Physics Commons^™

Phases And Dynamics Of An Impurity Immersed In One-Dimensional Quantum Droplets, Dimitrios Diplaris, Ilias A. Englezos, Friethjof Theel, Peter Schmelcher, Simeon I. Mistakidis

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We explore the ground-state properties of a single impurity immersed in a one-dimensional quantum droplet medium formed by a two-component Bose mixture. Relying on ab initio simulations, we demonstrate that tuning the impurity–droplet interactions allows to controllably reshape the droplets' density profiles and associated correlation patterns. For attractive impurity-medium couplings, the impurity becomes localized within the droplet, which exhibits a density hump at the vicinity of the impurity, while repulsive interactions facilitate phase separation. Comparing our many-body results with the appropriate extended Gross–Pitaevskii description, we find adequate agreement for the droplet density profiles, with the effective field approach systematically overestimating …

Golden And Silver Dark Sirens For Precise H0 Measurement With Hetdex, Yixuan Dang, Ish Gupta, Robin Ciardullo, Erin Mentuch Cooper, Shiksha Pandey, Dustin Davis, Surhud More, Rachel Gray, Hsin Yu Chen, Daniel J. Farrow, Caryl Gronwall, Donghui Jeong, Shun Saito, Donald P. Schneider

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Gravitational waves (GWs) from compact binary coalescences are standard sirens that provide a direct measure of the source's luminosity distance, enabling an independent measurement of the Hubble constant (H0). While a bright siren—a GW event with an identified electromagnetic (EM) counterpart—provided the first such constraint, most detections, currently dominated by black hole mergers, lack EM signatures. A measurement of H0 is still possible with these dark sirens by statistically associating GW events with galaxies in existing catalogs based on the sky localization. In this work, we explore the potential of two subsets of dark sirens categorized by their localization precision: …

Muon Lifetime: Theory, Experiment, And Simulation, Soren Agustin Munoz

Physics

This senior project investigates the muon lifetime through three complementary approaches: theoretical calculation, laboratory measurement, and computational simulation. The theoretical component develops the necessary background from relativistic field theory to the effective weak interaction, culminating in the leading-order Fermi-theory prediction of τ ≈ 2.2 μs, which explains why the muon lifetime lies on the microsecond scale.

The experimental component measures the lifetime of stopped cosmic-ray muons using a plastic scintillator, photomultiplier tube, and analog timing electronics. A binned Poisson likelihood fit to the primary 15-day acquisition run τ = 2.17^+0.03_-0.09 μs, consistent with the accepted value within the …

Validation Of Electromagnetic Shower Development In A Reduced Alice Focal-E Detector Model Using Geant4, Isaac Lara Romo

Physics

This project focuses on the preliminary simulation of a reduced FoCal-E detector model for the ALICE experiment at CERN. Beamline tests were simulated using an electron gun at various incident energies, and the results were compared with those of the FoCal group. The longitudinal charge deposition per sensor layer was compared between the two setups to verify that the reduced model exhibited expected calorimeter behavior. Additionally, the transverse signal across the high-granularity sensor layers was examined to determine whether the reduced model reproduced the expected lateral development of electromagnetic showers. The results obtained from these measurements show that the reduced …

High-Pressure Studies Of Magnetic Topological Materials, Greeshma Chireckal Jose

ETDs from 2020-2029

Quantum technology leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to transform emerging fields such as quantum computing, spintronics, and next-generation electronics. A crucial step in advancing this frontier is the detailed understanding of fundamental quantum phenomena in materials that can drive quantum innovation. This research aims to systematically investigate quantum phase transitions and unconventional emergent behaviors in magnetic topological materials subjected to external pressure. This study focuses on three representative systems: EuCd2As2, EuMnBi2, and FeSn, each serving as a model for exploring intrinsic magnetic topological states. EuCd2As2, a candidate Weyl semimetal (WSM), is expected to exhibit pressure-induced topological phase transitions, making …

The Implementation Of Scintillation Detectors With The Cuore/Cupid Collaboration In The Search For Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay, Reese Sandra Cormier

Physics

CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) is an experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Assergi, Italy, currently searching for an answer to the matter-antimatter asymmetry problem; the question: why do we exist? One proposed explanation is neutrinoless double beta decay, a theorized exotic decay that would prove that neutrinos are their own antiparticle, violating the current Standard Model for particle physics. However, current detection methods do not distinguish different types of particle interactions, resulting in alpha decays contributing to the background. Therefore, the experimental sensitivity is too limited to make confident determinations about the data. For this …

Improving The Reliability And Performance Of A Supersonic Indraft Tube Wind Tunnel, Christian J. Kaml

Master's Theses

Access to supersonic testing is increasing in demand, and wind tunnels remain one of the safest and most cost-effective methods for gathering high-speed flow data. Despite being more economical than alternative options, supersonic wind tunnel facilities often require substantial investment to construct, operate, and maintain.

The novel indraft tube tunnel architecture was conceived as a high-speed flow testbed that incorporates features of both Ludwieg tubes and indraft wind tunnels to maintain costs low enough to be accessible even to small universities. This design was first developed and tested in 2018 at California Polytechnic State University, featuring a cost per test …

Computational Insights Into Nucleosome Dynamics In Epigenetics Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Rutika Patel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nucleosome core particles (NCP) are the building blocks that form a highly organized and compact chromatin structure. Nucleosomes package DNA in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. The NCP consists of about 147 base pairs of DNA wrapped around the histone octamer, with 1.65 superhelical turns in a left-handed manner. The histone octamer is composed of two copies of H3, H4, H2A, and H2B. Together with histone H1 and linker DNA, they further assemble into a higher-order chromatin structure. The nucleosome complex is stabilized by electrostatic interactions between positively charged histone residues and the negatively charged DNA backbone. To effectively access …

1d Crust-Magnetosphere Coupling Model For Magnetars, Kennedy M. Jeter

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Magnetars are the most extremely magnetized objects in the universe. Their strong magnetic fields generate high-energy magnetic flares with instantaneous luminosity that can outshine their host galaxy. Previous works have explored how Hall drift in the crust affects the dynamics of magnetic field lines in the magnetosphere. This work investigates how a change in the magnetosphere, such as a flare or an outburst, can excite Hall evolution in the crust. We investigate how the twisting and untwisting of magnetic field lines in a magnetar’s magnetosphere launches Hall waves through its crust using a one-dimensional numerical model. We use the Dedalus …

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 …

Sea-Ice Observation In The Arctic By The Arab Satellite 813, Simulated By The Radiative Transfer Model ‘Sciatran’, Tuqa Mohsin Al Hajri

Theses

The purpose of this research is to explore the spectral behavior of sea ice and to understand how Arctic sea ice surfaces appear when they are observed with a hyperspectral sensor. This is crucial because sea ice changes a lot during the melt season, and different surface types can sometimes look similar to a human eye, but physically they are different. It is thus essential to identify the spectral differences between these surfaces. The main objective of this study is to examine how the spectra of white ice and melt ponds change when their physical and optical properties are varied, …

Developing A High-Resolution Off-Axis Common-Mode Digital Holographic Microscope, Lucy Cook

University Honors Theses

Off-axis digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is a powerful tool for 3D, non-invasive live-cell tracking without moving parts. However, traditional setups face an inherent dilemma: split-path interferometers offer high spatial resolution but poor temporal stability, while more stable common-mode configurations are historically limited to lower numerical aperture (NA) regimes. This thesis bridges that gap by scaling a common-mode DHM architecture into a high-resolution benchtop instrument featuring NA = 0.65 objectives, paired with a high-power 520 nm laser source to combat transmission losses and sustain imaging frame rates across an expanded optical footprint. We map the multi-variable design space required to satisfy …

Modeling Turbulent Accretion Flows Around Black Holes: Azimuthal Flux Derivative Density Curves In 3d Mhd Simulations, Sasmitha Purushothaman, Matthew D. Duez, Pavan Chawhan

University Honors Theses

When modeling two-dimensional axisymmetric accretion disks around Kerr black holes, setting the azimuthal terms of the MHD equations to zero causes the loss of turbulence and dynamo effects. In this paper, we use three-dimensional models to identify the turbulence that arises from azimuthal flux derivatives (AFDs) and create probability density functions to characterize them. We establish a pipeline for calculating the AFDs, creating a distribution, and normalizing it. Then, we plot the dependence of the conditional probability of the AFDs on density, magnetic field strength, and velocity for the continuity and magnetic induction equations. Future research can take this information …

From Process Retrieval To Understanding: A Look Into Curiosity And Metacognition In My Physics Classrooms, Nahuel Acosta Burroso

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

In the modern high school physics classroom, the rapid proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has created a unique educational challenge. While these tools can solve complex problems quickly, they often lead to cognitive offloading, where students bypass the internal dialogue and deep thinking needed for true understanding. This project follows an action research journey that shifts the focus from restricting technology to cultivating curiosity and metacognition. I define curiosity as the gap identifier that appears when a student realizes they do not know something, while metacognition acts as the navigator that helps them decide what to do next. By …

Polarimetric Terahertz Imaging For The Measurement Of Birefringence In Plastic, Rachel Cohen

Theses

Birefringence offers a promising way to observe stress concentration in materials such as glass and plastic, and thereby to identify weaknesses. Polarimetric imaging can be used to measure the birefringence of material, so long as the material is transparent to the light being used for the imaging. In this research, 2D Terahertz imaging was investigated as a means of measuring the birefringence of plastics that are opaque to visible light but transparent to THz radiation, for the eventual purpose of analyzing the residual stress present. In order to do so, two separate terahertz cameras were characterized for potential use in …

Simulating The Movement Of A Major League Fastball, Max M. Moss

Graduate Masters Theses

The orientation of the seams on a baseball may seem arbitrary in nature; however, they play an enormous role in the aerodynamics of the ball during its short flight to home plate. This thesis aims to model the movement of a four-seam fastball as accurately as possible using the fourth order Runge-Kutta method. The model incorporates the effect of the seams on the path of the ball by utilizing the oscillating cross-sectional area, which varies for each angle of rotation. The simulated results demonstrate a strong agreement with the observed pitch trajectories, accurately reproducing both induced vertical break and horizontal …

Classical Motion Of Bounded Orbits In Two-Body Problems, Dina F. Stein

Physics and Astronomy Undergraduate Senior Theses

The study of bounded and periodic motion in classical systems is of central importance in celestial mechanics, atomic models, and the theory of integrable systems. Central-force problems are of particular importance due to their rich geometric structure and the existence of conserved quantities that strongly constrain orbital behavior. In this thesis, we investigate the classical motion of bodies subject to two central-force potentials: the inverse-square and the pseudo-harmonic. For each system, explicit solutions for the radial and angular equations of motion are derived and analyzed. The resulting trajectories are classified according to whether they are bounded, unbounded, open, closed, or …

Powerful Radio Sources In The Southern Sky. Iv. Observations Of The G4jy-3cre Catalog With The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, Siegfried A. Gawenda, Juan P. Madrid, Francesco Massaro, Sarah V. White, C. C. Cheung, C. Mazzucchelli, Abigail García-Pérez, I. Andruchow, V. Chavushyan, Ralph P. Kraft

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

A recent 2023 paper by Massaro et al. introduced the G4Jy-3CRE, a new catalog of the brightest radio sources in the Southern Hemisphere that serve as a southern equivalent to the Third Cambridge Catalog Revised (3CR). The G4Jy-3CRE catalog selected 264 sources from the GLEAM-4Jy survey based on the same criteria used to select the sources in the 3CR. In this paper, we present new Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) continuum imaging of the G4Jy-3CRE catalog. We use the three most recent data releases from the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS), covering the sky south of +30° decl.: RACS-low1, …

Measuring Modulation Envelope Of A Pound Drever Hall Feedback Loop, Josh S. Lee

Physics and Astronomy Undergraduate Senior Theses

From improving qubit readout to real world medical technology, fast and ultrasensitive electrometry has many real world applications. The primary goal of the overarching project is to improve ultrasensitive charge detection using methods involving cavity-embedded Cooper pair transistor (cCPT) devices. This project hopes to accomplish this by using the gate-tunability of the cCPT to reduce the 1/f-noise, a type of low-frequency noise that can interfere with the cCPT’s measurement operability. By using a Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) feedback loop-inspired scheme that can adjust the cCPT gate, this project hopes to improve the stability of the cCPT’s resonant frequency against the 1/f-noise, in …

Classical-Correlation-Enhanced Weak-Value Amplification Resilient To Persistent Noises, Xu-Song Hong, Gong-Chu Li, Lei Chen, Si-Qi Zhang, Hua-Qin Xu, Yuancheng Liu, Shengshi Pang, Andrew N. Jordan, Geng Chen, Chuan-Feng Li, Guang-Can Guo

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Weak measurement (WM) offers the advantage of amplifying small signals at the cost of postselecting a small portion of the probes. This so-called weak-value amplification effect makes it compare favorably with conventional techniques (without postselection) to overcome various technical noises. However, certain types of technical noise, such as jitter and pixelation, present insurmountable limitations for both WM and conventional techniques. In this work, we propose an advanced variant of WM that incorporates time-momentum correlation (TMC) into biased weak measurement (BWM). By employing the Fisher information metric, we theoretically show that TMC-BWM can overcome jitter and pixelation, and meanwhile extract significantly …