Ravi Shekhar with Corbin CovaultDesign and Testing of a Solid State Tertiary Detector Element and Amplification Scheme for the Pierre Auger ProjectWith the southern hemisphere Auger array nearing completion, it is now time to shift attention to the design of northern hemisphere array. In addition to the particle and...
Academic Year
Matt Smith with Robert BrownRF Challenges in High-Field MRIUsing the interaction of nuclear magnetic moments with applied magnetic fields, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) represents the ability to capture powerful images of anatomical structures. To investigate dynamic processes, such as brain functioning, a more dynamic imaging method, fMRI (functional MRI),...
Justin Thrall with Dr. Christian Zorman (Electrical Engineering)Evaluation of MEMS-based Micromechanical ResonatorsResearch into the use MEMS technology in harsh environments has shown that current silicon-based MEMS devices are not as strong as desired. Silicon carbide based structures may have the strength to survive where ordinary silicon MEMS cannot. The...
Brian Tinker with Tanmay VachaspatiParticle Propagation in Astrophysical Magnetic FieldsThe influence of large scale astrophysical magnetic fields on cosmic ray propagation may aid in understanding the observed cosmic ray energy spectrum and arrival direction distribution. After learning some magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and studying earlier work on cosmic ray propagation in...
Alyx Treat with Robert BrownOnce Again, With Feeling: Repetition Methods in Physics InstructionWe examine three newer methods of Physics education, all of which rely on the idea of repetition of concepts. Spiral Physics and Overview Case Study Physics (OCS) both start out with simple qualitative overviews of the subject,...
Rachel Benish with Corbin CovaultSTACEE Experiment Data Calibration Based on the STACEE Atmosptheric MonitorCrucial to the STACEE experiment is the ability to distinguish Cherenkov pulses of light from the night sky background. This project will further the work of Joshua Boehm, begun in 2002, to select and calibrate quality...
Zachary Berkowitz with John RuhlDesign, Fabrication and Testing of Suspended Millimeter-wave AbsorbersResearch into the nature of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is an ongoing field of study. New designs and new materials for detectors which promise better results are being developed and modeled for use in upcoming experiments. However,...
Nicholas Borchers with Lawrence KraussEfficacy of Ground-based Supernova Searches to Distinguish Between Dark Energy ModelsRecent evidence, obtained from measurements of distant type Ia supernovae, indicates that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. A new component called dark energy is presumed to cause this acceleration, and its origin and...
Stephanie Bush with Chris Mihos (astronomy)Probing the Structure of Galaxies Using Tidal DebrisThe properties of tidal tails in colliding galaxies are sensitive to the structure of the progenitor disk galaxies. We will use simulations of colliding galaxies to study whether or not galactic disks with short truncation radii (as...
Jeremy Cuson with Harsh MathurPrimality Testing with Quantum ComputersTo date there has been only one significant number theoretic algorithm developed for a hypothetical quantum computer, Shor’s algorithm, which allows one to factor large primes. The task of this project would be to ascertain the usefulness of a quantum computer...