Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Joint Spring 2014 Meeting of the Texas Sections of the APS, AAPT, and Zone 13 of the SPS
Volume 59, Number 2
Thursday–Saturday, March 20–22, 2014; Abilene, Texas
Session S1: Optics and Computational Physics |
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Chair: Darby Hewitt, Abilene Christian University Room: Hunter Welcome Center Lynay Conference Room |
Saturday, March 22, 2014 10:40AM - 10:52AM |
S1.00001: Superlenses or ultrathin condensers? Luis Grave de Peralta Microscope condensers are the oldest and simplest known approach to obtain optical images with subwavelength resolution. Typical condensers used in optical microscopes consist of a combination of bulky lenses and diaphragms designed to illuminate the sample with a cone of light. In this work I describe novel ultrathin condensers with a volume three order of magnitude smaller than the volume of traditional microscope condensers. Since Pendry's proposal for achieving perfect imaging reconstruction, the quest for superlenses has attracted a lot of interest in the optics community. However, the reported resolution of quite a few demonstrated superlenses are comparable to the resolution achievable using traditional microscope condensers. Therefore, one may wonder if modern superlenses are somehow related to the old microscope condenser. In this work I propose the re-identification of recently demonstrated far-field superlenses based on illumination with surface waves as ultrathin condensers. I describe experiments with plasmonics and non-plasmonics ultrathin condensers as examples showing that the correct identification of the physics principles, involved in the resolution improvement obtained using ultrathin condensers, allows for successful strategies for obtaining non-scanning far-field images with resolution values much smaller than the Rayleigh resolution limit. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 22, 2014 10:52AM - 11:04AM |
S1.00002: Bright-field and dark-field sub-wavelength resolution microscopy using Ultra-thin Condensers Darshan Desai, Daniel Dominguez, Ayrton Bernussi, Luis Grave-de-Peralta Condensers are the one of the most commonly found components in optical imaging systems. Condensers illuminate the object under observation at inclined angles, which enhances the resolution of optical imaging system. However, as the resolution depends on the Numerical Aperture (NA) of the Condenser, the maximum resolution that can be obtained from conventionally used Condensers is limited, for example, by refractive index of the lenses used in the Condensers. Also, as several optical parts are required for concentrating the light into a cone and reducing aberrations, the conventionally used Condensers have been very bulky. To overcome these limitations, we have demonstrated Ultra-thin Condensers (UTCs) that are based on illuminating the object under observation by evanescent surface waves (highly inclined illumination). Also, NA of UTCs can be tuned by changing the refractive index above the object under observation - which also suggests a possibility to obtain extremely high resolution. Interesting theoretical discussion on working of UTCs, and on real plane and Fourier plane images that were experimentally obtained using UTCs in bright-field and dark-field microscopy arrangement will be provided. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 22, 2014 11:04AM - 11:16AM |
S1.00003: Using the Topological Panorama Camera to Observe a Geometry of Relative Motion Janet Gelphman, Theresa Overall Physicists have discovered many properties of wavemotion through and with a slit. Observing relative motion through the slit or line of pixels of the Topological Panorama Camera (Topocam) reveals a process to create or describe geometry. A demonstration of the process includes: as the Topocam slit accelerates past a row of circles, the circles are transformed in the image into varying shaped ellipses dependent upon the continuous change in velocity. Abstracting this process into a mathematical form produces the Geometry of Relative Motion (GRM). During the presentation, we will describe how the Topocam works, display examples of its images and the geometry created by observing relative motion and discuss properties and transformations of GRM. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 22, 2014 11:16AM - 11:28AM |
S1.00004: Continuing Studies of Hydrogenic Quantum Systems Using the Feynman-Kac Path Integral Method James Rejcek The Feynman-Kac path integral method is applied to the atomic hydrogen quantum system for the purpose of evaluating eigenvalues. These are computed by random walk simulations on a discrete grid. The study provides the latest simulation analysis and includes the use of symmetry that allows higher order eigenstates to be computed. The method provides exact values in the limit of infinitesimal step size and infinite time for the lowest eigenstates. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 22, 2014 11:28AM - 11:40AM |
S1.00005: Acoustic Noise Generation using Mathematica Dwight Russell Mathematica has the ability to produce a variety of sound including noise. Both time domain and frequency domain methods will be presented for generating noise. In particular a somewhat different method with a waveform constructed using a random discrete variation in frequency will be discussed. The ``quality'' of the noise generated, white noise, pink noise etc., will also be considered. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 22, 2014 11:40AM - 11:52AM |
S1.00006: Hydrogen Production by Infrared (HyPIR) Electrolysis John Fanchi The viability of using hydrogen as an energy carrier depends on our ability to provide a sustainable supply of hydrogen at an economically competitive price. The supply of hydrogen depends on how fast we can produce hydrogen and the amount of energy needed to separate hydrogen from hydrogen-bearing molecules. We describe a process called hydrogen production by infrared (HyPIR) electrolysis. The HyPIR electrolysis process significantly increases the rate of hydrogen production by irradiating an electrolytic solution with light at an optimized wavelength. We present results of experiments which show the increase in the rate of hydrogen production from water when an electrolytic cell containing 0.12 M Epsom salt solution is irradiated with an optimum wavelength of light. The irradiating light facilitates the dissociation of water by stretching the hydrogen-oxygen bond and increases the rate of hydrogen production. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 22, 2014 11:52AM - 12:04PM |
S1.00007: Computational Physics in the Introductory Physics Lab Thomas O'Kuma VPython (http://vpython.org) is a 3D programming language that enable students to fairly quickly create physics situations that help them visualize what is happening in a 2D or 3D world. In this presentation, I will discuss why and how I am using VPython for some of my calculus-based physics laboratory activities. I will also show some student generated results. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 22, 2014 12:04PM - 12:16PM |
S1.00008: Transmission Characteristics of a Composite Polymer-Metal Phononic Crystal Ezekiel Walker, Delfino Reyes, Arkady Krokhin, Arup Neogi Phononic crystals are ordered arrangements of two or more materials with differing mechanical properties, such as the density or elastic bulk modulus. The variation in the mechanical properties of the materials, combined with the size, shape, and arrangement of the materials gives rise to highly dispersive transmission characteristics for impinging elastic waves that can result in transmission stop gaps, or metamaterial properties. Hydrogel polymers are unique in that they possess highly anomalous mechanical properties that are responsive to external stimulus. Thus, these polymers are of interest for their potential to be combined with phononic crystals to form a stimulus responsive phononic crystal. Here the findings of a composite polymer-metal phononic crystal will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
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