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Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Different Vegetable Oils (Macadamia Nut Oil And Walnut Oil) On The Coefficient Of Friction As A Finish For Oak Wood, Lee Dillon

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Slipping due to insufficient friction with flooring can cause fatal injuries in workplaces and homes. Oak wood flooring is commonly used in construction to build these environments. In the manufacturing process, wood finishing is conducted at the end of the process to strengthen the properties and longevity of the wood, although it could impact the coefficient of friction (COF) causing slip falls. Vegetable oils, such as macadamia nut and walnut oils, used as wood finishes have gained prominence due to their beneficial aspects to the environment. However, little is known about their effectiveness as a safe coating for wood floors. …

Ion-Induced Cloud Modulation Through New Particle Formation And Runaway Cloud Condensation Nuclei Production, Kamal Kant Chandrakar, Will Cantrell, Raymond Shaw

Michigan Tech Publications

Cloud formation in the Pi Convection-Cloud Chamber is achieved via ionization in humid conditions, without the injection of aerosol particles to serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Abundant ions, turbulence, and supersaturated water vapor combine to produce new particles, which grow to become CCN sized and eventually are activated to form clouds. Coupling between the new particle formation and cloud droplets causes predator-prey type oscillations in aerosol and droplet concentrations under turbulent conditions. Leading terms are identified in the budgets for Aitken and accumulation mode aerosols and for cloud droplets. The cloud coupling is proposed to be a result of …

Implementing Reactivity In Molecular Dynamics Simulations With Harmonic Force Fields, Jordan J. Winetrout, Krishan Kanhaiya, Josh Kemppainen, Pieter J. In ‘T Veld, Geeta Sachdeva, Ravindra Pandey, Behzad Damirchi, Adri Van Duin, Gregory Odegard, Hendrik Heinz

Michigan Tech Publications

The simulation of chemical reactions and mechanical properties including failure from atoms to the micrometer scale remains a longstanding challenge in chemistry and materials science. Bottlenecks include computational feasibility, reliability, and cost. We introduce a method for reactive molecular dynamics simulations using a clean replacement of non-reactive classical harmonic bond potentials with reactive, energy-conserving Morse potentials, called the Reactive INTERFACE Force Field (IFF-R). IFF-R is compatible with force fields for organic and inorganic compounds such as IFF, CHARMM, PCFF, OPLS-AA, and AMBER. Bond dissociation is enabled by three interpretable Morse parameters per bond type and zero energy upon disconnect. Use …

Radiotherapy Dose Calculation Algorithm Sensitivity To High-Density Artifacts, Kylie Blue

All ETDs from UAB

Radiotherapy planning can be adversely affected by inaccurate dose calculations due to the presence of high-density objects. High-density objects, such as surgical clips, produce artifacts in CT images which can result in errors in dose calculation. Manual correction of voxels containing incorrect information is recommended to prevent calculation errors, but this process can be cumbersome and sometimes results in planners compromising with crude corrections to save time. In this study we aim to determine the significance of small high-density objects and the artifacts they cause in radiotherapy treatment plans. To evaluate the impact of density overrides on calculations, a phantom …

Angular Momentum Flow Without Anything Carrying It, Yakir Aharonov, Daniel Collins, Sandu Popescu

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Transfer of conserved quantities between two remote regions is generally assumed to be a rather trivial process: a flux of particles carrying the conserved quantities propagates from one region to another. However, we demonstrate a flow of angular momentum from one region to another across a region of space in which there is a vanishingly small probability of any particles (or fields) being present. This shows that the usual view of how conservation laws work needs to be revisited.

A Practical Guide To Light-Sheet Microscopy For Nanoscale Imaging: Looking Beyond The Cell, Stephanie N. Kramer, Jeanpun Antarasen, Cole R. Reinholt, Lydia Kisley

Faculty Scholarship

We present a comprehensive guide to light-sheet microscopy (LSM) to assist scientists in navigating the practical implementation of this microscopy technique. Emphasizing the applicability of LSM to image both static microscale and nanoscale features, as well as diffusion dynamics, we present the fundamental concepts of microscopy, progressing through beam profile considerations, to image reconstruction. We outline key practical decisions in constructing a home-built system and provide insight into the alignment and calibration processes. We briefly discuss the conditions necessary for constructing a continuous 3D image and introduce our home-built code for data analysis. By providing this guide, we aim to …

Performance Of The Hawc Observatory And Tev Gamma-Ray Measurements Of The Crab Nebula With Improved Extensive Air Shower Reconstruction Algorithms, A. Albert, R. Alfaro, C. Alvarez, A. Andrés, J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez, D. Avila Rojas, S. Groetsch, P. Hüntemeyer, R. Turner, X. Wang, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory, located on the side of the Sierra Negra volcano in Mexico, has been fully operational since 2015. The HAWC collaboration has recently significantly improved their extensive air shower reconstruction algorithms, which has notably advanced the observatory performance. The energy resolution for primary gamma rays with energies below 1 TeV was improved by including a noise-suppression algorithm. Corrections have also been made to systematic errors in direction fitting related to the detector and shower plane inclinations, O ( 0 .° 1 ) biases in highly inclined showers, and enhancements to the core reconstruction. The …

Luminescent Coupling In Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells: The Advantages Of Perovskite And Luminescent Coupling In Photovoltaics, Briana Dokken

Senior Seminars and Capstones

Multijunction or tandem solar cells are made of multiple semiconductor light absorbing layers. Having multiple absorber layers in a solar cell allows it to absorb a larger range of the solar spectrum. When electrons recombine (relax to a lower energy state) in the top layer of a tandem solar cell, they can emit luminescent photons that are absorbed by the bottom layer of the cell. This process is called luminescent coupling, and it can be used to enhance the performance of photovoltaic cells. Another strategy to increase solar cell performance is to use perovskite as the absorber layer material. Currently, …

Striatal Beat Frequency Interval Timing Model With Microgravity Stressor, Jason Michael Fitzgerald, Sorinel Oprisan

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The Striatal Beat Frequency (SBF) model of interval timing uses frontal cortex (FC) neural oscillations to record the state of the brain at the reinforcement time Tc during fixed interval (FI) procedures in the long-term memory (LMEM). The state of the FC oscillators at any given time is stored in a short-term memory (SMEM) buffer. The SBF model uses the spiny neurons of the basal ganglia (BG) as coincidence detectors to produce beats between the content of the SMEM and LMEM. Across multiple species that can perform interval timing, there are two invariant properties: (a) the timing is precise, and …

Reexamination Of Vacuum-Polarization Corrections To The Self-Energy In Muonic Bound Systems, B. Ohayon, Ulrich D. Jentschura

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

In muonic bound systems, the dominant radiative correction is due to vacuum polarization. Yet, for the interpretation of precision experiments, self-energy effects are also important. In turn, additional vacuum-polarization loops perturb the self-energy. Here we show that combined self-energy vacuum-polarization effects can perturb the bound-state self-energy at the percent level in one-muon bound systems with nuclear charges Z=1-6. We also update previous treatments of the corrections for muonic hydrogen, muonic deuterium, and muonic helium bound systems.

Stability And Dynamics Of Nonlinear Excitations In A Two-Dimensional Droplet-Bearing Environment, G. Bougas, G. C. Katsimiga, P. G. Kevrekidis, S. I. Mistakidis

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We unravel stationary states in the form of dark soliton stripes, bubbles, and kinks embedded in a two-dimensional droplet-bearing setting emulated by an extended Gross-Pitaevskii approach. The existence of these configurations is corroborated through an effectively reduced potential picture demonstrating their concrete parametric regions of existence. The excitation spectra of such configurations are analyzed within the Bogoliubov-de Gennes framework exposing the destabilization of dark soliton stripes and bubbles, while confirming the stability of droplets, and importantly unveiling spectral stability of the kink against transverse excitations. Additionally, a variational approach is constructed providing access to the transverse stability analysis of the …

Separation Of Various Higher-Order Effects In The Ionization Of Helium By Proton Impact, S. Majumdar, S. Bastola, A. Hasan, R. Lomsadze, Michael Schulz

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We have measured fully differential cross sections (FDCSs) for ionization of helium by 75 keV proton impact. Data were analyzed for electrons ejected into the scattering plane at projectile energy losses well below and above the matching velocity and for scattering angles ranging between 0.1 and 0.5 mrad. Earlier, we observed clear signatures of the post collision interaction (PCI) at the matching velocity; however, in the current data these signatures are completely absent at small energy losses and residues remain at large energy losses. At small energy losses the FDCSs are dominated by non-PCI higher-order effects.

Multiply Differential Study Of Vibrational Dissociative Capture In P+ D2 Collisions, S. Majumdar, A. Hasan, S. Bastola, B. R. Lamichhane, R. Lomsadze, Michael Schulz

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We have measured multiple differential cross sections for dissociative capture in collisions of 75-keV protons with D2. Data were analyzed for kinetic energy releases (KERs) ranging from 0 to 2 eV, where the dissociation is primarily caused by excitation of the nuclear motion to a vibrational continuum state. Pronounced signatures of two-center interference effects were observed. The data were compared to previously published cross sections for dissociative capture in p+H2 collisions, for which we reported a scattering angle dependent phase shift in the interference term. The D2 data reveal qualitative differences in the interference structure to the H2 case. Some …

Observation Of The Galactic Center Pevatron Beyond 100 Tev With Hawc, A. Albert, R. Alfaro, C. Alvarez, A. Andrés, J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez, D. Avila Rojas, H. A. Ayala Solares, R. Babu, E. Belmont-Moreno, A. Bernal, K. S. Caballero-Mora, T. Capistrán, A. Carramiñana, S. Casanova, U. Cotti, J. Cotzomi, S. Coutiño De León, E. De La Fuente, C. De Leon, D. Depaoli, N. Di Lalla, R. Diaz Hernandez, B. L. Dingus, M. A. Duvernois, J. C. Diaz-Velez, K. Engel, T. Ergin, C. Espinoza, K. L. Fan, K. Fang, N. Fraija, S. Fraija, J. A. Garcia-Gonzalez, F. Garfias, H. Goksu, M. M. Gonzalez, J. A. Goodman, S. Groetsch, J. P. Harding, S. Hernandez-Cadena, I. Herzog, J. Hinton, D. Huang, F. Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, T. B. Humensky, P. Huntemeyer, A. Iriarte, S. Kaufmann, D. Kieda, A. Lara, W. H. Lee, J. Lee, H. Leon Vargas, J. T. Linnemann, A. L. Longinotti, G. Luis-Raya, K. Malone, O. Martinez, J. Martinez-Castro, J. A. Matthews, P. Miranda-Romagnoli, J. A. Montes, J. A. Morales-Soto, E. Moreno, M. Mostafa, M. Najafi, L. Nellen, M. Newbold, M. U. Nisa, R. Noriega-Papaqui, L. Olivera-Nieto, N. Omodei, M. Osorio-Archila, Y. Perez Araujo, E. G. Perez-Perez, C. D. Rho, D. Rosa-Gonzalez, E. Ruiz-Velasco, H. Salazar, D. Salazar-Gallegos, A. Sandoval, M. Schneider, G. Schwefer, J. Serna-Franco, A. J. Smith, Y. Son, R. W. Springer, O. Tibolla, K. Tollefson, I. Torres, R. Torres-Escobedo, R. Turner, F. Urena-Mena, E. Valera, Xiaojie Wang, Z. Wang, I. J. Watson, E. Willox, H. Wu, S. Yu, S. Yun-Carcamo, H. Zhou

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We report an observation of ultrahigh-energy (UHE) gamma rays from the Galactic center (GC) region, using 7 yr of data collected by the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory. The HAWC data are best described as a point-like source (HAWC J1746-2856) with a power-law spectrum ( d N / d E = ϕ E / 26 TeV γ ), where γ = −2.88 ± 0.15stat − 0.1sys and ϕ = 1.5 x 10⁻¹⁵ (TeV cm² s)⁻¹ ± 0.3 stat − 0.13 sys + 0.08 sys extending from 6 to 114 TeV. We find no evidence of a spectral …

Electromagnetic Theory And Applications, 2nd Edition, Nicholas Madamopoulos, George Kliros

Open Educational Resources

This book intends to provide both the fundamentals of Electromagnetics but also some practical applications of the concepts covered. Having taught electromagnetics for several years, the authors feel that many times the field of electromagnetics comes as “old” and often times students do not appreciate the concepts and their importance in everyday applications. The authors intend to accompany the EM concepts with life applications. Hence, students may see the direct impact of the knowledge they acquire through the study of the field of electromagnetics and better appreciate the field.

Structural, Electronic And Magnetic Properties Of Vanadium Doped Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (Tmds), Qudsia Ashraf

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Magnetic semiconductors are a prerequisite for spintronic devices but their ferromagnetism disappears at room-temperature hindering application in room temperature electronic devices. Enormous research has been conducted on the room-temperature ferromagnetic order in monolayer form of bulk van der Waals materials but the few layer system has not been extensively explored.

Doping is an effective approach to modulate the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of two-dimensional (2D) Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and expand their application. The effect of vanadium dopant on structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Tungsten Diselenide (WSe₂) was studied by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Atomic Force …

Generation And Implementation Of Mixed Radiation From Laser Interactions On A Liquid Target, Benjamin M. Knight

Theses and Dissertations

The simultaneous generation of different forms of radiation from the same source is highly desirable but technically challenging. We present the generation of D-D fusion neutrons and >MeV-energy x-rays from extreme intensity (∼ 10¹⁹ W/cm² ), high repetition-rate (1 kHz) laser pulses on a thin liquid target. Total neutron fluxes of ∼ 105 neutrons/s and x-ray exposure rates up to ∼ 200 R/hr at 74 cm are measured. Evidence of D-D fusion is verified with a measurement suite including three independent neutron detection systems: an EJ-309 organic scintillator, a ³He proportional counter, and a set of 36 …

Precision Measurement Of The Absolute Energy Of The 2s3s 1S0 State In Neutral 9Be, K. J. Ahrendsen, T. Karani, W. D. Williams

Physics: Faculty Publications

We report on the absolute energy of the 2⁢��⁢3⁢��⁢1⁢��0 state in neutral 9Be. In doing so, we measure the transition frequencies of the 2⁢��2⁢1⁢��0→ 2⁢��⁢2⁢��⁢1⁢��∘1 and 2⁢��⁢2⁢��⁢1⁢��∘1→ 2⁢��⁢3⁢��⁢1⁢��0 transitions, also determining the absolute energy of the 2⁢��⁢2⁢��⁢1⁢��∘1 state. The results are obtained from a home-built hollow cathode discharge lamp using saturated absorption spectroscopy with laser frequencies referenced to a frequency comb. The transition frequencies are determined to be 1276080080⁢(50) and 363105650⁢(130) MHz for the 2⁢��2⁢1⁢��0→ 2⁢��⁢2⁢��⁢1⁢��∘1 and 2⁢��⁢2⁢��⁢1⁢��∘1→ 2⁢��⁢3⁢��⁢1⁢��0 transitions, respectively. The absolute energies are determined to be 42565.4498⁢(17) and 54677.350⁢(5) cm−1 for the 2⁢��⁢2⁢��⁢1⁢��∘1 and 2⁢��⁢3⁢��⁢1⁢��0 states, respectively. The …

Imaging Photoinduced Dynamics In Gas-Phase Molecules Using Ultrafast Electron And X-Ray Diffraction, Sri Bhavya Muvva

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Investigating the ultrafast structural changes in photoexcited molecules provides essential information on their governing reaction mechanisms and product formation. Time-resolved electron and X-ray diffraction are crucial techniques for capturing the structural information of photoexcited molecules on femtosecond timescales. This thesis presents the investigations of photochemical reactions in gas-phase molecules using ultrafast electron and X-ray diffraction experiments.

Photoexcitation of conjugated diene molecules with ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses can lead to different reaction mechanisms, depending on their double bonds’ positions and molecular rigidity. Chapter 2 of this dissertation discusses the femtosecond time-resolved UV-induced excited-state structural dynamics of cis,cis-1,3-cyclooctadiene, an eight-membered cyclic conjugated …

Collisional And Spatial Characterization Of Electron Broadening In Rubidium Vapor, Jordan C. Mindrup

Theses and Dissertations

Stark broadening of the 4²D → 12²F transition of rubidium is examined in a rubidium vapor cell with modulated double pump-probe spectroscopy at helium pressures of 0.001 Torr, 3.0 Torr, and 30.0 Torr. A pressure dependent critical rubidium number density was observed after which the presence of electrons becomes dominant. It is observed that after the rubidium density threshold, a linear relationship is seen between rubidium number density and the Stark broadened width of the line shapes, with a slope of 0.079 ± 0.002, 0.18 ± 0.01, and 0.9 ± 0.1 for helium pressures of 0.001 …

Relativistic And Recoil Corrections To Vacuum Polarization In Muonic Systems: Three-Photon Exchange, Gauge Invariance, And Numerical Values, Gregory S. Adkins, Ulrich D. Jentschura

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

For an accurate theoretical description of muonic bound systems, it is crucial to consistently treat relativistic and recoil corrections to vacuum polarization. The one-loop vacuum-polarization effect is by far the dominant quantum electrodynamic (QED) energy correction for bound muons, being of order α(Zα)2mr, where α is the fine-structure constant, Z is the nuclear charge number, and mr is the reduced mass. Gauge invariance of the relativistic and recoil corrections to vacuum polarization of order α(Zα)4mr is investigated with respect to nonretarded and standard, renormalized variants of Coulomb gauge. The invariance is shown after including three-photon exchange diagrams. Our derivation is …

Tev Analysis Of A Source-Rich Region With The Hawc Observatory: Is Hess J1809-193 A Potential Hadronic Pevatron?, A. Albert, R. Alfaro, C. Alvarez, J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez, D. Avila Rojas, R. Babu, E. Belmont-Moreno, A. Bernal, M. Breuhaus, K. S. Caballero-Mora, T. Capistrán, A. Carramiñana, S. Casanova, J. Cotzomi, E. De La Fuente, D. Depaoli, N. Di Lalla, R. Diaz Hernandez, B. L. Dingus, M. A. Duvernois, C. Espinova, K. L. Fan, K. Fang, B. Fick, N. Fraija, J. A. Garcia-Gonzalez, F. Garfias, A. Gonzalez Munoz, M. M. Gonzalez, J. A. Goodman, S. Groetsch, J. P. Harding, S. Hernandez-Cadena, I. Herzog, D. Huang, F. Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, P. Huntemeyer, A. Iriarte, V. Joshi, S. Kaufmann, A. Lara, J. Lee, H. Leon Vargas, A. L. Longinotti, G. Luis-Raya, K. Malone, J. Martines-Castro, J. A. Matthews, P. Miranda-Romagnoli, J. A. Montes, J. A. Morales-Soto, E. Moreno, M. Mostafa, L. Nellen, M. Newbold, M. U. Nisa, R. Noriega-Papaqui, M. Osorio, Y. Perez Araujo, E. G. Perez-Perez, C. D. Rho, D. Rosa-Gonzalez, E. Ruiz-Velasco, H. Salazar, A. Sandoval, M. Schneider, J. Serna-Franco, A. J. Smith, Y. Son, R. W. Springer, O. Tibolla, K. Tollefson, I. Torres, R. Torres-Escobedo, R. Turner, F. Urena-Mena, E. Varela, Xiaojie Wang, I. J. Watson, E. Willox, S. Yun-Carcamo, H. Zhou

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

HESS J1809-193 is an unidentified TeV source, first detected by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) collaboration. The emission originates in a source-rich region that includes several supernova remnants (SNRs) and pulsars including SNR G11.1+0.1, SNR G11.0-0.0, and the young radio pulsar PSR J1809-1917. Originally classified as a pulsar wind nebula candidate, recent studies show the peak of the TeV region overlapping with a system of molecular clouds. This resulted in the revision of the original leptonic scenario to look for alternate hadronic scenarios. Marked as a potential PeVatron candidate, this region has been studied extensively by H.E.S.S. due to …

Performance Of The Hawc Observatory And Tev Gamma-Ray Measurements Of The Crab Nebula With Improved Extensive Air Shower Reconstruction Algorithms, A. Albert, R. Alfaro, C. Alvarez, A. Andrés, J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez, D. Avila Rojas, H. A. Ayala Solares, R. Babu, E. Belmont-Moreno, A. Bernal, K. S. Caballero-Mora, T. Capistrán, A. Carramiñana, F. Carreón, S. Casanova, U. Cotti, J. Cotzomi, S. Coutiño De León, E. De La Fuente, C. De Leon, D. Depaoli, N. Di Lalla, R. Diaz Hernandez, B. L. Dingus, M. A. Duvernois, K. Engel, T. Ergin, C. Espinoza, K. L. Fan, K. Fang, N. Fraija, S. Fraija, J. A. Garcia-Gonzalez, F. Garfias, H. Goksu, M. M. Gonzalez, J. A. Goodman, S. Groetsch, J. P. Harding, S. Hernandez-Cadena, I. Herzog, J. Hinton, D. Huang, F. Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, P. Huntemeyer, A. Iriarte, S. Kaufmann, A. Lara, J. Lee, H. Leon Vargas, J. T. Linnemann, A. L. Longinotti, G. Luis-Raya, K. Malone, J. Martinez-Castro, J. A. Matthews, P. Miranda-Romagnoli, J. A. Montes, E. Moreno, M. Mostafa, L. Nellen, M. U. Nisa, R. Noriega-Papaqui, L. Olivera-Nieto, N. Omodei, M. Osorio-Archila, Y. Perez Araujo, E. G. Perez-Perez, C. D. Rho, D. Rosa-Gonzalez, E. Ruiz-Velasco, H. Salazar, D. Salazar-Gallegos, A. Sandoval, M. Schneider, G. Schwefer, J. Serna-Franco, A. J. Smith, Y. Son, R. W. Springer, O. Tibolla, K. Tollefson, I. Torres, R. Torres-Escobedo, R. Turner, F. Urena-Mena, E. Varela, Xiaojie Wang, I. J. Watson, K. Whitaker, E. Willox, H. Wu, S. Yu, S. Yun-Carcamo, H. Zhou

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory, located on the side of the Sierra Negra volcano in Mexico, has been fully operational since 2015. The HAWC collaboration has recently significantly improved their extensive air shower reconstruction algorithms, which has notably advanced the observatory performance. The energy resolution for primary gamma rays with energies below 1 TeV was improved by including a noise-suppression algorithm. Corrections have also been made to systematic errors in direction fitting related to the detector and shower plane inclinations, O ( 0 .° 1 ) biases in highly inclined showers, and enhancements to the core reconstruction. The …

Interplay Of Magnetic Impurities And Superconductivity In Topological Materials, Didier Ndengeyintwali

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The interplay of superconductivity and magnetism has been a long-standing topic of interest since the discovery of superconductivity. In recent years it has been shown that topological superconductivity, which has promising applications such as in topological quantum computing, could result from such interplay. Motivated by the later results I study the effect of magnetic impurities in superconducting doped topological insulators, such as Iron based topological superconductors. I show that topological character of parent materials could lead to modifications in the structure of magnetic impurity induced in-gap states. Moreover, the superconductivity induced interaction between magnetic impurities in doped topological insulator would …

Value Creation In A Pedagogically-Focused Faculty Online Learning Community, Fred Goldberg, Edward Price, Mo Basir, Lawrence Escalada, Steve Maier, Steven Sahyun, Tamara D. Snyder, Liang Zeng

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Faculty online learning communities (FOLCs) can help faculty effectively adopt and persist in using research-based curricula. This paper documents faculty perspectives on the value they gained from participating in a multi-year FOLC designed to help them implement an inquiry-based physical science curriculum. Personal value narratives were collected from 11 volunteer FOLC participants. In the narratives, participants responded to prompts regarding their initial reasons for participation, activities they engaged in, and values they gained, as well as how participation impacted their profession, social connections, professional practice, and ability to influence their world as teachers. Qualitative analysis shows that the values faculty …

Investigating Temperature And Emissivity Separation Techniques Through The Use Of A Spectral Emissivity Database, Mitchell A. Manzardo

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates two temperature and emissivity separation techniques using data from an ABB MR304 FTIR and a Telops Mid-Wave Hyper-Cam on carbon-based samples heated by a high-energy laser. The established Linear Spectral Emissivity Constraint (LSEC) and Gray Body Emissivity (GBE) methods, as well as a new Robust Ratio Linear Fitting (RRF) method are assessed for their applicability in controlled lab environments. A spectral emissivity database aids in analyzing method performance. The RRF method shows promise but has limitations, particularly with low-temperature data and complex Hyper-Cam data. Despite these challenges, the RRF method offers potential for further refinement.

Toi–757 B: An Eccentric Transiting Mini–Neptune On A 17.5–D Orbit, A Alqasim, N Grieves, N M. Rosário, D Gandolfi, J H. Livingston, S Sousa, K A. Collins, J K. Teske, M Fridlund, Ryan J. Oelkers

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report the spectroscopic confirmation and fundamental properties of TOI 757 b, a mini Neptune on a 17.5 d orbit transiting a bright star (⁠ mag) discovered by the TESS mission. We acquired high precision radial velocity measurements with the HARPS, ESPRESSO, and PFS spectrographs to confirm the planet detection and determine its mass. We also acquired space borne transit photometry with the CHEOPS space telescope to place stronger constraints on the planet radius, supported with ground based LCOGT photometry. WASP and KELT photometry were used to help constrain the stellar rotation period. We also determined the fundamental parameters of …

Twisted Spatiotemporal Optical Vortex Beams In Dispersive Media, Milo W. Hyde Iv

Faculty Publications

We derive a closed-form expression for the mutual coherence function (MCF) of a twisted spatiotemporal optical vortex (STOV) beam after propagating a distance in a linear dispersive medium. A twisted STOV beam is a partially coherent optical field that possesses a coherent STOV and a stochastic twist coupling its space and time dimensions. These beams belong to a special class of space–time-coupled light fields that carry transverse (to the direction of propagation) orbital angular momentum, making them potentially useful in numerous applications including quantum optics, optical manipulation, and optical communications. After presenting the derivation, we validate our new general MCF …

Design And Characterization Of De Novo Photoactivated Charge Separating Proteins, Paul M. Molinaro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Light activate charge separation can provide high energy electrons for a variety of chemical processes. Reaction center proteins serve as a scaffold for small molecules that serve as “hopping” sites for electrons. Previous reaction center designs are four helix bundles that bind at minimum two metalloporphyrin’s: a zinc porphyrin serves as a light activated electron donor, mimicking chlorophyl, and a heme molecule serving as the acceptor. The efficiency of these designs is hampered by the enhanced relaxation of the singlet excited state of zinc porphyrin molecules due to spin-orbit coupling with the paramagnetic heme acceptor. The optimal design would contain …