Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2019
Volume 64, Number 3
Saturday–Tuesday, April 13–16, 2019; Denver, Colorado
Session E01: Poster Session I (5:45pm-7:45pm)Poster Undergraduate
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Room: Sheraton Plaza Foyer |
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E01.00001: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
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E01.00002: Physics Meets Policy: A Summer on Capitol Hill Sarah A Monk This presentation is a look at the unique experience of a Mather Policy Intern working for the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. The position of Mather Policy Intern has a definite learning curve, and differs from many other physics internships in that it is not explicitly focused on physics, but how physics (and other sciences) are interpreted by and used to benefit the American People. From researching new technologies, to analyzing the possible socioeconomic impact of new policies, to drafting the words a Member of Congress will speak to get their message across, the Science Committee staff is integral to the progression of science in this country. A Science Committee intern must be prepared to contribute in versatile and useful ways. This presentation will serve a dual purpose, both as a look into the experiences of an AIP Mather Policy Intern over the summer, and a guide to help prepare future Policy Interns for work with the Committee. |
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E01.00003: Upgrade of the HIPPO jet gas target Xianfeng Wang, Shane Moylan, Christopher J Seymour, Luis A Morales, Gwenaëlle Gilardy, Daniel J Robertson, Edward Stech, Manoel Couder The study of low energy (α, γ) reactions is fundamental to understand the nucleosynthesis during stellar helium burning. HIPPO, a supersonic windowless helium gas jet target, is prepared as the target for the beam from the 5 MeV 5U electrostatic accelerator located at Nuclear Science Laboratory (NSL) of the University of Notre Dame. Connected to the target area, St. George recoil separator has been developed to perform, in inverse kinematic, radiative capture experiments of interest to nucleosynthesis. Inverse kinematics, here, means that a heavy ion beam is bombarding a lighter nuclear target. The nozzle-catcher system and chamber have been designed and constructed. A differential pumping system is set up to lower the pressure in the target chamber down to 10-7 torr in the beamline. The advantages of the windowless design and advantages that gas target compared with the solid target will be discussed. An Arduino based system is set up to control the pumps with the touch screen. We have performed the pressure measurement and initial experiments are discussed along with plans for future use at NSL. |
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E01.00004: Training Neural Networks for Object Recognition Using Blurred Images Azhar M Hussein, Xavier Boix, Tomaso Poggio Deep neural networks use sophisticated mathematical modeling to process data in complex ways. A shortcoming of deep neural networks is that they require a vast amount of data to train. An example of this is object recognition, a computer vision technique for identifying objects in images or videos. We hypothesized that, when training with few data examples, blurring the input images would cause the neural network to perform better compared to non-blurred images, because of the removal of unnecessary details. In this study, we trained a convolutional neural network on the blurred images, varying the amounts of blur in order to determine how the validation accuracy changes. Our preliminary results suggest that blurring the images does not help when learning from few examples; however, we cannot fully disprove the hypothesis because it requires further experimentation with other data sets and convolutional neural network models. In the future, we can use image blurring to study eccentricity dependence, a property of the human visual system that standard convolutional neural networks do not currently replicate. |
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E01.00005: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN
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E01.00006: Quantifying the role of heterogeneity in aging demographics, late-life mortality plateau, and high early-life mortality Anthony H Sun, Eric D Sun Survivorship studies consistently reproduce two significant deviations from Gompertz-like mortality across a diverse collection of species: high early-life mortality (HELM) and late-life mortality plateau (LLMP). The relation between these demographic observations and the underlying trajectories in biological aging or individual mortality is uncertain. Here we show that both HELM and LLMP can be derived from genetic and environmental heterogeneity. We simulate heterogeneity in two model populations: (1) individuals with mortality following the Gompertz-Makeham Law and (2) individuals with Weibull mortalities. In both model populations, LLMP and HELM is sensitive to the mean and variation of parameter values. Using numerical models, we assess the biological validity of LLMP and HELM from demographic mortality trends for a diverse set of organisms (D. melanogaster, C. elegans, H. sapiens). Together, the results of this investigation suggest that selection bias from genetic heterogeneity and environmental heterogeneity in current methods of calculating mortality estimates in a population may be responsible for the widely reported high early-life mortality and late-life mortality plateau. |
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E01.00007: Spectral Stacking to Probe the Baryonic Mass of the Milky Way Halo with Fe xiv Absorption Theodora E Zastrocky, J. Christopher Howk, Nicolas Lehner, John M O'Meara The mass of stars and interstellar gas in galaxies is lower than expected if the halos around the galaxies have their universal share of baryons, including the Milky Way (MW). We produce a median flux stack using spectral stacking of QSOs from the KODIAQ survey to search for absorption from the Fe XIV 5302 transition from the coronal gas in the MW's halo. The ionization fraction of Fe XIV peaks at T ≈ 2x106 K in collisional ionization equilibrium, roughly the virial temperature of the MW, making Fe XIV a possibly good probe of coronal matter about the MW. We do not detect Fe XIV absorption. Our equivalent width and Fe XIV column density 3σ upper limits imply an upper limit on the MW halo mass of < 3x1014 M⦿ assuming a β-model gas density distribution. Our limits are 100-1000x larger than needed to be constraining. This indicates that using our stacking technique, a much larger spectra sample is needed to detect Fe XIV absorption. Future spectroscopy with ELTs designed to study the acceleration of the universe may be sufficient to detect this coronal matter in the MW halo, allowing us to study its dynamics at high resolution. |
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E01.00008: Design and Construction of a Scintillator Based Cosmic Ray Test Stand Keaton Brewster The Abilene Christian University Nuclear Physics Research Group has a long history of constructing detectors for experiments at national labs, such as the beam luminosity monitor for E1039 at Fermilab and upgrades for the Neutron Induced Fission Fragment Tracking Experiment (NIFFTE) at Los Alamos National Lab (LANL). As new detectors are developed and prototyped, their performance should be assessed rigorously before being used. Our group has created a modular cosmic ray test stand for this purpose. This system consists of two large planes of segmented scintillators, each with photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) on both ends. The stand itself is an 80” tall two-part stand with three shelves, which all have variable heights. The time difference between the signals from the PMT pair on a single scintillator gives a rough position resolution which allows for three-dimensional tracking. These tracked muons allow for reliable prototype testing. This stand was designed, constructed, tested, and simulated at ACU. This presentation will go over the design and construction process of this stand, current experimental results, and future upgrades to the stand. |
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E01.00009: Study and Prototyping of Various Instruments for Cosmic Ray Detection Keanan Bottorf Cosmic rays are high energy particles that originate from outside our atmosphere. When entering our atmosphere they regularly interact and cause a cascade of secondary particles, or a cosmic ray shower. These phenomena were investigated through a variety of particle detectors, including cloud chambers, spark chambers, and organic scintillator paddle counters. Through building these detectors, the fundamental physics of not only cosmic rays, but the detectors themselves, were further understood. Small paddle counters were designed and constructed to study showers and coincidences, while being paired with other detectors. Cloud chambers and spark chambers were built and optimized in order to visualize the path of a particle in coincidence with a triggering system. A system of NIM-modules and Data Acquisition (DAQ) boards from Fermi National Laboratory, Photomultiplier tubes, high voltage supplies, and student built circuits was used for the spark chamber and coincidences. This capstone project resulted in great learning experience for all the students, preparing us for future careers in science and technical fields. |
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E01.00010: Correcting Phase in a Bell’s Inequality Measurement Martin Louis Mattes Bell’s Inequality defines a limit that is imposed on all hidden variable theories. The expressions that are associated with the inequality are evaluated through measurements of the correlation of an entangled property of two objects. Quantum theory predicts that under certain conditions Bell’s Inequality is violated. A set of paired Beta Barium Borate (BBO) crystals was used to down convert a photon into a pair of photons with entangled linear polarizations. During the down conversion, a relative phase shift is introduced between the down converted photons in the quantum state. The quantum model does not violate Bell’s Inequality for some values of the phase shift. An investigation was conducted on the effect of wave plates on perpendicular linear polarizations. A model of phase shift between perpendicular linear polarization as a function of orientation of a wave plate was derived. Then polarizers and a laser power meter were used to test the model. Finding agreement between the model and test results, a wave plate was then used to correct the phase shift in the quantum state. A measurement was then made that violated Bell’s Inequality, which is consistent with quantum theory. |
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E01.00011: The Self-Consistent Schrödinger Evolution of Self-Gravitating Disks Walker B Melton, Konstantin Batygin Quasi-Keplerian self-gravitating disks are one of the most ubiquitous objects in nature, and characterization of long-period angular momentum transfer within these systems constitutes a classic problem of dynamical astronomy. In this work, we investigate the small-inclination dynamics of a razor-thin particle disk as the continuum limit of Lagrange-Laplace secular perturbation theory, and explore the analogy between the secular evolution of self-gravitating disks and evolution entailed by the Schrödinger equation. Application of this formalism to the study of external perturbations and the gravitational rigidity of the disk are discussed. |
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E01.00012: Laser Fiber Coupling Tests for Fiber Harp System in the Muon g-2 Experiment Dat Tran With increased statistics and reduced systematic errors, the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will improve the precision with which the muon's anomalous magnetic moment is known from 540 ppb to 140 ppb. Two diagnostic instruments, “fiber harps,” are installed at 180-degree and 270-degree positions of the g-2 storage ring. Each “harp” consists of seven 90 mm scintillating fibers with diameter of 0.5 mm, separated by 13 mm. The signals detected are guided through clear fibers to silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) and provide a measurement of the time dependence of the muon beam’s vertical and radial profiles. A previous challenge was coupling a laser fiber to each SiPM, and the “SiPM shield” has made this possible. The shield is a 3D printed, box-shaped component that fits on each SiPM. Each shield provides a round channel on the side of the SiPM. Through each channel, controlled light pulses from a diode laser are injected into the SiPM, to monitor the integrity of its signals and to determine its electronic impulse response function. We will present data on measured light intensity for the proposed designs that we compared. |
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E01.00013: Magnetic Enhancement of Electron-Positron Production with Neutralinos Jon Dale Nichols, Todd M. Tinsley The purpose of this research is to determine if electron-positron pairs radiating away from dark matter in the presence of strong magnetic fields could produce a dark matter detection signature. The dark matter candidate used in this research is the lightest neutralino predicted by the minimally supersymmetric extension to the Standard Model. Dark matter is thought to cluster in the dense cores of stars, where some of the strongest magnetic fields in the universe exist, and previous work has shown that these fields are capable of facilitating processes that are otherwise kinematically forbidden. The neutralino-induced production rate is presented for electrons and positrons in the lowest Landau level and through channels mediated by squarks and by the Z-boson. |
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E01.00014: Quantum Singularities in Spherically Symmetric Black Hole Spacetimes Drew Michael Weninger, Deborah A Konkowski, Mitchell Baker, Thomas Helliwell Classical general relativity predicts the existence of irremovable singularities, indicated by incomplete geodesic paths in spacetime. These singularities are prevalent in a host of relativistic spacetimes, including those of observable cosmological objects such as various black hole systems. However, by analyzing a quantum wave packet instead of geodesic incompleteness, the potential exists to ``remove'' or ``heal'' these singularities. In this case, no boundary conditions are needed to be put on the singularity. Our technique focuses on analysis of the spatial segment of the uncoupled, relativistic Klein Gordon wave operator for a massless scalar particle and determining if it is essentially self-adjoint. In particular, Weyl's limit point - limit circle criterion are used to determine self-adjointness. Through self-adjointness properties, the spacetime can be characterized as quantum mechanically singular or non-singular. In our study, timelike curvature singularities associated with a group of spherically symmetric spacetimes are analyzed. Our results indicate the wave operator is not essentially self-adjoint for these spacetimes. Hence, they contain quantum singularities. |
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E01.00015: IMAGING AND ANALYSIS OF HYDRODYNAMIC QUANTUM ANALOGS Clayton J. Orback, Tyler A. Onufrak, Hope R. Dannar, Jan L. Chaloupka Hydrodynamic quantum analogs consist of a small droplet of viscous fluid that is self-propelled across an oscillating bath of the same fluid. Continuous vertical bouncing, and walking horizontal motion, of the droplet can be achieved with careful control over the frequency and amplitude of oscillation. With each rebound, the droplet receives transverse kicks in its motion dependent on the waves of its previous bounces. With variations in bath geometries and subsurface structures, the droplet can be manipulated in a probabilistic way to induce fascinating behavior. Over short timescales, a droplet will exhibit seemingly random trajectories. However, when the droplet is observed over long timescales, statistical patterns of the droplet's position begin to emerge. The patterns this system maps out over long timescales demonstrate a compelling macroscopic analog to Louis de Broglie's double-solution theory of quantum mechanics. We present the results from various pilot-wave hydrodynamic analog experiments, analysis of which has provided valuable insight into the analogy between a bouncing macroscopic oil droplet and the quantum behavior of microscopic particles. |
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E01.00016: Preheating after Multifield Inflation with Nonminimal Couplings Rachel Nguyen, John T Giblin Jr., David I Kaiser, Evangelos I Sfakianakis, Jorinde van de Vis Reheating provides a mechanism to produce particles and thermalize them to "reheat" the Universe to a sufficiently high temperature after cosmic inflation. Preheating accelerates the process of reheating by employing non-linear physics for an exponential particle production. Here we explore this phenomenon after multifield inflation in which the fields are coupled nonminimally to gravity. In the Einstein frame, this phenomenon manifests itself as a non-trivial field-space metric. Using GABE, we simulate preheating in this context and verify the consistency of our fully non-linear approach by comparing to results from perturbation theory. We extend this analysis to study when non-linearity dominates the process and preheating ceases to be efficient. |
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E01.00017: Starspots on LO Pegasi Robert O Harmon, Amanda Jewell, Brooke Kimsey-Miller Starspots are cooler, darker regions on the surface of a star in which strong magnetic fields cause the suppression of convection, which is the primary method of energy transfer in the outer layers of Sun-like stars. LO Pegasi is a rapidly rotating young solar analog (P = 10.153 hours vs. ~1 month for the Sun). This induces a stronger magnetic field and much larger spots than those on the Sun. As the star's rotation carries the spots in and out of view of Earth, they have a significant impact on the star’s brightness. We acquired CCD camera images over three nights on 7–9 July 2018 through standard B, V, R, and I photometric filters. The brightness variations of LO Pegasi were determined using differential aperture photometry by comparing it to a known, stable reference star. These brightness variations were then inputted into a light curve inversion program to produce maps of the starspot distribution across the surface. The resulting light curves and models are presented and compared to previous years’ findings to illustrate how the starspots on LO Pegasi has changed over time. |
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E01.00018: The Validity of the Semiclassical Approximation for Particle Production Due to a Strong Electric Field Robert S Link, Paul R Anderson, Ian M Newsome In a vacuum, particle production occurs if a strong electric field is present. These particles accelerate and react back on the electric field from which they were produced. The semiclassical approximation, in which the electric field is treated classically, is frequently used to describe this process. The validity of the semiclassical approximation is investigated in scalar electrodynamics where the particle production occurs for a massive charged scalar field. Specifically, the case in which the background electric field turns on from zero at some particular time and then approaches a constant value at late times is considered. Approximate solutions to the linear response equation are computed in order to determine this validity. If quantum fluctuations are large and the semiclassical approximation is therefore invalid, it is expected that solutions to the linear response equation will grow significantly in time. |
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E01.00019: Interactively Investigating the Extragalactic Sky Alissa Ronca, Luis Villa, John Moustakas, Dustin Lang One of the key challenges posed by modern astronomical surveys is the difficulty |
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E01.00020: Improving BAHAMAS: Reducing Selection Effects Bias in Bayesian Hierarchical Supernova Cosmological Inference Timothy Lucas Makinen We present improved inference results from BAyesian HierArchical Modelling for the Analysis of Supernova cosmology (BAHAMAS) via the incorporation of selection effects bias in our probabilistic model. This approach improves upon previous renditions of supernova hierarchical modelling by calibrating aspects to simulations of the newly-released Dark Energy Survey (DES) data. Type Ia Supernovae (SNIa) observations are subject to selection bias, which affects inference of cosmological parameters extracted from SNIa observations. Using DES-type SNANA simulations of SNIa, we train binary classifiers to assign probabilities of selection to observed SNIa spectral data such that we propagate a bias for selection in a forward manner, instead of back-correcting data using the standard modulus correction approach. Given simulated SNIa light curve parameters, we test our hierarchical model with both probit and logit-trained selection effects. We estimate posterior distributions of cosmological and latent-layer parameters simultaneously. With selection effects, we report ≈20% decrease in Ωm-bias, but an increase in w-bias by ≈25%. Future work will reduce our model’s w sensitivity to simulated intrinsic scatter, σint, and the shape of population-level color distribution.
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E01.00021: Modular Multiwire Proportional Chambers: Design, Testing, and Simulation Michael Z Reynolds The Society of Physics Students (SPS) at Kennesaw State University is building a series of multiwire proportional chambers as a tool to detect cosmic ray muons with the goal of doing muography on large structures. The chamber consists of two cathode plates that enclose an array of wires under high voltage and is filled with an ArCO2 mixture. High energy muons that pass through the chamber will trigger an electron avalanche that induces a current in the anode wires. Paschen theory was considered to determine wire spacing and operating voltage. In the avalanche formation region the electric field strength exceeds 3 million volts per meter. The chambers must be modular, inexpensive, and efficient. These requirements impact the design and need creative solutions. The chambers are 8 inches square, utilize 3D printed frame material, and can connect to each other. The chambers must be able to hold up to 2.5kV of stable voltage and transmit a clean signal to detection circuits. Simulations of the electric field were created using ComSol to visualize the avalanche region and electric field over the chamber. Geant is also being employed to run simulations of various particles through our geometry including alpha and beta guns and cosmic ray muon flux. |
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E01.00022: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN
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E01.00023: Constraining the Total Mass Profiles of Nearby Elliptical Galaxie Justin Craig, Nawaj KC, Casey R Watson We use velocity dispersion data to constrain the total mass distributions of 20 nearby elliptical galaxies observed in the MASSIVE survey out to Rmax/Reff > 1.5. Using the Jeans equation, we find that the total mass profiles of these galaxies obey a radial power law: M(r) = A rk, for large ranges of the velocity anisotropy, b, and the scale length, a, of the baryon mass distribution. We go on to show precisely how A and k depend on b and a, as well as on directly observed parameters, like the effective radius. |
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E01.00024: Cosmic Ray Detector Array and Speed of the Muon Aram N Nino Canizal, Andrew Reyes, Christian Hernandez Supernovae across the universe eject cosmic rays that impact atomic nuclei in Earth’s atmosphere to create secondary particles like muons. The muon is an unstable particle that decays quickly and it can penetrate deep into matter. To measure the cosmic rays, we used light sensitive Photomultiplier detectors connected to scintillator sheets by optical fibers enclosed in a light tight box. We assembled multiple detector boxes to measure the high speed muon particles and using 3 different detector boxes we formed an array. In addition, we collected data with a water Cherenkov detector to determine the speed of the muon by varying the distance of separate detectors. By running a program in the Linux OS the speed of the muon was determined and analyzed. In this conference, we present data from our detector array together with our result of the speed of the muon determined to be 99% of the speed of light using the Cherenkov detector. |
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E01.00025: MAGNETO-IONIZATION SPACECRAFT SHIELD FOR INTERPLANETARY TRAVEL: CONCEPTUAL DESIGN Lórien A MacEnulty, Trace Johnson, David Atri-Schuller, Sean Cusick, Keegan Finger, Brandon Lyon, Daniel Madison, Molly McCord, Athanasios N Petridis, Gavin Menning, Melanie Schnurr, William Thomas A main issue facing manned interplanetary travel is intense radiation exposure to solar wind and cosmic rays. MISSFIT is dedicated to conceptually developing a shield that combines passive and active shielding similar to Earth’s magnetic field and ionosphere. The system will focus and absorb low-energy particles and deflect high-energy particles. Subgroups are assigned tasks to investigate multiple components of the system including the motion of charged particles in complex magnetic fields, preferable structures of magnetic fields, energy loss in ionization of gases and the composition of solar wind and cosmic rays. Major advancements this year include construction of a program to calculate a magnetic field of variable form and intensity at any point in space around the spacecraft as well as commencement of an experimental analysis of gamma ray attenuation in materials that assert quality radiation protection such as Demron. Other endeavors include incorporation of the Bethe-Bloch equation into previously-constructed code that maps the relativistic trajectory of charged particles in assorted magnetic fields. Upon completion of a conceptual design, funding from NASA to proceed with a technical design will be pursued. |
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E01.00026: r-Process Nuclear Physics from the Ground Up Jared D Friedl, Bradley S Meyer The r-process is one of the two main nucleosynthetic processes for nature’s heaviest natural elements. Most of the nuclei involved in the r-process are too neutron-rich to have been studied experimentally, so calculations must rely on computed data from theoretical nuclear models. Differences in r-process calculations and known r-process abundances are important because they either show failings in the astrophysical or nuclear models, or both. In order to improve our understanding of how nuclear physics inputs imprint themselves on the resulting r-process abundances, we have developed simple nuclear physics models and run reaction network calculations with them. We observe how well-defined steps of increasing complexity in the nuclear physics affect reaction network dynamics and the resulting nucleosynthetic abundances. The insight provided into the role of particular nuclear physics model components on resulting abundances can help astrophysicists to understand where differences in observed and computed abundances result from nuclear physics uncertainties and not the astrophysical models, as well as guide nuclear physicists in understanding what those differences reveal about the failings of nuclear physics models. |
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E01.00027: Examining Photomultiplier Fatigue and Recovery Following Light Exposure Zane Gerber Photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) are an essential component of many experiments in high energy physics. Understanding the way in which PMTs respond to and recover from various stimuli will have implications for the way in which the resulting data are processed, and can help us quantify the changes in performance over the lifetime of the tube. In this experiment we examine how the gain of PMTs changes after exposure to light under various conditions, with the goal of establishing a time constant for recovery. Working within the context of cosmic ray air shower detection at the Telescope Array Project’s fluorescence detection sites, we will use the data to quantify the effects of exposure to transient light sources such as planes, automobiles, or other unexpected sources. Initial results suggest that exposure to UV light while high voltage is active will increase gain, with an exponential decay returning back to the baseline. We have also confirmed that exposure to broad-spectrum light while there is no voltage across the tubes will not create a significant change in gain. |
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E01.00028: Constructing an Electronic-Oscillator-Based Model of the Human Ear Courtney Devon Fleming, Randall P Tagg How do we perceive motion in music? It is the connection between motion and sound that has motivated our research and led us to focus our modelling efforts on hair cells—the sensory organs found in the inner ear which are common to both the vestibular and auditory systems. These tiny mechanorecpetors are found in the vestibule, where they detect accelerations, and in the cochlea, where they are individually tuned and arranged by frequency along a coiled membrane. To examine the essential properties of cochlear hair cells we looked at a type of circuit known as a Wien bridge electronic oscillator. This circuit contains ordinary resistors and capacitors as well as an op amp, a lightbulb which responds nonlinearly to heating, and a variable resistor that can be adjusted until threshold resistance is reached. Above this threshold, the system will spontaneously oscillate at its resonant frequency in what is known as a Hopf bifurcation. By swapping out components, the Wien bridge can be "tuned” to different resonant frequencies, many of which fall in the range of human hearing. We will discuss our experimental findings and mathematical descriptions of nonlinearity within the Wien bridge system, as well as relating our model to theoretical models of hair cell dynamics.
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E01.00029: Equation of State Dependence of the Observable Properties of Turbulence-aided Neutrino-driven Core-collapse Supernovae Brandon L Barker, Theo E Cooper, Mike Pajkos, Jenn Ranta, MacKenzie Warren, Sean M Couch In the proto-neutron star formed during a core collapse supernova (CCSN), densities can reach manytimes nuclear density. Due to uncertainties in nuclear physics, there are several different physical models for the equation of state (EOS) at the densities present in CCSNe. The outcomes of CCSN simulations can depend sensitively on the EOS. 1D CCSN simulations are key in predictions of the outcome of stellar evolution, neutron star mass distribution, and nucleosynthesis. However, uncertainties in nuclear physics causes changes in these results: simulations using different EOS tables can lead to entirely different predictions. We explore the sensitivity of CCSNe to variations in input nuclear physics. Using 10 different EOS models, we ran 1D CCSN simulations with progenitor masses ranging form 9M$_{\odot}$ to 120M$_{\odot}$ using a new model for driving 1D explosions that includes the effects of turbulence and convection. We found that the neutrino and gravitational wave signals depend sensitively on the EOS. A quantitative understanding of how different EOS's affect the outcome of core collapse is crucial to our ability to make predictions. |
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E01.00030: A Glass Neutron Detector with Machine Learning Capabilities Gabriel Luke Ademoski, Ugur Akgun
The handheld neutron detectors have large application in homeland security. Primarily for such application a B10 and Li6 enriched, scintillating glass neutron detector was designed. The model is compact enough to be used as handheld detector and it is equipped with machine learning capabilities to determine the location of the source as well as discriminating a neutron from a gamma. Lithium Borosilicate glass samples, with up to 70% Li6 and B10 content, doped with Tb and Eu were engineered to optimize performance of the detector. The scintillation properties and neutron/gamma detection capabilities of the glass samples were tested. The model detector’s performance was simulated in Geant4 and the data was utilized for machine learning that can predict the location of the source with an Artificial Neural Network. The reported detector can achieve over 99% accuracy in neutron/gamma discrimination, and source distance estimates, and better than 4% error in radial and azimuthal angle estimates. |
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E01.00031: Scintillating and Semiconducting High Density Glasses for X-ray Detectors Michael Martinez-Szewczyk, Shawn Simko, Brigette Smith, Derek Hammar, Ugur Akgun High-density glasses are good candidates for detectors used for medical applications such as x-ray imaging. Glass is easy to make and affordable compared to high density crystals. At Coe College glass laboratories we manufactured high density scintillating and high density semiconducting glasses that can be used in X-ray detectors. The scintillating glasses are Tungsten and Gadolinium based and doped with Eu/Tb. The semiconducting glasses are Vanadium and Tellurium based. Here, we report the glass making conditions, along with physical and optical measurements, as well as x-ray detection tests, for these high-density scintillating and semiconducting glasses.
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E01.00032: Following the Nucleation Reaction of Gyroid Maile Marriott, Laura Lupi, Abhinaw Kumar, Valeria Molinero In nature, block copolymers form mesophases that are useful in a variety of areas, including photonics, drug release, solar cells, and data storage. The gyroid is both one of the most interesting mesophases and the most difficult to nucleate because it has such a weak first order transition. Here we use molecular dynamics simulations with a model binary mixture of mesogenic nanoparticles to determine the transition state and explore the driving forces behind nucleation. We simulated the spontaneous formation of gyroid and tested the efficiency of a number of order parameters as reaction coordinates. Using Aimless Shooting and Maximum Likelihood Optimization, we find that all of the proposed order parameters are able to distinguish the fully-formed gyroid from the liquid, but they are poor reaction coordinates to identify the transition state. However, in this work, we were able to characterize the transition state by using committor analysis methods. |
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E01.00033: Fabrication of Ge detector with the USD-grown crystals at LBNL Kyler T Kooi, Jing Liu, Dongming Mei P-type point contact (PPC) High purity germanium (HPGe) detectors are widely used in dark matter and neutrino experiments such as CDEX, TEXONO, CoGeNT, COHERENT, GERDA and Majorana, etc.. In order to understand and improve the performance of PPC detectors at various environmental and system configurations in a convenient and economic way, we are in the process of fabricating a few mini-PPC detectors. This way we avoid risking expensive PPC detectors in unconventional operating environments. We take advantage of resources, facilities and equipment at both USD and Lawrence-Berkeley National Lab. The first mini-PPC detector is expected to be fabricated in the summer 2019. |
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E01.00034: Correlating All Sky Images with Weather Data at the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Erica Garcia, Michelle Creech-Eakman, Dan Klinglesmith The Magdalena Ridge Observatory takes nightly pictures with an all-sky camera for cloud coverage. An automated approach was developed to analyze the images and gather data from them. A multi-program system first located all images in the archive, analyzed average photon counts per pixel, and categorized them into either a “moon” or “no moon” folder depending on the counts.Next, images in each of the folders had different threshold counts to determine the presence of clouds in the image by analyzing standard deviation. In the “moon” files this is accomplished by masking out the moon. Finally, images are examined along with the numeric statistics. Results to date show that the analysis agrees with visual inspection ~70% of the time for images with the moon, and ~88% of the time when the moon is absent. The next steps will be to correlate the cloud coverage statistics with other measurements to determine how many nights per year are viable for astronomical research. |
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E01.00035: Developing a search for an annual modulation of atmospheric aerosols as a possible explanation for the DAMA dark matter signal Cassandra Billings, Lauren Pecora, Matthew Bellis If dark matter interacts weakly then one possible experimental signal would be an annual modulation in the interaction rate caused by the combined motion of the sun and earth moving through the dark matter halo. The DAMA-LIBRA experiment has observed such a modulation in their detector in a way not described by known modulating backgrounds such as atmospheric muon rate (thickness/density of atmosphere), radon gas, or solar neutrino interactions (apogee/perigee effect). We describe the prototype development of a device to collect aerosols on a daily basis to search for modulations of atmospheric concentrations of elements which have naturally occurring radioactive isotopes, such as potassium. Depending on the size of the effect, this modulation could theoretically be misinterpreted as a dark matter signal. Preliminary data analyses will be presented and future efforts will be discussed. |
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E01.00036: Synchronization and the Chua Circuit Juan Avina, Matthew R Semak This research focuses on understanding the behavior of the Chua circuit. This electronic circuit is a simple design consisting of one inductor, one resistor, two capacitors, and a Chua diode. The Chua diode is made of two negative impedance converters wired in parallel and functions as the source of nonlinearity and negative resistance in the circuit. A gyrator is used instead of an inductor. The gyrator circuit and Chua’s diode are analyzed independently using 5spice simulation software. Also, Chua’s circuit has been shown to be the simplest electronic circuit which can exhibit chaos. An exploration of the dynamics of Chua’s circuit is conducted. Chaotic synchronization in this circuit is then considered. Further research on the topic aims to explore data encryption using synchronized Chua’s circuits. |
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E01.00037: Constructing an Equation of State for a Diatomic Gas Noah Blair, Matthew R Semak In the interest of better understanding systems of interacting particles in equilibrium, the canonical partition function for a diatomic gas at low temperatures (below 100 degrees kelvin) is computed using a modification of the Lennard-Jones potential to model molecular interactions. This is then used to find a correction to the ideal gas law by calculating the second virial coefficient. An expression for the chemical potential is found as well. This allows us to construct an equation of state which is checked by referring to empirical measurements of the pressure, temperature, and volume of diatomic nitrogen and diatomic oxygen. Moreover, a Monte Carlo Simulation of a diatomic gas is generated to which our results are compared. |
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E01.00038: Development of a Dip Coating Chamber for Applications with Nanoparticles Enzo Flores, Andrew Reyes, Ricardo Mendez The purpose of this study was to construct a Dip Coating Chamber (DCC) to develop a method for depositing thin films of titanium nanoparticle material onto glass slides with as little outside contact as possible. For building this dip coating chamber, the materials used were a linear actuator, an Arduino UNO, and a stepper motor control board. An Arduino was used as an interface for the user to determine how fast they wanted the linear actuator to be powered by the stepper motor board. This was achieved by finding out how much voltage was needed for a desired speed. Through extensive testing inside an isolated environment, the specific voltages were narrowed down to 8 distinct speed choices. At this conference, the details of this project would be presented. In addition, we would also discuss related work using field programmable gate array devices. |
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E01.00039: Calibration Uncertainty of Advanced LIGO and its Effect on Parameter Estimation Madeline Stover, Madeline Wade Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime that the LIGO Scientific Collaboration works to detect. Calibrating the data from these detectors is essential for analysis of the presence of gravitational-wave signals in the data. We improve the calibration of the LIGO detectors by tracking time dependent parameters. The cavity pole frequency is a time dependent parameter that characterizes a critical component in the detector and changes due to drift in the alignment and thermal state of the interferometer optics [1]. We studied how calibration error from the drifting cavity pole frequency affects our ability to extract information about how colliding neutron stars deform. The process of extracting the physics of the source from its gravitational waves is called parameter estimation (PE). To see how calibration uncertainty affects PE we modified the PE software to mimic the presence of calibration errors due to a drifting cavity pole frequency. We found that calibration error due to the drifting cavity pole frequency did not measurably bias recovered source parameters from PE. We also investigated the effect of total calibration error on PE and found no significant bias in measured parameters. |
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E01.00040: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN
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E01.00041: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN
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E01.00042: Investigations of Perovskite and Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Eduardo Israel Diaz Herrera This project is to develop, investigate, and quantify dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells to examine how they could be used for inexpensive and efficient energy production as opposed to a conventional silicon solar cell. This was achieved by making dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells in order to gather extensive measurements to determine the power efficiency of the devices made. Optical properties of the light sensitive materials were investigated to evaluate the light absorption properties of the materials. Qualitative information regarding the concentrations of the solutions were obtained using a x-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Through the x-ray absorption spectra the abundance of key elements such as Titanium and Lead were identified. In this conference the details of our results would be presented. |
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E01.00043: Constraining the Dark Matter Mass Profiles of Nearby Elliptical Galaxies Nawaj KC, Justin Craig, Casey R Watson Using velocity dispersion data, we constrain the Burkert dark matter (DM) mass profiles of 20 nearby elliptical galaxies observed in the MASSIVE survey out to Rmax/Reff > 1.5. We show that the best-fit values of the DM core radius (r0) and core density (ρ0) parameters are strongly correlated with the effective radii of these galaxies, Reff. We further show that similar Reff correlations extend to multiple galaxy types over many orders of magnitude in galaxy mass and luminosity. |
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E01.00044: Commissioning the Coordinate Detector for the Super BigBite Spectrometer (SBS) Katie Whitcomb, Ralph Marinaro, Peter Monaghan The Coordinate Detector (CDet) is a 2352-channel two-layer scintillator hodoscope being commissioned for use with the Super Bigbite Spectrometer (SBS) in the nucleon form factor experiments at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab). The coordinate detector will provide supplemental charged particle tracking data, with a resolution of 2 mm which is important for elastic event identification given the very large projected luminosity of 1039 Hz/cm2. Each scintillator paddle in the detector has a wavelength-shifting optical fiber through the middle of it which is connected to a single pixel of a multi-anode photomultiplier tube. An overview of the detector and the commissioning efforts, including determining the threshold and efficiency of every channel and reducing crosstalk between channels, will be presented. |
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E01.00045: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN
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E01.00046: Modification of Ground-Use Stepper Motors for Use on the Stratospheric Flight of EUSO_SPB2 Anna Green Two custom telescopes aboard the Extreme Universe Space Observatory Super Pressure Balloon (EUSO_SPB2) will detect cosmic ray air-showers via Cherenkov and fluorescence light. During the flight, stepper motors will be used to open and close telescope pupil covers and to control the azimuth rotation of the telescopes. At a planned flight altitude of 33 km, EUSO_SPB2 will not experience the zero vacuum or cryogenic temperatures experienced by deep-space missions. Relative deep-space instruments, there is a significant cost-saving opportunity in identifying stepper motors tailored to the conditions of EUSO_SPB2. My project is to test common ground-use stepper motors under conditions expected during the EUSO-SPB2 flight and engineer modifications to ensure performance. I will select these motors based on historical low-orbit applications. A cold box that houses a motor testing stand capable of supporting a variety of motors has been constructed. The repetition and repeatability for the following with be acquired through testing: torque vs. speed, step count, holding torque, ambient temperature, and voltage waveforms as a function of load. |
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E01.00047: Scaling Law Echoing Musical Harmony at the Frontier between Atomic and Subatomic Particles Kelsey T Hadfield, Donald W Chakeres, Vola M Andrianarijaona Using the mass of neutron as unit of energy, we scaled some physical constants that include the charge of the electron, Bohr radius, and Rydberg constant into dimensionless quantities. These dimensionless physical constants lie down on a straight line in a log-log plot, suggesting that they are ruled by a power law. Further geometrical analysis of the plot shows that the power that corresponds to each of these constants is a partial harmonic number (1 ± 1/n). Thus, in the new unit of energy, these constants constitute the mathematical harmonic series 1/1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, ...1/n that rule numerous phenomena such as the musical octave notes. The harmonic pattern surprisingly applies to subatomic particles as well. We are presenting our results in this poster. |
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E01.00048: Di-Hadron and Jet-Hadron Correlations in PYTHIA Erin Huntzinger The solenoid tracker at RHIC (STAR), located at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, has the primary purpose of studying the formation and characteristics of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), which allows us to better understand the universe shortly after the Big Bang. The high-energy events simulated in PYTHIA are used to model the conditions at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) and in turn contribute to the overarching goal at STAR. A jet is a collimated spray of particles produced in a collision which has kinematics that are correlated with the quark or gluon that produced it. PYTHIA is a tool used in nuclear and particle physics for the generation of events in high-energy collisions. The research covered here includes the plotted correlations for the difference in the azimuthal angle between hadrons in the collisions. These azimuthal angle correlations are plotted for different transverse momentum cuts developed from PYTHIA simulations for proton-proton collisions. FastJet is used to find and analyze jets resulting from these collisions. Data from the latest run at RHIC can be used to produce jet-hadron azimuthal correlation plots at the top RHIC energy of 200 GeV and be compared to the theoretical models created from PYTHIA simulations. |
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E01.00049: MAGNETO-IONIZATION SPACECRAFT SHIELD FOR INTERPLANETARY TRAVEL: RADIATION ABSORPTION EXPERIMENTS Trace Johnson, Keegan Finger, Lorien A MacEnulty, Melanie Schnurr, William Thomas, Brandon Lyon, Sean Cusick, David Atri-Schuller, Molly K McCord, Daniel Madison, Gavin Menning, Athanasios N Petridis The conceptual design of our group’s spacecraft shield consists of two gas bubbles at either pole of the spacecraft. We decided to test a material called Demron to hold the gaseous mixture that will act as a passive shield. Demron is a material that consists of a metal suspended on polyethylene fabric. Our experiments consisted of capturing a radiation absorption spectrum for sheets of Demron at various thicknesses. We used a single channel analyzer and a scintillation tube to capture the radiation at varying energies that passed through the Demron. The sources used included Cobalt and Cesium. We made a more detailed analysis of the absorption at the energies associated with the photo peaks and X-ray peaks of each radiation source by narrowing the range of measured energies around each peak. Through the results obtained we were able to discern how effective the Demron material is at stopping radiation. The goal of the MISSFIT project is to advance the space exploration frontier by providing essential radiation shielding for astronauts. |
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E01.00050: Analytical Strategies for Large-Area X-Ray Spectroscopic Imaging Measurements of Cultural Heritage Objects: A Case Study in Illuminated Manuscripts Sarah E Deutsch, Louisa M Smieska X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping is a noninvasive imaging method that reveals the elemental composition of a material. XRF mapping is valuable for studying cultural heritage materials because detailed composition information about trace elements may provide new information about origins of historic pigments. Frequently, researchers collecting XRF data wish to analyze the relationship between spatial distribution and concentration of multiple elements in the scan. Previously, this analysis has been limited to directly comparing two or three elements at a time. This project focuses on expanding XRF mapping data analysis to include all elements present in the sample at a time, so that the entire sample can be described by a small number of characteristic ratios. New Python code was written to test several methods of pixel classification and we find that generally SVM plus k-means classification is a versatile method. |
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E01.00051: Thermodynamics of Charged Generalized Uncertainty Principle Black Holes HEATHER ROSE MENTZER, JONAS R MUREIKA This research evaluates the event horizon, Hawking Temperature and the entropy of Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) modified charged quantum black holes, as they evaporate in accordance with Hawking Radiation. In order to resolve the classical thermodynamic instabilities in the sub-Planckian regime, a self-dual version of the GUP in which the mass M, is replaced by M + 1/M, is applied to the Reissner-Nordström metric. In the large mass regime, the GUP modified temperature, T, increases as Mp decreases, reaching a maximum value at the Planck mass (Mp). Below this point, the temperature rapidly decreases to zero when M = 0. As the black hole’s electric charge increased, the peak temperature drops. Upon reaching the maximum charge QMax the temperature vanishes at the extremal mass, TExtremal= 0 as approached from both small and large mass regimes. For Q > QMax the temperature profile splits into two separate, unphysical solutions. The implications of this research will deepen our comprehension of the quantum limit and black hole evaporation. The more extensive applications of the results from this research will replicate the dimensional reduction of the Schwarzschild GUP solution.
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E01.00052: Construction and Signal Detection Electronics for a Multi-Wire Proportional Chamber Emma I Pearson, Gracyn Jewett, Mike Reynolds, David N Joffe The Society of Physics Students (SPS) at Kennesaw State University is developing a modular multi-wire proportional chamber (MWPC) to detect muons from cosmic rays. The ultimate goal of the project is to deploy an array of chambers for muography, the three-dimensional density mapping of large structures using data from cosmic ray muon absorption. Although the basic technology of MWPCs was developed many years ago, MWPCs are typically large and expensive. A secondary goal of this project is to develop a small, low cost MWPC. These MWPCs are 8” by 8”, and consist of a 3D printed, plastic frame with copper and gold-plated tungsten wires sandwiched between two copper plates. The copper plates are at ground potential, and there is a potential difference of 2,000V between the two types of wire. Muons pass through the chamber and ionize the gas inside, which starts an avalanche of electrons. This causes a current in one of the wires and sends a signal to the data collection equipment. A new phase of testing is about to begin, using “practice signals” from alpha and beta sources. These sources will establish that the chambers are functional, and since they have a known decay rate, they will provide data to determine the chambers’ efficiency. |
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E01.00053: Cosmic Radiation Detection Utilizing Muon Particle Detectors to Distinguish Rates of Muon Interations Compared with Elevation. Chris Fickess, Alyx Perkins, Kyleigh Wager The purpose of researching muon particle interactions is to confirm whether elevation effects the rate of particle interactions occurring based on the elevation in which the detectors are positioned. Muons exist for 2.2 microseconds and pass through everything except for extremely dense materials or elements. Utilizing Galilean Relativity, the probability of muons existing at sea level is impossible, but it is known that they can travel to this elevation. Employing the Theory of Special Relativity, the probability of these particles existing at sea level is realistic. Throughout the project, muon particle detectors will be taken to multiple locations to document various readings of muon particle interactions compared with elevation. These elevations will range from mountain altitudes to sea level and attempt to determine an accurate trend line for the cosmic radiation occurring based on the muon particles being detected. By stacking the detectors, the number of vertical trajectory muons will be found, and the horizontal trajectory muons will be neglected. Using the data collected during the last few months, the goal is to determine if the amount of muons detected is affected by the elevation. |
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E01.00054: Quacee: A New Quantum Programming Language for Specifying Quantum Computations Katherine A. Hudek In this paper, Quacee (QUAntum Computing Elucidation Extension), a new quantum programming language, was designed, developed, and demonstrated. In addition, a basic simulator of a quantum computer was created and used to test Quacee functionality. As research progresses towards the goal of programmable universal quantum computers able to support a wide range of quantum algorithms, there is a corresponding need for mechanisms to describe the desired computations and program the quantum computers. Quacee was designed to meet this need. First, a set of requirements was established for Quacee, then it was designed to meet these requirements. Additionally, Quacee has been designed to support the quantum circuit model and is independent of the physical manifestation of quantum hardware. It supports a wide range of standard quantum gates, including the Hadamard, the CNot, the Toffoli, and others. It also supports the ability to specify new custom quantum gates and a number of higher-level quantum circuit operations. Quacee is easy to use and was demonstrated by using it to program a number of existing quantum algorithms. |
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E01.00055: PHYSICS EDUCATION
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E01.00056: Classroom simulation of gravitational waves from orbiting binaries. Jonathan Perry, James Overduin, Jim Selway With appropriate caveats, demonstrations using stretched spandex fabric as a stand-in for curved spacetime can convey some of the wonder of general relativity to non-experts. We have extended this idea to build a simple and inexpensive simulation of gravitational waves from orbiting binaries, using a pair of caster wheels attached to a hand drill and illuminated by a strobe light. This setup successfully reproduces the pattern of outgoing spiral ripples that has entered the public imagination through LIGO animations. We use a paperclip plumb bob to measure the amplitude of these two-dimensional spandex waves as a function of orbital frequency, separation distance between the orbiting masses, and distance from the center of mass. We compare our results with those that hold for gravitational waves propagating in three-dimensional space. Our simulation should not be confused with a demonstration of general relativity, but does exhibit some of the same features that gravitational waves share with other forms of radiation in general. |
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E01.00057: Bringing Gamma-ray astronomy to the classroom Henrike Fleischhack, Katelyn McCarthy, Binita Hona, Petra H Huentemeyer Gamma-ray astronomy is the newest branch of astronomy, and the field has grown rapidly over the last decade. It deals with the most extreme objects in our universe, e.g. black holes and other remnants of supernova explosion. Due to their ubiquity in popular science, they make for a good 'hook' to engage high-school students. However, gamma-ray astronomy and related fields like cosmic-ray astrophysics are not usually taught in a high-school setting, and many teachers may not be familiar with them. The ground-based gamma-ray astronomy group at Michigan Tech has started a program to remedy this. |
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E01.00058: Incorporating Gravitational Wave Simulations into Undergraduate Education Deva O'Neil, Parker Cline With results from LIGO dominating the physics news, undergraduate students may request opportunities to do projects pertaining to gravitational waves. Experience at Bridgewater College has shown that completing an independent study in General Relativity prepares students to do a multi-week research project simulating gravitational waves in the weak-field limit. Based on the results of a summer collaboration with a student, a set of computational exercises guiding the simulation of gravitational waves from compact binary mergers was developed and submitted for publication in the PICUP collection. This exercise set, “Visualizing Effects of a Gravitational Wave with a Ring of Test Masses,” allows students with experience in upper-level mechanics to produce a computer simulation in vpython without prior experience in General Relativity. |
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E01.00059: General Relativity for a Broad Range of Undergraduate Students Parker W Troischt
Since the direct detection of gravity waves at both LIGO, and later at Virgo, it has become more important than ever for undergraduate physics students to have some working knowledge of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. The theory is commonly applied to understand astrophysical phenomena, operate the Global Positioning System, is one of the gateways to Grand Unified Theories, and is the basis for an entire new “window” opening in astronomy through gravity waves. It has now been used to describe phenomena in the “strong field” regime and been tested to a high degree of precision. Despite these facts, a course in General Relativity is still not commonly taught at many smaller institutions. Here, we discuss the development of a new course in General Relativity being taught this semester at a Hartwick College. Significant effort has been made to present the course to a broad class of students, rather than just a select few of the highest performers. It was intentionally offered immediately following electricity and magnetism, so all students had recently used vector calculus. Introductory physics and calculus are the only other pre-requisites. We report on the development of the course, initial student impressions of the theory, and pedagogical lessons learned. |
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E01.00060: PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH
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E01.00061: Intercultural Summer Camps: A New, Collaborative Model For Informal STEM Education Zachariah Mbasu, Michael B Bennett, Claudia Fracchiolla As society becomes increasingly globalized, educational physics opportunities that promote both global thinking and increased representation are critically needed for ongoing the health of the STEM enterprise. To meet this need, informal physics educators from across the world have joined to develop a series of one-week camps designed to expose students in our local communities to collaborative and intercultural scientific experiences. These camps, implemented simultaneously at multiple global sites, will employ curricula featuring both real-time and asynchronous collaboration between student participants. Additionally, the cross-cultural nature of these camps is designed to facilitate their implementation in a number of locales, especially those with limited access to resources. We will discuss design philosophy, curriculum development, and aspects of volunteer training and testing for the camps, as well as future plans for implementation. |
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E01.00062: Mapping the problem-solving process Calvin Stubbins We present a pedagogy based on link-node maps, which are a form of visual representation where nodes denote concepts and links represent connections between concepts. Examples of link-node maps, which have been heavily used in recent years to increase learning and retention, are concept maps and knowledge maps. The use of maps has been shown to be a robust way of increasing knowledge retention in a variety of disciplines. The work in this study focuses on a link-node map that organizes the solution to problems by representing the connections between different subproblems, thereby promoting thinking about relationships between different parts of a problem and making it easy to identify missing parts of a solution. We implemented this pedagogy in a junior-level mathematical physics course. Results suggest that quizzes based on this pedagogy are a better indicator of a student’s problem-solving ability than free-response questions. |
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E01.00063: Testing the Effectiveness of CAT-Apps in improving student critical thinking skills in introductory courses Lior M Burko, Pratima C Darr, Thomas Gluick, Rebecca C Higgins, Thomas Lilly, Todd Lindley, Marieke Schilpzand, Matthew Schmolesky, Daniel A von Deutsch, Aurelie Weinstein Critical thinking is widely acknowledged as the highest priority outcome of undergraduate education but is yet to be effectively targeted on any significant scale. Unpublished assessment data collected over 3 years at Georgia Gwinnett College have revealed minimal student gains in this vital skill from freshman year to senior year. It is our goal to address this inadequacy by providing students specific training in critical thinking through the use of validated and specifically tailored exercises for the classroom referred to as CAT-Apps. We include CAT-Apps in introductory courses which are mostly populated by freshmen students. We then measure the effectiveness in improving student critical thinking skills by administering pre- and post-tests. The latter are the Critical thinking Assessment Tool (CAT), developed at the Tennessee Technological University. Each experimental group is assigned two CAT-Apps over the course of one semester. We applied this experiment to courses in physical science, biology, psychology, and geography. Preliminary results show gains in critical thinking skills of the experimental groups over control groups. |
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E01.00064: Working Toward Equity and Empowerment in the Physics Classroom Chaelee Dalton, Janice Hudgings Women and people of color are dramatically underrepresented in physics and astronomy, and other minoritized groups also face difficulties within these fields. The demographics and the lived experiences of students in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Pomona College, a small, predominantly White institution in California, reflect these national inequities. Through a climate survey and student interviews, this study investigates what factors might have influenced the current department climate and what measures can be taken to build a more empowering environment for students. Further, this study investigates the effects of an anti-bias, pro-equity curriculum integrated into a sophomore level Modern Physics course. Through the use of surveys and pre and post interviews, this study assesses the effects of this curriculum on majority and minority students. Preliminary results suggest that the experiences of majority and minority students vary dramatically, with one student stating that “it feels like two different departments,” and the burden is often on the student to initiate both personal and larger-scale change. This study suggests that department and faculty initiated efforts to create community helps the department retain students, especially underrepresented students. |
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E01.00065: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN
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E01.00066: Checking for Interdisciplinary Alignment: A Critical Assessment of General Physics Ian T Descamps, Benjamin Pollard, Elijah Quetin, Gordon Stecklein, Thomas Moore Physics Education Research emerged from a desire to improve physics classes, and to use research methods to do so. Still, to most effectively impact change requires an understanding of what improvement and success entails. Students take our courses for different reasons, expect different things from our courses, and have varying relationships to physics. At Pomona College, General Physics is not a pathway into the major but rather teaches physics to non-physics students, often for major, graduate school, or career requirements. Our assessment explores the alignment between the goals of different stakeholders – students, the physics department, and the other invested departments – and course outcomes. Surveys, including the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) and Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (CTSR), and qualitative interviews were used to solicit feedback. Preliminary results indicate a moderate shift toward more expert-like responses on the CLASS and a slight increase in CTSR scores. Interviews with professors focused on the role of General Physics relative to their discipline: how to cultivate stronger interdisciplinary ties; interviews with students focused on the experience of General Physics: what does, what doesn’t, and what could work well. |
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E01.00067: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN
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E01.00068: Lessons Learned from the CLAIMS 1.0 study: Guidelines for Future Research-based Conceptual Learning Assessment Instrument Developers and Users Rebecca Lindell The Conceptual Learning Assessment Instrument Methodological Survey (CLAIMS) 1.0 was the first survey designed to investigate STEM Research-based Conceptual Learning Assessment Instrument (RbCLAI) developers views on the methodologies they used to develop their instruments as well as what claims that they can make about their instrument. The CLAIMS 1.0 consists of 29 items covering: instrument development methodology, evidence for the instruments’ validity, as well as any evidence gathered that was not published at the time of development. While the CLAIMS was sent to 100 different RbCLAI developers identified within STEM DBER fields, only 29 developers completed the CLAIMS 1.0. Analysis of the results of this survey provides lessons for any developer or user of a RbCLAI to be aware of during development and use. |
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E01.00069: GENERAL POSTERS
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E01.00070: Turning an Impractical Experiment for a Non-Trivial Non-Local Quantum Communications Device into a Practical One Douglas M Snyder In 2011, an impractical experiment to test a method for a non trivial non local quantum communication device was proposed that involved an idler photon initially entangled with a signal photon where the idler photon initially supplied which way info to the signal photon. A delayed choice was possible to lose or destroy the idler photon in many other photons released from a photon reservoir and eliminate the entanglement before the paired signal photon was detected. The result of the delayed choice is a different distribution of the idler photons over many runs than when the idler photon is not lost or destroyed over many runs. Now this experiment appears practical to do with the use of an ultrafast light switch to create many photons that flood the area through which the idler photon passes before the signal photon is lost or destroyed. This new experiment is described. |
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E01.00071: Invisible diversity. Are hidden disabilities hiding potential for physics? Fernanda S Psihas Hidden disabilities can go largely undiagnosed or unreported is schools and research institutions in the United States. However, differences in cognition can provide a rich source of diversity in knowledge transfer techniques as well as problem-solving strategies and team-building. This presentation will discuss the possible advantages that neuro-diversity can bring to our field, and explore the impacts of standardized tests and disability accommodations to the integration of students and researchers with hidden disabilities from the standpoint of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
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E01.00072: OUTREACH AND ENGAGING THE PUBLIC
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E01.00073: ATLAS Virtual Reality Webpage Quinnan Gill, Riccardo Maria Bianchi, Tae Min Hong We present the ATLAS Virtual Reality webpage where online visitors navigate different areas of the ATLAS Experiment with virtual reality headsets. |
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E01.00074: MEDICAL PHYSICS
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E01.00075: Iron oxide nanoparticle decorated Graphene oxide nanocomposites for MRI Contrast Agents and its flow behavior Shruti Sharma, Prahlad Routh Graphene oxide (GO) has been extensively studied for a variety of applications ranging from sensing, drug delivery, tissue imaging, gene targeting to therapeutics. Low elemental toxicity combined with water solubility and presence of surface oxygen functional groups render GO suspensions as attractive precursor materials for producing theranostics platforms. In this work, both chemical and geometrical variants were synthesized for cancer diagnosis and theranostics platforms. The chemical GO variants are produced via in-situ nanoparticle decoration of GO sheets. The geometrical GO variants are obtained in mesoscale particle size range from precursor GO sheets by utilization of a hybrid and facile solution processable synthesis protocol developed during prior work. GO nanocomposites decorated with iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized and tested during this work have shown promising results for their applicability as MRI contrast agents. Moreover, studies capturing flow movies of geometrical variants of GO nanocomposites provide evidence for particle margination towards channel wall suggesting potential of these nanocomposites in passive cancer targeting thus contributes towards development of smart multi-functional GO-based theranostics platform. |
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E01.00076: Neutrosophic Psychodynamic Theory Florentin Smarandache Neutrosophic Psychodynamic Theory is referred to degrees of Personality Integration, Personality Disintegration, and Indeterminate (Integration-Disintegration) Personality. Psychodynamic is focused on Personality Integration (into society, working place, family, situations, etc.), and settles the gradual evolution of personality over time upon motivational concepts and developmental factors. Personality Disintegration denominates the loss of integrity of emotions, motivations, and behaviors. In real world, human manifests a neutrosophic personality integration/disintegration with his emotions, motivations, and behaviors, having degrees of integration, indeterminacy (or neutrality), and disintegration that all fluctuate over time. In pathological conditions when integrity gets so split that becomes bifurcated into two or more subpersonalities, relatively independent, one has Multiple (or Split) Personality. For multiple personality, we use refined neutrosophic crisp set. A human personality (U) with multiple personality disorder is formally represented by: U = <E, H, B>, where E (set of emotions) is split into many subsets Ei of opposite emotions, similarly H (set of thoughts) into subsets of opposite thoughts Hj, and B (set of behaviors) in opposite subsets of behaviors Bk. |
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E01.00077: Mathematical Models for the Holistic Medicine Part 1 Christina Pospisil, Tong Shu In this work we present a mathematical model for the transformation of information entering the teeth and travelling to the organs. More precisely: (Food) Particles hitting teeth and how this information is transformed into electrical information inside the body. Moreover, we give an experimental overview to test and verify the model in our future work. Depending on experiments we can probably already present some results of experiments in April. Furthermore, for future work we will continue modelling the information interaction from the outside to the inside of the body and how this affects the human body. |
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E01.00078: A Mathematical Model for the Holistic Medicine Part 1 Christina Pospisil, Tong Shu In this work we present a mathematical model for the transformation of information entering the teeth and travelling to the organs. More precisely: (Food) Particles hitting teeth and how this information is transformed into electrical information inside the body. Moreover, we give an experimental overview to test and verify the model in our future work. Depending on experiments we can probably already present some results of experiments in April. Furthermore, for future work we will continue modelling the information interaction from the outside to the inside of the body and how this affects the human body. |
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E01.00079: ENERGY RESEARCH
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E01.00080: Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions embedded in consumer and commercial products Christoph J Meinrenken We have developed a database of 866 product carbon footprints which quantify the product's embedded GHG emissions. The novel database is derived from data which companies submitted to CDP, for public disclosure, comprising years 2013-2017, 145 companies, 30 GICS industries, and 28 countries worldwide. Accounting for all GHG across its life cycle, a typical product causes CO2eq of 6.3 times its own weight. This carbon intensity (CI, kg CO2eq divided by product’s mass) varies strongly between sectors, from 0.9 for construction & commercial materials to 34 for computer, IT, & telecom. Products’ upstream GHG (e.g., raw material acquisition or transport to the company’s manufacturing site) are on average 45% of total GHG, and downstream GHG (e.g., distribution or energy use during use phase) account for 32%. This shows that the majority of a typical product’s GHG arise from activities outside the manufacturing company’s own operations. Products’ individual CIs vary widely, from 0.11 to 973, with a strong correlation (0.47, p<0.05) to the relative portion of downstream GHG. This shows that differences in downstream processes are particularly relevant in driving low or high overall CIs. Support from CoClear and Columbia University's NetImpact chapter are gratefully acknowledged. |
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E01.00081: Time is a form of energy in a relative motion work energy equation Ibrahim M Hanna A new relative motion work energy equation where time is an independent coordinate index rather than a correction variable, and using the Newtonian relativity/Galilean transformation shows that time can be used as a form of energy exchange where, where E= 1/2 *mf *g2* t, measured by ( kg*meter2 /s3) and where mf stand for mass force which is time independent work energy ( kg-meter/s), where g is an universal acceleration of gravity ( m/s2 ), t ( second) is the time lapse of a free falling object to reach the average speed of system motion. Contest example: A piston in Direct injection cylinder moves in a lesser kinetic energy level, and lesser cylinder internal pressure than comparable indirect injection piston. Using equation like W=F*ds or kinetic energy ( E=1/2*m*v2 ) give the incorrect impression that direct injection is less efficient, while using relative motion equation, shows that the lesser the time index, and lesser the piston speed, the higher the work efficiency is. Using similar fuel, the thermal equivalent is (E1=E2) and (mf1*t1 =mf2*t2) or (Work1*t1=Work2*t2).the lesser the system speed is the higher the time independent work energy per second is and the shorter the relative distance of displacement is compared with the traveled actual physical distance. |
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E01.00082: Ensemble modeling of non-linear relations for 9%
Cr-family steel (tensile strength) Vyacheslav Romanov, Jeffrey A. Hawk Materials data analytics (MDA) methodology was developed in this study, for dealing with non-linear relationships and sparsity in materials data. Motivation for this research comes from the desire to shorten the rigorous and time-consuming materials qualification process, for new fossil energy materials applications. The focus is on 9% Cr-family steels used as structural materials in boiler and turbine applications in power generation. The analyzed 9-12% Cr steel data set, for 82 iron base alloy compositions and processing parameters, displayed results of tensile strength in 34 columns by 915 rows. To address non-linearity of the tensile properties, data analyses were carried out in composition-based clusters. The cluster-based models were tested and further refined using additional data set, with 16 alloy compositions. The ensemble of competitive models proved to be a viable tool in identifying piecewise-linear features, including cooperative effects of multiple variables. Physics based models and empirical domain knowledge were used to guide the data-driven models selection process. |
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E01.00083: Exploring Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter Spectra Hans J Broders, Chad Kishimoto Recent observations of a 3.55 keV line in the stacked X-ray spectra of galaxies and galaxy clusters have an interesting interpretation as resulting from the decay of 7.1 keV sterile neutrino dark matter. However, calculations of resonant active-sterile neutrino transformation in the early universe that couples one active neutrino to the sterile state may produce momentum distributions that are inconsistent with the observed large scale structure. In this work, we explore the effects of different active-sterile neutrino coupling schemes on the sterile neutrino dark matter spectrum. |
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