Session C17: Undergraduate Research II

Live

Students’ perceptions of their confidence in their ability to complete a task, known as self-efficacy, affects student effort and persistence (Bandura, 1977). Self-efficacy increases with improvements in learning methods and is a good predictor for success (Zimmerman, 2000). Classroom dynamics also impact students’ self-efficacy by allowing for different kinds of self-efficacy opportunities (Sawtelle, Brewe, Goertzen, Kramer, 2012). Previous research indicates that self-efficacy is context-specific (Bong Skaalvik, 2003) and that male and female students benefit from different sources of self-efficacy (Zeldin Pajares, 2000; Sawtelle, Brewe, Kramer, 2012). In this study, we analyzed interviews from 12 students enrolled in a flipped integral calculus course to understand their perceptions of self-efficacy and how these perceptions impact their learning experiences. Findings reveal that experiences in previous math courses, particularly high school, impacted students’ perceptions of their self-efficacy in math both positively and negatively, active learning increased students’ confidence in their ability to do math from their perspective, and verbal persuasion (implicit encouragement) increased students’ confidence and was seen as a helpful way to learn.   

Live

CERN (European Center for Nuclear Research) is a global laboratory devoted to proton and heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is one of four major experiments at the LHC. ALICE is dedicated to the study of the transition of matter to Quark-Gluon Plasma in heavy-ion collisions. In Run 1 and 2, ALICE used several sub-detectors to provide, for instance, minimum bias trigger, multiplicity trigger, beam-gas event rejection, precise collision time, online vertex, multiplicity, and event plane determination. For Runs 3 and 4, the former Forward Detectors will be replaced by the Fast Interaction Trigger (FIT) system. In this talk, we will be discussing two of the six characterization parameters and sample performance results of the Micro Channel Plate (MCP) based photosensor modules designed for the FT0 Cherenkov array of FIT. These MCP module tests are taking place at CERN, and the two of interest for this talk include the After-pulse Ratio and Dark Current Rate, along with the Quantum Efficiency for Cherenkov Light. This work is partially supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. NSF-PHY-1613118, NSF-PHY-1625081, and NSF-PHY-1719759.   

Live

In summer 2018 we built a LEGO model of a proton collision event that would be used to demonstrate the CMS Particle Flow algorithm. The model was used in an exercise that was presented to graduate students from various universities across the country, who were conducting research at Fermilab's LHC Physics Center. This model gives students a hands-on interaction with a collision event and helps them learn the physics behind the Particle Flow algorithm. We will present the methodology of the exercise and the learning results from the tutorial   

Live

One of the main issues concerning manned interplanetary travel is intense radiation exposure due to solar wind and cosmic rays. The purpose of this project has two parts: a feasibility study and a conceptual design for radiation shielding utilizing magnetic fields and the ionization of gases. The conceptual design hopes to absorb the energy of low velocity particles and deflect high energy particles. There are many factors that must be addressed in such a design, and subgroups have been assigned various tasks to investigate them. These include the motion of charged particles in complex magnetic fields, the structure of magnetic fields, energy loss due to the ionization of gases, scattering and nuclear interactions, and the composition and spectrum of solar wind and cosmic rays. Exploration into the spectrum of charged particles that will be encountered on the way to Mars will allow for computer simulations that better reflect conditions on the trip to Mars. The collaboration is a student-led project involving students of all academic years that meet weekly to exchange information.   

Live

The Society of Physics Students at Kennesaw State University is working on designing portable cosmic ray muon detectors. The detectors consist of a series of small parallel-plate capacitors which operate at low voltage to detect ionization currents in ambient air, in order to be robust enough for a variety of outdoor muography applications. The detectors have been tested in the laboratory and are able to observe the direct ionization currents from 0.9 microcurie alpha and beta sources without any additional amplification. In addition to laboratory testing the detectors have been simulated in GEANT4, a C++ HEP toolkit developed by CERN, to ensure a better understanding of the signal and help increase the sensitivity. The detector simulation consists of detector construction identical to the physical model, various run parameters to test different applications, and data collection for comparisons. This talk will focus on both the running of the GEANT4 simulation itself and its results on the detectors.   

On Demand

Seyfert galaxies are a sub-class of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that are bright sources of UV and X-Rays in which outflows are ubiquitously observed and are thought to be produced from accretion disks around supermassive black holes (SMBHs). These ionized outflows manifest themselves as blueshifted absorption features in X-ray (aka. warm absorbers), allowing for spectroscopic analysis to learn more about the physical conditions of the plasma as well as the AGN itself. NGC 3783 is a Type 1 Seyfert galaxy at redshift z=0.00976 hosting a SMBH of 3e7 solar-masses. By using multi-epoch data obtained with Chandra X-Ray Observatory$’$s High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS), we analyze the archival HETGS data and model the detected warm absorbers based on the magnetically driven disk-wind scenario by the action of a global magnetic field. The proposed study constrains two primary model parameters: wind density and the inclination angle for a given density slope that also help determine the warm absorber’s property (e.g. velocity, column density, ionization state and distance). Our goal is to determine the physical conditions of the observed warm absorbers in each epoch for NGC 3783 and further explore its potential time variability over multiple epochs.   

On Demand

Interrupted telegraphy systems, regional power outages, and damaged satellites demonstrate a few of the consequences to earth technology by mechanisms that can be analyzed and prevented. The impact of solar wind on the earth and other objects in interplanetary space is relatively understudied, yet has far-reaching applications. Previous related studies have observed through close study of shear flow regions in the Solar-terrestrial environment, that Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) and Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) wave emissions along these boundaries may be a method by which energy is transported from flow. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the non-linear dynamics that distribute energy throughout the Solar Corona, we expand upon these previous studies to investigate the nonlinear evolution of KHI and MHD waves along the boundaries of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), large eruptions of the corona that have a significant effect on satellites, earth’s power grids, and humans in space. We utilize different criteria for measuring efficiency, including 2-D/3-D magnetohydrodynamic modeling software. We also discuss in detail the implementation of this software in our analysis about the nature of MHD instabilities in astrophysical plasmas throughout the universe.   

On Demand

The Haloscope At Yale Sensitive To Axion CDM (HAYSTAC) Experiment is a microwave cavity search for cold dark matter (CDM) axions in the galactic halo. It attempts to detect a resonant photon signal produced by axion conversion in a magnetic field, the detection of which would provide useful insights on dark matter. The data acquisition for this experiment necessitates efficient filtering out of noise and interfering signals. \newline \newline We present the theory/applications of two linear optimal filters: the Wiener and matched filters. The Wiener filter is based on the minimization of the mean squared error between the desired and output signals. The matched filter is based on the maximization of the signal-to-noise ratio. By injecting random noise into a known signal, we present linear filtering techniques that allow us to perform the following things: first, obtaining the best linear estimate of the desired signal d(n) from noisy data x(n); second, predicting a signal d(n$+$m) for m\textgreater 0 from data x(n); and lastly, carrying out an a posteriori estimation of d(n$+$m) for m\textless 0 from x(n). Using principles of optimization theory, this project helps speed up data analysis for HAYSTAC.   

On Demand

A small amount of dark matter gravitationally bound to the protosolar nebula could result in a significant density at Earth (comparable to or greater than the local galactic halo density) after adiabatic contraction during the formation of the Sun. We use analytic approaches to estimate the fraction of such dark matter that could remain in stable, Earth-crossing orbits today, if it interacts only gravitationally. We find that a significant fraction of phase space is long-lived in the presence of gravitational perturbations from Jupiter and from Earth. Finally, a lower velocity dispersion makes dark matter bound to the Solar System a promising target for resonant-type detectors searching for axions or dark photons. In particular, this low velocity dispersion could be distinguished by the high-resolution setting of the ADMX experiment. We conclude that a detectable amount of Solar System dark matter could remain in bound orbits today, and would have distinct observable signatures in direct detection experiments.