Session F2: SPS: Undergraduate and High School Talks

Room Acoustics

This talk will focus on finding different modes of a room with the use of a computer program known as SMART. We will also look at reverberation time using the same program.   

Looking for evidence of magnetosheath current as suggested by LFM global MHD simulations

The ability to predict the effects of the solar wind on the near-Earth space environment is receiving attention due to the increased use of satellites for business, consumers, and the military. Determining if there is a current in the magnetosheath is part of a larger project to predict these effects. Solar magnetic field lines drape themselves along the magnetosheath, a subsonic region outside the boundary of the Earth's magnetic field. Using data from two satellites, Geotail and Interball, in the magnetosheath during geomagnetic storm times, we look for unexpected reverses in the magnetic field direction, known as reverse draping, which indicate a current flowing in the magnetosheath. Simulations done by our group suggest that during periods of strongly southward interplanetary magnetic field we might expect reverse draping. We will be presenting case studies indicating when reverse draping is occurring in the magnetosheath.   

Torsion Oscillator Properties of a Vibrating Mass-Spring-Meter Stick System

A meter stick pivoted about an axis through its midpoint is connected to a spring on one side of the pivot and a weight on the other side, thus providing a means of vibration of the system. The behavior of the oscillating system is described in terms of torsion oscillator properties. This equivalence to torsion oscillator behavior expands students' insights into the mathematical properties of various systems.   

Chaotic Systems

Chaos theory is a current topic in physics research and is of great scientific and applied interest. Chaotic systems include weather patterns, genetic evolution and free market economics. Modeling chaotic phenomena using electronic circuits is a convenient way to analyze nonlinear systems. We have built various types of circuits and examined the conditions under which chaos occurs. Chua's circuit and analog computing circuits (ones that directly model systems of differential equations) were in the spotlight during the fall semester. An R-C phase space diagram for the Chua's circuit was constructed and the phase transitions were examined. Different analog computing circuits were built and the resulting attractors, attractor phases, and bifurcations were recorded. A mechanical system, the two block train model, is the current focus of study. The goal is to examine attractors produced by a mechanical system, a computer simulation, and a corresponding circuit in order to prove that the same experimental results can be obtained from different sources. This way if a mechanical system is too complicated to build, it can be substituted by a suitable circuit.   

The Relationship Between Magnetosheath and Solar Wind Parameters

In general, solar wind drives magnetospheric activity and is used to quantify it. In reality, it is the magnetosheath which is in contact with the magnetosphere. Parameters in the magnetosheath therefore modulate magnetospheric activity. We expect that the relationship between solar wind and magnetosheath parameters will have a linear relationship at low solar wind magnetic field values. However, at high solar wind magnetic field values, the LFM Global MHD code predicts a non- linear relationship between the solar wind and magnetosheath parameters. Using simultaneous spacecraft observations from WIND and GEOTAIL, we examine several periods of low solar wind magnetic field and high solar wind magnetic field to confirm the observed relationship between the magnetosheath and solar wind magnetic fields and compare this to the LFM Global MHD code predictions.   

Microwind Alternative Energy and the Windbelt

The windbelt is an energy generating device which makes use of aeroelastic flutter to produce small amounts of electrical power under very low wind speeds. There are several natural modes~of vibration~present on the windbelt under different conditions. Each of the modes provide a different waveform for the output voltage. This talk will provide an introduction to the windbelt, will attempt to explain the effect different modes of vibration have on the output waveform, and will provide some potential uses for the windbelt.   

3D Animations of Fresnel's Equations

To better understand Fresnel's equations, it is beneficial to have full 3D animations in order to help demonstrate numerous physical happenings. We would like to show the laws of reflection, refraction, image formation and polarization in 3D animations. With these models, we will also be able to show phenomena such as total internal reflection and total refraction, including various laws and principles ranging from Huygen to Snell and Rayleigh. Considering these trends have not yet been animated in full 3D models, it is our ultimate goal to do so as a way to better observe, dissect, and understand the inner and outer workings of Fresnel's equations.   

Properties of Threaded Rod Torsion Pendulums

Threaded rod torsion pendulums provide an inexpensive and reasonably low-mass approach to the study of torsion pendulums in AP Physics. Characteristics such as the relationship between the torsion constant and the length and diameter of the torsion rod can be easily determined with the use of threaded rods. They can also be used for the study of damping and driven effects in torsion systems. Since the rotational inertia of a torsion pendulum is central to its behavior, the use of threaded rod systems increases the facility with which this concept can be studied.   

Wide-field imaging by leakage of surface plasmon-coupled fluorescence

In this work we present a new imaging technique that combines advantages of wide-field surface plasmon (WFSP), leakage radiation (LR) and total internal reflection florescence (TIRF) microscopy methods. We demonstrate high-resolution non-scanning (wide-field) imaging of fluorescent samples using a LR configuration. We modified the glass-metal-sample arrangement to be imaged by adding a top thin film with a refractive index equal to or smaller than the glass. The top thin film is fabricated by spinning a diluted fluorescent compound (dye) over the original glass-metal-sample arrangement. Illumination from a low numerical aperture microscopic lens is used to excite incoherent fluorescent radiation in the top thin film. Leakage radiation due to plasmon-coupled fluorescence is collected by an oil-immersion microscope objective lens in direct contact with the glass side of the sample arrangement. The use of incoherent plasmon-coupled fluorescent radiation for sample illumination dispenses the need of a rotating diffuser in the proposed wide-field leakage plasmon-coupled fluorescence (WFLPCF) microscope. This also provides a way to obtain high resolution non-scanning images without the need of a spatial modulator.   

Tracking The Polar Cap Boundary Under Strong Solar Wind Driving

The magnetic field near the Earth is shaped similar to that of a bar magnet, with some field lines flowing from one magnetic pole to the other, called ``closed'' field lines. Farther away from the Earth, however, the Earth's magnetic field can interact with the Sun's magnetic field, which is carried along by the solar wind. When the two fields point in opposite directions, field lines that connect near the Earth's poles can merge with solar wind field lines, to form ``open'' field lines. The boundary between the open and closed field lines is the polar cap boundary. It is well known that field line merging causes the polar cap boundary to grow, but it is less clear if this growth is limited to some ``saturation'' value. Our research examines periods of strong, steady solar wind driving, identified from the Omni solar wind database as periods with a large southward solar wind magnetic field and steady conditions. Then, we examine particle data from the DMSP F13 satellite, to find the location of the polar cap boundary produced during those solar wind conditions. Our analysis shows a clear connection between the polar cap boundary location and the solar wind input, including apparent saturation of the polar cap area with strong driving.   

Occultation of TYC5234-01020-1 by Minor Planet 43 Ariadne

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Introducing New Undergraduates Into a Research Group Through Use of a Wiki

In a large research group it can be difficult to communicate fundamental group-specific concepts and data collection procedures to new or inexperienced members. Our research group utilizes a type of website called a wiki, which allows members to update and change content quickly and easily. A page on our group's wiki details fundamental concepts in the space physics research group, oriented at incoming undergraduate researchers, including a detailed description of what each of the most-used data sites is used for and a step by step procedure on how to use each one. The nature of the wiki as a dynamic and member-edited project means that descriptions and procedures can be revised and updated as new data sets become available. Our efforts include weekly meetings with the new undergraduates to explore these concepts and frequently-used data websites until these new members have learned enough to understand their assigned research projects. Our group has successfully incorporated undergraduates as early as their freshman year into the research group on scientifically significant research projects using these methods.   

Reconstruction of a Proton Accelerator for 25 keV Electron Experiments

Accelerators have always been an important part of atomic physics research, and we are currently working to reconstruct and renovate the accelerator at ASU (previously used for proton experiments). During this process, we have been updating and rebuilding the accelerator for use in 25 keV electron bremsstrahlung experiments involving gas targets. This process has included acquiring an electron source, which has involved stripping down various cathode ray tube (CRT) devices. Work has also begun on restructuring the accelerator's voltages for use with an electron source. After deconstruction of the proton accelerator is complete, we will utilize useful parts to minimize cost and reconstruct the accelerator into a more compact and user-friendly form. A new chamber for gas-targets will also be necessary, thus the gas-delivery and vacuum systems will also need work. Also, the cooling system will need some work considering the last used coolant was kerosene. Though the project seems ambitious, we have already taken major steps in its completion and we hope to have a finished product by the end of this summer semester.   

A Table for Ionopheric Boundaries and Solar Wind Conditions

Using data from the Defense Meteorological Satellites Program (DMSP) satellite F13 we find the times, locations, and the difference in location between the Convection Reversal Boundary (CRB) and the Polar Cap Boundary (PCB). The Convection Reversal Boundary is where the electron drift changes direction from toward the sun to away from the sun. The Polar Cap Boundary is the boundary between the magnetic field lines that are connected to the Earth on both sides and those which are connected at one end to the Earth and the other end to the solar wind. The periods selected are from Richardson et al coronal mass ejections list filtering for $-70$ DST and below. Then we gather solar wind characteristics using the OMNI data set along with DST values from ground based magnetometers. The related positions of the CRB and PCB are of interest to other studies being done in the group. This study will also be used to validate simulation results from our group.