Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2007 Joint New England Sections of the APS and AAPT Spring Meeting
Volume 52, Number 4
Friday–Saturday, April 20–21, 2007; Orono, Maine
Session C1: Theoretical and Experimental Physics and Astrophysics |
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Chair: Charles W. Smith, University of Maine Room: D.P. Corbett Hall 115 |
Saturday, April 21, 2007 8:00AM - 8:15AM |
C1.00001: Synthesis and Characterization of Zr$_{1-x}$Si$_{x}$N Thin Film Materials Xuefei Zhang, George Bernhardt, Robert Lad A series of zirconium silicon nitride (Zr1-xSixN) thin films were grown on r-plane sapphire substrates using rf magnetron co-sputtering of Zr and Si targets in a N2/Ar plasma. The films were grown at 200\r{ }C and also post-deposition annealed at 1000\r{ }C for 2 hours in vacuum. Pure face-centered cubic ZrN grows with high quality (100) epitaxy on r-plane sapphire as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pole figure analysis. Small amounts of Si (up to 6{\%}) added to the ZrN lattice cause the Zr1-xSixN films to become polycrystalline, whereas higher amounts of Si (above $\sim $15{\%}) cause the films to become amorphous. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were used to determine film stoichiometry and provide information about chemical bonding. The Auger parameters for N, Zr, and Si decrease as a function of Si content suggesting the formation of a more polarized bond. Optical microcopy and atomic force microscopy revealed smooth films except for Si concentrations corresponding to where the film transforms from polycrystalline to amorphous structure. At this transition, evidence is found for film delamination and hillock formation. UV-visible optical absorption spectroscopy showed a direct correlation between the location of the absorption edge and magnitude of the optical band gap and the Zr/Si composition ratio. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 21, 2007 8:15AM - 8:30AM |
C1.00002: Toward a Realistic Model of Cell Membranes: The Effects of Simulated Endo- and Exo-cytosis on Lateral Organization. Andrew Paradis, Susan R. McKay, Samuel T. Hess Cellular biomembranes are highly dynamic, non-equilibrium structures, yet theoretical and computational models have primarily focused on equilibrium behavior, where constituent species interact but are not driven out of equilibrium. This study examines the effects of simulated endo- and exo-cytosis events on the lateral organization of a three-species model of a biomembrane. The three species, representing unsaturated lipids, saturated lipids, and cholesterol, move and interact on a two-dimensional triangular lattice, simulated using a Metropolis algorithm. A modified Ripley's K-test provides a quantitative measure of clustering and is proposed as a method to connect non-equilibrium simulation results with experiment. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 21, 2007 8:30AM - 8:45AM |
C1.00003: New Statistical Methods to Analyze the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Yongfeng Wu, David J. Batuski, Andre Khalil The large-scale distribution of the galaxies can be characterized by various statistical and topological methods, but commonly used ones often have large uncertainties. Here we use The Metric Space Technique. It allows multiple measures to be simultaneously applied for quantitative analysis of any type of structure distribution. All such distributions are considered to be elements of multi-parameter space, and the analysis is based on considering a sample's output functions, which characterize the distributions in multi-parameter space. We also use Hexagon Cell method to quantify the filamentary structure in our samples of galaxies. We use a dozen slices of a volume of space containing many newly measured galaxies from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5. By systematically studying hundreds of thousands of galaxies, we construct a comprehensive map of the local Universe, which allows us to measure some of the fundamental parameters that define the large-scale structure in the cosmos. We compare results with that of mock samples of galaxies from N-body simulations. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 21, 2007 8:45AM - 9:00AM |
C1.00004: A Novel Means for Nuclear Fusion. David W. Kraft Since Tokamak devices require temperatures of the order of 10$^{8}$ K for their operation, it is tempting to assume that appreciable nuclear fusion rates can be attained only at such high temperatures. However it may not be widely appreciated that fusion rates are proportional to the square of the particle density and that these temperature requirements result from use of relatively thin plasmas. We describe herein means to achieve high fusion rates at temperatures of only a few million K. Specifically we consider the compression by an explosively-driven piston of a dense plasma with reduced degrees of freedom such as may be effected by an electric discharge or by application of magnetic fields. Model calculations of the temperature increase employ one mole of deuterium initially at room temperature and pressure and assume an ideal gas undergoing a reversible adiabatic compression. The energy release computed for primary fusion reactions is compared with the work to compress the gas. Refinements of the basic calculations include consideration of secondary fusion reactions, non-ideal gas behavior and an irreversible adiabatic compression. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 21, 2007 9:00AM - 9:15AM |
C1.00005: A Visual Representation of the Standard Model Douglas Sweetser Software is used to visualize unit quaternions SU(2) as a 3D animation. Random quaternions are run through a quaternion exponential function. The results are sorted by time and placed in a frame of the animation corresponding to their 3D coordinates. The resulting animation shows a sphere with an apparent disdain for the past. The visual representation of electro-weak symmetry looks like a complete sphere with a bias for the past. The animation for U(1)xSU(2)xSU(3) is the smoothest image of an expanding/contracting sphere that could be created. Any pattern of events can be represented by this group. Spheres of slightly different sizes nearby on the manifold would belong to the group Diff(M) which is at the heart of gravity. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 21, 2007 9:15AM - 9:30AM |
C1.00006: Global Warming: Claims, Science, and Consequences Laurence I. Gould Widespread (and seemingly dominant) claims about the dire consequences of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) have been propagated by both scientists and politicians and have been prominently featured by much of the mass media. This talk will examine some of those claims --- such as those made in the popular pro-AGW film, \textit{An Inconvenient Truth}$^{1}$ --- from the perspectives of science$^{2}$ and scientific methodology$^{3}$. Some of the issues considered will be: What are the major ``greenhouse gases''? To what extent is global warming a result of human influences through an increase of ``greenhouse gases''? Is an increase in (1) global temperature and (2) carbon dioxide bad/good? What are some meanings that can be given to the term ``consensus'' in science? What are the estimated financial and other costs of governments implementing the Kyoto accords? Links to readings and videos will be given at the conclusion of the talk. \newline $^{1}$Gore, Al, \textit{An Inconvenient Truth}\textit{: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It} -- (Rodale Press, May, 2006). \newline $^{2}$Marlo Lewis, ``A Skeptic's Guide to An Inconvenient Truth'' http://www.cei.org/pages/ait\_response-book.cfm \newline $^{3}$Aaron Wildavsky, \textit{But Is It True? A Citizen's Guide to Environmental Health and Safety Issues }(Harvard University Press, 1995), Intro. and Chap. 11. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 21, 2007 9:30AM - 9:45AM |
C1.00007: Does Multiplicity Replace Renormalization and Link Genetics too? Shantilal Goradia The substitution of sixty orders of magnitude, the age of the universe in Planck times, for $W$ in entropy equation$ S =$ \textit{ln W}, yields 138, close to the reciprocal of fine-structure constant (137) consistent with (1) Einstein's 1919 retraction of cosmological constant, (2) non-decreasing nature of entropy (3) Gamow's view. I link cosmology and Boltzmann statistics in terms of encryption in sequences of the OPEN and CLOSED states (or their superposition) pictorially shown in fig 1 [1]. I take an algorithmic approach to explain the expression of genetic information in cloning in terms of black hole information theory via Planck scale and flexible Einstein Rosen bridges linking physical particles of genetic tape with spacetime. Einstein's retraction of cosmological constant, long before Hubble's finding, surprised me, possibly you and Mike Turner too, during my last encounter with Mike at NDU. In 1919, Einstein addressed multiplicity, not GR. Unlike later papers on MOND without dark matter, I use no renormalization tricks in v2 of [1]. [1] physics/0210040 v3 (Jan 2007). [Preview Abstract] |
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