions in R.A. and decl. were computed for 111 sources and again for a subset of 65 YSOs, resulting in a mean proper motion of (0,0) for each field. Assuming each field has the same mean proper motion, YSOs in the four fields were combined to yield estimates of the velocity dispersions in …

An Organic Mixed Ion-Electron Conductor For Power Electronics, Abdellah Malti, Jesper Edberg, Hjalmar Granberg, Zia Ullah Khan, Jens W. Andreasen, Xianjie Liu, Dan Zhao, Hao Zhang, Yulong Yao, Joseph W. Brill, Isak Engquist, Mats Fahlman, Lars Wågberg, Xavier Crispin, Magnus Berggren

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

A mixed ionic–electronic conductor based on nanofibrillated cellulose composited with poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythio­phene):­poly(styrene-sulfonate) along with high boiling point solvents is demonstrated in bulky electrochemical devices. The high electronic and ionic conductivities of the resulting nanopaper are exploited in devices which exhibit record values for the charge storage capacitance (1F) in supercapacitors and transconductance (1S) in electrochemical transistors.

Ice Nucleation At The Contact Line Triggered By Transient Electrowetting Fields, Fan Yang, Raymond Shaw, Colin Gurganus, Su Kong Chong, Yoke Khin Yap

Department of Physics Publications

Supercooled water is found to have a significantly enhanced freezing temperature during transient electrowetting with electric fields of order 1 V/μm. High speed imaging reveals that the nucleation occurs randomly at the three-phase contact line (droplet perimeter) and can occur at multiple points during one freezing event. Possible nucleation mechanisms are explored by testing various substrate geometries and materials. Results demonstrate that electric field alone has no detectable effect on ice nucleation, but the moving boundary of the droplet on the substrate due to electrowetting is associated with the triggering of nucleation at a much higher temperature.

Cooling Atomic Gases With Disorder, Ehsan Khatami, Thereza Paiva, Shuxiang Yang, Valéry Rousseau, Mark Jarrell, Juana Moreno, Randall Hulet, Richard Scalettar

Faculty Publications

Cold atomic gases have proven capable of emulating a number of fundamental condensed matter phenomena including Bose-Einstein condensation, the Mott transition, Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov pairing, and the quantum Hall effect. Cooling to a low enough temperature to explore magnetism and exotic superconductivity in lattices of fermionic atoms remains a challenge. We propose a method to produce a low temperature gas by preparing it in a disordered potential and following a constant entropy trajectory to deliver the gas into a nondisordered state which exhibits these incompletely understood phases. We show, using quantum Monte Carlo simulations, that we can approach the Néel temperature of …

Estimation Of Cold Plasma Outflow During Geomagnetic Storms, S. Haaland, A. Eriksson, M. Andre, L. Maes, L. Baddeley, A. Barakat, R. Chappell, V. Eccles, C. Johnsen, B. Lybekk, K. Li, A. Pedersen, Robert W. Schunk, D. Welling

All Physics Faculty Publications

Low-energy ions of ionospheric origin constitute a significant contributor to the magnetospheric plasma population. Measuring cold ions is difficult though. Observations have to be done at sufficiently high altitudes and typically in regions of space where spacecraft attain a positive charge due to solar illumination. Cold ions are therefore shielded from the satellite particle detectors. Furthermore, spacecraft can only cover key regions of ion outflow during segments of their orbit, so additional complications arise if continuous longtime observations, such as during a geomagnetic storm, are needed. In this paper we suggest a new approach, based on a combination of synoptic …

Predictive Formula For Electron Range Over A Large Span Of Energy, Anne C. Starley

Reports

A model developed by the Materials Research Group that calculates electron penetration range of some common materials, has been greatly expanded with the hope that such extensions will predict the range in other, perhaps, more interesting materials. Developments in this extended model aid in predicting the approximate penetration depth into diverse classes of materials for a broad range of energetic incident electrons (10 MeV, with better than 20% accuracy). The penetration depth—or range—of a material describes the maximum distance electrons can travel through a material, before losing all of its incident kinetic energy. This model has started to predict a …

Predictive Formula For Electron Range Over A Large Span Of Energy, Anne C. Starley, Jr Dennison

Senior Theses and Projects

A model developed by the Materials Research Group that calculates electron penetration range of some common materials, has been greatly expanded with the hope that such extensions will predict the range in other, perhaps, more interesting materials. Developments in this extended model aid in predicting the approximate penetration depth into diverse classes of materials for a broad range of energetic incident electrons (<10 eV to>10 MeV, with better than 20% accuracy). The penetration depth—or range—of a material describes the maximum distance electrons can travel through a material, before losing all of its incident kinetic energy. This model has started to predict …

Large-Eddy Simulation Of The Transient And Near-Equilibrium Behavior Of Precipitating Shallow Convection, Axel Seifert, Thijs Heus, Robert Pincus, Bjorn Stevens

Physics Faculty Publications

Large-eddy simulation is used to study the sensitivity of trade wind cumulus clouds to perturbations in cloud droplet number concentrations. We find that the trade wind cumulus system approaches a radiative-convective equilibrium state, modified by net warming and drying from imposed large-scale advective forcing. The system requires several days to reach equilibrium when cooling rates are specified but much less time, and with less sensitivity to cloud droplet number density, when radiation depends realistically on the vertical distribution of water vapor. The transient behavior and the properties of the near-equilibrium cloud field depend on the microphysical state and therefore on …

Contact Resistance To Srruo3 And La0.67Sr0.33Mno3 Epitaxial Films, Mohammad Abuwasib, Hyungwoo Lee, Alexei Gruverman, Chang-Beom Eom, Uttam Singisetti

Alexei Gruverman Publications

Contact resistance to the metallic oxide electrodes, SrRuO₃ (SRO) and La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ (LSMO), is an important parameter that affects the ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ) device performance. We have systematically studied the contact resistance between metallic oxide electrodes (SRO, LSMO) and contact metal overlayers (Ti, Pt) after exposure to various processing environments. Specific contact resistivity (ρ_c) for Ti and Pt contact metals and the sheet resistance (R_sh) of the metallic oxides are measured after exposure to different reactive ion plasma process steps. Sheet resistance degradation was observed for both SRO and …

Studies Of Influence Of Energy Distribution On The Upper Atmosphere, Cheng Sheng

Physics Theses - Archive

The energy inputs into the upper atmosphere including both solar irradiation and geomagnetic energy can significantly change the upper atmosphere such as the neutral and plasma densities, velocities and temperatures. Therefore, the precise specification of the energy inputs is critical to estimate the ionosphere/thermosphere variation during both quiet and storm times. In order to improve the understanding of the energy distribution and its influence at high latitudes, specifically, we have conducted the following studies. (1) Estimation of the altitudinal distribution of Joule heating from COSMIC observations. Joule heating is the most significant way to dissipate geomagnetic energy at high latitudes. …

Migmatite Gneiss Of The Jættedal Complex, Liverpool Land, East Greenland: Protracted High-T Metamorphism In The Overriding Plate Of The Caledonian Orogen, S. M. Johnston, A. Kylander-Clark, H. K. Brueckner

Physics

The Greenland Caledonides (GC) formed in the overriding Laurentian plate during the closure of the Iapetus Ocean and the subduction of Baltica, and offer a unique opportunity to study metamorphic patterns, regional structures and the kinematic evolution of the overriding plate of a continental collision. We present new metamorphic petrology and coupled zircon geochronology and geochemistry data from the Jættedal complex in southern Liverpool Land to document the thermal evolution of the orogenic core of the southern GC. Pelitic migmatite gneisses from the Jættedal complex document metamorphic conditions of 850–730 °C at pressures of 11–9.5 kbar. Zircon from these samples …

The Search For Exomoon Radio Emissions, Joaquin P. Noyola

Physics Theses - Archive

The field of exoplanet detection has seen many new developments since the discovery of the first exoplanet. Observational surveys by the NASA Kepler Mission and several other instrument have led to the confirmation of over 1900 exoplanets, and several thousands of exoplanet potential candidates. All this progress, however, has yet to provide the first confirmed exomoon. Since all previous attempts to discover exomoons have failed, a novel method to detect them is proposed in this dissertation, which describes development of the method and its applications to select the best exomoon candidates for observational searches. The main goal of these searches …

Theoretical Prediction Of Materials For Efficient Conversion Of Solar Energy, Pranab Sarker

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Our present work represents a systematic theoretical and computational research to find an affordable material for solar energy application using density functional theory (DFT) and post-DFT such as DFT+U and DFT-HSE06. Here, we predict a new photovoltaic material (CuSnW2O8) and a new photocatalyst (ZnSnW2O8). In addition, a new method for predicting the higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) optimized growth conditions will be presented. It is well known that all physical properties are calculated once crystal structure is known. However, knowing crystal structure is extremely challenging and to date, there is no success has been claimed in the case of a …

Electronic Structure And Insulating Gap In Epitaxial Vo2 Polymorphs, Shinbuhm Lee, Tricia L. Meyer, Changhee Sohn, Donghwa Lee, John Nichols, Dongkyu Lee, Sung S. Ambrose Seo, John W. Freeland, Tae Won Noh, Ho Nyung Lee

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Determining the origin of the insulating gap in the monoclinic VO₂(M1) is a long-standing issue. The difficulty of this study arises from the simultaneous occurrence of structural and electronic transitions upon thermal cycling. Here, we compare the electronic structure of the M1 phase with that of single crystalline insulating VO₂(A) and VO₂(B) thin films to better understand the insulating phase of VO₂. As these A and B phases do not undergo a structural transition upon thermal cycling, we comparatively study the origin of the gap opening in the insulating VO₂ phases. …

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.

Scalable Synthesis And Energy Applications Of Defect Engineered Nano Materials, Mehmet Karakaya

All Dissertations

Nanomaterials and nanotechnologies have attracted a great deal of attention in a few decades due to their novel physical properties such as, high aspect ratio, surface morphology, impurities, etc. which lead to unique chemical, optical and electronic properties. The awareness of importance of nanomaterials has motivated researchers to develop nanomaterial growth techniques to further control nanostructures properties such as, size, surface morphology, etc. that may alter their fundamental behavior. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the most promising materials with their rigidity, strength, elasticity and electric conductivity for future applications. Despite their excellent properties explored by the abundant research works, …

Control Of Mesoscopic Transport By Modifying Transmission Channels In Opaque Media, Raktim Sarma, Alexey Yamilov, Seng Fatt Liew, Mikhael Guy, Hui Cao

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

While controlling particle diffusion in a confined geometry is a popular approach taken by both natural and artificial systems, it has not been widely adopted for controlling light transport in random media, where wave interference effects play a critical role. The transmission eigenchannels determine not only light propagation through the disordered system but also the energy concentrated inside. Here, we propose and demonstrate an effective approach to modify these channels, whose structures are considered to be universal in conventional diffusive waveguides. By adjusting the waveguide geometry, we are able to alter the spatial profiles of the transmission eigenchannels significantly and …

Dark Matter Halo Concentration And The Evolution Of Spiral Structure In N-Body, Barred Spiral Galaxies, Jazmin Esmeralda Berlanga Medina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Motivated by the evidence of relationships between pitch angle (the tightness of spiral arm structure in the disk), P, and various indicators of central mass concentration, as well as the theoretical relationship between halo mass concentration and the density of visible matter in the central part of the galaxy, we look at a possible relationship between P and cvir (the virial concentration of the dark matter halo) in N-body simulations of barred, spiral galaxies. We also look at the evolution of pitch angle over time in higher temporal resolution than any data currently available in the literature. We find that …

Decoupling Of The Antiferromagnetic And Insulating States In Tb-Doped Sr2Iro4, J. C. Wang, Saicharan Aswartham, Feng Ye, Jsaminka Terzic, H. Zheng, Daniel Haskel, Shalinee Chikara, Yong Choi, P. Schlottmann, Radu Custelcean, Shujuan Yuan, Gang Cao

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Sr₂IrO₄ is a spin-orbit-coupled insulator with an antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at T_N=240K. We report results of a comprehensive study of single-crystal Sr₂Ir_1−xTb_xO₄(0≤x≤0.03). This study found that a mere 3% (x=0.03) of tetravalent Tb⁴⁺(4f⁷) substituting for Ir⁴⁺ (rather than Sr²⁺) completely suppresses the long-range collinear AFM transition but retains the insulating state, leading to a phase diagram featuring a decoupling of the magnetic interactions and charge gap. The insulating state at x=0.03 is characterized by …

Evidence For Photoionization-Driven Broad Absorption Line Variability, Tinggui Wang, Chenwei Yang, Huiyuan Wang, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present a qualitative analysis of the variability of quasar broad absorption lines using the large multi-epoch spectroscopic data set of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 10. We confirm that variations of absorption lines are highly coordinated among different components of the same ion or the same absorption component of different ions for C ɪᴠ, Si ɪᴠ, and N ᴠ. Furthermore, we show that the equivalent widths (EWs) of the lines decrease or increase statistically when the continuum brightens or dims. This is further supported by the synchronized variations of emission and absorption-line EWs when the well-established intrinsic …

The Inferred Evolution Of The Cold Gas Properties Of Candels Galaxies At 0.5 < Z < 3.0, G. Popping, K. Caputi, S. C. Trager, Rachel S. Somerville, Avishai Dekel, Susan A. Kassin, Dale D. Kocevski, Anton M. Koekemoer, Sandra M. Faber, Henry C. Ferguson, A. Galametz, Norman A. Grogin, Yicheng Guo, Y. Lu, Arjen Van Der Wel, Benjamin J. Weiner

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We derive the total cold gas, atomic hydrogen, and molecular gas masses of approximately 24 000 galaxies covering four decades in stellar mass at redshifts 0.5 < z < 3.0, taken from the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey survey. Our inferences are based on the inversion of a molecular hydrogen based star formation law, coupled with a prescription to separate atomic and molecular gas. We find that: (1) there is an increasing trend between the inferred cold gas (H i and H₂), H i, and H₂ mass and the stellar mass of galaxies down to stellar masses of 10⁸ M_⊙ already in place at z = 3; (2) the molecular fractions of cold gas increase with increasing stellar mass and look-back time; (3) there is hardly any evolution in the mean H i content of galaxies at fixed stellar mass; (4) the cold gas fraction and relative amount of molecular …

Terahertz Radiation From High-Temperature Superconducting Bscco Mesas Of Various Geometries, Daniel P. Cerkoney

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the radiation from high-temperature superconducting mesas of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+ (BSCCO). This is motivated by the need for coherent sources of continuous wave terahertz (THz) emission capable of radiating practically in the THz frequency band. As BSCCO has been shown to be tunable from 0.5–2.4 THz (i.e., through the entire socalled terahertz gap centered about 1 THz), and has a higher peak operating temperature near 1 THz than most alternative sources, it is a good candidate for imaging and spectroscopy device applications [1]. When a static DC voltage is applied to a BSCCO mesa, …

Predictive Modeling Of Terrestrial Radiation Exposure From Geologic Materials, Daniel A. Haber

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Aerial gamma ray surveys are an important tool for national security, scientific, and industrial interests in determining locations of both anthropogenic and natural sources of radioactivity. There is a relationship between radioactivity and geology and in the past this relationship has been used to predict geology from an aerial survey. The purpose of this project

is to develop a method to predict the radiologic exposure rate of the geologic materials in an area by creating a model using geologic data, images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), geochemical data, and pre-existing low spatial resolution aerial surveys …

Exact Implicit Solution Of Nonlinear Heat Transfer In Rectangular Straight Fin Using Symmetry Reduction Methods, M. S. Abdel Latif, A. H. Abdel Kader, H. M. Nour

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, the exact implicit solution of the second order nonlinear ordinary differential equation which governing heat transfer in rectangular fin is obtained using symmetry reduction methods. General relationship among the temperature at the fin tip, the temperature gradient at the fin base, the mode of heat transfer, 𝑛 and the fin parameters 𝑁 and ℰ is obtained. Some numerical examples are discussed and it is shown that the temperature of fin increases when approaching from the heat source. The relationship between the fin efficiency and the temperature of fin tip is obtained for any value of the mode …

Deposition And Characterization Of Carbon Nanotubes (Cnts) Based Films For Sensing Applications, Amila C. Dissanayake

Dissertations

The advent of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has opened up lot of novel applications because of their unique electrical and mechanical properties. CNTs are well known material for its exceptional electrical, mechanical, optical, thermal and chemical properties. A single-wall nanotube (SWNT) can be either semiconducting, metallic or semi-metallic, based on its chirality and diameter. SWNTs can be used in transistor device as active channels due to high electron mobility (~10000 cm2/(V s), electrical interconnects, nano-scale circuits, field-emission displays, light-emitting devices and thermal heat sinks due to low resistivity, high current density (~109A cm-2) and high thermal conductivity (~3500 W m-1). Further, …

Approximate Solutions For The Flow And Heat Transfer Due To A Stretching Sheet Embedded In A Porous Medium With Variable Thickness, Variable Thermal Conductivity And Thermal Radiation Using Laguerre Collocation Method, M. M. Khader, Ahmed M. Megahed

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this article, a numerical approach is given for studying the flow of a Newtonian fluid over an impermeable stretching sheet embedded in a porous medium with a power law surface velocity and variable thickness in the presence of thermal radiation. The flow is caused by a non-linear stretching of a sheet. Thermal conductivity of the fluid is assumed to vary linearly with temperature. The governing PDEs are transformed into a system of coupled non-linear ODEs which are using appropriate boundary conditions for various physical parameters. The proposed method is based on replacement of the unknown function by truncated series …

Boundary-Layer Flow Of Nanofluids Over A Moving Surface In The Presence Of Thermal Radiation, Viscous Dissipation And Chemical Reaction, Eshetu Haile, B. Shankar

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The flow problem presented in the paper is boundary-layer flow of nanofluids over a moving surface in the presence of thermal radiation, viscous dissipation and chemical reaction. The plate is assumed to move in the same or opposite direction to the free stream which depends on the sign of the velocity parameter. The partial differential equations appearing in the governing equations are transformed into a couple of nonlinear ordinary differential equations using similarity transformations. The transformed equations in turn are solved numerically by the shooting method along with the fourth order Runge-Kutta integration technique. Influences of the pertinent parameters in …