ABSTRACTS for CLASS of 2023 SENIOR PROJECTS
as of November 10, 2022
These abstracts describe work that students PLAN to do in their projects; the abstracts for their final papers will generally be very different.
Jack Begley with Prof. Lydia Kisley
Identification of Photoluminescence that Occurs During Steel Corrosion
Corrosion is a pervasive degradation process that raises economic and health concerns. Although electrochemical analysis and other experiments enable bulk investigation of corrosion behavior, little is known about corrosion on the nanoscale. The Kisley Lab endeavors to understand corrosion fundamentally—at the single molecule level. In the laboratory’s recent studies of monitoring corrosion of low-carbon steel with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM), photoluminescent features (~1-10 μm in size) have been observed. The chemical and physical nature of the source of the photoluminescence is unknown. As a team member of the Kisley Lab, I will correlate TIRFM, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) images of low-carbon steel samples to characterize the chemical nature of photoluminescent spots. I will theorize answers to the following: what are these spots, how do they arise, and why do they luminesce? This experimental work will improve our understanding of the samples and may, in turn, prompt changes to sample fabrication and data analysis.
Mariana Blanco with Prof. Steven Hauck (CWRU EEPS)
Calculating Seismicity on Mercury: An Initial Approach
Quakes provide a window into the inner structure and tectonic activity of planetary bodies. By observing how seismic waves behave as they move through different materials, it is possible to determine internal properties such as composition and structure of the target body. So far, seismic data has been collected on Earth, the Moon (as part of the Apollo experiments) and most recently Mars (NASA’s InSight mission), shedding light on the interior and evolutionary history of these bodies. Mercury presents itself as an interesting potential addition to the list.Tectonically active, the planet should have quake that result from its cooling and shrinking. We aim to obtain estimates for Mercury’s seismic moment over time, and the likely frequency and magnitudes of the quakes involved. In order to make these estimates we’ll analyze the fault distribution observed on Mercury from the MESSENGER mission as well as estimates of the slip, sheer modulus of the rock, and cooling rate, to determine how much energy has been released as seismic waves over time. These estimates will enable future mission designers to determine the required sensitivity and duration of seismic observations on Mercury to detect and study quakes on that planet.
Noah Bliss with Prof. Cyrus Taylor
Chaos in Yang-Mills Matrix Models
In this project we aim to study the chaotic dynamics of the Yang-Mills matrix theories. In quantum field theories, Yang-Mills fields describe how models of symmetry govern how quantum systems emerge and behave. Analyzing these theories requires non-abelian gauge theories which is the language the Standard Model was formulated in and remains an essential tool for all quantum theoretical research. We are following a paper by Baskan and Kurkcuoglu which studies the dynamics of the SU(2) matrix model which we wish to generalize to SU(N) and potentially other compact Lie algebras. There are many historical examples of how the study of general cases has led to insights about the cases we observe in nature and we hope the study of these general chaotic systems will result in the same.
Alice Cai with Prof. Glenn Starkman
Zooniverse Countertop Dark Matter Search Beta Phase
The Countertop Dark Matter project uses crowd-sourced visual observations to search for evidence of macroscopic dark matter trajectories through granite slabs. This project is launching in its beta phase on Zooniverse, an online citizen science service. Volunteer users view standardized photos of granite and judge whether or not the image contains a “melt patch,” and the reliability of each user’s judgments is based on their performance in classifying training images that are randomly interspersed among real subjects. The data obtained from this beta phase are to be analyzed using Bayesian statistics to place preliminary limits on the parameter spaces for the cross-sectional area and mass of these dark matter macros. These results will be used to improve future large-scale launches.
Alan Chen with Prof. Benjamin Monreal
Four-channel Gas Ionization Particle Detector
This research project focuses on a four-channel particle detector prototype that utilizes gas ionization of high-energy particles (e.g. muons) in noble gases (e.g. argon). An electric field generated in the gas chamber will result in a particle drift that guides the ionized electrons to the detecting wires placed around the gas chamber. This prototype will test the mapping ability of future low-cost large detectors of similar geometry.
Luke Eisnaugle Treisch with Prof. Jesse Berezovsky
Design and Construction of Optical Tweezers to Entrap Diamond Nanoparticles
A table-mounted laser and an objective lens will allow photon reflection and refraction within a transparent medium on the 1-micron scale, providing a restorative force akin to a spring that will lock a particle into a fixed position beneath the beam’s trajectory (optical tweezers). The particle of interest will be contained within a microscope slide, which rests atop a bed that will be electronically controlled to shift in the x, y, and z directions, allowing the optical tweezers to physically move the particle through the slide. Later iterations of the setup will allow for precise control of the objective lens’ position with respect to the slide bed, and the final iteration will introduce a mechanism to deactivate, reposition, and reactivate the optical tweezers in quick succession, allowing the setup to precisely entrap multiple particles in separate positions.
Madhav Goel with Giuseppe Strangi
Investigating and Optimizing Fano Resonance in Optical Coatings
The goal of this project is to utilize Fano resonance in optical thin-film metasurfaces for sensing applications. Fano resonance is the optical response created by interference between two light scattering modes that gives rise to a sharp resonant (Fano) peak at certain wavelengths. The amplitude and spectral location of the resonant peak can be affected by the refractive indices of the environment local to the metasurface, allowing it to be used for sensing applications. The goal then is to optimize the meta surface for bio-sensing applications.
Adrian Harkness with Prof. Walter Krawec and Prof. Bing Wang (UConn Computer Science)
Key Rate Analysis in Partially Corrupted Quantum Repeater Networks
Quantum key distribution promises unhackable communication against computationally unbounded adversaries with both classical and quantum resources, making it an increasingly urgent technology to develop as quantum computers grow closer to decrypting current secure communication standards. Security proofs often assume complete adversarial control of every repeater in the network before establishing bounds on the eavesdropper’s extractable information. However, as quantum networks grow in size toward an eventual quantum internet, they are increasingly unlikely to be entirely corrupted by adversaries. By applying entropic uncertainty relations toward partially corrupted quantum networks, we aim to prove key rate bounds that serve as security guarantees. Here, by assuming only partial corruption of the network, we expect to derive higher key rates and increased noise tolerances beyond those of fully corrupted networks.
Zhaoyu (Gemma) Huai with Prof. John Ruhl
Effects of CMB Telescope Beam Systematics on Measurements of B-mode Polarization
Traces of primordial gravitational waves generated by the Cosmic Inflation are imprinted as a bump near multipole moment l =100 in the B-mode polarization power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), whose amplitude is characterized by the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r. The small amplitude of the signal makes it difficult to detect, particularly in the presence of foregrounds and systematics. My work involves simulating degree-scale beam systematics for CMB telescopes, such as different patterns of sidelobes, and finding their impacts on the polarization power spectrum. I will investigate the biases induced on measurements of “r” by such systematic effects in hopes of setting requirements on sidelobes to enable placing future more precise constraints on “r”.
Richard John with Prof. Michael Hinczewski
Bridging the Gap between High and Low Mutation Rate Biological Driving in Evolutionary Systems
Many mathematical models in biophysics rely on approximations made for certain regimes of biological parameters. In this project, I will consider one class of mathematical models, biological driving prescriptions, and different regimes of one parameter, mutation rate. Simply put, biological driving refers to the ability to take some specified model of an evolutionary system and apply external treatments to it in a targeted way to drive the system along some form of preferred trajectory. Mutation rate is a critical parameter in these models. We can separate biological driving prescriptions into those that work for low mutation rate systems versus high mutation rate systems. We know that complete driving prescriptions exist in both parameter regimes, but at intermediate mutation rates, our existing descriptions may rest on assumptions that no longer hold. In this project, I will attempt to find some general form of biological driving that works in this intermediate regime and also determine how driving prescriptions scale with mutation rate, to determine whether a higher mutation rate makes it easier or more difficult to drive these systems with accuracy.
Daniel Kessler with Prof. Glenn Starkman and Dr. Craig Copi
Backscattered Gravitational Wave Tails
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) confirmed that primary gravitational waves propagate, in vacuum, at the speed of light from source to observer. General relativity predicts that these waves should develop ‘tails’—delayed echos of the primary wave, propagating within the light cone—when ‘scattered’ off the spacetime curvature sourced by massive objects. The detection of these tails would permit the study of previously undetected matter, including dark matter, and the interiors of the bodies from which the waves were scattered. Here we examine the particular case of backscattering—where the perturbing body is opposite the observer from the source—applicable to objects in the solar system, andromeda, and beyond.
Adam Ketchum with Prof. Michael Hinczewski
Optimizing Costs in Biological Control
Biochemical reaction networks are inherently stochastic, which makes external control of their behavior challenging. This project builds on a recently developed theoretical method [Ilker et al., Physical Review X (2022)] to achieve this control. The technique drives a biochemical system from one probability distribution of states to another in a finite time, by precisely tuning the external control variables (concentrations of chemical species) over the time frame of the driving. However, there are typically multiple solutions which achieve the same target trajectory, which leads to the question of how to choose among the different options. In this project, we will focus on those solutions that minimize the cost of control, defined in terms of the thermodynamic energy dissipation during driving. Using ideas from optimal control theory, we will develop methods to find these minimum cost solutions, and fully characterize their properties.
Lukas Livengood with Prof. Benjamin Monreal
Adaptive Optics in Long Large-Scale Telescopes
Telescopes utilized in large-scale space observation are multi-billion dollar investments, as they are difficult to manufacture, but they are pivotal to our study of the universe. Traditionally, these large-scale telescopes incorporate circular glass panels that range from 10 to 30 meters in diameter. The cost of producing these panels scales quadratically with increasing the diameter, in addition to the other associated costs of the telescope; however, the benefit of doing so, the increasing of the angular resolution, only scales linearly with the diameter of the panel. In an attempt to circumvent this issue, this project will analyze the feasibility and benefits of a grounded rectangular telescope system that would scale linearly in both cost and angular resolution through the use of software-based adaptive optics modeling.
Gavin Los with Dr. Diana Driscoll
A Pedagogical Analysis of the Efficacy of Introductory Physics Education at Case Western Reserve University
One of the main issues in higher STEM education is the massive focus faculty has on research rather than teaching undergraduate students. I want to learn how efficiently our university prioritizes its resources towards education as well as if what the current status quo for our PHYS121 is sufficient in educating the students with the tools they need to succeed. This pedagogical analysis wil involve investigation in three area of interest. A section involving the student-based responses, an observational section from SI and personal interactions with students, and responses from faculty, staff, and members of upper administration. The latter section is to investigate how our university prioritizes education vs research, which is one of the largest factors affecting college STEM students and courses. These three investigative approaches should allow for a much more holistic view of P121 (and/or the other intro courses) as it will have the perspectives of the students, faculty, and an observer involved in the class (here at CWRU we have the Sis).
Rachel Margulies with Prof. James Van Orman (CWRU EEPS)
Diffusion of Alkali Ions in High Pressure Liebermannite
We investigate the high electrical conductivity observed in deep regions of the Earth’s mantle thought to contain subducted continental crust. At these high pressures, metamorphism occurs to produce liebermannite — a mineral which has a hollandite-type structure with channels along which alkali ions (K, Na) might diffuse rapidly. While there is low-pressure super-ionic conductivity present in other hollandite-type materials, liebermannite has been observed to have high electrical conductivity at high pressures and temperatures. It is not clear whether transport is dominated by mobile protons or by alkali ions. We propose to investigate the mobility of alkali ions by performing diffusion measurements at high pressures and temperatures where liebermannite is a stable phase. Small multi-anvil assemblies allow us to measure how rapidly Na diffuses in Iiebermannite at pressures of 20 GPa and above. Since the diffusion coefficient also depends on temperature, we set up a step function gradient between liebermannite and a saturated Na source at constant pressure and high temperature. The sample is “quenched” to low temperature and sectioned perpendicular to the diffusion interface. The relaxed concentration profile is then measured, and fit to determine the diffusion coefficient. Overall, this study will establish the electrical conductivity profile of liebermannite and may further explore anisotropy.
Reilly McDowell with Prof. Harsh Mathur
Non-Hermitian Quantum Magnets
Our project’s goal is to study the magnetism of double exchange magnets, particularly double perovskites. In condensed matter physics progress can be made in understanding strongly correlated materials if their low energy physics can be represented in terms of weakly interacting quasiparticles that are either bosonic or fermionic. In a classic paper Dyson showed that a ferromagnet could be analyzed as a system of weakly interacting bosonic quasiparticles called magnons. Remarkably in Dyson’s representation the magnons are governed by a non-hermitian Hamiltonian. Subsequently the method was generalized to treat antiferromagnets by Harris et al and to treat doped magnets by Jones-Smith. In her formulation the doped magnet was first formulated exactly as a supersymmetric spin model and then decoupled into a system of non-hermitian bosonic and fermionic quasiparticles. We plan to extend this work to double exchange magnets particularly double perovskites that have been synthesized and studied experimentally recently.
References:
1. Dyson, F. J. (1956). General Theory of Spin-Wave Interactions. Phys. Rev., 102, 1217–1230. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.102.1217
2. Harris, A. B., Kumar, D., Halperin, B. I., & Hohenberg, P. C. (1971). Dynamics of an Antiferromagnet at Low Temperatures: Spin-Wave Damping and Hydrodynamics. Phys. Rev. B, 3, 961–1024. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.3.961
3. Jones-Smith, K. (2013). A `Dysonization’ scheme for identifying quasi-particles using non-Hermitian quantum mechanics. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 371(1989), 20120056. doi:10.1098/rsta.2012.0056
Aidan O’Dowd with Prof. Bryan Schmidt (CWRU Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Background-Oriented Schlieren Visualization of Multiphase Phenomena and Open Distribution of BOS Software
Using background-oriented schlieren (BOS) imaging software to visualize the flow past solid spheres penetrating an air-water interface. The surface temperature of the spheres will be varied to understand the effect of surface temperature on air cavity closure. Reworking the software to a different programming language in order to open-source the BOS code for general use.
Porter Schmitt with Prof. Cyrus Taylor
Prospects in Near Term Commercialization of Nuclear Fusion Technologies
Since the inception of nuclear fusion in the 1950s there has been limited pogress made in the implementation of nuclear fusion as an energy source. There has been a consistent consensus from those invested in fusion energy that nuclear fusion power will be harnessed in the near future. This opinion is still present 70 years later. With climate change and the global temperature quickly approaching the 1.5 degrees Celsius increase from pre-industrial levels, it is now more important than ever to remove our world’s reliance on fossil fuels. As of recently, new technological approaches are being pursued by private companies who are continually getting closer to closing the net energy gain gap in tests and simulations. These recent developments are partially enabled by the vastly greater computational power used during plasma simulations, and in turn are attracting significant private funding not previously present. In my project I will be exploring burgeoning technologies in private nuclear fusion firms and the feasibility of these nuclear technologies. There are many approaches to nuclear fusion reactor designs being pursued by private firms all of which are attempting to produce a net energy gain. There is also a debate as to whether larger or smaller reactors are more viable. Due to high expenses with making nuclear fusion reactors, smaller nuclear reactors could be a viable option to obtain net energy gain at a lower monetary cost.
Sofia Splawska with Prof. Harsh Mathur
Vertical Dynamics of the Milky Way Disk in Quasilinear MOND
Evidence for the Mass Discrepancy Problem has been accumulating and plaguing astronomy for decades. There is a need to test the validity of different resolutions to this problem. The two most common routes are Dark Matter and MOdified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND), a modification to Newtonian gravity at low accelerations. Lisanti et. al. presented a framework to distinguish between Dark Matter and MOND models using local Milky Way observables. The authors found that MOND is disfavored due to an overprediction of the enhancement to the Milky Way’s vertical acceleration compared to the Newtonian prediction. We will refine their MOND prediction by using the quasilinear formulation of MOND rather than the physically inconsistent pristine MOND, and by introducing a more accurate model of the Milky Way disk. Additionally, we will examine their MOND calculation for implicit assumptions of Newtonian gravity which may not have been accounted for. We will present a more accurate and careful prediction of the local Milky Way dynamics in MOND. Our results will inform tests of Dark Matter/MOND using local Milky Way observables.
Reference: Lisanti, M., Moschella, M., Outmezguine, N. J., & Slone, O. (2019). Testing dark matter and modifications to gravity using local milky way observables. Physical Review D, 100(8), 083009.
Robert St Clair with Prof. Jesse Berezovsky
Exploring Underlying Characteristics of Rhythm Structure Using Statistical Mechanics
We apply methods from statistical mechanics to explore a model of musical rhythm. We assume that each discrete time bin can be occupied by a beat or be left unfilled, and that a pattern of three beats will be perceived as rhythmic if they are equally spaced in time. This model maps onto a one-dimensional chain of interacting particles obeying Fermi-Dirac statistics, where the energy of a state is replaced by the total (negative) perception of rhythm, the temperature parametrizes the trade-off between rhythm and entropy, and the chemical potential controls the average density of beats. Using these assumptions, we have created a model that yields the probability of a beat occurring in each time bin. Using these probabilities, we can calculate the distribution of note lengths. Our research has shown that there theoretically exist ordered and disordered rhythmic phases based on the “rhythmic temperature” and “rhythmic chemical potential”. The next stage of our research will focus on taking musical “data” (songs, compositions, etc.) and comparing their note length distributions to theoretical ones predicted by the model.
Cindy Wang with Prof. Kathleen Kash
Vapor-liquid-solid growth of MgSnN2
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are a crucial component of the lighting industry and present a more sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional incandescent bulbs. Currently, there are materials such as InGaN and InGaAsP which have been developed into blue, red, and broad-spectrum white LEDs, but noticeably an efficient green LED material is yet to be successfully grown. One novel material, MgSnN2, is predicted to have a band gap that would fall within the green color spectrum, and is part of the heterovalent ternary nitride semiconductor family. My project focuses on growing this crystal through a vapor-liquid-solid method which involves a nitrogen plasma source and magnesium-tin melt mixture, at various growth temperatures and Mg-Sn compositions. We will study the optoelectronic properties of MgSnN2, with the objective of also gaining a fundamental understanding of II-IV-N2 compounds in general. In particular, this type of semiconductor is predicted to have tunable characteristics and band gaps within the range of 1.8-2.5 eV, which has many useful practical applications.
Yuewen (Killian) Wang with Prof. Robert Brown
The Science and Engineering of a New Disease Detector
With a team that includes Professor Robert Brown, my senior project will mainly be on the steps behind the invention of a simple diagnosis and analysis device that detects and captures cancer cells. The main goal is a precise, quick, and portable system that can be made and used at low cost. We are in the process of coating common cells (e.g. Insect cells) with fluorescence and identifying them using a small fluorescence microscope. We want to be able to locate individual cells, and attach them to magnetic particles. With a gradient magnetic field, we expect to guide even a single cell into a tiny pocket of our sample cuvette. We would confirm that we have captured the coated cell once more using the fluorescence microscope. And certain steps toward understanding the science and accomplishing the goal would constitute my senior thesis.
Yunxuan Xu with Prof. Xuan Gao
Ambipolar Transport in 2D Semiconductor Transistors
MOSFETs (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors) are usually classified as being either n-type or p-type, but some of them show the ambipolar charge transport when the gate voltage is changed. These ambipolar transistors can function as both n-type and p-type transistors and thus offer more flexible functionality than regular MOSFETs. The main goal of this senior project is to explore ways to achieve ambipolar behavior in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) (e.g. MoS2, WSe2) which are typically n-type semiconductors. By the mechanical exfoliation method, thin flakes of TMDC with different thicknesses can be put onto the substrates. We will study the effect of substrate dielectric on the threshold voltage in the gating behavior and if the p-type gating can be induced. The carrier mobility can be calculated from the plot of the source-drain current versus gate voltage. Finally, the effect of thicknesses of MoS2 flakes on electron mobility will be investigated and the relationships between the dielectric substrate and electron mobility will be discussed.