Other Physics Commons^™

Refrigerator With Phonon Filters: An Application Of The Phonon Deficit Effect In Superconducting Tunnel Junctions, G. G. Melkonyan, Armen Gulian

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Nonequilibrium phenomena in thin solid films can result in cooling effects. These types of effects were predicted theoretically a while ago, and only recently were demonstrated experimentally in superconductor-insulator-normal metal (SIN) tunnel junctions. Since then, there is a growing interest in tunneling effects for the purpose to develop on-chip refrigerators. Thin film devices have the advantage of being extremely compact, operate in a continuous mode, dissipate little power, and can easily be integrated in cryogenic detectors. Currently these refrigerators can generate cooling in the order of 100 mK in an environment of 0.3–0.5 K. There are reasons to expect that …

Measurement Of The Nonlinear Refractive Index (N2) And Stimulated Raman Scattering In Optical Fibers As A Function Of Germania Content, Using The Photorefractive Beam Coupling Technique, Ferdinand Anayo Oguama

Dissertations

One of the greatest challenges in optical communication is the understanding and control of optical fiber nonlinearities. While these nonlinearites limit the power handling capacity of optical fibers and can cause noise, signal distortion and cross talk in optically amplified transmission systems, they have been equally harnessed for the development of new generations of optical amplifiers and tunable laser sources. The two prominent parameters that characterize the nonlinear properties of an optical fiber are the nonlinear refractive index n₂ and the Raman gain coefficient g_R. These parameters are related to the third order nonlinear susceptibility [x^{(3) …}

Understanding The Origins Of Metastability In Thin Film Growth; Tantalum And The Early Group Vb-Vib Metals, Neme Okechukwu Nnolim

Dissertations

Tantalum (Ta) is a metal that is highly prized for its applications in a variety of industries, including the microelectronics industry, where it is largely used in thin film modifications in order to achieve various electronic, magnetic and structural capabilities in solid-state devices. Ta frequently forms metastable phases, including the well-known ß-phase, during the preparation of thin Ta films by standard film deposition methods such as sputtering and electro-deposition. In order to gain insight into Ta metastable phase formation, the Bain transformation mechanism is studied for Ta and the neighboring body centered cubic (bcc) transition metals in Groups 5 and …

Triplet Superconductors From The Viewpoint Of Basic Elements For Quantum Computers, Armen M. Gulian, Kent S. Wood

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We discuss possibilities of utilizing superconductors with Cooper condensates in triplet pairing states (where the spin of condensate pairs is S=1) for practical realization of quantum computers. Superconductors with triplet pairing condensates have features that are unique and cannot be found in the usual (singlet pairing, S=0) superconductors. The symmetry of the order parameter in some triplet superconductors (e.g., ruthenates) corresponds to doubly-degenerate chiral states. These states can serve as qubit base states for quantum computing.

High Pressure Effects On Electron Transport And Structure Of Colossal Magnetoresistive Materials, Congwu Cui

Dissertations

Pressure effects on the electronic, magnetic properties and structure of several typical colossal magnetoresistive manganites, La_0.60Y_0.07Ca_0.33MnO₃, Pr_1-xCa_xMn0₃ (X = 0.25, 0.30, 0.35), Nd_1-xSr_xMnO₃ (x = 0.45, 0.50), were explored through high pressure resistivity and structure measurements. It was shown that pressure up to ~7 GPa induces more complicated charge, spin and lattice state changes than in the low pressure range explored previously. In La_0.60Y_0.07Ca_0.33MnO₃, pressure induces a local atomic structure transformation at a critical …

Nonlinear Optical Properties Of Novel Nanostructured Ion Implanted Laser Ablated Silicon Using Femtosecond Pulse Excitation, Elaine Nicole Lalanne

Dissertations

The study of the nonlinear optical properties of novel nanostructured ion implanted and laser ablation of Silicon is motivated by the need for materials that exhibit large values of the real part of the third order nonlinear susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾_Re). This property is essential for light controlled phase or refractive index modulation at low power, where the optical properties are used for optical switching devices. Previous nanosecond (ns) measurements indicated values of-2.8 x 10 ^-5; esu ( γ = 532 nm) for χ⁽³⁾_Re.

The characterization of nonlinear optical properties of the samples was studied …

Application Of Adaptive Optics To The Spectroscopic Investigation Of Small-Scale Solar Structures, Klaus Hartkorn

Dissertations

We study bright points, umbral dots and the G-band using a two-dimensional spectrometer and an Adaptive Optics system, which allows us to record high-resolution dopplergrams and residual intensity images. We find evidence that bright points are smaller than 120 km in diameter. Bright points are situated exclusively in regions of enhanced G-band brightness and do not show a change in their shape or a displacement in their position of more than 120 km horizontally over a height range from 0 km to 320 km above photospheric level T = 1. We do not find velocity differences of more than 100 …

Wide Angle Achromatic Prism Beam Steering For Infrared Countermeasures Applications, Bradley D. Duncan, Philip J. Bos, Vassili Sergan

Electro-Optics and Photonics Faculty Publications

The design and analysis of achromatic doublet prisms for use in laser beam steering is presented. The geometric relationships describing the maximum steering angle are given, as are discussions of first- and second-order dispersion reduction. Infrared (IR) material alternatives and optimum IR material characteristics for wide-angle achromatic prism beam steering are also investigated. Sixteen materials in 120 different combinations have been examined to date. For midwave IR applications it is shown that the minimum dispersion currently achievable across the full 2 to 5 μm spectrum is 1.7816 mrad at an average maximum steering angle of 45 deg. This is accomplished …

Study Of Energy Sampling Weights In The Dø Detector Using Multiparameter Fitting Method, Qun Yu

Doctoral Dissertations

The DØ calorimeter at Fermilab is a sampling calorimeter measuring the energy of particles produced in high energy proton-antiproton collisions. A set of accurate sampling weights is of significant importance to DØ research activity. The objective of this work was to obtain a set of optimized sampling weights for the DØ central calorimeter, the Inter-Cryostat Detector (ICD), the Central Calorimeter Massless Gap (CCMG), and the End Calorimeter Massless Gap (ECMG).

The foundation of the optimization method is that, in high energy physics, the ratio of energy E and the corresponding momentum P of a particle is approximately 1, in units …

Index-Matched Boundary Techniques For The Elimination Of Acoustical Resonances, Jack H. Parker, Bradley D. Duncan

Electro-Optics and Photonics Faculty Publications

We extend the principle of optical index of refraction to apply the concept of acoustical index for transverse acoustical wave propagation in strings. The relationship between acoustical index and mass density of the acoustic material is developed. With this theoretical link established, classic index-matching techniques are explored at acoustical boundaries. Proper selection of boundary interface segments leads to the elimination of resonant vibrationalmodes that occur in rigidly supported strings, while maintaining the nonresonant vibration response.

A Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method For The Uehling-Uhlenbeck-Boltzmann Equation, Alejandro Garcia, W. Wagner

Faculty Publications

In this paper we describe a direct simulation Monte Carlo algorithm for the Uehling-Uhlenbeck-Boltzmann equation in terms of Markov processes. This provides a unifying framework for both the classical Boltzmann case as well as the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein cases. We establish the foundation of the algorithm by demonstrating its link to the kinetic equation. By numerical experiments we study its sensitivity to the number of simulation particles and to the discretization of the velocity space, when approximating the steady-state distribution.

Digital Image Processing, Russell C. Hardie, Majeed M. Hayat

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, digital images and digital image processing have become part of everyday life. This growth has been primarily fueled by advances in digital computers and the advent and growth of the Internet. Furthermore, commercially available digital cameras, scanners, and other equipment for acquiring, storing, and displaying digital imagery have become very inexpensive and increasingly powerful. An excellent treatment of digital images and digital image processing can be found in Ref. [1]. A digital image is simply a two-dimensional array of finite-precision numerical values called picture elements (or pixels). Thus a digital image is a spatially discrete (or discrete-space) …

Inverted Velocity Profile In The Cylindrical Couette Flow Of A Rarefied Gas, Alejandro Garcia, K. Aoki, H. Yoshida, T. Nakanishi

Faculty Publications

The cylindrical Couette flow of a rarefied gas is investigated, under the diffuse-specular reflection condition of Maxwell’s type on the cylinders, in the case where the inner cylinder is rotating whereas the outer cylinder is at rest. The inverted velocity profile for small accommodation coefficients, pointed out by Tibbs, Baras, and Garcia [Phys. Rev. E 56, 2282 (1997)] on the basis of a Monte Carlo simulation, is investigated extensively by means of a systematic asymptotic analysis for small Knudsen numbers as well as the direct numerical analysis of the Boltzmann equation, and the parameter range in which the phenomenon appears …

Thermoelectric Cooling At Cryogenic Temperatures, S. R. Harutyunyan, V. H. Vardanyan, A. S. Kuzanyan, V. R. Nikoghosyan, S. Kunii, K. S. Wood, Armen Gulian

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Experimental results demonstrating Peltier cooling below 10 K are reported, using crystals of the thermoelectric cerium hexaboride (CeB₆). Direct measurements of the Peltier cooling showed δT up to ∼0.2 K in magnitude at T∼4–5 K. All three kinetic parameters: resistivity (ρ), heat conductivity (k), and Seebeck coefficient (S), characterizing the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT=S²T/ρk, were measured, giving high-confidence results.

Measurement Of The Stochasticity Of Low-Latitude Geomagnetic Temporal Variations, Mark Anthony Reynolds, James A. Wanliss

Publications

Ground magnetometer measurements of total magnetic field strength from 6 stations at low latitudes were analyzed using power spectrum and Hurst range scaling techniques. The Hurst exponents for most of these time-series were near 0.5, which indicates stochasticity, with the highest latitude stations exhibiting some persistence with Hurst exponents greater than 0.6. Although no definite correlations are evident, the relative increase of the Hurst exponent with latitude suggests the possibility that the underlying dynamics of the magnetosphere change with latitude. This result may help quantify the dynamics of the inner magnetosphere itself without the direct presence of the solar wind …