Continuing work on a new tool for analyzing MuSR data for semiconductors*

I present on the second major phase of a project aimed at developing analysis tools for Muon Spin Research (Rotation/Relaxation/Resonance; MuSR) data. My focus has been on MuSR work on semiconductors. The first phase, presented to the EGLS APS group last fall, was to develop a basic structure and operational program that was capable of fitting MuSR time-domain data with single-component models and extracting relevant bulk parameters such as activation energies. I was successful in developing a functional program to fit idealized simulated data associated with realistic parameters. With this proof of concept being in an acceptable form, we entered the next phase of this project (relevant to this presentation), where I am working on assessing my program by testing fits to experimental data (instead of simulated data) and comparing these results to those of peer-reviewed and published results. The goal of this validation stage is to validate, improve and broaden functionality and reliability.

Part of this testing involved a systematic assessment of the minimization routines used to determine a good fit to the data, and adjusting the program to be more efficient and effective within the overall scope of its purpose. The first phase of this work was funded by the Northern Michigan University [NMU] McNair Scholars Program and the NMU Department of Physics. The second phase of this work is funded by NMU’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship program and the NMU Department of Physics.