Physics Commons^™

Parameter Estimation Of Binary Black Hole Coalescence Using Lstm Neural Networks, Lane Scheel

Undergraduate Honors Papers

The Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (aLIGO) made its first detection of gravitational waves in 2015. Since then, the rate of event detection has only increased, with a detection being made every 2-3 days during the current observing run, O4. This rapid influx of data has the potential to create bottle-necks in data analysis efforts, and can delay the scientific progress which require those efforts. Traditional gravitational wave data analysis techniques, such as matched filtering, require extremely large template banks of synthetic gravitational waveforms and can often fail to provide meaningful limits on system parameters. Not only is this …

Using Physics Simulations To Find Targeting Strategies In Competitive Tenpin Bowling, S. S. M. Ji, S. Yang, W. Dominguez, C. G. Hooper, Cacey Stevens Bester

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

A new approach to finding the ideal location for a bowler to target on a bowling lane is demonstrated. To model bowling ball behavior, a system of six coupled differential equations is derived using Euler’s equations for a rotating rigid body. The numerical solution to the equations of motion shows the path of the ball on the lane, demonstrates the phases of ball motion, and is ultimately used to output a plot that displays the optimal initial conditions for the shot trajectory that leads to a strike for a typical competitive bowler. When the bowler is modeled to be imperfect …

Doppler Free Laser Spectroscopy, Luis F. Ayala

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Using Doppler Free laser spectroscopy we observed ground state and excited state Hyperfine structure of Rb atoms Isotopes 85 and 87.

Are The Vibrational Modes Of Molecules Quantized, Aniol Majoral Obradors

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In electron scattering from N2 molecules we observe quantized vibrational levels of N2-. These vibrational levels are well suited for energy calibration when electron transmission of unknown molecules is performed.

Particle-In-Cell Coupled With Monte-Carlo Collisions And External Circuitry For Low Temperature Plasma Reactors, Richard Lombardini

Presentations - 2025

Low-temperature plasma reactors used for chip fabrication involve complex physical processes that affect the quality of pattern transfer on the semiconductor substrate. Detailed investigations of the near-surface plasma environment require fully-kinetic approaches. We use a particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) approach coupled with external circuitry to model realistic operating conditions capture the kinetic effects and measure ion energy and angle distribution functions. We build on the exascale-capable PIC/MCC code, WarpX, and leverage Python interfaces to couple external circuitry. In this talk, we will demonstrate this inexpensive, non-iterative coupled strategy using a two-dimensional Gaseous Electronics Conference reference cell.

First Study Of Neutrino Angle Reconstruction Using Quasielastic-Like Interactions In Microboone, The Microboone Collaboration, Brandon Eberly

USM Physics Program

We investigate the expected precision of the reconstructed neutrino direction using a νμ-argon quasielastic-like event topology with one muon and one proton in the final state and the reconstruction capabilities of the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber. This direction is of importance in the context of DUNE sub-GeV atmospheric oscillation studies. MicroBooNE allows for a data-driven quantification of this resolution by investigating the deviation of the reconstructed muon-proton system orientation with respect to the well-known direction of neutrinos originating from the Booster Neutrino Beam with an exposure of 1.3 × 1021 protons on target. Using simulation studies, we derive …

Skyforge Core: A Triple Modular Redundant Computing Architecture For Small Satellites, Peter Staritz, Harrison Schmitt, Thomas Mcwatters, Ethan Hoyt, Josh Ellman, Sameer Sikander, Nate Westrum, Jordan Clark, Taebaeksanmaek Jung, Micah Williams, Lauren Myers, Kelden Wright, Matthew Homburg, Alex Roth, Jinran Zhang

Physics & Engineering Student Papers

As small satellite missions grow in complexity, there is increasing demand for greater onboard computational performance. Traditional radiation-hardened processors, while reliable, are expensive, slow, and suffer from long procurement timelines. In contrast, commercial off-the-shelf processors like the Raspberry Pi offer high performance at low cost but are vulnerable to radiation-induced faults such as single-event upsets. SkyForge Core is an experimental computing system that addresses this challenge by integrating three Raspberry Pi Zero W units into a triple modular redundant architecture. The system executes identical tasks on each Pi, compares outputs using majority voting, and identifies discrepancies. If a failure occurs, …

Computational Modeling Of Astrophysical Systems, Leleya Iris Stallard

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

This research project focuses on the computational modeling of astrophysical systems using Femap with NX Nastran. The goal was to simulate and analyze the vibrational behavior and structural deformation of celestial bodies under different material compositions and collision conditions. Materials such as iron, granite, titanium, and models for white dwarf stars were used to investigate how varying physical properties affect the systems' dynamic responses. Both isotropic and anisotropic models were created to represent realistic astrophysical materials. Through static and modal analyses, the study explored how internal structure and material stiffness influence the reaction of celestial objects to applied forces and …

Understanding Microsoft's Qubit, Alexander Escobedo, Eric Deyo

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In this presentation, we attempt to understand the device that was recently developed by the Microsoft Azure Quantum group that creates, manipulates, and measures qubits using Majorana Zero Modes (MZM).

Cryo-Em Captures The Coordination Of Asymmetric Electron Transfer Through A Di-Copper Site In Dpor, Rajnandani Kashyap, Natalie Walsh, Jaigeeth Deveryshetty, Monika Tokmina-Lukaszewska, Kewei Zhao, Yunqiao J. Gan, Brian M. Hoffman, Ritimukta Sarangi, Brian Bothner, Brian Bennett, Edwin Antony

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

Enzymes that catalyze long-range electron transfer (ET) reactions often function as higher order complexes that possess two structurally symmetrical halves. The functional advantages for such an architecture remain a mystery. Using cryoelectron microscopy we capture snapshots of the nitrogenase-like dark-operative protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (DPOR) during substrate binding and turnover. DPOR catalyzes reduction of the C17 = C18 double bond in protochlorophyllide during the dark chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway. DPOR is composed of electron donor (L-protein) and acceptor (NB-protein) component proteins that transiently form a complex in the presence of ATP to facilitate ET. NB-protein is an α2β2 heterotetramer with two structurally identical …

Understanding The Growth Mechanism Of Thiol-Conjugated Au25 Cluster, Chunhui Liu, Haiying He, Ravindra Pandey, Shashi P. Karna

Michigan Tech Publications

The synthesis of ligand-conjugated gold nanoclusters has attracted significant attention due to its ability to achieve precise control over cluster size selectivity. Among these, Au₂₅(SR)₁₈-, where R represents an alkyl group, is one of the earliest being synthesized with a very high yield, although its growth mechanism is yet to be fully understood. Using density functional theory, we present the results of a theoretical investigation on the growth process of Au₂₅(SR)₁₈-, beginning from Au₁₃(SR)₁₂-. Our findings indicate that the sulfur atoms in the core structure of Au_{13 …}

Tunable Pairing With Local Spin-Dependent Rydberg Molecule Potentials In An Atomic Fermi Superfluid, Chih Chun Chien, Seth T. Rittenhouse, S. I. Mistakidis, H. R. Sadeghpour

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We explore the energy spectrum and eigenstates of two-component atomic Fermi superfluids with tunable pairing interactions in the presence of spin-dependent ultralong-range Rydberg molecule (ULRM) potentials, within the Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism. The attractive ULRM potentials lead to local-density accumulation, while their difference results in a local polarization potential and induces the in-gap Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states whose energies lie below the bulk energy gap. A transition from equal population to population imbalance occurs as the pairing strength falls below a critical value, accompanied by the emergence of local Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO)-like states characterized by out-of-phase wave functions and lower energies compared to …

Silverrush. Xiv. Lyα Luminosity Functions And Angular Correlation Functions From 20,000 Lyα Emitters At Z ∼ 2.2-7.3 From Up To 24 Deg2 Hsc-Ssp And Chorus Surveys: Linking The Postreionization Epoch To The Heart Of Reionization, Hiroya Umeda, Masami Ouchi, Satoshi Kikuta, Yuichi Harikane, Yoshiaki Ono, Takatoshi Shibuya, Akio K. Inoue, Kazuhiro Shimasaku, Yongming Liang, Akinori Matsumoto, Shun Saito, Haruka Kusakabe, Yuta Kageura

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present luminosity functions (LFs) and angular correlation functions (ACFs) derived from 18,960 Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z = 2.2−7.3 over a wide survey area of ≲24 deg² that are identified in the narrowband data of the HSC-SSP and CHORUS surveys. Confirming the large sample with 241 spectroscopically identified LAEs, we determine Lyα LFs and ACFs in the brighter luminosity range down to 0.5L⋆, and confirm that our measurements are consistent with previous studies but offer significantly reduced statistical uncertainties. The improved precision of our ACFs allows us to clearly detect one-halo terms at some redshifts, and provides large-scale …

19ne Excited States In Explosive Nucleosynthesis, Khang Pham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Classical novae and Type I X-ray bursts are stellar explosions that occur in binary systems, where nuclear reactions involving ¹⁹Ne play a crucial role in nucleosynthesis. In novae, the destruction of ¹⁸F via the ¹⁸F(p,alpha)¹⁵O reaction significantly affects the amount of ¹⁸F remaining in the ejecta, directly influencing the detectability of predicted 511-keV gamma rays. However, discrepancies between observed and predicted ¹⁸F abundances highlight uncertainties in the reaction rates, primarily due to unknown properties of resonances in the compound nucleus ¹⁹Ne. In Type I X-ray bursts, the ¹⁵O(alpha,gamma)¹⁹Ne reaction …

The Effects Of Snow Cover On The Dynamic Pressure Of Nuclear Detonation Blast Waves, Adam Card, Andrew W. Decker

Faculty Publications

Blast pressure is the primary military targeting metric for nuclear weapons. Any local conditions that affect blast pressure have the potential for altering nuclear plans, both from defensive and offensive standpoints. Understanding the impact of snow to the blast wave, therefore, provides a benefit both to military planners and to warfighters on the ground, for any operation occurring in arctic environments. No existing data provides a quantitative description of how snow on the ground affects a nuclear detonation blast wave passing over it. Similar blast waves passing over dust have experimentally proven to enhance blast pressure in a localized region.1 …

Microphysics Regimes Due To Haze–Cloud Interactions: Cloud Oscillation And Cloud Collapse, Fan Yang, Hamed F. Sadi, Raymond Shaw, Fabian Hoffmann, Pei Hou, Aaron Wang, Mikhail Ovchinnikov

Michigan Tech Publications

It is known that aqueous haze particles can be activated into cloud droplets in a supersaturated environment. However, haze–cloud interactions have not been fully explored, partly because haze particles are not represented in most cloud-resolving models. Here, we conduct a series of large-eddy simulations (LESs) of a cloud in a convection chamber using a haze-capable Eulerian-based bin microphysics scheme to explore haze–cloud interactions over a wide range of aerosol injection rates. Results show that the cloud is in a slow microphysics regime at low aerosol injection rates, where the cloud responds slowly to an environmental change and droplet deactivation is …

Contaminated Sweeping Langmuir Probes On Sounding Rocket Platforms, Rachel Conway

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Sweeping Langmuir Probes (SLPs) are one of the most commonly used probes on sounding rocket missions. They offer measurements of plasma density, electron temperature, and both relative and absolute payload charging. One of the major implementation challenges, however, is contamination on the surface of the probe such that collected IV curves become distorted. This distortion can result in deflated densities, inflated temperatures, and erroneous charging measurements. This dissertation aims to expand our understanding of contamination's impact on SLP data and offer new mitigation methods appropriate for the sounding rocket platform.

SPICE, Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis, is used to …

High-Latitude Ionospheric Irregularities Characterized Through Machine Learning Methods, Anna-Marie Bals

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This study uses Machine Learning and data-driven techniques to understand plasma irregularities in high-latitude regions better. By combining observations and recent findings from modeling, the goal is to identify and classify scintillation signatures caused by different types of irregularities in the ionosphere. The focus is on irregularities from electron precipitation in the auroral oval and ExB drifts in the polar cap. Using Machine Learning tools, the study aims to distinguish between different scintillation signatures and link them to their sources, improving our ability to detect and characterize these events. Using multiple instruments and advanced filtering, the aim is to enhance …

Developing Fixed-Bias Langmuir Probes For Multi-Point Constellation Deployments, Henry Carter Valentine

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Since their initial development in the early 20th century, electrostatic Langmuir probes have proved invaluable in terrestrial and interplanetary ionospheric sounding applications. When deployed aboard rocket and satellite platforms, these probes yield high-cadence, in-situ measurements of key plasma parameters such as electron density, ion density, and electron temperature. Furthermore, the efficacy of Langmuir probes in characterizing the three-dimensional structure and dynamics of ionospheric plasmas can be augmented by the technique of multi-payload deployments. In this work, we discuss the design, development, and analysis of fixed-bias Langmuir probes constructed for two multi-point science campaigns: the Mars-bound, dual-satellite Escape and Plasma Acceleration …

Acoustic-Gravity Wave Propagation Based On Solutions To The Generalized Multi-Component Transport Equations, Benedict PiñEyro

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Nonlinear atmospheric models have provided important insight into acoustic waves generated by natural and man-made hazards, which may steepen into shocks or N-waves while also dissipating when propagating in the thermosphere. Although models have yielded results that agree with observations of ionospheric perturbations, dynamical models for the diffusive and stratified lower thermosphere often use single gas approximations with height-dependent physical properties that omit the dynamics of the major and minor constituents. Thus, the inter-species diffusion associated with these flows (e.g. variations of mean molecular weight, and specific heat) are not accounted for. This approximation is simpler and less computationally expensive …

Spectral Width Of Maximum Deposition Eigenchannels In Diffusive Media, Rohin E. Mcintosh, Arthur Goetschy, Nicholas Bender, Alexey Yamilov, Chia Wei Hsu, Hasan Yllmaz, Hui Cao

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The maximum deposition eigenchannel provides the largest possible power delivery to a target region inside a diffusive medium by optimizing the incident wavefront of a monochromatic beam. It originates from constructive interference of scattered waves, which is frequency sensitive. We investigate the spectral width of the maximum deposition eigenchannels over a range of target depths using numerical simulations of a 2D diffusive system. Compared to tight focusing into the system, power deposition to an extended region is more sensitive to frequency detuning. The spectral width of enhanced delivery to a large target displays a rather weak, nonmonotonic variation with target …

Phases And Dynamics Of Quantum Droplets In The Crossover To Two-Dimensions, Jose Carlos Pelayo, George Bougas, Thomás Fogarty, Thomas Busch, Simeon I. Mistakidis

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We explore the ground states and dynamics of ultracold atomic droplets in the crossover region from three to two dimensions by solving the two-dimensional and the quasi-two-dimensional extended Gross-Pitaevskii equations numerically and with a variational approach. By systematically comparing the droplet properties, we determine the validity regions of the pure two-dimensional description, and therefore the dominance of the logarithmic nonlinear coupling, as a function of the sign of the averaged mean-field interactions and the size of the transverse confinement. One of our main findings is that droplets become substantially extended upon transitioning from negative-to-positive averaged mean-field interactions. This is accompanied …

Influence Of The Impact Parameter For Ionization Of Argon By Fast Positrons And Electrons On The Postcollision Kinematics And Triply Differential Spectra, Robert D. Dubois, K. Tokési

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Classical trajectory Monte Carlo calculations for fast positron and electron impact ionization of argon are used to provide information about how the pre- and post collision kinematics alter the triply differential spectra. It is shown that in addition to the scattering direction expected for a positive or negative projectile passing near a partially screened nuclear charge, scattering in the opposite direction also occurs. Independent of energy transfer, when the impact parameter is less than the mean radius of the 3p electron cloud, the expected direction of scattering always occurs. In contrast, for scattering in the opposite direction, the impact parameter …

College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, Spring 2025, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Page 1 Dean's Message from Dr. Sen Subramanian
Page 2 Student Spotlights
Page 3 Kaushik honored, Three-Minute Thesis, & Ice Cores revealed
Page 4 Alumni Spotlight
Page 5 Day of Scholars
Page 6 Cyanide research, Record Research Expenditures, Adhikari awarded Miller Research Award
Page 8 Hanson Receives NSF Grant
Page 9 Snow Lab Research Team
Page 10 Faculty Awards
Page 11 Drone Day
Page 13 Khalaf Awarded Presidential Award

Synchrotron Radiation Interferometry At Cebaf, Sankalp Rajendra Shinde

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Synchrotron radiation interferometry is a method to measure transverse beam size in electron accelerators. By using synchrotron radiation interferometry at a dispersive location in CEBAF at Jefferson Lab, we measure the electron beam size and energy spread. This interferometry technique allows us to monitor the energy spread non-invasively, to measure precise electron beam rms energy spread for hypernuclear experiments, and verify that they meet experiment requirements in real time. This dissertation discusses the design, simulations, construction, and commissioning of this Synchrotron Radiation Interferometer (SRI) in the Hall C line at Jefferson Lab in 2024–2025.

Streamer Discharge Simulation For Plasma-Assisted Combustion, Stuart Jairo Reyes

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A common and successful method to achieve atmospheric pressure fuel-air plasma-assisted combustion is through repetitive ns pulsed discharges and dielectric-barrier discharge. The transient phase in these discharges is dominated by transport influenced by strong space charges produced by ionization fronts, this can be best represented by the streamer model. The function of non-thermal plasma in these discharges is to excite the species in the fuel-air mixture to produce radicals which accelerate the chemical conversion reactions which directly lead to temperature rise, ultimately culminating in ignition. Therefore, the characterization of the streamer and its energy partitioning is essential to developing a …

Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field And Plasma Jets For Cancer Therapy, Edwin Ayobami Oshin

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) employs nanosecond-duration, high voltage pulses to induce oxidative stress, leading to temporary or permanent damage to cells or tissue (also known as reversible and irreversible electroporation), and has been considered a promising approach for cancer therapy. In parallel to this, nanosecond pulsed atmospheric pressure plasma jets (ns-APPJs) have also shown to be effective in inactivating cancer cells or increasing sensitivity of cells to electric fields. ns-APPJs are known to generate reactive chemical agents, including reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) which induces oxidative stress resulting in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and necrosis. In this dissertation, a …

The Structure Function Of The Free Neutron At High X-Bjorken, Madhusudhan Pokhrel

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the internal structure of nucleons is one of the primary goals of nuclear physicists. As protons and neutrons are only the bound state solution of the QCD lagrangian (at least inside atomic nuclei), studying protons and neutrons helps uncover nuclear structure. Due to its easy availability, many studies on protons have been done on a wide range of kinematics. However, free neutron targets are not readily achievable. So, any information on neutrons has to be extracted from neutron-rich nuclei, and some nuclear models have to be used to subtract the contributions from other nucleons to extract the information …

Radiative Energy And Mass Shifts Of Quantum Cyclotron States, Ulrich D. Jentschura

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Abstract: We discuss relativistic and radiative corrections to the energies of quantum cyclotron states. In particular, it is shown analytically that the leading logarithmic radiative (self-energy) correction to the bound-state energy levels of quantum cyclotron states is state independent and must be interpreted as a magnetic field-dependent correction to the electron's mass in a Penning trap.

Interferometric Differential High-Frequency Lock-In Probe For Laser-Induced Vacuum Birefringence, R. G. Bullis, Ulrich D. Jentschura, D. C. Yost

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We propose a measurement of laser-induced vacuum birefringence through the use of pulsed lasers coupled to femtosecond optical enhancement cavities. This measurement technique features cavity-enhanced pump and probe pulses, as well as an independent control pulse. The control pulse allows for a differential measurement where the final signal is obtained using high-frequency lock-in detection, greatly mitigating time-dependent cavity birefringence as an important and possibly prohibitive systematic effect. In addition, the method features the economical use of laser power and results in a relatively simple experimental setup.