Other Physics Commons^™

Increasing The Density Value Of Composite Propellant Ap/Htpb/Al For Rocket Performance Using The Sphere Packing Model, Muhammad Iqbal Alfikri, Bayu Prianto, Ariadne Lakshmidevi Juwono

Makara Journal of Science

This research employs the sphere packing volume (SPV) model to optimize the density of composite propellants thereby enhancing rocket performance. We systematically varied the diameters of spherical ammonium perchlorate (AP) particles (50 and 400 µm) and aluminum powder (Al) particles (10 and 30 µm). These particles were incorporated at an ideal AP:Al ratio of 4:1 into a matrix of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene and toluene diisocyanate. By adjusting the AP ratio for each Al particle size and considering theoretical and tap densities, we precisely calculated the SPV value for each composition. The composition with the highest SPV value yielded remarkable results. This …

How Far Do A Smile And A Hand Held Tight Reach? Children’S Play As A Transdisciplinary Predictor Of The Trajectory Of Physicochemical Processes On Atomic, Molecular And Cellular Scales, Evangelina Wu Uskoković, Theo Wu Uskoković, Vuk Uskoković

Administration and Staff Articles and Research

The search for an intrinsically beautiful scientific project took two children and their parent to over 600 visits of 181 playgrounds scattered throughout northern, central and southern California over the period of more than three years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that children’s happiness and fondness for communication at playgrounds could be used, through complexity and entropy as intermediary quantities, as predictors of the evolution of physical, chemical and biological phenomena on microscopic scales ranging from the atomic to the cellular. Specifically, a link was sought between the children’s responses at play and the reaction paths of physicochemical …

Raman Spectroscopy Characterisation Of 5c Potency Of Homoeopathic Drugs Nux Vomica, Thuja Occidentalis And Nitricum Acidum, Alfonso Tramontana, Giuseppe Acri, Lucia Denaro, Massimo Mattozzi, Maria Antonietta D'Avanzo, Barbara Testagrossa

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Background: The physicochemical characterisation of homoeopathic medicines remains a challenge. Raman spectroscopy is a promising tool for identifying structural modifications in the solvent matrix and specific vibrational ``fingerprints'' induced by the potentisation process. Objective: This study aimed to characterise three remedies (Nux vomica, Thuja occidentalis, and Nitricum acidum - 5C potencies) using Raman spectroscopy to identify specific vibrational markers and evaluate the technique's ability to differentiate between different preparations within a complex matrix. Materials and methods: The drugs were analysed as crushed granules (solid state) and after dissolution in betamethasone disodium phosphate (liquid state). Raman spectroscopy was …

Analysis Of The Influence Of Anthropometric Dimensions Of Postural Ergonomics Using Multiple Linear Regression, Gashbeen Faisal Najmaddin, Edrees Muhammed Tahir Harki

Al-Bahir

Ergonomics is the study of designing and arranging a workspace or product to optimize the “fit” between people and their work, ensuring safety, comfort, and efficiency. The scientific literature indicates that ergonomic perspectives on the workplace are connected to the anthropometrics of societies. This study primarily aims to create a model that integrates multiple predictive variables to estimate the target variable. Multiple linear regression analysis is used to identify how different anthropometric dimensions predict postural ergonomics during prolonged sitting. Based on the regression models’ results, the predicted can be calculated using user anthropometry and existing chair dimensions. Furthermore, the primary …

Mesoscopic Scaling Of Microwave Transmittance And Disorder-Induced Alignment, Israel Kurtz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis presents microwave measurements and numerical simulations of wave propagation and transmission through random mesoscopic waveguides. We analyze the scaling of mesoscopic microwave conductance, including departures from Ohm’s law near channel openings, which are frequencies at which new propagating modes enter the system, and the evolution of modal phase alignment within the medium, which leads to the observed diversity of transmission eigenvalues. We extend the transmission matrix formalism to all sample depths using the flux matrix, which relates the flux amplitude within the sample to the incident flux, and decompose the flux at each sample depth into forward- and …

Modeling Kinetics Of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid-Induced Protoporphyrin Ix Accumulation For Optimal Photodynamic Therapy, Priscilla Melebor

Graduate Masters Theses

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive treatment that uses light-activated photosensitizers to selectively destroy diseased tissue through the generation of reactive oxygen species. However, conventional in vitro models often fail to accurately reproduce the pharmacokinetics of photosensitizer accumulation and clearance observed in vivo. This study investigated protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) accumulation following 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) exposure under physiologically relevant conditions using two-dimensional (2D) monolayers and three-dimensional (3D) spheroids. By comparing continuous ALA exposure with transient exposure followed by ALA washout, this work provides a more biologically relevant framework for studying PpIX kinetics and optimizing photodynamic therapy.

The Inverse Elasto-Acoustic Problem, Patrick Grice

Dissertations

A stable and numerically efficient boundary integral method formulation of the elasto-acoustic problem is presented, based on Fourier analysis. The method generalizes well to multiple scattering. The Frechet derivative of the elasto-acoustic problem with respect to shape perturbations is derived, and geometric flow theory is used to design stable numerical methods for the simulation of moving boundaries. The shape derivative is used to define a regularized Gauss-Newton algorithm for shape fitting of elasto-acoustic scatterers.

Development Of Quantum Cryptographic Algorithm For Next Generation Secure Systems, Gururaja Ts Mr

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid advancement of digital communication and quantum technologies are developing at an accelerated pace makes cybersecurity and data protection a big challenge. The traditional cryptographic methods are increasingly under attack by phishing, brute force, cryptanalytic attack and threats of quantum computing. This research presents a quantum-secure communication based on Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG), Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Quantum Image Encryption (QIE) and secure quantum key access using a dongle-based hardware.

QRNG models were designed in the quantum simulator and hardware. The sequences produce high entropy and they passed the statistical randomness tests with p-values higher than 0.01 indicates …

Field-Like- And Self-Spin-Orbit Torques In Magnetic Multilayer Films, Kyle Jeffrey Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spin-orbit torques (SOTs) have been realized as an energy efficient mechanism to manipulate and drive magnetization dynamics in magnetic multilayer films. Their damping-like and field-like components provide distinct pathways for controlling the magnetization, enabling switching, sustaining magneto-oscillations, and driving domain-wall motion with potential applications in nonvolatile memory, spin-based logic, and microwave signal generation. However, the accurate quantification and interpretation of these torques remains complicated by experimental sensitivity, the co-symmetry of the Oersted field and the effective field due to the field-like torque, and assumptions regarding the material layers from which the torques originate. The body of work set forth in …

Demonstrating Superresolution In Radar Range Estimation Using A Denoising Autoencoder, Robert Czupryniak, Abhishek Chakraborty, Andrew N. Jordan, John C. Howell

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We apply machine learning methods to demonstrate radar range superresolution using a denoising autoencoder trained without supervision. Focusing on the estimation of a single physical parameter, the separation between two scatterers in the subwavelength regime, we constrain the network to a one-dimensional bottleneck layer with its size matched to the parameter dimensionality. We find that the bottleneck layer forms a reproducible, monotonic mapping with the true separation, showing that the network learns a low-dimensional representation directly aligned with the underlying physical parameter. We further show that this representation preserves the Fisher information of the signal, indicating that the network recovers …

Rockin’ Rover On The Rainbow Road, Michael Kolta, Lawrence Burgee, Ying Yuan

Transformations

This paper presents a progressive series of age-appropriate lesson plans for grades K-12 that all use the same interdisciplinary activity to educate students about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) simultaneously. Technology from Texas Instruments (TI) was employed including a TI Nspire graphing calculator that can run Python programs, a TI Innovator Hub, and a TI Rover. The TI Rover is a small, robotic car that has sensors and is controlled by the calculator via the Hub hardware interface. A Python program was developed that uses the color sensor in the Rover to detect the color on colored paper …

Measuring Cosmic Expansion From Early To Late Times Using Quasars, Galaxies, & Local Supernovae, Rajeev Vaisakh

Physics Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the evolution of cosmic expansion across a wide redshift ($z$) range by combining measurements from quasars \& galaxies in the distant universe $(z > 0.8)$ with those obtained from stripped-core collapse supernovae observations from the nearby universe $(z < 0.1)$. Using the DESI spectroscopic survey, we analyze large-scale clustering from quasars over $0.8 < z < 2.1$ and emission line galaxies over $0.8 < z < 1.6$, contributing to DESI DR2 BAO and full-shape measurements of cosmic expansion and structure growth. Combined with BBN in flat $\Lambda$CDM, DESI DR2 BAO gives $H_0 = 68.51 \pm 0.58$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$, while combinations of DESI BAO with CMB and supernova data show a preference for evolving dark energy, with representative constraints such as $w_0 = -0.752 \pm 0.057$ and $w_a = -0.86^{+0.23}_{-0.20}$ for DESI+CMB+DESY5. Using the ROTSE-III Supernova Survey and the expanding photosphere method (EPM), we measure distances to a sample of six supernovae for which the thermal phase can be clearly identified. This analysis focuses on testing whether reliable EPM distances can be obtained for this population. The resulting distances will eventually be compared with independent estimates from the literature. Establishing consistency with these external measurements represents an important step toward applying this methodology to larger samples, with the eventual goal of using ROTSE supernova distances to provide an independent measurement of the local Hubble constant.

Ai-Driven Segmentation And Volumetric Response Modeling Of Liver Regions To Radiotherapy, Aashish Chandra Gupta

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

In liver-directed radiotherapy (RT), liver regions receiving higher doses typically undergo atrophy while contralateral/adjacent lower-dose regions may exhibit compensatory hypertrophy through regeneration of healthy tissue. Optimizing the RT plan to promote regional hypertrophy while minimizing the risk of developing atrophy has the potential to enhance post-RT liver function and long-term survivorship. However, current clinical practice largely relies on global liver dose-volume metrics during RT-planning, which may obscure favorable dose-response correlation and limit actionable guidance for clinicians. Therefore, we hypothesized that post-RT regional liver response is governed by a combination of region-specific dose-volume and patient clinical features, and that these responses …

Measurements And Studies For Rare Event Searches Using Directional Detectors, Elizabeth Tilly

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Measuring topology and initial direction of low-energy (keV-MeV) particle tracks is interesting to rare-event searches. While directional dark matter searches have been one of the largest drivers for R&D for low-energy directional detectors, this work is interested in its application to Migdal searches. The Migdal effect—a nuclear recoil and an electron recoil sharing a vertex—has been used as a detection channel for low-mass dark matter but has only recently been measured. Low-energy directional detectors are ideal to measure the canonic Migdal topology. This dissertation discusses 3D reconstruction algorithms developed for the Migdal In Galactic Dark mAtter expLoration (MIGDAL) experiment and …

Phase-Resolved Measurement And Arbitrary Mode Conversion Of Structured Light, Somayeh Ghazanfarpour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a single-shot phase and amplitude retrieval technique based on spatial light modulator (SLM)-based digital holography. The proposed method enables accurate reconstruction of complex optical fields from a single interferogram, reducing sensitivity to environmental fluctuations and improving experimental stability compared to conventional multi-shot approaches. In addition, a programmable arbitrary mode converter is developed using SLM-based wavefront shaping. By introducing controlled astigmatism and engineering the differential Gouy phase between orthogonal components, the system enables flexible transformation between structured light modes, including Hermite–Gaussian and Laguerre–Gaussian beams. Numerical results demonstrate reliable phase recovery and efficient mode conversion, validating the performance of …

Electrical Resistivity Tomography Investigation Of Hard Rock Aquifers In The Salinian Block, Roxanne C. Chambers

Physics

Identifying a productive groundwater source in hard rock terrain is often a challenge. Conventional hard rock aquifer models commonly describe a weathering derived layered system consisting of a laminated layer, an underlying fractured zone, and a competent granitic basement. This study investigates the applicability of this conceptual model at Lockshaw Ranch, a granitic site within the Salinian Block of central California located near the Rinconada Fault.

Previous electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys and time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) data were integrated with a newly acquired ERT profile (ERT-06) are used to characterize the subsurface structure and identify potential groundwater bearing zones. …

Experimental Methods For Cryogenic Rare Event Detection: Cuore And Cupid, Alessandro Libenson

Physics

This senior project was written with the primary purpose of serving as a introductory guide for undergraduate students learning about the experimental methods used in the CUORE and CUPID Collaborations. In particular, this project is geared towards getting students in Dr. Gutierrez's research group at Cal Poly up to speed on what CUORE and CUPID actually do. I wrote this as an undergraduate aiming to help future undergraduates. For Cal Poly students, I would suggest the following prerequisites before reading this paper: Electronics and Instrumentation, Quantum Laboratory 1, and the equivalent of the coding/analysis class. It is also important to …

Commissioning And Validation Of An Electron Treatment Planning System: Following Mppg.5.B Guidelines, Hailey N. Reaux

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to commission and validate the electron treatment planning system ElectronRT (eRT) (.decimal, Sanford, FL) for clinical use following the recommendations outlined in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Medical Physics Practice Guideline (MPPG) 5.b (2022). The system’s ability to accurately calculate electron dose distributions was evaluated under normal and oblique beam incidence, varying field sizes and source-to-surface distances (SSDs), and irregular surface geometries.

Methods: The eRT beam model was configured using commissioning data from an Elekta Infinity linear accelerator at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (MBPCC). Validation measurements were performed for …

The Yorp Effect In Reboundx, Kaelyn Clement

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Yarkovsky-O’Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) effect is a radiation-induced torque that can affect the spin and rotational obliquity of small bodies. It has been observed to alter the rotation rate of asteroids in the Solar System (Lowry et al. 2007; Taylor et al. 2007). Under extreme circumstances, YORP can cause a body to fragment, inducing a cascade of fissions. This effect may be important in driving the pollution of white dwarf atmospheres in conjunction with other radiative forces. I developed a YORP calculator for REBOUNDX (Tamayo et al. 2020), an extensional library to the N-body integrator REBOUND (Rein & Liu 2012). I …

Modeling Velocity Distributions Of Interstellar Neutral Hydrogen In The Heliosphere, Lucas Robert Dyke

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

As interstellar neutral hydrogen (ISN H) is the most abundant neutral element in the helio- sphere, the region within which the solar wind interacts with the portion of the interstellar medium through which our solar system moves through, it is integral that we aim to under- stand its many properties and interactions within this region. This work details the synthesis and use of a model of ISN H, using trajectory methods to backtrace from a target point at a radial distance of 1 au where explorer probes like Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) and Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) reside. …

Automated Analysis Of Radiation Oncology Incident Reports Using Large Language Models, Nathan A. Dobranski

LSU Master's Theses

Patient safety incident reporting in radiation oncology requires expert analysis that is time-intensive and subject to variability. This thesis presents the development and technical validation of a locally deployed large language model (LLM) system for automated incident report analysis across multiple cancer centers. The system was designed for automated summarization and taxonomy assignment of Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System (RO-ILS) reports, operating entirely on local infrastructure to preserve patient privacy. A two-round, multi-rater evaluation methodology was employed, incorporating 600 total expert evaluations from two academic cancer centers. Round 1 established baseline performance using Mistral 7B and Mixtral 8x7B models with …

The Trouble Of Energy: Theoretical Foundations Of Loop Quantum Gravity, Hallie Gift

Senior Honors Theses

While general relativity and quantum mechanics have proved to be successful theories with elegant explanations of special cases, an underlying theory is needed to harmonize their copious discrepancies. Popular theories to reconcile the two are broadly termed “quantum gravity,” which refers to theories that introduce a discretized component of gravity either by directly suggesting gravitational quanta or attempting to discretize spacetime geometry. Loop quantum gravity falls under the latter category; it respects the background independence intrinsic to general relativity while attempting to provide an explanation of underlying quantum behavior via Planck-scale-level geometrical discretization. This thesis aims to provide a primer …

Search For Slow-Moving Magnetic Monopoles With An Improved High-Energy Event Removal Algorithm, Reeshi N. Gihosal

Honors Theses

Fermilab’s NOvA (NuMI Off-axis 𝑣𝑒 Appearance) experiment focuses on understanding the behavior of neutrinos and how they affect the cosmos. A sub-focus of the NOvA experiment is the search for magnetic monopoles. These elusive particles have not yet been observed in nature, leaving their behavior to be mysterious. The Far Detector, located in Ash River, MN, is integral in the search for these particles. This project is on simulated magnetic monopoles with speeds thousandths the speed of light, with focus on the role of slicing algorithms in event reconstruction using the NOvA experiment’s reconstruction algorithm. Using sample data, analysis occurred …

Between Chronicle And Legend: A Two-Scene Environment And Visual Effects Examination Of Physical Accuracy And Emotional Exaggeration On The Honey Creek Bridge Collapse, Alison R. Gaddy

All Theses

This thesis explores how truth and dramatization intersect in digital storytelling by comparing realistic and stylized simulations of the Honey Creek bridge collapse within the context of the Kate Shelley animated short. At the core of storytelling lies a tension between factual accuracy and dramatic stylization. We investigate that tension by examining how narrative truth is conveyed, distorted, or enhanced through visual dramatization by focusing on the psychology of audience perception and the motivations behind creative embellishment. The practical contribution of this research is the development of two distinct digital scene setups depicting the same Honey Creek bridge collapse event. …

From Vibration To Visualization: Building An Real-Time Audio Visualization System For Learning And Exploration Using Pyqt5, Aidan Roach

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This paper presents the design, development, and analysis of my real-time audio visualization system created entirely in Python using PyQt5, called WaveCatcher. The system captures live audio input from a microphone and provides simultaneous visual feedback through multiple signal representations: including a time-domain waveform, a frequency-domain FFT spectrum, a scrolling spectrogram, harmonic peak visualization, dynamic range, amplitude envelope, spectral centroid, and spectral bandwidth. These features offer insight not just into the raw structure of sound, but into how humans perceive its qualities–like timbre! This terminology may seem intimidating—it certainly was when I first began learning it—but I’ll explain all of …

Form And Fusion: The Art And Science Of Ceramics And Glass, Juniper J. Bauroth-Sherman, Kaleigh Evans

Interdivisional Studies Presentations

The first Ceramics & Art class (IDS-110-F: ST: Ceramics) has completed an immersive, interdisciplinary exploration of stained glass and we’re excited to showcase it now. Through hands-on studio work, experiments, and design projects, we combined artistic expression with the science of glass—learning how physics and chemistry shape everything from color to strength and light interaction. The students have developed practical skills in cutting, grinding, foiling, soldering, and assembling stained-glass pieces, while also experimenting with thermal stress, light transmission, and color chemistry. Glass is now understood as not just as an art form, but as a dynamic material grounded in scientific …

Fourier Analysis Of Electronic Synthesizer Waveforms, Jiayan Ling, Jack W. Maseberg

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

We compute Fourier series coefficients for some standard electronic synthesizer waveforms and provide plots of our results.

Energy Scaling And Frequency Ratios Of Particles And Constants, Alison Christina Menzmer, Donald Chakeres, Vola Andrianarijaona

Campus Research Month

We are exploring quantum aspects of various physical quantities (including Bohr radius, Rydberg constant, Planck time, and Hubble constant) and mass energies of elementary particles (including electron, neutron, and quarks). We express all physical units in an energy equivalence in Hertz, normalized to 1 Hz. Furthermore, the logarithms of these normalized energies are scaled by the logarithm of a chosen particle, which allows the generation of an Arrhenius plot exhibiting numerical structures. Our results presented in this poster show that the proton is a good candidate for an Arrhenius plot with partial fractions (1 + 1/n) and (1 - 1/n).

Tensegrity Across Biological Scales, V. M. Andrianarijaona

Campus Research Month

Over the past two decades, biology has undergone a profound conceptual shift. Living systems are no longer viewed strictly as biochemical networks; they are now understood as mechanically integrated, energy-dissipating, nonequilibrium systems governed by physical laws. Tensegrity—structural stability derived from a balance of pre-stressed tension and compression—provides the essential linking framework between molecular architecture and organismal function. This approach moves beyond "chemistry-only" models to explain how biological integrity and "mechanotransduction" (the conversion of physical force into biochemical signals) emerge from hierarchical, force-regulated networks.

Developing A Workforce To Build A Star On Earth, Vola Andrianarijaona, Angelina Castillo, Sean Walters

Campus Research Month

This study is meant to help understand why fusion has remained "30 years away" for decades and why that may finally be changing.We see nuclear fusion not merely as a physics phenomenon, but as a complex engineering challenge requiring coordination across different disciplines, including physics, materials science, electrical and mechanical engineering, systems engineering, robotics, and computer science, etc. Indeed, nuclear fusion is not just about "making atoms fuse"—it's about controlling, powering, measuring, and stabilizing one of the most extreme environments humans have ever built. Advances in superconducting magnets, new materials are bringing fusion closer to reality than ever before, and …