Physics Commons^™

The Impacts Of Molecular Motor Traffic Jams, Jennifer Ross

Jennifer Ross

Much of a modern person's day is spent trying to get from point A to point B. So, too, in the cell, much time and energy is expended on shuttling organelles, protein complexes, and mRNA, called “cargos,” from point A to point B. We know that vehicle traffic slows down when roads get jammed with high-volume congestion. The traffic analogy begs the question: Do cellular highways get jammed? This is the question being probed by Leduc et al. in PNAS (1). Efficient cellular transport is made along “cellular highways” in the form of a cytoskeletal network of proteinacous filaments called …

Hrc Enews — 2012 Spring, Megan M. Iudice

Publications (HRC)

This issue contains staff accomplishments and announcements, event listings, and a "new faces" listing for new staff, affiliates, and researchers.

High-Frequency Ultrasound M-Mode Imaging For Identifying Lesion And Bubble Activity During High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation, Ronald Kumon, Madhu Sudhan Reddy Gudur, Yun Zhou

Physics Publications

Effective real-time monitoring of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation is important for application of HIFU technology in interventional electrophysiology. This study investigated rapid, high-frequency M-mode ultrasound imaging for monitoring spatiotemporal changes during HIFU application. HIFU (4.33 MHz, 1 kHz PRF, 50% duty cycle, 1 s, 2600 – 6100 W/cm2 ) was applied to ex-vivo porcine cardiac tissue specimens with a confocally and perpendicularly aligned high-frequency imaging system (Visualsonics Vevo 770, 55 MHz center frequency). Radiofrequency (RF) data from M-mode imaging (1 kHz PRF, 2 s × 7 mm) was acquired before, during, and after HIFU treatment (n = 12). Among …

Mid-Infrared Upconversion Spectroscopy Based On A Yb:Fiber Femtosecond Laser, Todd Johnson, Scott A. Diddams

Physics Faculty Publications

We present a system for molecular spectroscopy using a broadband mid-infrared laser with near-infrared detection. Difference frequency generation of a Yb:fiber femtosecond laser produced a mid-infrared (MIR) source tunable from 2100–3700 cm^-1 (2.7–4.7 μm) with average power up to 40 mW. The MIR spectrum was upconverted to near-infrared wavelengths for broadband detection using a two-dimensional dispersion imaging technique. Absorption measurements were performed over bandwidths of 240 cm^-1 (7.2 THz) with 0.048 cm^-1 (1.4 GHz) resolution, and absolute frequency scale uncertainty was better than 0.005 cm^-1 (150 MHz). The minimum detectable absorption coefficient per spectral element was …

The Variation Of Hydrogen Concentration In Ni/Mgh Thin Film With Temperature, Rex Nyadaufe Taibu

Masters Theses

The thermal stability of Ni/MgH thin film deposited on Si substrate by Unbalanced Magnetron Physical Vapor Deposition has been investigated using Ion Beam analysis (DBA) techniques. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and Non-Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (NRBS) have been used to find the composition of Magnesium, Nickel and Oxygen. Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA) has been used to determine the concentration of hydrogen at each level of heating. Heating was done in the Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) environment using a non gassy button heater. Ni/MgH sample had lost most of its hydrogen after being heated to a temperature of about 125°C in …

Information Encryption And Retrieval In Mid-Rf Range Using Acousto-Optic Chaos, Monish Ranjan Chatterjee, Abhinay Kundur

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent work, low-frequency AC signal encryption, decryption and retrieval using system-parameter based keys at the receiver stage of an acousto-optic (A-O) Bragg cell under first-order feedback have been demonstrated [1,2]. The corresponding nonlinear dynamics have also been investigated using the Lyapunov exponent and the so-called bifurcation maps [3]. The results were essentially restricted to A-O chaos around 10 KHz, and (baseband) signal bandwidths in the 1-4 KHz range. The results have generally been satisfactory, and parameter tolerances (prior to severe signal distortion at the output) in the ±5% - ±10% range have been obtained.

Periodic AC waveforms, and a …

Characterizing Electrons In Primary And Secondary Magnetic Islands During Magnetic Reconnection, Jason Shuster

Honors Theses and Capstones

The physics underlying particle-in-cell simulations that are widely employed in studying plasma dynamics are reviewed. Results from a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation of fully kinetic, undriven, collisionless magnetic reconnection are studied to compare the electrons in a primary magnetic island formed from an ion current sheet and the electrons in a secondary island formed in an electron current layer. We find that the secondary island is born with a strong out-of-plane current density due to localized peaks in the electron density and out-of-plane electron velocity; the secondary island retains these features as it evolves, distinguishing it from the primary island. For …

Electronic Properties Of Layered Multicomponent Wide-Band-Gap Oxides: A Combinatorial Approach, Altynbek Murat, Julia E. Medvedeva

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of 12 multicomponent oxides with layered structure RAMO ₄, where R3 ⁺ = In or Sc, A3 ⁺ = Al or Ga, and M2 ⁺ = Ca, Cd, Mg, or Zn, are investigated using first-principles density functional approach. The compositional complexity of RAMO ₄ leads to a wide range of band-gap values varying from 2.45 eV for InGaCdO ₄ to 6.29 eV for ScAlMgO ₄ as obtained from our self-consistent screened-exchange local density approximation calculations. Strikingly, despite the different band gaps in the oxide constituents, namely, 2-4 eV in CdO, In ₂O …

Kinetic Studies Of The Photo-Degradation Of Poly Arylene Vinylenes, Luke O'Neill, Patrick Lynch, Niamh Mcgoldrick, Hugh Byrne, Mary Mcnamara

Articles

The kinetics of the degradation of a homologous series of Poly phenylene vinylenes in which the phenylene units of the PPV structure are systematically substituted by naphthyl and anthyrl units is presented. Degradation is monitored according to the decay of the long wavelength absorption maximum upon illumination with UV radiation. Compared to Toluene solution, the photo-degradation is seen to be accelerated in Chloroform solution. All decays are fitted with first order kinetics. It is found that all substitutions improve the stability of the vinylene polymers against decay. In particular the highly electro-negative naphthyl group serves to drastically increase the stability …

Newsletter, Spring 2012, College Of Arts And Sciences

Physics Newsletter

Contents of the Newsletter for Friends of the Western Michigan University Department of Physics:

• Department News
• Staff News
• Faculty News
• Alumni News
• Student News
• Physics Roster
• Alumni Update
• Giving

Robert Fuller Obituary From American Association Of Physics Teachers

Robert G. Fuller Publications

Fuller’s contributions to education will have a continuing impact through the projects he helped lead and the many books and articles he authored or co-authored. AAPT joins the UNL and the physics education community in recognizing the lasting legacy of Dr. Robert G. Fuller.

Search For Gravitational Waves From Low Mass Compact Binary Coalescence In Ligo's Sixth Science Run And Virgo's Science Runs 2 And 3, J. Abadie, Marco Cavaglia, For Full List Of Authors, See Publisher's Website.

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We report on a search for gravitational waves from coalescing compact binaries using LIGO and Virgo observations between July 7, 2009, and October 20, 2010. We searched for signals from binaries with total mass between 2 and 25M_⊙ this includes binary neutron stars, binary black holes, and binaries consisting of a black hole and neutron star. The detectors were sensitive to systems up to 40 Mpc distant for binary neutron stars, and further for higher mass systems. No gravitational-wave signals were detected. We report upper limits on the rate of compact binary coalescence as a function of total …

Unusual Crystallite Growth And Modification Of Ferromagnetism Due To Aging In Pure And Doped Zno Nanoparticles, Aaron Thurber, Gordon A. Alanko, Geoffrey L. Beausoleil Ii, Kelsey Dodge, Charles Hanna, Alex Punnoose

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report the unusual growth of pure and Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles prepared by forced hydrolysis and the weakening of ferromagnetism due to aging in ambient conditions. More than four dozen nanoparticle samples in the size range of 4–20 nm were studied over 1 to 4 years. The as-prepared samples had significant changes in their crystallite sizes and magnetization as they aged in ambient conditions. Detailed studies using x ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that the crystallite size increased by as much as 1.4 times. Lattice parameters and strain also showed interesting changes. Magnetometry studies of Zn_{1−x …}

Measurement Of The Neutron F2 Structure Function Via Spectator Tagging With Clas, N. Baillie, S. Tkachenko, J. Zhang, P. Bosted, S. Bültmann, M. E. Christy, H. Fenker, K. A. Griffioen, C. E. Keppel, S. E. Kuhn, K. P. Adhikari, D. Adikaram, M. J. Amaryan, H. Baghdasaryan, G. Dodge, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde, A. Klein, A. Klimenko, L. B. Weinstein

Physics Faculty Publications

We report on the first measurement of the F₂ structure function of the neutron from the semi-inclusive scattering of electrons from deuterium, with low-momentum protons detected in the backward hemisphere. Restricting the momentum of the spectator protons to ≲ 100MeV/c and their angles to ≳ 100° relative to the momentum transfer allows an interpretation of the process in terms of scattering from nearly on-shell neutrons. The Fⁿ₂ data collected cover the nucleon-resonance and deep-inelastic regions over a wide range of Bjorken x for 0.65 < Q² < 4.52 GeV², with uncertainties from nuclear corrections estimated to be less …

Size, Surface Structure, And Doping Effects On Ferromagnetism In Sno2, Gordon A. Alanko, Aaron Thurber, Charles Hanna, Alex Punnoose

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The effects of crystallite size, surface structure, and dopants on the magnetic properties of semiconducting oxides are highly controversial. In this work, Fe:SnO₂ nanoparticles were prepared by four wet-chemical methods, with Fe concentration varying from 0% to 20%. Analysis confirmed pure single-phase cassiterite with a crystallite size of 2.6 ± 0.1 nm that decreased with increasing. Fe% doped substitutionally as Fe³⁺. Pure SnO₂ showed highly reproducible weak magnetization that varied significantly with synthesis method. Interestingly, doping SnO₂ with Fe < 2.5% produced enhanced magnetic moments in all syntheses; the maximum of 1.6 × 10⁻⁴ µ_B/Fe ion at 0.1% Fe doping was much larger than the 2.6 × …

Ultrafast Intense-Field Photoionization And Photofragmentation Of Systematic Series Of Substituted Organic Molecules, Timothy D. Scarborough

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The abundance and relevance of organic molecules similar to benzene makes their study important. Studying the interactions of such molecules with intense light fields has implications for the generation of short-wavelength radiation, attosecond science, high-harmonic generation, and many other fields. However, the computing power necessary to complete fully ab initio calculations describing molecules of this size does not exist; this leaves theoretical studies to rely on assumptions and approximations just to calculate the energies of the ground state. Including any sort of dynamics in these calculations is prohibitively complicated, and this makes experimental observations important. Since many organic molecules are …

Calibrating The Star Endcap Electromagnetic Calorimeter Using Pi-O’S, Benjamin Barber

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

The default energy calibration of the STAR EEMC (Endcap ElectroMagnetic Calorimeter) uses the energy deposition of minimally ionizing particles (MIPs). An alternate method is to use pi-0's. We are reporting a preliminary proof-of-principle calibration method using pi-0's. This method reconstructs the invariant mass of photon pairs, assumed to be resulting from pi-0 decays, using standard two-body kinematics. When many photon pairs are analyzed, a peak is expected in the resulting invariant mass distribution near the pi-0 mass. Using the measured mass of this peak, and the known mass of the pi-0, a minimization routine adjusts the detector gains to optimize …

Parameterized Special Theory Of Relativity (Pstr), Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

We have parameterized Einstein’s thought experiment with atomic clocks, supposing that we knew neither if the space and time are relative or absolute, nor if the speed of light was ultimate speed or not. We have obtained a Parameterized Special Theory of Relativity (PSTR), first introduced in 1982. Our PSTR generalized not only Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, but also our Absolute Theory of Relativity, and introduced three more possible Relativities to be studied in the future. After the 2011 CERN’s superluminal neutrino experiments, we recall our ideas and invite researchers to deepen the study of PSTR, ATR, and check …

Unconventional Rf Photoresponse From A Superconducting Spiral Resonator, Alexander P. Zhuravel, Cihan Kurter, Alexey V. Ustinov, Steven M. Anlage

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Superconducting thin film resonators employing strip geometries show great promise in rf/microwave applications due to their low loss and compact nature. However, their functionality is limited by nonlinear effects at elevated rf/microwave powers. Here, we show that by using a planar spiral geometry carrying parallel currents in adjacent turns, this limitation can be minimized. We investigate the rf current distributions in spiral resonators implemented with Nb thin films via laser scanning microscopy. The rf current density profile along the width of the individual turns of the resonators reveals an unconventional trend: maximum current in the middle of the structure and …

An Exploration Of Neutron Detection In Semiconducting Boron Carbide, Nina Hong

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The ³He supply problem in the U.S. has necessitated the search for alternatives for neutron detection. The neutron detection efficiency is a function of density, atomic composition, neutron absorption cross section, and thickness of the neutron capture material. The isotope ¹⁰B is one of only a handful of isotopes with a high neutron absorption cross section—3840 barns for thermal neutrons. So a boron carbide semiconductor represents a viable alternative to ³He. This dissertation provides an evaluation of the performance of semiconducting boron carbide neutron detectors grown by plasma enhance chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in order to determine …