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Articles 31 - 60 of 76

Full-Text Articles in Engineering Physics

Identifying The Experimental And Theoretical Effective Characteristics Of Nonaligned Anisotropic Metamaterials, Michael R. Benson Jun 2015

Identifying The Experimental And Theoretical Effective Characteristics Of Nonaligned Anisotropic Metamaterials, Michael R. Benson

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research into anisotropic materials has assumed certain properties in order to make the underlying mathematics tractable. One of the assumptions is the alignment of the optical axes with the laboratory frame of reference, such as split-ring resonators lying at on the material plane. This assumption does not hold true for many metamaterials, such as tilted nanorods. Techniques such as ellipsometry are needed to analyze the effective characteristics of these highly anisotropic structures. In this research, tilted nanorods are analyzed using generalized ellipsometry to extract the indices of the optical axes. The underlying physics of ellipsometry is then used to …


Scaling Of An Optically Pumped Mid-Infrared Rubidium Laser, Paul J. Moran Mar 2015

Scaling Of An Optically Pumped Mid-Infrared Rubidium Laser, Paul J. Moran

Theses and Dissertations

An optically pumped mid-infrared rubidium (Rb) pulsed laser has been demonstrated in a heat pipe along the 62P3/2 - 62S1/2 transition at 2.730 µm and the 62P1/2 - 62S1/2 transition at 2.790 µm. The bleached limit, slope efficiency, and maximum laser output energy of the mid-IR Rb laser have been shown to scale linearly with increasing Rb density, contrary to prior laser demonstrations. A maximum output energy of 5 nJ per pulse had previously been observed before a rollover occurred in the scaling of output energy with Rb …


Absorption Spectroscopy Of Rubidium In An Alkali Metal Dispenser Cell And Bleached Wave Analysis, James M. Rosenthal Mar 2015

Absorption Spectroscopy Of Rubidium In An Alkali Metal Dispenser Cell And Bleached Wave Analysis, James M. Rosenthal

Theses and Dissertations

An absorption spectrum of a rubidium alkali metal dispenser (AMD) cell was obtained in order to determine the system s suitability for use in a diode pumped alkali laser (DPAL) and use in high-temperature spectroscopic studies. The AMD produced a concentration of 3.65 0.16 1010 cm-3, which is in the ideal range for Beer s Law region absorption spectroscopy, but too low to make a high-power DPAL in a 10 cm cell with a poor Q resonator. Before AMDs can be used to determine pressure broadening and shifting coefficients, issues concerning contamination and producing rubidium vapor at pressure must be …


Potential Energy Curves And Associated Line Shape Of Alkali-Metal And Noble-Gas Interactions, Larry A. Blank Dec 2014

Potential Energy Curves And Associated Line Shape Of Alkali-Metal And Noble-Gas Interactions, Larry A. Blank

Theses and Dissertations

Recent interest in optically-pumped alkali laser systems has prompted this study into the binary interaction potentials between species of alkali-metal and rare-gas atoms and the effects of the collision of these species on the alkali-metal atom absorption spectrum. Special attention is placed on the relationship of the interaction potentials and the resulting line shape. The X2Σ+1/2, A2π1/2, A2π3/2, and B2Σ+1/2 potential energy curves and associated dipole matrix elements are computed for M+ Ng at the spin-orbit multi-reference configuration interaction level, where M = …


Finite Element Analysis Modeling Of Chemical Vapor Deposition Of Silicon Carbide, Brandon M. Allen Jun 2014

Finite Element Analysis Modeling Of Chemical Vapor Deposition Of Silicon Carbide, Brandon M. Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (SiC) composite materials are important for many applications due to their high temperature strength, excellent thermal shock and impact resistance, high hardness, and good chemical stability. The microstructure and phase composition of SiC composites can be tailored by fiber surface modification, the process parameters, and/or fiber preform architecture. One process by which SiC composites can be produced is chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This thesis primarily focuses on mass transport by gas-phase flow and diffusion, chemical reaction in gas phase and on solid surfaces, and thin film formation on curved surfaces, which are fundamental to the CVD process. …


Development And Characterization Of A High Speed Mid-Ir Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectrometer For Co And Co2 Detection In Detonation Events, Stephen D. Wakefield Mar 2014

Development And Characterization Of A High Speed Mid-Ir Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectrometer For Co And Co2 Detection In Detonation Events, Stephen D. Wakefield

Theses and Dissertations

A tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy system, capable of collecting data at a 10 kHz repetition rate near 4.5 microns. This system was made feasible in recent years due to the development of quantum cascade lasers active in the 4.5 microns region of the spectrum. Reaching into the mid-IR region of the electromagnetic spectrum allowed for an analysis of the fundamental absorption bands for both CO and CO2. The spectral absorption was measured for ethylene, methane, ethane, and propane across a variety of equivalence ratios, at various heights above a Hencken Burner surface. For each fuel, the concentration …


Iron-Doped Zinc Selenide: Spectroscopy And Laser Development, Jonathan W. Evans Mar 2014

Iron-Doped Zinc Selenide: Spectroscopy And Laser Development, Jonathan W. Evans

Theses and Dissertations

We examine the quantum mechanics of optically active ions in crystals. Insight is developed which qualitatively explains the shape of the optical absorption and emission spectra of Fe2+ ions in II-VI materials. In addition to a discussion of the relevant theory, this work explores experimental techniques for absorption spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy, and upper-state lifetime measurements in detail. The data collected from these experiments are interpreted in the context of the theories developed herein. The theory and data are used to develop a simple model of the temperature dependence of the upper-state lifetime of Fe2+ ions in ZnSe. …


Electrical Characterization Of Spherical Copper Oxide Memristive Array Sensors, James P. Orta Mar 2014

Electrical Characterization Of Spherical Copper Oxide Memristive Array Sensors, James P. Orta

Theses and Dissertations

A new System Protection (SP) technology is explored by using electrical and mechanical interference-sensing devices that are implemented with granular memristive material. The granular materials consist of oxide-coated copper spheres with radii of about 700 µm that are placed in contact to produce thin oxide junctions which exhibit memristive behavior. Processes for etching, which compared acetic acid and nitric acid etches, and thermal oxidation at 100°C are performed and compared to produce copper spheres with a copper oxide layer over the sphere surface. Oxidized copper spheres are tested as sensor arrays by loading into a capillary tube in an aligned …


Band Gap Transition Studies Of U:Tho2 Using Cathodoluminescence, Joshua D. Reding Mar 2014

Band Gap Transition Studies Of U:Tho2 Using Cathodoluminescence, Joshua D. Reding

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense has expressed interest in thorium dioxide (ThO2) and uranium dioxide (UO2) as possible candidates for use as special nuclear material in designing neutron detectors. Both materials have large neutron interaction cross sections. Uranium dioxide is particularly attractive due to its semiconducting properties and a relatively small band gap of 2 eV. Both materials fluoresce under ionizing radiation making them candidates for scintillating detectors. Three Ux:Th1-xO2 (x= 0.00, 0.01, 0.22) hydrothermally grown single crystals were examined using cathodoluminescence to interrogate the changing electronic properties of ThO2 as it became an alloy. Both depth-resolved and temperature- dependent cathodoluminescence …


Multipactor Discharge In High Power Microwave Systems: Analyzing Effects And Mitigation Through Simulation In Icepic, Robert L. Lloyd Mar 2013

Multipactor Discharge In High Power Microwave Systems: Analyzing Effects And Mitigation Through Simulation In Icepic, Robert L. Lloyd

Theses and Dissertations

Single surface multipactor in high power microwave systems was investigated computationally and analytically. The research focused upon understanding the cause and parametric dependence of the multipactor process leading to suggested methods of mitigation. System damage due to reaction was also assessed. All simulations were performed using the PIC code developed by AFRL, known as ICEPIC. In recreating the susceptibility curves that define regions of multipactor growth and decay, a discrepancy was found between previous published results and those observed in the current simulation. This was attributed to previous simulations not accounting for the magnetic component in the electromagnetic radiation incident …


Cesium Absorption Spectrum Perturbed By Argon: Observation Of Non-Lorentzian Far Wings, Gordon E. Lott Mar 2012

Cesium Absorption Spectrum Perturbed By Argon: Observation Of Non-Lorentzian Far Wings, Gordon E. Lott

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to observe the core and far wing absorption spectra of the D1 and D2 lines of cesium (Cs) perturbed by argon (Ar). A 1.33 m scanning monochromator with a PMT detector was used to measure the spectra from 8300 Å to 9100 Å. A heat pipe was used to control the Cs concentration and Ar pressure allowing for a broad range of spectra to be collected. Spectra were collected for heat pipe temperatures of 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 and 175 °C, corresponding to Cs concentrations of approximately 6×1011, 4×10 …


Characterization And Discrimination Of Large Caliber Gun Blast And Flash Signatures, Bryan J. Steward Dec 2011

Characterization And Discrimination Of Large Caliber Gun Blast And Flash Signatures, Bryan J. Steward

Theses and Dissertations

Two hundred and one firings of three 152 mm howitzer munitions were observed to characterize firing signatures of a large caliber gun. Muzzle blast expansion was observed with high-speed (1600 Hz) optical imagery. The trajectory of the blast front was well approximated by a modified point-blast model described by constant rate of energy deposition. Visible and near-infrared (450 - 850 nm) spectra of secondary combustion were acquired at 0.75 nm spectral resolution and depict strong contaminant emissions including Li, Na, K, Cu, and Ca. The O2 (X-b) absorption band is evident in the blue wing of the potassium D lines …


Effect Of Storm Enhanced Densities On Geo-Location Accuracy Over Conus, Lindon H. Steadman Sep 2011

Effect Of Storm Enhanced Densities On Geo-Location Accuracy Over Conus, Lindon H. Steadman

Theses and Dissertations

Storm enhanced densities (SEDs) are ionospheric plasma enhancements that disrupt radio communications in the near-Earth space environment, degrading the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other key technologies. Accurate GPS/total electron content (TEC) correction maps produced by ionosphere models can mitigate degradations from SEDs. An artificial SED was created and ingested via slant TEC measurements into the Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements Gauss-Markov Kalman Filter Model to determine how many ground GPS receivers are needed to produce reliable GPS/TEC correction maps over the continental United States during geomagnetic storming. It was found that 110 well-positioned GPS receivers produced the best overall …


Sensitivity Analysis Of Empirical Parameters In The Ionosphere-Plasmasphere Model, Janelle V. Jenniges Mar 2011

Sensitivity Analysis Of Empirical Parameters In The Ionosphere-Plasmasphere Model, Janelle V. Jenniges

Theses and Dissertations

A sensitivity analysis of empirical parameters used in physics-based models was completed in this study to determine their effect on electron densities and total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere. The model used was the Ionosphere-Plasmasphere Model (IPM) developed by Utah State University. The empirical parameters studied include the O+/O collision frequency, zonal wind, secondary electron production, nighttime ExB drifts, and tidal structure. The sensitivity analysis was completed by comparing a default run of the IPM to a run with the parameter adjusted for three geophysical cases. Many of the comparisons resulted in nonlinear changes to the model …


Integration Of A Worldwide Atmospheric Based Model With A Live Virtual Constructive Simulation Environment, David B. Simmons Mar 2011

Integration Of A Worldwide Atmospheric Based Model With A Live Virtual Constructive Simulation Environment, David B. Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

Yearly DoD spends millions of dollars on Modeling and Simulation tools in order to accomplish two fundamental tasks: make better decisions and develop better skills. Simulators that are based on realistic models enable the USAF to properly train, educate, and employ military forces. LEEDR is an atmospheric model based on worldwide historic weather data that is able to predict the extinction, absorption, and scattering of radiation across a broad range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Through this study LEEDR models the propagation of 1.0642 micron laser radiation at worldwide locations and through various environmental conditions. This modeled laser transmission output, based …


Passive Ranging Of Dynamic Rocket Plumes Using Infrared And Visible Oxygen Attenuation, Robert Anthony Vincent Mar 2011

Passive Ranging Of Dynamic Rocket Plumes Using Infrared And Visible Oxygen Attenuation, Robert Anthony Vincent

Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric oxygen absorption bands in observed spectra of boost phase missiles can be used to accurately estimate range from sensor to target. This work compares two oxygen absorption bands in the near-infrared (NIR) and visible (Vis) spectrum, centered at 762nm and 690 nm, to passively determine range. Spectra were observed from static tests of both surface-to-air missile simulators at 405m range and a full-scale solid rocket motor at 900m range. The NIR O2 band provided range estimates accurate to within 3% for both tests, while the Vis O2 band had range errors of 77% and 15 %, respectively. …


Improving Low Order, Linear, Positive Spatial Quadratures For The Partial Current Neutron Transport Method, John M. Snyder Mar 2010

Improving Low Order, Linear, Positive Spatial Quadratures For The Partial Current Neutron Transport Method, John M. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

AFIT researchers have developed a new approach to solving Discrete Ordinates equations, which approximate the linear Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE). The usual approach is von Neumann iteration on the scattering source, which requires repeated sweeps through the spatial-angular grid. Acceptable convergence requires complicated and expensive acceleration schemes. The new approach, Partial-Current Transport (PCT) with Adaptive Distribution Iteration, eliminates scattering source iteration through matrix inversions and a reduced-size global linear algebra problem. It creates the needed matrices directly from the standard spatial quadratures used in the sweeping. Positivity, linearity, and (higher-than-first-order) accuracy are the key desirable qualities with all Discrete Ordinates …


Rubidium Recycling In A High Intensity Short Duration Pulsed Alkali Laser, Wooddy S. Miller Mar 2010

Rubidium Recycling In A High Intensity Short Duration Pulsed Alkali Laser, Wooddy S. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Laser induced fluorescence was used to study how pump pulse duration and alkali recycle time effects maximum power output in a Diode Pumped Alkali Laser (DPAL) system. A high intensity short pulsed pump source was used to excited rubidium atoms inside a DPAL-type laser. The maximum output power of the laser showed a strong dependence upon the temporal width of the pump pulse in addition to the input pump intensity. A linear relationship was observed between the maximum output power and the pulse width due to the effective lifetime of the excited state, defined as the time it takes for …


Electron Multipactor: Theory Review, Comparison And Modeling Of Mitigation Techniques In Icepic, Neil G. Rogers Mar 2009

Electron Multipactor: Theory Review, Comparison And Modeling Of Mitigation Techniques In Icepic, Neil G. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Mitigation approaches for single surface multipactor at dielectric windows are investigated using Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations. Initially baseline susceptibility diagrams are constructed analytically and compared with self-consistent, dynamic system trajectories. The power deposited on the surface of a dielectric window in an HPM system is considered using three different methods and the results of PIC simulations. Geometric mitigation is then considered by varying the window orientation with respect to the HPM electric held. Small angular deviations, less than 20 degrees, from the nominal case of normal incidence show dramatic changes in the susceptibility diagram. A materials approach to mitigation is then …


Parallel Fast Multipole Method For Molecular Dynamics, Reid G. Ormseth Jun 2007

Parallel Fast Multipole Method For Molecular Dynamics, Reid G. Ormseth

Theses and Dissertations

We report on a parallel version of the Fast Multipole Method (FMM) implemented in the classical molecular dynamics code, NAMD (Not Another Molecular Dynamics program). This novel implementation of FMM aims to minimize interprocessor communication through the modification of the FMM grid to match the hybrid force and spatial decomposition scheme already present in NAMD. This new implementation has the benefit of replacing all-to-all communications broadcasts with direct communications between nearest neighbors. This results in a significant reduction in the amount of communication compared to earlier attempts to integrate FMM into common molecular dynamics programs. The early performance of FMM …


Reproducibility Distinguishability And Correlation Of Fireball And Shockwave Dynamics In Explosive Munitions Detonations, Bryan J. Steward Mar 2006

Reproducibility Distinguishability And Correlation Of Fireball And Shockwave Dynamics In Explosive Munitions Detonations, Bryan J. Steward

Theses and Dissertations

The classification of battlespace detonations, specifically the determination of munitions type and size using temporal and spectral features of infrared emissions, is a particularly challenging problem. The intense infrared radiation produced by the detonation of high explosives is largely unstudied. Furthermore, the time-varying fireball imagery and spectra are driven by many factors including the type, size and age of the chemical explosive, method of detonation, interaction with the environment, and the casing used to enclose the explosive. To distinguish between conventional military munitions and improvised or enhanced explosives, the current study investigates fireball expansion dynamics using high speed, multi-band imagery. …


Prediction Of The Temporal Evolution Of Solar X-Ray Flares, Aaron J. Williams Mar 2006

Prediction Of The Temporal Evolution Of Solar X-Ray Flares, Aaron J. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

A solar flare is an explosive release of stored magnetic energy on the Sun. Much of this energy is converted into x-ray photons which escape into space. As a solar flare begins, the 1-8 Å x-ray photon flux at Earth’s orbit, as measured by the GOES satellite, rapidly increases. It quickly reaches a peak and slowly decays. A plot of this flux exhibits an approximate lognormal shape. A lognormal function becomes a normal, symmetric, function when the logarithm of the independent variable is taken. Once the peak flux is reached, this symmetry is used to make a prediction of the …


Electrical Activation Studies Of Silicon Implanted AlXGa1-XN, Timothy W. Zens Mar 2005

Electrical Activation Studies Of Silicon Implanted AlXGa1-XN, Timothy W. Zens

Theses and Dissertations

Electrical activation studies of silicon implanted AlxGa1-xN grown on sapphire substrates were conducted as a function of ion dose, anneal temperature, and anneal time. Silicon ion doses of 1x1013, 5x1013, and 1x1014 cm-2 were implanted in AlxGa1-xN samples with aluminum mole fractions of 0.1 and 0.2 at an energy of 200 keV at room temperature. The samples were proximity cap annealed at temperatures from 1100 to 1350 ºC and anneal times of 20 to 40 minutes with a 500 Å thick AlN cap in a nitrogen environment. The Hall coefficient …


Modeling The Infrared Intensity Of A Large Commercial Aircraft, Ruben Martinez Mar 2005

Modeling The Infrared Intensity Of A Large Commercial Aircraft, Ruben Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

Measuring the infrared signature of large civilian aircraft has become increasingly important due to the proliferation of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) and the increasing threat of their use by terrorists. Because of the range of these shoulder-fired weapons, most aircraft flying over 20,000 feet are safe from the threat; however, aircraft taking-off or landing are extremely vulnerable. A radiometric model was developed to simulate a large commercial aircraft’s infrared intensity during these two critical phases of flight. The radiometric model was largely based on the dimensions of a Boeing 747-400 aircraft. It is capable of simulating elevation angles between …


Daytime Detection Of Space Objects, Alistair D. Funge Mar 2005

Daytime Detection Of Space Objects, Alistair D. Funge

Theses and Dissertations

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) requires repeated object updates for orbit accuracy. Detection of unknown objects is critical. A daytime model was developed that evaluated sun flares and assessed thermal emissions from space objects. Iridium satellites generate predictable sun glints. These were used as a model baseline for daytime detections. Flares and space object thermal emissions were examined for daytime detection. A variety of geometric, material and atmospheric characteristics affected this daytime detection capability. In a photon noise limited mode, simulated Iridium flares were detected. The peak Signal-to- Noise Ratios (SNR) were 6.05e18, 9.63e5, and 1.65e7 for the nighttime, daytime and …


Limitations In Time Resolved Photoluminescence Of Gallium Nitride Using A Streak Camera, Thomas R. Jost Mar 2005

Limitations In Time Resolved Photoluminescence Of Gallium Nitride Using A Streak Camera, Thomas R. Jost

Theses and Dissertations

Semiconductor performance is often characterized in terms of the rate at which its carrier recombination processes occur. Carrier recombination, including radiative, and Shockley-Read-Hall and Auger (both nonradiative), occurs at ultra-fast times in the picosecond or femtosecond regimes. A device which can measure both spectral data and temporal phenomena at this speed is the streak camera. The capability to do time-resolved spectroscopy of wide band gap semiconductors using a streak camera has been established at AFIT for the first time. Time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) from samples of gallium nitride were measured at temperatures of 5 K over spectral bands of 36.6 …


Effect Of Multi-Mode Vibration On Signature Estimation Using A Laser Vibration Sensor, Ngoya Pepela Mar 2003

Effect Of Multi-Mode Vibration On Signature Estimation Using A Laser Vibration Sensor, Ngoya Pepela

Theses and Dissertations

A laser vibration sensor (LVS) can be used to determine the vibrational spectrum of targets such as vehicles using heterodyne laser Doppler velocimetry. The vibrational spectra of exterior skin of vehicles are known to have characteristic resonances due to the physical structure driven by motor gears and other moving parts. Each particular class of vehicle has a unique vibrational spectrum. This research shows how a body vibrating in higher order modes has the opportunity to eliminate spectral content of the target's vibrational spectrum while using an LVS to perform spectrum estimation. This is due to roughly equal amounts of laser …


Time-Resolved Photoluminescence Of Inas/Gainsb Quantum Well Lasers, Michael R. Mckay Jun 2001

Time-Resolved Photoluminescence Of Inas/Gainsb Quantum Well Lasers, Michael R. Mckay

Theses and Dissertations

In the world of semiconductor photonic device fabrication, one important objective may be to extract as much light as possible from the device. In these devices, photons are created when electrons recombine with holes by transitioning from a high-energy state to a lower one. Unfortunately, electron-hole recombination does not always result in the formation of a photon. There are three basic types of recombination: the first results in the formation of a photon and is called radiative recombination; and the second and third, known as Shockley-Read-Hall and Auger recombination, result in the heating of the device and do not produce …


Single-Sided Noninvasive Inspection Of Multielement Sample Using Fan-Beam Multiplexed Compton Scatter Tomography, Matthew A. Lange Jun 2001

Single-Sided Noninvasive Inspection Of Multielement Sample Using Fan-Beam Multiplexed Compton Scatter Tomography, Matthew A. Lange

Theses and Dissertations

As aircraft age, corrosion forms upon unobservable surfaces, particularly at the junction of the sheet aluminum and the steel rivets used to attach the sheets to the airframe, degrading the aircraft s airworthiness. Previous research developed a noninvasive technique for the evaluation of the material composition of aluminum surfaces, utilizing the information encoded in the energy spectra of Compton-scattered gamma emissions. The spectra are gathered by a six-element, high purity germanium detector array. A, first principles, deterministic computer code is used to reconstruct a two-dimensional map of the electron density of aluminum samples. Previous efforts, to image pure aluminum samples, …


Use Of Quantum Mechanical Calculations To Investigate Small Silicon Carbide Clusters, Jean W. Henry Mar 2001

Use Of Quantum Mechanical Calculations To Investigate Small Silicon Carbide Clusters, Jean W. Henry

Theses and Dissertations

Density Functional Theory (DFT) method was employed to model silicon carbide small clusters. Comparing the DFT calculation results with experimental results that observed by using photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), DFT predicts the same structures that experiment observed. For electron affinity, DFT results are in good agreement with experimental results, the root mean square negative offset 0.1 eV found using medium size of basis set (cc-pVDZ+) calculation. DFT results for vibrational frequencies are in good agreement with experiment results; the root mean square error is 72.5 cm-1 wave number. 16 ground state structures of SimCn (m ≤ 4, …