Quantum Physics Commons^™

Longitudinal Solid Polarized Target For Clas12 And Study Of Spin Structure Of Nucleons, Pushpa Pandey

Physics Theses & Dissertations

A suite of experiments measuring target-spin observables in electron-nucleon scattering (dubbed Run Group C) was conducted at Jefferson Lab’s Hall B in Newport News, VA with a new polarized nuclear target known as ‘APOLLO’ (Ammonia Polarized Longitudinally). This innovative target is engineered to seamlessly integrate with the advanced 12 GeV CEBAF (Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility) accelerator and the Hall B CLAS12 (12 GeV CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer) detector array. The ‘APOLLO’ target harnesses the power of Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) to achieve longitudinal polarization of solid ammonia, thereby creating a net polarization in both protons (NH₃) and …

Design And Fabrication Of A Trapped Ion Quantum Computing Testbed, Christopher A. Caron

Masters Theses

Here we present the design, assembly and successful ion trapping of a room-temperature ion trap system with a custom designed and fabricated surface electrode ion trap, which allows for rapid prototyping of novel trap designs such that new chips can be installed and reach UHV in under 2 days. The system has demonstrated success at trapping and maintaining both single ions and cold crystals of ions. We achieve this by fabricating our own custom surface Paul traps in the UMass Amherst cleanroom facilities, which are then argon ion milled, diced, mounted and wire bonded to an interposer which is placed …

Femtotesla Magnetometry And Nanoscale Imaging With Color Centers In Diamond, Yaser Silani

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Intriguing photophysical properties of color centers in diamond make them ideal candidates for many applications from imaging and sensing to quantum networking. In the first part of this work, we have studied the silicon vacancy (SiV) centers in diamond for nanoscale imaging applications. We showed that these centers are promising fluorophores for Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy, owing to their photostable, near-infrared emission and favorable photophysical properties. In the second part, we built a femtotesla Radio-Frequency (RF) magnetometer based on the diamond nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers and magnetic flux concentrators. We used this sensor to remotely detect Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance …

Gate-Controlled Quantum Dots In Two-Dimensional Tungsten Diselenide And One-Dimensional Tellurium Nanowires, Shiva Davari Dolatabadi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work focuses on the investigation of gate-defined quantum dots in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide tungsten diselenide (WSe2) as a means to unravel mesoscopic physical phenomena such as valley-contrasting physics in WSe2 flakes and its potential application as qubit, as well as realizing gate-controlled quantum dots based on elementaltellurium nanostructures which may unlock the topological nature of the host material carriers such as Weyl states in tellurium nanowires.The fabrication and characterization of gate-defined hole quantum dots in monolayer and bilayer WSe2 are reported. The gate electrodes in the device design are located above and below the WSe2 nanoflakes to accumulate …

Compilation Optimizations To Enhance Resilience Of Big Data Programs And Quantum Processors, Travis D. Lecompte

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Modern computers can experience a variety of transient errors due to the surrounding environment, known as soft faults. Although the frequency of these faults is low enough to not be noticeable on personal computers, they become a considerable concern during large-scale distributed computations or systems in more vulnerable environments like satellites. These faults occur as a bit flip of some value in a register, operation, or memory during execution. They surface as either program crashes, hangs, or silent data corruption (SDC), each of which can waste time, money, and resources. Hardware methods, such as shielding or error correcting memory (ECM), …

Atomic Gradiometry Based On The Interference Of Microwave Optical Sidebands, Kaleb L. Campbell

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

We describe a novel pulsed magnetic gradiometer based on the optical interference of sidebands generated using two spatially separated alkali vapor cells. The sidebands are produced with high efficiency using parametric frequency conversion of a probe beam interacting with Rubiduim 87 atoms in a coherent superposition of magnetically sensitive hyperfine ground states. First, experimental evidence of the sideband process is described for both steady-state and pulsed operation. Then, a theoretical framework is developed that accurately models sideband generation based on density matrix formalism. The gradiometer is then constructed using two spatially separated vapor cells, and a beat-note is generated. The …

Characterization Of Electrophoretic Deposited Zinc Oxide Nanopartices For The Fabrication Of Next-Generation Nanoscale Electronic Applications, Fawwaz Abduh A. Hazzazi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Several reports state that it is crucial to analyze nanoscale semiconductor materials and devices with potential benefits to meet the need for next-generation nanoelectronics, bio, and nanosensors. The progress in the electronics field is as significant now, with modern technology constantly evolving and a greater focus on more efficient robust optoelectronic applications. This dissertation focuses on the study and examination of the practicality of Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) for use in semiconductor applications.

The feasibility of several synthesized electrolytes, with and without surfactants and APTES surface functionalization, is discussed. The primary objective of this study …

Methodologies For Quantum Circuit And Algorithm Design At Low And High Levels, Edison Tsai

Dissertations and Theses

Although the concept of quantum computing has existed for decades, the technology needed to successfully implement a quantum computing system has not yet reached the level of sophistication, reliability, and scalability necessary for commercial viability until very recently. Significant progress on this front was made in the past few years, with IBM planning to create a 1000-qubit chip by the end of 2023, and Google already claiming to have achieved quantum supremacy. Other major industry players such as Intel and Microsoft have also invested significant amounts of resources into quantum computing research.

Any viable computing system requires both hardware and …

Crystal Growth And Property Tuning Of Layered Magnetic Topological Semimetals, Krishna Pandey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The demand for energy-efficient devices has been growing rapidly due to the need for data-driven technologies and the global energy crisis. As device size approaches the atomic scale, the miniaturization of electronic devices may stop in the near future unless fundamentally new materials or device concepts are developed. The emergent topological materials with exotic properties show remarkable robustness against crystal lattice defects, which are promising for next-generation technology. These materials host exotic properties such as high mobility, large magnetoresistance, chiral anomaly, and surface Fermi arcs, etc. Among various topological materials, the ZrSiS-family materials exhibit two types of Dirac states, which …

Co-Planar Waveguides For Microwave Atom Chips, Morgan Logsdon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis describes research to develop co-planar waveguides (CPW) for coupling microwaves from mm-scale coaxial cables into 50 μm-scale microstrip transmission lines of a microwave atom chip. This new atom chip confines and manipulates atoms using spin-specific microwave AC Zeeman potentials and is particularly well suited for trapped atom interferometry. The coaxial-to-microstrip coupler scheme uses a focused CPW (FCPW) that shrinks the microwave field mode while maintaining a constant 50 Ω impedance for optimal power coupling. The FCPW development includes the simulation, design, fabrication, and testing of multiple CPW and microstrip prototypes using aluminum nitride substrates. Notably, the FCPW approach …

Effects Of Vacancies And Electron Temperature On The Electron Phonon Coupling In Cubic Silicon Carbide And Their Connection To The Inelastic Thermal Spike, Salah Al-Smairat

Doctoral Dissertations

“The electron-phonon interaction is an important interaction in many solids as it influences transport phenomena and related quantities such as the electrical and thermal conductivities, especially in nuclear and space applications. The importance of the electron-phonon interaction in primary damage production in 3C-SiC is the subject of this research.

The electron-phonon coupling factor was calculated using a hybrid Density Functional Perturbation Theory - Classical Electron Gas model. The coupling factor was calculated as a function of electron temperature in pristine and defective 3C-SiC, and relaxed defective cells. The electron-phonon coupling is found to depend strongly on the electronic temperature and …

Intracavity Phase Interferometry Based Fiber Sensors, Luke Jameson Horstman

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Intracavity Phase Interferometry (IPI) is a detection technique that exploits the inherent sensitivity of a laser's frequency to the parameters of its cavity. Intracavity interferometry is orders of magnitude more sensitive than its extracavity alternatives. This dissertation improves on previous free-space proof-of-concept designs. By implementing the technique in fiber optics, using optical parametric oscillation, and investigating non-Hermitian quantum mechanics and dispersion tailoring enhancement techniques, IPI has become more applicable and sensitive. Ring and linear IPI configurations were realized in this work, both operating as bidirectional fiber optical parametric oscillators. The benefit of using externally pumped synchronous optical parametric oscillation is …

Hybrid Two Dimensional Quantum Devices, Joshua Patrick Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes measurements on hybrid material systems involving two dimensional (2D) materials and phenomena along with the development of a small, hermetically sealed cell. The hermetic cell is designed to assist with analyzing sensitive 2D materials outside of an inert environment. When working with van der Waals materials that are especially sensitive to oxygen or water, it can be difficult to identify usable thin flakes without exposing them to air. To help preserve materials for analysis in air, a capsule was designed that isolates the material in an inert environment. Although the capsule is hermetically sealed, the encapsulated material …

Quantum State Estimation And Tracking For Superconducting Processors Using Machine Learning, Shiva Lotfallahzadeh Barzili

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Quantum technology has been rapidly growing; in particular, the experiments that have been performed with superconducting qubits and circuit QED have allowed us to explore the light-matter interaction at its most fundamental level. The study of coherent dynamics between two-level systems and resonator modes can provide insight into fundamental aspects of quantum physics, such as how the state of a system evolves while being continuously observed. To study such an evolving quantum system, experimenters need to verify the accuracy of state preparation and control since quantum systems are very fragile and sensitive to environmental disturbance. In this thesis, I look …

Designing Cryogenic Strain Device For 2d Materials, Jake Carter

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Churchill lab working within the Physics Department at the University of Arkansas is working to create important quantum states including weak topological insulators (TIs) through the use of symmetry engineering and topological electronic states in two-dimensional (2D) crystals of WHM materials. Experimental results of these topological states have been obstructed due to the difficulty to perform controlled in situ strain. This project strives to create a mount to utilize a piezoelectric nanopositioner within cryostats achieving an in situ strain that creates the quantum states the lab is looking to observe. This report also examines the necessary equations to determine …

Quantum Dynamical Phenomena In Non-Hermitian And Magnomechanical Systems, Saeid Vashahri Ghamsari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we have investigated quantum dynamics via three case studies. First, we studied a system of two coupled waveguides respectively carrying optical damping and optical gain in addition to squeezing elements in one or both waveguides. Such a system is expected to generate highly entangled light fields in the two waveguides. We, however, show that the degree of the created entanglement is significantly affected by the quantum noises associated with the amplification and dissipation. Because of the noise effect, one can only have nonzero entanglement for a limited time interval. Second, we generalized the first project by considering …

Spectator Proton Detection And Reconstruction In Deep Inelastic D(E,EpS) Scattering, David Payette

Physics Theses & Dissertations

A Radial Time Projection Chamber (RTPC) was designed and installed in Jefferson Lab's Hall B as part of the BONuS12 (Barely Off-shell Nucleon Structure) experiment. The goal of BONuS12 is to accurately measure the structure function of the neutron by scattering 11 GeV electrons and detecting them with the CLAS12 spectrometer. Deuterium gas was used as an effective neutron target, and the new RTPC was used to detect low- momentum spectator protons. Protons follow a curved path in the 5 Tesla solenoid that is part of CLAS12, ionizing the He-CO2 gas in an annular drift region surrounding the target. These …

High Mobility N-Type Field Effect Transistors Enabled By Wse2/Pdse2 Heterojunctions, Arthur Bowman Iii

Wayne State University Dissertations

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as a promising candidate for post-silicon electronics. Few-layer tungsten diselenide (WSe2), a well-studied TMD, has sown high hole mobility and ON/OFF ratio in field effect transistor (FET) devices. But the n-type performance of WSe2 is still quite limited by the presence of a substantial Schottky Barrier. Palladium diselenide, (PdSe2) is a newly discovered TMD that is of interest because of its high electron mobility, and moderate ON/OFF ratios. However, despite its relatively small bandgap, the n-type performance of few-layer PdSe2 FETs has also been limited by a Schottky barrier, …

Equations Of State For Warm Dense Carbon From Quantum Espresso, Derek J. Schauss

Theses and Dissertations

Warm dense plasma is the matter that exists, roughly, in the range of 10,000 to 10,000,000 Kelvin and has solid-like densities, typically between 0.1 and 10 grams per centimeter. Warm dense fluids like hydrogen, helium, and carbon are believed to make up the interiors of many planets, white dwarfs, and other stars in our universe. The existence of warm dense matter (WDM) on Earth, however, is very rare, as it can only be created with high-energy sources like a nuclear explosion. In such an event, theoretical and computational models that accurately predict the response of certain materials are thus very …

Recovery Of Phosphorus From Florida Phosphatic Waste Clay, Amir Eskanlou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This MS thesis examines the recovery of phosphorus (P) from Florida waste clay (WC). A comprehensive literature review revealed that: (i)-The most important values being lost to WC are P and rare earth elements (REEs). For the recovery of these values from WC, two crucial attempts are the removal of extremely fine-sized clays, followed by the recovery of phosphate content, which can pave the path for the recovery of REEs; (ii)-Any scientific/ technological solution should, at the same time, be economically and environmentally attractive to the industry. As such, moving from mostly chemical separation processes to the primarily physical/ physicochemical …

Kinetic Monte Carlo Investigations Involving Atomic Layer Deposition Of Metal-Oxide Thinfilms, David Tyler Magness

MSU Graduate Theses

Atomic Layer Deposition is a method of manufacturing thin film materials. Metal-oxides such as zinc-oxide and aluminum-oxide are particularly interesting candidates for use in microelectronic devices such as tunnel junction barriers, transistors, Schottky diodes, and more. By adopting a 3D Kinetic Monte Carlo model capable of simulating ZnO deposition, the effect of parameters including deposition temperature, chamber pressure, and composition of the initial substrate at the beginning of deposition can be investigated. This code generates two random numbers: One is used to select a chemical reaction to occur from a list of all possible reactions and the second is used …

Optical Properties Of Ultrathin In(Ga)As/Gaas And In(Ga)N/Gan Quantum Wells, Yurii Maidaniuk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recently, structures based on ultrathin quantum wells (QWs) began to play a critical role in modern devices, such as lasers, solar cells, infrared photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes. However, due to the lack of understanding of the formation mechanism of ultrathin QWs during the capping process, scientists and engineers cannot fully explore the potential of such structures. This study aims to investigate how structural parameters of ultrathin QWs affect their emission properties by conducting a systematic analysis of the optical properties of In(Ga)As/GaAs and In(Ga)N/GaN ultrathin QWs. Specifically, the analysis involved photoluminescence measurements combined with effective bandgap simulation, x-ray diffraction, and …

Radial Basis Densities And The Density Functional-Based Atom-In-Molecule: Designing Charge-Transfer Potentials, Godwin Amo-Kwao

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Classical potentials that are capable of describing charge transfer and charge polarization in complex systems are of central importance for classical atomistic simulation of biomolecules and materials. Current potentials—regardless of the system—do not generalize well, and, with the exception of highly-specialized empirical potentials tuned for specific systems, cannot describe chemical bond formation and breaking. The charge-transfer embedded atom method (CT-EAM), a formal, DFT-based extension to the original EAM for metals, has been developed to address these issues by modeling charge distortion and charge transfer in interacting systems using pseudoatom building blocks instead of the electron densities of isolated atoms. CT-EAM …

Dual-Axis Solar Tracker, Bryan Kennedy

All Undergraduate Projects

Renewable energies, and fuels that are not fossil fuel-based, are one of the prolific topics of debate in modern society. With climate change now becoming a primary focus for scientists and innovators of today, one of the areas for the largest amount of potential and growth is that of the capturing and utilization of Solar Energy. This method involves using a mechanical system to track the progression of the sun as it traverses the sky throughout the day. A dual-axis solar tracker such as the one designed and built for this project, can follow the sun both azimuthally and in …

Resource Efficient Design Of Quantum Circuits For Cryptanalysis And Scientific Computing Applications, Edgard Munoz-Coreas

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Quantum computers offer the potential to extend our abilities to tackle computational problems in fields such as number theory, encryption, search and scientific computation. Up to a superpolynomial speedup has been reported for quantum algorithms in these areas. Motivated by the promise of faster computations, the development of quantum machines has caught the attention of both academics and industry researchers. Quantum machines are now at sizes where implementations of quantum algorithms or their components are now becoming possible. In order to implement quantum algorithms on quantum machines, resource efficient circuits and functional blocks must be designed. In this work, we …

Magnetism In Γ-Fesi2 Nanostructures: A First Principles Study, Sahil Dhoka

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

First-principles calculations are performed on γ-FeSi₂ nanostructures grown on Si (111) and (001) substrate. An attempt to explain the origin of emergent magnetic properties of the metastable gamma phase of iron di-silicide (γ-FeSi₂) is made, which show ferromagnetic behavior on nanoscale, unlike its possible bulk form. Many papers try to explain this magnetism from factors like bulk, epitaxial strain, interface, surface, edges, and corners but doesn’t provide an analytical study for these explanations. Density functional theory is used to analyze the magnetic effects of these factors. The results for the epitaxial structures show no magnetic behavior for …

Theoretical Investigations Of The Electronic, Magnetic, And Thermoelectric Properties Of Transition-Metal Based Compounds, Haleoot Edaan Raad

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The electronic, magnetic, and thermoelectric properties of transition-metal based compounds were investigated by using the density functional theory and Boltzmann transport formalism. It was found that the Co-based Heusler compounds and InSe monochalcogenide are among the materials that may be used for future thermoelectric devices. Furthermore, the investigation showed that the quaternary Heusler compounds, such as, CoFeYGe, where Y is Ti or Cr, are half-metallic ferromagnetic materials with full electron spin polarization. The lattice thermal conductivity (κL) was found to decrease for these alloys as the temperature increases. The present investigation indicated that the phonon optical modes have a major …

Probing Quantized Excitations And Many-Body Correlations In Transition Metal Dichalcogenides With Optical Spectroscopy, Shao-Yu Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted great interests in recent years due to their physical properties manifested in different polytypes: Hexagonal(H)-TMDC,which is semiconducting, exhibits strong Coulomb interaction and intriguing valleytronic properties; distorted octahedral(T’)-TMDC,which is semi-metallic, is predicted to exhibit rich nontrivial topological physics. In this dissertation,we employ the polarization-resolved micron-Raman/PL spectroscopy to investigate the optical properties of the atomic layer of several polytypes of TMDC. In the first part for polarization-resolved Raman spectroscopy, we study the lattice vibration of both H and T’-TMDC, providing a thorough understanding of the polymorphism of TMDCs. We demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy is a …

Electron Transport In One And Two Dimensional Materials, Samuel William Lagasse

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation presents theoretical and experimental studies in carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, and van der Waals heterostructures. The first half of the dissertation focuses on cutting edge tight-binding-based quantum transport models which are used to study proton irradiation-induced single-event effects in carbon nanotubes [1], total ionizing dose effects in graphene [2], quantum hall effect in graded graphene p-n junctions [3], and ballistic electron focusing in graphene p-n junctions [4]. In each study, tight-binding models are developed, with heavy emphasis on tying to experimental data. Once benchmarked against experiment, properties of each system which are difficult to access in the laboratory, …

Parallel Algorithms For Time Dependent Density Functional Theory In Real-Space And Real-Time, James Kestyn

Doctoral Dissertations

Density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) have had great success solving for ground state and excited states properties of molecules, solids and nanostructures. However, these problems are particularly hard to scale. Both the size of the discrete system and the number of needed eigenstates increase with the number of electrons. A complete parallel framework for DFT and TDDFT calculations applied to molecules and nanostructures is presented in this dissertation. This includes the development of custom numerical algorithms for eigenvalue problems and linear systems. New functionality in the FEAST eigenvalue solver presents an additional level of …