Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Joint Fall 2011 Meeting of the APS New England Section and the New England Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (NES/AAPT)
Volume 56, Number 17
Friday–Saturday, November 18–19, 2011; Amherst, Massachusetts
Session C1: APS, AAPT, and SPS Poster Session (5:40-7:00PM) |
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Chair: Robert Krotkov, UMass Amherst, Room: Campus Center Concourse Outside of Auditorium |
Friday, November 18, 2011 5:40PM - 5:52PM |
C1.00001: Possible Search for the Electric Dipole Moment of the Electron in an Electrostatic Storage Ring David Kawall A non-zero permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of an electron would violate parity and time-reversal symmetries. Non-zero EDMs are predicted in the Standard Model, but are unobservably small. New physics incorporating new particles and new CP-violating phases can lead, through radiative corrections, to dramatic enhancements of the electron EDM, to within a few orders of magnitude of the current experimental limit, $|d_{e}|<1.0\times 10^{-27}$ e cm. A possible new approach to electron EDM searches using molecular ions stored in a table-top electrostatic storage ring is described. Molecular ions with long-lived paramagnetic states such as WN$^{+}$ could be injected and stored in large numbers and with long coherence times. Sensitivities approaching a few $\times10^{-30}$ e cm/$\sqrt{\mathrm{day}}$, appear possible, a potential improvement by three orders of magnitude. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 5:52PM - 6:04PM |
C1.00002: Understanding Hard Interactions in QCD and the Gluon Spin Contribution to the Spin of the Proton Amaresh Datta We investigate hard interaction in QCD through the measurement of cross sections of mid-rapidity production of non-identified charged hadrons from $p+p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 62.4$ GeV/$c$. Measurements are made in the transverse momentum range from 0.5 GeV/$c$ to 4.5 GeV/$c$ by the PHENIX collaboration at RHIC. The cross section results are consistent with predictions based on QCD calculations of next-to-leading order (NLO) accuracy and shows better agreement with next-to-leading log QCD predictions. The double helicity asymmetry measurements of mid-rapidity non-identified charged hadrons in the stipulated transverse momentum range are sensitive at leading order to the polarization of gluons in a momentum fraction range $0.06 \leq x_{gluon} \leq 0.3$. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 6:04PM - 6:16PM |
C1.00003: From force-fields to photons: MD simulations of dye-labeled nucleic acids and Monte Carlo modeling of FRET Peker Milas, Ben Gamari, Louis Parrot, Richard Buckman, Lori Goldner Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a powerful experimental technique for understanding the structural fluctuations and transformations of RNA, DNA and proteins. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide a window into the nature of these fluctuations on a faster time scale inaccessible to experiment. We use Monte Carlo methods to model and compare FRET data from dye-labeled RNA with what might be predicted from the MD simulation. With a few notable exceptions, the contribution of fluorophore and linker dynamics to these FRET measurements has not been investigated. We include the dynamics of the ground state dyes and linkers along with an explicit water solvent in our study of a 16mer double-stranded RNA. Cyanine dyes are attached at either the 3' or 5' ends with a three carbon linker, providing a basis for contrasting the dynamics of similar but not identical molecular structures. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 6:16PM - 6:28PM |
C1.00004: Comparative exact studies of phase separation instabilities in attractive and repulsive Hubbard models Kalum Palandage, Armen Kocharian, Gayanath Fernando With the growing interest of unconventional superconductors, it is believed that these materials have spatial inhomogeneities accompanied with the separate pairing of electrons and subsequent condensation. In doped high-Tc cuprate superconductors, iron pnictide and telluride nanomaterials, above properties can be traced from both repulsive and attractive interactions of electrons. The principle differences and similarities of electron coherent and incoherent pairing instabilities are analyzed using ensembles of small clusters under variation of chemical potential (or doping), interaction strength, temperature and magnetic field. The exact calculations of quantum critical points, the charge and spin collective excitations, and corresponding critical transition temperatures display a common mechanism of phase separation transitions, condensation and formation of spatial inhomogeneities in various cluster geometries. The dependence of the gap function on position of the apical oxygen atom near its sign change due to its vibration provides a simple microscopic explanation of supermodulation of the coherent pairing gap in Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+\delta }$ seen recently at atomic scale in the scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. Some features of band structures obtained using the local spin density approximation for FeTe will be also discussed. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 6:28PM - 6:40PM |
C1.00005: Sympathetic Cooling of Na+ Ions by Ultra-cold Na Atoms in a Hybrid trap Ilamaran Sivarajah, Douglas Goodman, James Wells, Winthrop Smith Closed shell ions like Na+, as well as many molecular ions, cannot be easily laser cooled, for spectroscopy, quantum gates, and near zero-K reaction studies. We report on experiments studying collisions between trapped ions and trapped cold atoms. The ion-atom interaction is dominated by long-range polarization forces, principally a term V $\sim -\alpha $ /R$^{4}$, $\alpha $ being the dipole polarizability of the neutral. The Hybrid trap consists of a linear Paul ion trap, set to trap Na+ ions, centered on a sodium magneto-optical trap (MOT). We investigate the sympathetic cooling of the (equal atomic mass) Na+ ion cloud concentric with the MOT, using either the 3s F=2$\to $3p F$^{\prime}$=3 or the 3s F=2$\to $3p F$^{\prime}$= 2 MOT transitions. The lifetime of the ions in the Paul trap is observed to be detectably longer when they are sympathetically cooled by the cold neutral MOT atoms, consistent with simulations via SIMION. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 6:40PM - 6:52PM |
C1.00006: Energy {\&} Climate: Getting Quantitative Richard Wolfson A noted environmentalist claims that buying an SUV instead of a regular car is energetically equivalent to leaving your refrigerator door open for seven years. A fossil-fuel apologist argues that solar energy is a pie-in-the-sky dream promulgated by na\"{\i}ve environmentalists, because there's nowhere near enough solar energy to meet humankind's energy demand. A group advocating shutdown of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant claims that 70{\%} of its electrical energy is lost in transmission lines. Around the world, thousands agitate for climate action, under the numerical banner ``350.'' Neither the environmentalist, the fossil-fuel apologist, the antinuclear activists, nor most of those marching under the ``350'' banner can back up their assertions with quantitative arguments. Yet questions about energy and its environmental impacts almost always require quantitative answers. Physics can help! This poster gives some cogent examples, based on the newly published 2$^{nd}$ edition of the author's textbook \textit{Energy, Environment, and Climate}. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 6:52PM - 7:04PM |
C1.00007: ``Global Warming/Climate Change'': A Critical Look Laurence I. Gould There continues to be an increasing number of scientists from around the world who are challenging the dominant claim that has been bolstered by so-called ``consensus'' scientific views -- that dangerous ``global warming/climate change'' is caused primarily by human-produced carbon dioxide. This poster will show scientific evidence contradicting that claim. It will also explain some of the errors that have been introduced from a corruption of the scientific method. (Further information can be found at http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/lgould/) [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 7:04PM - 7:16PM |
C1.00008: Sun vs Moon: Competing Mechanisms for Recurring Aurorae Gary Parker At New England latitudes, sightings of northern lights do not occur at random. Among the nonrandom patterns are two of similar period caused by solar rotation and lunar revolution. From the 1880's to the 1950's controversy persisted regarding the mechanism by which aurorae recur at intervals that are multiples of about one month. Observations from northern Vermont are used to explore the influences of Sun and Moon on sightings of ``low'' latitude aurora with an eye to answering this question: with geomagnetic disturbance under strong solar control, and with aurorae associated with geomagnetic disturbance, why is the Sun's influence on auroral recurrence so weak? [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 7:16PM - 7:28PM |
C1.00009: Extending Newton's Universal Theory of Gravity Sol Aisenberg This should remove the mystery of Dark Matter. Newton's universal theory of gravity only used the observations of the motion of planets in our solar system. Hubble later used observations of fixed stars in the universe, and showed that the fixed stars were actually galaxies with very large numbers of stars. Newton's universal law of gravity could not explain these new observations without the mystery of dark matter for the additional gravity. In science, when a theory is not able to explain new observations it is necessary to modify the theory or abandon the theory. Rubin observed flat (constant velocity) rotation curves for stars in spiral galaxies. Dark matter was proposed to provide the missing gravity. The equation balancing gravitational force and centripetal force is M*G=v*v*r and for the observed constant velocity v this requires M*G to be a linear function of distance r. If the linear dependence is instead assigned to G instead of M to give a new value for Gn as G+A*r, this will explain the observations in the cosmos and also in our solar system for small r. See ``The Misunderstood Universe'' for more details. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 7:28PM - 7:40PM |
C1.00010: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN |
Friday, November 18, 2011 7:40PM - 7:52PM |
C1.00011: Physics or Mathematics Preparation - which is the better predictor of performance in a first, calculus-based college physics course? Norma Chase Data spanning fifteen semesters and including more than 1200 students showed far less than the anticipated difference in performance between students with quite diverse levels of physics preparation. Students ranged from those with no prior physics course work to those with two or more years of HS physics and prior courses in college physics. Less prior physics training frequently coincided with better performance in the first calculus-based course. Preparation in mathematics, on the other hand, appeared critically important; students at the extremes of the math preparation spectrum were concentrated at the corresponding extremes of the physics grade distribution. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 7:52PM - 8:04PM |
C1.00012: Physics of Green Energy \& Fundamentals of Nuclear Processes Margaret E. McCarthy, Ph.D. This poster presents topics in outline form of two courses offered by the physics department at Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield MA. These are both four credit, three hour laboratory, transferable courses that fulfill science distribution requirement. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 8:04PM - 8:16PM |
C1.00013: The new PhysTEC program at Boston University Juliet Jenkins, Andrew Duffy The Boston University Physics Department was recently awarded a three-year grant from the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC). PhysTEC's main aims are to improve the education of future physics teachers, and to increase the number of qualified physics teachers in the school system. Although there have been over 20 PhysTEC-funded sites across the country, BU is the first PhysTEC site in New England. Our goals with this poster are to raise awareness about PhysTEC, and to talk about what we are doing and what we plan to do at BU with our PhysTEC funding. A key part of the PhysTEC program is the teacher-in-residence (TIR), an experienced physics teacher who comes to campus for a year to promote physics teaching as a profession and to lend their experience to education-related efforts. Our first TIR is Juliet Jenkins. The poster will discuss Ms. Jenkins' role in the Department of Physics and in the School of Education as we move forward with new efforts to promote teaching, including a Learning Assistant program, a pilot studio section of one of our introductory physics courses, and a new education course that allows undergraduate students to observe teachers in the classroom. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, November 18, 2011 8:16PM - 8:28PM |
C1.00014: A delayed choice quantum eraser experiment that involves no delayed choice, no quantum eraser, and no complementarity Jeffrey Boyd Kim et al published an article, ``A delayed choice quantum eraser,'' in 1999 that appeared to show many remarkable things, including that the choice of observable erases the interference fringes that were previously recorded in a double slit experiment. However, the solidity of those conclusions hinges on whether or not quantum mechanics provides the only available explanation of that experiment. By thinking outside the box we have a different way of viewing that experiment. We find there is no delayed choice in the Kim experiment of 1999. There is no quantum eraser. What appears to be a delayed choice and a quantum eraser involve a different understanding of Kim's experiment than the one we favor. We also show how the double slit experiment can be understood with local cause and effect, and without complementarity. [Preview Abstract] |
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