Physics Commons^™

Microbial Communities Of Selected Regions Of The Deep Springs Lake Aquifer System, Rania Zaki, Emma Bourne, Andrew Storino, Jay Nadeau

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Deep Springs Lake is a small, isolated, highly alkaline soda lake in Inyo County of Eastern California, USA. It is a seasonally filled salt lake or playa, and is part of a closed aquifer system. Such closed systems are globally rare, occurring only in arid zones where annual evaporation is greater than annual rainfall. Deep Springs Lake’s hydrology and geology have been well studied, and it is home to a unique toad species, but its microbiome remains unexplored. Here we perform 16S, 18S, and ITS amplicon sequencing of the lake water, dried salt crust at the edges the lake, and …

Cv: Joseph Kozminski (Physics), Joseph Kozminski

Physics Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Marine Heatwave Co-Occurrence Between Estuarine And Coastal Systems, Ricardo U. Nardi, Piero L. F. Mazzini, Ryan K. Walter

Physics

Marine heatwaves (MHWs), prolonged periods of anomalously warm ocean temperatures, pose significant threats to marine ecosystems. While MHWs in coastal and estuarine systems have been studied separately, their spatial coherence remains significantly understudied. Here we analyze over 2 decades of high-frequency in situ temperature data from 54 stations across 20 U.S. estuaries and 13 coastal buoys to assess MHW co-occurrences. We find that estuarine and coastal MHWs co-occur only ∼21% of the time, a 57% decrease compared to co-occurrence within estuaries (∼49%). Maximum co-occurrence occurs at zero lag, suggesting synchronous synoptic-scale atmospheric forcing, likely via air–sea heat fluxes. Co-occurrence shows …

Cloud-Top Entrainment Instability In Marine Stratocumulus Clouds: Observational Evidence From Collocated Microphysical, Turbulence, And Radiation Measurements, Inyeob La, Raymond Shaw, Holger Siebert, André Ehrlich, Jae Min Yeom, Seong Soo Yum

Michigan Tech Publications

Marine stratocumulus clouds (MSC) strongly influence Earth's radiation budget, yet the mechanisms governing the descent of entrainment-affected (diluted) parcels, and the relative roles of cloud-top entrainment instability (CTEI) and longwave radiative cooling (RC), remain debated. Using helicopter-borne observations from the ACORES campaign that combine high-resolution in situ vertical profiling with co-located remote sensing, we examine vertical variations of microphysics, thermodynamics, and the entrainment interfacial layer (EIL). When CTEI conditions were strongly met, inhomogeneous mixing (IM) traits appeared near cloud top and transitioned to homogeneous mixing (HM) traits deeper in the cloud layer, accompanied by localized elevations of cloud base, signatures …

Insights From The Evolution Of Transport Technologies, 1800–2020: Energy Use, Transitions, And Efficiency, Bernardo Tostes, Matthew Kuperus Heun, Sofia T. Henriques, Paul E. Brockway, Tânia Sousa

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

The replacement of fossil fuels by electricity and other alternative fuels in transport will not be that sector’s first energy transition. Using transport history as an analogue for the future can offer helpful insights for today’s policymakers. The present work investigates the evolution of world energy use in the transport sector, identifying its energy transitions (at the final and useful stages), and evaluating the impact of past transitions on energy use over the period 1800–2020. To perform these analyses, a novel long-run dataset of energy use and efficiencies of water, rail, road, and air transport was developed. Our main findings …

Stability Analysis Of Thermohaline Convection With A Time-Varying Shear Flow Using The Lyapunov Method, Kalin Kochnev

Honors Scholar Theses

This work applies the Lyapunov method to identify instabilities and compute the growth rate of a linear time-varying system. The linear system studied describes cold fresh water on top of hot salty water with a periodically time-varying background shear flow. A time-dependent weighting matrix is employed to construct a Lyapunov function candidate. The resulting linear matrix inequalities are discretized in time using the forward Euler method. As the number of temporal discretization points increases, the growth rate predicted by the Lyapunov method or Floquet theory, used for comparison, will converge to the same value obtained from numerical simulations. Furthermore, the …

Analysis Of Leakage In Nearshore Pipelines Using Fitness For Service Method To Ensure Mechanical Integrity Based On Api-579 Level 3, Elriandri Elriandri, Dedi Priadi

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

The Fitness for Service (FFS) analysis is performed as a quantitative assessment to evaluate the integrity condition of a pipeline. Essentially, FFS assessment helps determine whether equipment components can operate safely despite existing deficiencies. This evaluation is carried out using the Finite Element Method (FEM). In the case of an underwater pipeline that experiences leak due to anchor pull at the flange connection, it undergoes plastic deformation and is lifted approximately 1 meter. As a mitigation step, inspection and repairs have been carried out by the company. Subsequently, modeling is performed to reconstruct the deformation process of the pipeline. Then, …

Assessment Of The Melt Quality Of A 30% Scrap Adc12 Aluminium Alloy Using The Inclusion And Fluidity Measurement Instrument (Ifmi) With Mullite Ceramic Filters, Gusti Ruri Ruri Lestari, Sandya Ananda Riswan, Muhammad Anis, Ahmad Ashari, Paramita Vidya Ayuningtyas, Bambang Suharno Prof, Donanta Dhaneswara

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

The increasing demand for sustainable practices in the metal casting industry has driven the use of recycled aluminum alloys such as ADC12. However, the addition of aluminum scrap tends to increase oxide inclusions, which reduce melt fluidity and compromise casting quality. This study utilizes the Inclusion and Fluidity Measurement Instrument (IFMI), equipped with mullite ceramic filters, to assess the melt quality of ADC12 aluminum alloy containing 30% scrap. Fluidity and inclusion characteristics were evaluated at five pouring temperatures (660°C, 680°C, 700°C, 720°C, and 740°C). The results show that fluidity increased with temperature, reaching a peak of 84.6 g·s⁻¹ at 740°C, …

Equipment Criticality Analysis To Determine Asset Integrity Management System Scheme In Supporting Production Optimization Scenarios In The Aeging Field, Donny Andryanto, Donanta Dhaneswara

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

This research investigates the production decline and cost increase in the X&Y oil and gas fields from 2022 to 2023. Production fell by 34%, while production costs per barrel rose by 79%. To address these issues, a series of optimization processes are proposed. These aim to restructure and enhance the production facilities to reduce current production costs. The optimizations include reducing pressure at the PPP Platform in 2024. Additional steps include shutting down CPP-ORF 14” pipelines and most processes at CPP 2 Platform by 2027 to convert it into an accommodation platform. Further, the plan involves optimizing the release of …

Morphological Test Of Areca Nut Fiber Ceramic Membrane Using Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy Dispersive X-Ray Mapping Spectroscopy, Amelia Marzain, Siti Umi Kalsum, Marhadi Marhadi, Ahmad Nabil Shahab

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

This study investigates the potential of ceramic membranes derived from areca nut fiber as a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable material for the removal of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) from groundwater. Two types of membranes were fabricated: one without activation and one chemically activated using 10% sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The morphological and elemental characteristics of both membranes were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping. The concentrations of Fe and Mn before and after treatment were measured using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The NaOH-activated membrane exhibited a more porous surface structure and higher oxygen content, …

First-Principles Insights Into Binary Oxide Systems Under Extreme Pressure, Daniel Schacher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Pressure is powerful tool by which one can manipulate the properties of materials. In this work we utilize pressure to explore binary oxide systems and characterize their structural and electronic properties. The observation of anomalous structural and electronic behavior in the rutile to CaCl2 phase transition in SnO2 led to the prediction that such behavior is inherent to all oxides experiencing such a phase transition sequence.[1] Here, the ultra-wide band gap semiconductor GeO2 is confirmed to exhibit anomalous behavior during the rutile to CaCl2 phase transition. A phase pure rutile GeO2 sample synthesized under high-pressure, high-temperature, conditions is probed using …

Towards Spatial Inversion Of Aerial Gamma-Ray Survey Data For Measurement Of Naturally Occurring Radioactivity, Daniel A. Haber

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Aerial gamma-ray surveying (AGRS) is used in geologic and environmental contexts to provide data on the surface spatial distribution of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) or other gamma-ray-emitting isotopes. The standard data reduction workflow for AGRS data involves a process whereby pointwise gamma-ray spectral data are denoised, corrected for numerous sources of background radiation and aircraft height, and are finally converted to physical values by empirical conversion factors. The reduced pointwise data are then typically spatially interpolated to form a continuous surface map.

This dissertation introduces and explores a novel spatial inversion method for reduced AGRS data that considers aircraft …

Ultrafast Dynamics Of Two-Dimensional Electron Systems, Randy Michael Sterbentz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

On-chip terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is a technique useful for measuring the ultrafast electrodynamics of two-dimensional (2D) electronic systems. Charge carrier collisions occur on the sub-picosecond time scale, and strongly correlated electron interactions (such as superconductivity) typically have energies on the order of milli-electron-volts. These phenomena fall within the terahertz bandwidth, which has historically been difficult to access. Commercial electronics operate with transistors capable of switching rates of around 100 GHz, while small band gap semiconductors (like InGaAs) can detect light down to 0.75 eV (180 THz). When combined with the difficulty of measuring 2D layered materials, with lateral sizes …

Gpu-Accelerated Effective Hamiltonian Calculator, Abhishek Chakraborty, Taylor L. Patti, Brucek Khailany, Andrew N. Jordan, Anima Anandkumar

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Effective Hamiltonian calculations for large quantum systems can be both analytically intractable and numerically expensive using standard techniques. In this manuscript, we present numerical techniques inspired by Nonperturbative Analytical Diagonalization (NPAD) and the Magnus expansion for the efficient calculation of effective Hamiltonians. While these tools are appropriate for a wide array of applications, we here demonstrate their utility for models that can be realized in circuit-QED settings. Our numerical techniques are available as an opensource Python package, qCHeff, which is available on GitHub (https://github.com/ NVlabs/qCHeff) and PyPI (https://pypi.org/ project/qcheff/). We use the CuPy library for GPU-acceleration …

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 …

Improving The Electrochemical Properties Of Mno2 By Doping With Fe For Water Splitting And Supercapacitor Application, Joseph Okwe

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

An Abstract of the Thesis by

Joseph Okwe

These days when the issue of energy is talked about, it is usually more than just the usefulness of different types of energy. This topic now encompasses ways of generating and storing energy in the most efficient and sustainable way. For this reason, various research has shown that materials that are fabricated for the purpose of energy storage and conversion also find applications in other areas such as water splitting and supercapacitors. And so certain materials, when synthesized, can serve more than one purpose in either generating or storing energy. This project …

Nuclear Transparency Of Photoproduced Rho-0 Mesons., Bhesha Raj Devkota

Theses and Dissertations

Photonuclear reactions using a real photon beam offer a unique opportunity to explore fundamental aspects of QCD within the nuclear medium. The experiment E12-19-003, conducted at Jefferson Lab’s Hall D in 2021, aimed to look for the transition from hadronic to partonic degrees of freedom and to explore the predicted QCD phenomenon known as color transparency in photons, mesons, and baryons. A key objective was to examine the transition of the photons from a resolved (hadronic fluctuation) configuration to a point-like electromagnetic probe. The experiment utilized liquid deuterium, helium, and carbon foils as target nuclei, which were probed by photon …

Long-Term Calibration And Validation Of Stability Of The Auger Engineering Radio Array Using The Diffuse Galactic Radio Emission, A. Abdul Halim, P. Abreu, M. Aglietta, I. Allekotte, K. Almeida Cheminant, R. Aloisio, B. Fick, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) measures radio emission from high-energy extensive air showers. Consisting of 153 autonomous radio-detector stations spread over 17 km^2, it detects radio waves in the frequency range of 30 to 80 MHz. Accurate characterization of the detector response is crucial for proper interpretation of the collected data. Previously, this was achieved through laboratory measurements of the analog chain and simulations and measurements of the antenna's directional response. In this paper, we perform an absolute calibration using the continuously monitored sidereal modulation of the diffuse Galactic radio emission. Calibration is done by comparing the average frequency …

Measurements Of Water-Film Thickness On Cave Walls And Speleothems, Alexandre Honiat, Salaheddine Skali-Lami, François Bourges, Bruno Lartiges

International Journal of Speleology

The water-film that coats cave walls and speleothems is a key player for the regulation of cave microclimate and the control of speleothem growth. In this paper, we demonstrate the capability of a confocal optical sensor to quantitatively measure on-site the rapid variations of water-film thickness when dripping, active condensation, or dryness occur on walls of various caves. Results obtained from a sample of four prehistoric caves and one stalagmite cave from Southwest France, indicate that the measurable thickness of water-films is generally in the 25-70 µm range for cave walls and reaches 200-300 µm on the horizontal plane of …

High-Resolution Lidar Observations Of Sedimentation-Induced Size Sorting Of Droplets Near A Laboratory Cloud Top, Fan Yang, Yong Meng Sua, Zipei Zheng, Jesse Anderson, Hamed F. Sadi, Jae Min Yeom, Suryadev Pratap Singh, Pei Hou, Will Cantrell, Ernie Lewis, Alex Kostinski, Raymond Shaw

Michigan Tech Publications

No abstract provided.

Degeneracies In A Weighted Sum Of Two Squares, Ishan V. Ramesh

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

This work is an attempt to classify and quantify instances when a weighted sum of two squares of positive integers, 3n2 1 +n2 2, can be realized in more than one way. Our project was inspired by a particular study of two-dimensional quantum billiards [S. G. Jackson, H. Perrin, G. E. Astrakharchik, and M. Olshanii, SciPost Phys. Core 7, 062 (2024)] where the weighted sums of interest represents an energy level with the two integers being the billiard’s quantum numbers; there, the 3-fold degeneracies seem to dominate the energy spectrum. Interestingly, contrary to the conventional paradigm, these degeneracies are not …

Tidal Interactions In Strong Field Gravity, Maria Jose Rodriguez

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Exceptional Holography, Oscar Varela

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Early Warning Detection Of Gravitational Waves With Sgnl, Megan Norris

Honors Theses

Gravitational waves (GWs) provide a whole new spectrum with which to observe astrophysical events. Multi-messenger observations including GWs are of particular interest, and these are best facilitated by early warning searches of GWs, which are typically aimed at detecting binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. This work provides an introductory overview of gravitational waves and summarizes the origins and basic physical properties of neutron stars and black holes in binary systems, focusing on BNS mergers and the detection of gravitational waves with LIGO using a modeled search. We assess the performance of a new GW search pipeline called SGNL to evaluate …

Establishing Convergence Thresholds For Pre-Trajectory Sampling With Batched Execution Across Random Quantum Circuits, Taylor L. Eskew, Jerome F. Gonthier, Taylor L. Patti, Andrew N. Jordan

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

A crucial aspect of validating quantum protocols is understanding the noise produced by quantum computing devices. Using simulations that can replicate this noise allows for a lower-cost alternative to hardware experiments. Stochastic, so-called "trajectory" methods are often used as a quadratically reduced approximation to density matrix simulations, but traditional implementations have limited sampling capacity and provide no error-based metadata. The Pre-Trajectory Sampling with Batched Execution (PTSBE) [Patti et al., 2025] algorithm provides a solution by combining fine-tuned, well-documented noise sampling with computational intermediate caching.

While the original work is effective on quantum error correction circuits, its performance on general circuits …

The Study Of Hybrid Nanostructures For Optoelectronics, Alex Davis, Khaoula Dehhou

Publications and Research

Hybrid nanostructures that combine zero-dimensional (0D) quantum dots (QDs) with two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising building blocks for next-generation optoelectronic devices, such as highly sensitive photodetectors, light-emitting diodes, and tunable light sources. These hybrid systems take advantage of the strong, size-dependent emission of colloidal QDs and the high carrier mobility and tunable band structure of 2D materials. In this research, we investigate hybrid structures composed of colloidal CdSe/ZnS, CuInS/ZnS, and PbS QDs integrated with indium selenide (InSe), a TMD known for its exceptional electron mobility and robust photoluminescence in few-layer form. The goal is to understand how interfacial …

Unsaturated Fatty Acid Oil-Based Microdroplets: A Promising Novel Class Of Microdroplets, Ramiz S. Alejilat

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Droplet-based microfluidics has rapidly advanced numerous fields, including chemistry, biology, materials science, medicine, food science, and cosmetics. In these systems, fluorocarbon oil combined with fluorinated surfactants is the preferred medium for fluid encapsulation, offering exceptional stability and biocompatibility essential for sensitive biological and chemical processes. However, growing concerns about the environmental and biological risks associated with fluorinated chemicals have prompted a search for alternatives.

This study is the first to explore the use of unsaturated fatty acids derived from emu oil for microdroplet formation. We characterized droplet formation based on flow rates and the presence non-fluorinated surfactant at a certain …

Lead Sources Detected In Manila's Air After The Phase-Out Of Leaded Gasoline, Grace Betito, Paola Angela Bañaga, Maria Obiminda L. Cambaliza, Melliza Templonuevo Cruz, James Bernard Simpas, Mengli Chen, Jariya Kayee, Armin Sorooshian, Rachel A. Braun, Alexander B. Macdonald

Ateneo Atmospheric Physics Laboratory

Abstract

The global phase-out of leaded gasoline marked a major milestone in pollution control, yet modern uses of lead (Pb) continue to pose significant health risks, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In the Philippines, significant data gaps still exist despite increasing exposure. This study presents to the best of our knowledge, the first Pb isotopic fingerprinting of atmospheric aerosols in Metro Manila, Philippines, covering fine (0.56–1 μm) and coarse (5.6–10 μm) fractions, collected in 2018–2019. Results show that local sources, mainly industrial activities (45–62 %) and fossil fuel combustion (30–45 %), are now the dominant contributors to airborne Pb, …

Tuning A Magnetic Energy Scale With Pressure And Field In Ute2, Hyunsoo Kim, I. Lin Liu, Wen Chen Lin, Yun Suk Eo, Sheng Ran, Nicholas P. Butch, Johnpierre Paglione

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

When a fragile ordered state is suppressed to zero temperature, a quantum phase transition occurs, which is often marked by the appearance of unconventional superconductivity. While the quantum critical point can be hidden, the influence of the quantum criticality extends to fairly high temperatures, manifesting non-Fermi liquid behavior in a wide range of the field-temperature-pressure phase space. Here, we report the tuning of a magnetic energy scale in the heavy-fermion superconductor UTe₂, previously identified with a peak in the c-axis electrical transport temperature dependence, using applied hydrostatic pressures and a-axis-oriented magnetic fields as complementary (and opposing) tuning parameters: …

Applications Of Machine Learning In Gravitational-Wave Research With Current Interferometric Detectors, Elena Cuoco, Marco Cavaglià, Ik Siong Heng, David Keitel, Christopher Messenger

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

This article provides an overview of the current state of machine learning in gravitational-wave research with interferometric detectors. Such applications are often still in their early days but have reached sufficient popularity to warrant an assessment of their impact across various domains, including detector studies, noise and signal simulations, and the detection and interpretation of astrophysical signals. In detector studies, machine learning could be useful to optimize instruments like LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and future detectors. Algorithms could predict and help in mitigating environmental disturbances in real time, ensuring detectors operate at peak performance. Furthermore, machine-learning tools for characterizing and cleaning …