Engineering Physics Commons^™

Radiosonde High Altitude Measurements Of Radiation Levels And Cosmic Ray Events, Ayodeji Opeyemi Akinuliola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Just above us, cosmic rays are hurtling in from space. These fast moving particles crash uncontrollably into molecules in the atmosphere, causing spontaneous decays of these particles. Despite the fact that we are broadly shielded from this radiation on earth, these particles can still disturb humans and electronics alike. Therefore, this research focuses on expanding the use of long-range radio transmitters such as radiosondes to transmit valuable data such as cosmic ray flux, geographical position, atmospheric temperature, pressure, etc. This can improve real-time radiation monitoring for aviation industry crew and passengers working in potentially higher radiation environments. On March 11, …

Structural Origin Of Thermal, Mechanical Properties And Morphological Behaviors Of Semiconducting Polymers, Song Zhang

Dissertations

The past decades have witnessed a surging exploration of semiconducting polymers for the application of wearable and flexible organic electronic devices. Despite the increased amounts of molecular engineered polymers and their much-improved electrical performances, a systematic study of the structure-thermal/mechanical property-morphology relationship of semiconducting polymers is still less investigated.

To understand the thin-film mechanical properties, a pseudo-free standing tensile tester was self-built and utilized to obtain their real-time stress-strain behaviors through uniaxial stretching on top of the water surface. It also enables the first quantitative measurement of fracture energy on ultrathin polymeric films. Through multiple mechanical testing methods (i.e., strain-rate …

Voltage-Controlled Magnetic Anisotropy In Antiferromagnetic Mgo-Capped Mnpt Films, P. H. Chang, Wuzhang Fang, T. Ozaki, Kirill Belashchenko

Kirill Belashchenko Publications

The magnetic anisotropy in MgO-capped MnPt films and its voltage control are studied using first-principles calculations. Sharp variation of the magnetic anisotropy with film thickness, especially in the Pt-terminated film, suggests that it may be widely tuned by adjusting the film thickness. In thick films the linear voltage control coefficient is as large as 1.5 and -0.6 pJ/Vm for Pt-terminated and Mn-terminated interfaces, respectively. The combination of a widely tunable magnetic anisotropy energy and a large voltage-control coefficient suggest that MgO-capped MnPt films can serve as a versatile platform for magnetic memory and antiferromagnonic applications.

Direct Drive Solar Panel Control Circuit, Marcorios Bekheit

Physics

A control circuit is built for insulated solar electric cookers (ISEC). Power delivery and temperature safety are the focus. Using a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm, Arduino Nano, voltage and current sensors, and a buck converter, the solar panel’s output power was maximized for a direct load heat resistor with 3.5Ω for a range of solar intensities. Using a resistance temperature detector, a temperature sensor is built for safety shutoff.

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 …

Mechanical Behavior Of Cyclo-18 On Nickel And Copper Substrates, Reagan Michael Kraft

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Carbyne, an -hybridized allotrope of carbon, has been the subject of many studies recently due to its incredible mechanical properties and small size. More recently, another -hybridized allotrope known as cyclo-18, has gained interest. In this study, computational molecular dynamics will be used to determine the mechanical properties of cyclo-18. Peeling and shearing tests of the molecule will be conducted on nickel and copper, which are respectively active and less-active transition metals. Additionally, a carbyne chain of equal length will undergo the same tests on the copper substrate to compare the mechanical properties of the two. The results conclude that …

Memory Module Design For High-Temperature Applications In Sic Cmos Technology, Affan Abbasi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The wide bandgap (WBG) characteristics of SiC play a significant and disruptive role in the power electronics industry. The same characteristics make this material a viable choice for high-temperature electronics systems. Leveraging the high-temperature capability of SiC is crucial to automotive, space exploration, aerospace, deep well drilling, and gas turbines. A significant issue with the high-temperature operation is the exponential increase in leakage current. The lower intrinsic carrier concentration of SiC (10-9 cm-3) compared to Si (1010 cm-3) leads to lower leakage over temperature. Several researchers have demonstrated analog and digital circuits designed in SiC. However, a memory module is …

Simulation Of Optical Properties Of Dielectric Layers From Visible To Near Infrared Spectral Range, Andrew Cochran, Cory Conkel

ONU Student Research Colloquium

Optical properties of dielectrics play a critical role in various applications including the design and manufacture of optical components & devices such as detectors, filters, imagers, lenses, optical coatings, photonic crystals, sensors and waveguides, and solar cells. Radiative properties of varying thicknesses of different dielectrics such as Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3), Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Magnesium Fluoride (MgF2) and Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) have been simulated and compared in the range of visible to near infrared by mathematical modelling using MATLAB simulations. The results of the evolution of the radiative properties, as a function of dielectric material thickness, on …

E. Coli And Total Coliform, Emilio Wilson

Undergraduate Research Competition

Water is important because we use it for our everyday use, whether it's for drinking, bathing, or for our enjoyment. Pollution causes the environment to have a harmful effect, which is usually caused by microorganisms (bacteria) Some of those Bacteria include E. coli and Total Coliform. They're mainly found in the intestines of humans, in animals, in water, and also found in the soil. Most of these bacteria are harmless but it can provide you with symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. When water comes in contact with feces, humans, or any living organism, the water is contaminated. There …

Water Monitoring At Ccu (Conductivity, Ph, Do), Gage Campbell

Undergraduate Research Competition

Monitoring water quality is important for human health. This study focuses on the 544 West site and the parameters conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO). Data used is from Oct. 2011 through Nov. 2020 on the Coastal Carolina University campus and used an Orion™ A329 multimeter. 741 samples were collected for Conductivity, with an average of 407.8 uS/cm (145.8 uS/cm - 690.7 uS/cm). 738 samples were collected for pH, with an average of 7.15 (6.09 - 8.11). All data fell within the SC DHEC water quality standard of pH which is no lower than 5.0 or above 8.5. 735 samples …

Detecting Radium-226 In Submarine Groundwater Discharge, Rashaun Davis

Undergraduate Research Competition

Studies have been done to see if abundance of neutrinos have an effect on the decay rate of radioactive nuclei. Questions regarding the proximity of the sun and the concentration of the flux of neutrinos as a result, have emerged due to there being more counts in the winter when the sun is closer versus there being less counts in the summer when the sun is farther away. Other studies say that the cause of the difference in counts are more local, as in the environmental conditions like temperature and various background radiation that interferes with the counts of the …

Design Of Smart Trashcan, Haoran Song

Senior Theses

A smart trashcan has been designed which can bring convenience to people for throwing their garbage away during the COVID-19 pandemic. A prototype is made from cardboard to demonstrate its function. This trashcan can sense people who are coming and leaving, and it can open and close automatically. The trashcan is powered by solar energy. A solar panel is mounted on top of the trashcan supporter. This design is specifically for use in China.

Deathtrap, Blake Traylor

Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award

I could have titled this one "Bad Trip in an Elevator," but that would twist the poem away from its authenticity. You'll have to trust me on this one: this happened. Not in the usual sense, but in that fiction-is-truth-in-a-funhouse-mirror, postmodern Tim O'Brien sense. And hallucinogens were not involved, nor are they encouraged or condoned. (Do with that Wretched Passive Voice what you will.)

If the word "Deathtrap" didn't amuse me so much, I really could have run with the title "Tired." Or maybe "Very Tired" would have been better. And then there are always the big-hitters: "Fatigue," "Exhaustion," "Are …

Investigation Of Trajectory And Control Designs For A Solar Sail To The Moon, Michelle Nadeau

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

NASA’s Artemis program and other government and commercial projects are working toward establishing a sustainable human presence on the moon. This thesis investigates the technical feasibility of a solar sail-based spacecraft (sailcraft) as a low-cost method of delivering cargo or science instruments to the moon and demonstrates how this sailcraft could be controlled to change its orbit. The concept is a low-cost, commercial launch vehicle-deployable, CubeSat-based sailcraft with a square sail, assumed attitude control, and a small payload traversing from low-Earth orbit toward the moon with zero propellant use. In this thesis, methods for sailcraft to increase altitude, the trajectory …

Zn Acceptors In Β-Ga2O3 Crystals, Timothy D. Gustafson, J. Jesenovec, Christopher A. Lenyk, Nancy C. Giles, J. S. Mccloy, M. Mccluskey, Larry E. Halliburton

Faculty Publications

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is used to identify and characterize neutral zinc acceptors in Zn-doped β-Ga₂O₃ crystals. Two EPR spectra are observed at low temperatures, one from Zn ions at tetrahedral Ga(1) sites (the Zn⁰_Ga1 acceptor) and one from Zn ions at octahedral Ga(2) sites (the Zn⁰_Ga2 acceptor). These Zn acceptors are small polarons, with the unpaired spin localized in each case on a threefold coordinated oxygen O(I) ion adjacent to the Zn ion. Resolved hyperfine interactions with neighboring ⁶⁹Ga and ⁷¹Ga nuclei allow the EPR spectra from the two acceptors …

Erratum: A Non-Linear Approximate Solution To The Damped Pendulum Derived Using The Method Of Successive Approximations [Georgia Journal Of Science, Vol. 76, No. 2, Article 9], Javier E. Hasbun

Georgia Journal of Science

In an earlier publication [Hill and Hasbun, 2018] considered an approximate solution to the damped pendulum, named the improved modified method of successive approximations (IMMSA), and compared it to an approximation from the work of [Johannessen, 2014]. Here, a correction is made to that comparison due to an error made in calculating Johannessen's approximation.

Correction To "Quantitative Study Of The Energy Changes In Voltage-Controlled Spin Crossover Molecular Thin Films" [The Journal Of Physical Chemistry Letters (2020) 11:19 (8231-8237) Doi: 10.1021/Acs.Jpclett.0c02209], Aaron Mosey, Ashley S. Dale, Guanhua Hao, Alpha N'Diaye, Peter Dowben, Ruihua Cheng

Peter Dowben Publications

In our recent publication, Figure 5 was published without adequate due diligence. The correct TOC Abstract graphic and Figure 5 are contained here in this correction. The correct on to off current ratios are in the range of 4 to 5, not 100 and the signal to noise ratios are far less than previously shown.

Nonvolatile Voltage Controlled Molecular Spin‐State Switching For Memory Applications, Thilini K. Ekanayaka, Guanhua Hao, Aaron Mosey, Ashley S. Dale, Xuanyuan Jiang, Andrew J. Yost, Keshab R. Sapkota, George T. Wang, Jian Zhang, Alpha T. N’Diaye, Andrew Marshall, Ruihua Cheng, Azad Naeemi, Xiaoshan Xu, Peter Dowben

Peter Dowben Publications

Nonvolatile, molecular multiferroic devices have now been demonstrated, but it is worth giving some consideration to the issue of whether such devices could be a competitive alternative for solid-state nonvolatile memory. For the Fe (II) spin crossover complex [Fe{H₂B(pz)₂}₂(bipy)], where pz = tris(pyrazol-1-yl)-borohydride and bipy = 2,20-bipyridine, voltage-controlled isothermal changes in the electronic structure and spin state have been demonstrated and are accompanied by changes in conductance. Higher conductance is seen with [Fe{H₂B(pz)₂}₂(bipy)] in the high spin state, while lower conductance occurs for the low spin state. Plausibly, …

Comparing Radiation Shielding Potential Of Liquid Propellants To Water For Application In Space, John Czaplewski

Master's Theses

The radiation environment in space is a threat that engineers and astronauts need to mitigate as exploration into the solar system expands. Passive shielding involves placing as much material between critical components and the radiation environment as possible. However, with mass and size budgets, it is important to select efficient materials to provide shielding. Currently, NASA and other space agencies plan on using water as a shield against radiation since it is already necessary for human missions. Water has been tested thoroughly and has been proven to be effective. Liquid propellants are needed for every mission and also share similar …

A Comparison Of Sporadic-E Occurrence Rates Using Ionosondes And Gps Radio Occultation Measurements, Rodney A. Carmona Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Sporadic-E (Es) occurrence rates from Global Position Satellite radio occultation (GPS-RO) measurements have shown to vary by nearly an order of magnitude between studies, motivating a comparison with ground-based measurements. In an attempt to find an accurate GPS-RO technique for detecting Es formation, occurrence rates derived using five previously developed GPS-RO techniques are compared to ionosonde measurements over an eight-year period from 2010-2017. GPS-RO measurements within 170 km of a ionosonde site are used to calculate Es occurrence rates and compared to the ground-truth ionosonde measurements. Each technique is compared individually for each ionosonde site and then combined to determine …