Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Analysis Of Scanning Tunneling Optical Spectroscopy Applied To Narrow Gap Semiconductors, James D. Patterson, James G. Mantovani

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Homogeneous II-VI narrow gap semiconducting alloys are of interest because of their use in infrared detectors. These compound semiconductor materials are inherently difficult to grow in bulk due to gravity induced convective flows. A microgravity growth environment has therefore been considered. In order to evaluate the quality of crystals grown in space compared to those grown on the ground, it is necessary to characterize both. One important aspect of this characterization is the study of stoichiometry, x. A characterization scheme using scanning tunneling optical spectroscopy (STOS) involves determining the spectral response of the photoexcited tunneling current for a semiconductor. By …

Astrophysical Bounds On Global Strings, Shane L. Larson, William A. Hiscock

All Physics Faculty Publications

Global topological defects produce nonzero stress energy throughout spacetime, and as a result can have observable gravitational influence on surrounding matter. Gravitational effects of global strings are used to place bounds on their cosmic abundance. The minimum separation between global strings is estimated by considering the defects' contribution to the cosmological energy density. More rigorous constraints on the abundance of global strings are constructed by examining the tidal forces such defects will have on observable astrophysical systems. The small number of observed tidally disrupted systems indicates there can be very few of these objects in the observable Universe.

The Global Ionosphere-Polar Wind System During Changing Magnetic Activity, Robert W. Schunk, Jan Josef Sojka

All Physics Faculty Publications

A time-dependent, three-dimensional, multi-ion model of the global ionosphere-polar wind system was used to study the system's response to an idealized geomagnetic storm for different seasonal and solar cycle conditions. The model covered the altitude range from 90 to 9000 km for latitudes greater than 50° magnetic in the northern hemisphere. The geomagnetic storm contained a 1-hour growth phase, a 1-hour main phase, and a 4-hour decay phase. Four storm simulations were conducted, corresponding to winter and summer solstices at both solar maximum and minimum. The simulations indicated the following: (1) O⁺ upflows typically occur in the cusp and …

An Embedded Ring Approach To The Vibrational Dynamics Of Amorphous Materials, John R. Dennison, T. E. Doyle

All Physics Faculty Publications

A theoretical approach has been developed to model the vibrational modes of amorphous, two-dimensional materials. The method considers that the vibrational density of states is composed primarily of states originating from embedded ring structures of medium-range order. The materials are modeled as continuous random networks comprised of a statistical distribution of symmetric, planar rings with four to eight members. The rings are treated as local structural units embedded in the material, similar to molecules within a solid. The ring potentials are approximated with a valence force model (bond-stretching and bond-angle-bending force constants) modified by a third harmonic, effective force constant …

Driving A Physical Ionospheric Model With A Magnetospheric Mhd Model, Jan Josef Sojka, Robert W. Schunk, M. D. Bowline, J. Chen, S. Slinker, J. Fedder

All Physics Faculty Publications

This is the first study in which a physical ionospheric model (time-dependent ionospheric model (TDIM)) has been driven through a substorm using self-consistent magnetospheric convection electric field and auroral electron precipitation inputs. Both of these were generated from a simulation of a real substorm event using the MHD model [Fedder et al., 1995b]. Interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) data were available for 1.5 hours until the substorm breakup. Hence the substorm growth and expansion dynamics is captured in a 1.5-hour time period. As a reference against which to compare this TDIM substorm simulation, a typical climatological TDIM simulation was …

Semiclassical Effects In Black Hole Interiors, William A. Hiscock, Shane L. Larson, Paul R. Anderson

All Physics Faculty Publications

First-order semiclassical perturbations to the Schwarzschild black hole geometry are studied within the black hole interior. The source of the perturbations is taken to be the vacuum stress-energy of quantized scalar, spinor, and vector fields, evaluated using analytic approximations developed by Page and others (for massless fields) and the DeWitt-Schwinger approximation (for massive fields). Viewing the interior as an anisotropic collapsing cosmology, we find that minimally or conformally coupled scalar fields, and spinor fields, decrease the anisotropy as the singularity is approached, while vector fields increase the anisotropy. In addition, we find that for massless fields of all spins, the …

Spinors, Jets, And The Einstein Equations, Charles G. Torre

All Physics Faculty Publications

Many important features of a field theory, e.g., conserved currents, symplectic structures, energy-momentum tensors, etc., arise as tensors locally constructed from the fields and their derivatives. Such tensors are naturally defined as geometric objects on the jet space of solutions to the field equations. Modern results from the calculus on jet bundles can be combined with a powerful spinor parametrization of the jet space of Einstein metrics to unravel basic features of the Einstein equations. These techniques have been applied to computation of generalized symmetries and “characteristic cohomology” of the Einstein equations, and lead to results such as a proof …

Ionospheric Response To An Auroral Substorm, Robert W. Schunk, L. Zhu, Jan Josef Sojka, M. D. Bowline

All Physics Faculty Publications

The response of the ionosphere to a representative auroral substorm was simulated. The response was found to be significant at all altitudes in a large spatial region near midnight magnetic local time. In this midnight region, there were T_e and T_i hot spots, substantial O⁺ → NO⁺ composition changes, non‐Maxwellian velocity distributions, transient ion upwellings, a large‐scale lowering of the F‐layer, ionization peaks that occur in the E‐region, and sharp horizontal gradients. Also, during the expansion phase, the E‐region densities increase due to auroral precipitation, while the plasma densities above 300 km decrease due to the …

Model Study Of Ground Magnetic Signatures Of Traveling Convection Vortices, Lie Zhu, P. Gifford, Jan Josef Sojka, Robert W. Schunk

All Physics Faculty Publications

We conducted a model study of ground magnetic signatures of traveling convection vortices (TCVs) that included both the ionospheric conductivity enhancement associated with the TCVs and the ground induction effect. We found that the localized conductivity enhancement can cause a significant distortion of the TCV current system and lead to a distortion of the ground magnetic disturbance patterns. The patterns of all three magnetic components are asymmetric, mainly in the E-W direction, and the patterns of the Z component show the strongest asymmetry (20–30%). We also found that the effect of induction currents on ground magnetic signatures of the TCVs …

Why Quantum Mechanics Is Complex, James Thomas Wheeler

All Physics Faculty Publications

The zero-signature Killing metric of a new, real-valued, 8-dimensional gauging of the conformal group accounts for the complex character of quantum mechanics. The new gauge theory gives manifolds which generalize curved, relativistic phase space. The difference in signature between the usual momentum space metric and the Killing metric of the new geometry gives rise to an imaginary proportionality constant connecting the momentumlike variables of the two spaces. Path integral quantization becomes an average over dilation factors, with the integral of the Weyl vector taking the role of the action. Minimal U(1) electromagnetic coupling is predicted.

Collision-Induced Secondary Electron And Negative Ion Emission From Metallic Surfaces, John Christopher Tucek

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Absolute yields of negative ions and secondary electrons resulting from collisions of positive sodium ions (Na{dollar}\sp{lcub}+{rcub}){dollar} with polycrystalline aluminum (Al) and molybdenum (Mo) surfaces and the Mo (100) surface have been measured as a function of the oxygen (O) coverage, from none up to several monolayers, for impact energies, E {dollar}<{dollar} 500 eV. Negative oxygen ions (O{dollar}\sp{lcub}-{rcub}){dollar} are found to be the dominant sputtered negative ions and for the three surfaces at all O coverages and Na{dollar}\sp{lcub}+{rcub}{dollar} impact energies. The O{dollar}\sp{lcub}-{rcub}{dollar} and secondary electron yields share a common impact energy threshold at {dollar}\rm E\sb{lcub}th{rcub}\approx 50{dollar} eV, and both have a strong dependence on the oxygen coverage of the surface.;The kinetic energy distributions of the secondary electrons and sputtered O{dollar}\sp{lcub}-{rcub}{dollar} were determined as functions of O coverages and impact energies. The O{dollar}\sp{lcub}-{rcub}{dollar} distributions are characterized by a narrow, low energy peak (at {dollar}\sim{dollar}1-2 eV) followed by a low level, high energy tail. The secondary electrons have a narrow (FWHM {dollar}\sim{dollar} 1-2 eV) kinetic energy distribution, centered essentially at the same most probable kinetic energy as the ions. The shapes of the respective distributions and the most probable kinetic energies are essentially invariant with the impact energy, O coverage and the metal surface.;The results were analyzed in terms of conventional collision cascade model, but the calculation could not be fitted to the experimental results. An electronic excitation mechanism is proposed to augment the collision cascade and to provide a mechanism for secondary electron emission. In the model, adsorbed O, which resides on the surface essentially as O{dollar}\sp{lcub}-{rcub},{dollar} is collisionally excited into an (MO{dollar}\sp{lcub}-{rcub})\sp*{dollar} repulsive state, and as the O{dollar}\sp{lcub}-{rcub}{dollar} exits the surface along the surface potential energy curve, it can decay by emission of an electron to the metal or to the vacuum, or it can survive as an ion. The parameters of this model can be adjusted such that the calculated kinetic energy distribution, together with that of the collision cascade, can reasonably reproduce the experimental observations for the ions and provide a reasonable fit to the corresponding electron kinetic energy distributions as well.

Structure And Magnetism Of Multiphase Sm0.080co0.645fe0.276 Powders, V. G. Harris, M. Liou, B. N. Das, V. M. Browning, J. E. Snyder, M. Rubinstein, S. H. Lawrence, R. Littleton Iii, D. P. Pappas

Physics Publications

A Sm-poor mixture of Fe-substituted Sm₂Co₁₇, having the nominal stoichiometry of Sm_0.080Co_0.645Fe_0.276, was ball-milled to explore the possibility of enhancing its remanence through direct microstructural refinement. With milling, the Sm₂(Co_0.7Fe_0.3)₁₇ compound disassociates to a body-centered-cubic supersaturated SmCoFe solid solution and a residual SmCoFe amorphous phase. Correspondingly, the coercive field values first increase, peaking at 0.83 kOe after 180 min of milling, then decrease with continued milling to

Spectroscopic And Kinetic Studies Of Bismuth Dimers, Robert Eugene Frankin

Theses and Dissertations

The spectroscopy of high rotational levels (J ≤ 211) in Bi₂ X(O_g⁺) and A(O_u⁺) was investigated for 2≤v"≤5 and 0≤v'≤4 by observing total fluorescence from laser excitation. Dunham coefficients were derived that fit all observed rotational lines to within 0.01 cm^-1. Franck-Condon factors were calculated and experimentally verified for transitions originating from the initially populated levels 0≤v'≤5. Vibrational energy transfer upon collision with rare gas collision partners was investigated for the low-lying vibrational levels of the A-state using spectrally resolved, continuous wave laser induced fluorescence. Vibrational transfer was adequately modeled by …

Droplet Concentration And Size Distribution In Haze And Fog, Josef Podzimek

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fog (haze) droplet concentrations and size distributions were measured at five sampling sites representing rural and urban regions and a highly polluted marine-urban environment. Droplet imprints in a thin gelatine layer were evaluated and compared to the measurement by light scattering instruments. This enabled conditions for the application of the logarithmic-normal size distribution and for the classification of typical fog droplet size distributions to be established. In particular, the parameters featuring the width and asymmetry of a size distribution were suggested and calculated. Advantages and drawbacks of the applied droplet sampling and evaluation technique are discussed in more detail. © …

Measurement Of The Focal Properties Of A Magnetic Electron Lens Using The Shadowgraph Method, Luis Thomas Almaraz

Dissertations and Theses

A method of experimentally determining the properties of a magnetic electron lens is presented. The method uses the shadows cast by two meshes, one placed in front of the lens and one behind the lens, to study the properties of the image of a point source. The lens properties are then calculated from the image properties. The paraxial values of focal length and focal distance as well as their spherical aberrations, are determined. The relationship between image and lens properties are discussed. The method is used here for the first time in determining the focal properties of a magnetic lens.

The Interaction Of Naphthoquinones With The Calcium Release Channel Of Skeletal Muscle Sarcoplasmic Reticulum, Ruohong Xia

Dissertations and Theses

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is an intracellular membrane system which regulates cytoplasmic calcium concentration in muscle and controls the contractile state of muscle. In this thesis, the interaction between naphthoquinone and the Ca²⁺ release mechanism of SR is described. 1,4-naphthoquinone (1,4NQ) is shown to stimulate Ca²⁺ release and to modify high-affinity ryanodine binding to skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. The interaction between 1,4NQ and the SR involves the oxidation ofcritical sulfhydryl groups associated with the Ca²⁺ release mechanism. The modulation of ryanodine binding by 1,4NQ is biphasic. At low concentrations of 1,4NQ (<10 >μM) ryanodine binding is stimulated, …

Velocity Space "Snapshots" Of Continuum Electrons Produced By Slow, Bare, Highly Charged Ions: Saddle-Point Electrons?, M. Abdallah, S. Kravis, C. L. Cocke, Y. D. Wang, M. Stöckli, Ronald E. Olson

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Comprehensive velocity-space "snapshots" of the electron continua produced by the impact of ions on He at a projectile velocity of 1.63 a.u. have been measured for the bare projectiles of p, He, C, O and Ne. For the three highly charged ions, this velocity lies in the "ionization threshold" region where electron capture dominates the reaction. The experimental technique projects the distribution of soft continuum electrons onto a two-dimensional detector in such a way that the velocity-space distribution for all electrons with laboratory energies in the range from 0-30eV is accurately imaged. The data show no evidence for a saddle-point …

Three-Body Models Of Electron-Hydrogen Ionization, Stephenie J. Jones, Don H. Madison, Dmitry A. Konovalov

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we report calculations of electron-hydrogen ionization whereby the final-state wave Function is approximated by recently reported analytical three-body wave functions. In a first model we use the wave function of Alt and Mukhamedzhanov [Phys. Rev. A 47, 2004 (1993)], and in a second model we use the wave function of Berakdar [Phys. Rev. A 53, 2314 (1996)].

Reflections On The Gao Report On The Nuclear Triad, David W. Hafemeister

Physics

Senate Hearings on the GAO report on the nuclear triad and on the START treaty showed that vulnerabilities of the U.S. triad were vastly over‐stated, that the performance of new projected strategic systems was over‐estimated, and that the performance of existing U.S. strategic systems was under‐estimated. These exaggerations enhanced the psychological (Freud) aspects of the Cold War and compromised logic (Newton).

With the end of the Cold War it is imperative that we re‐examine the basic premises that guided the choices of the strategic nuclear systems. The initial bottom line is that these systems were successful in that they did …

Plateau Tank Apparatus For The Study Of Liquid Bridges, Andrew Resnick, J. Iwan D. Alexander

Physics Faculty Publications

An apparatus has been constructed and used to study the equilibrium and dynamical behavior of liquid bridges under reduced effective gravity. Liquid bridges are created and manipulated using six independent computer controlled stepper motors which drive linear motion tables. The bridges are visualized with a high magnification coherent Fourier optical system and in an orthogonal view using incoherent white light. By calibrating a density hydrometer and measuring the interfacial energy between the bridge and bath, reliable Bond numbers as low as 10−4 can be created and held stable for extended periods of time. Dimensional control of the liquid bridges approaches …

An Instantaneous Normal Mode Description Of Relaxation In Supercooled Liquids, T. Keyes, G. V. Vijayadamodar, Ulrich Zurcher

Physics Faculty Publications

Relaxation in supercooled liquids is formulated from the instantaneous normal modes (INM) point of view. The frequency and temperature dependence of the unstable, imaginary frequency lobe of the INM density of states, ⟨ρu(ω,T)⟩ (for simplicity we write ω instead of iω), is investigated and characterized over a broad temperature range, 10⩾T⩾0.42, in the unit density Lennard-Jones liquid. INM theories of diffusion invoke Im-ω modes descriptive of barrier crossing, but not all imaginary frequency modes fall into this category. There exists a cutoff frequency ωc such that modes with ω<ωc correspond to “shoulder potentials,” whereas the potential profiles include barrier-crossing double wells for ω>ωc. Given that only modes with ω>ωc contribute to diffusion, …

Comparison Of Zeus Data With Standard Model Predictions For E+P → E+X Scattering At High X And Q2, J. Breitweg, M. Derrick, D. Krakauer, S. Magill, D. Mikunas, B. Musgrave, J. Repond, R. Stanek, R. L. Talaga, R. Yoshida, H. Zhang, Margarita C. K. Mattingly, F. Anselmo, P. Antonioli, G. Bari, M. Basile, L. Bellagamba, D. Boscherini, A. Bruni, G. Bruni, G. Cara Romeo, G. Castellini, L. Cifarelli, F. Cindolo, A. Contin, M. Corradi, S. De Pasquale, I. Gialas, P. Giusti, G. Iacobucci, G. Laurenti

Faculty Publications

Using the ZEUS detector at HERA, we have studied the reaction e+p → e+X for Q2 > 5000 GeV2 with a 20.1 pb-1 data sample collected during the years 1994 to 1996. For Q2 below 15000 GeV2, the data are in good agreement with Standard Model expectations. For Q2 > 35000 GeV2, two events are observed while 0.145 ± 0.013 events are expected. A statistical analysis of a large ensemble of simulated Standard Model experiments indicates that with probability 6.0%, an excess at least as unlikely as that observed would occur above some Q2 cut. For x > 0.55 and y > 0.25, four …

Study Of Photon Dissociation In Diffractive Photoproduction At Hera, J. Breitweg, M. Derrick, D. Krakauer, S. Magill, D. Mikunas, B. Musgrave, J. Repond, R. Stanek, R. L. Talaga, R. Yoshida, H. Zhang, Margarita C. K. Mattingly, F. Anselmo, P. Antonioli, G. Bari, M. Basile, L. Bellagamba, D. Boscherini, A. Bruni, G. Bruni, G. Cara Romeo, G. Castellini, L. Cifarelli, F. Cindolo, A. Contin, M. Corradi, S. De Pasquale, I. Gialas, P. Giusti, G. Iacobucci, G. Laurenti

Faculty Publications

Diffractive dissociation of quasi-real photons at a photon-proton centre of mass energy of W ≈ 200 GeV is studied with the ZEUS detector at HERA. The process under consideration is γp → XN, where X is the diffractively dissociated photon system of mass MX and N is either a proton or a nucleonic system with mass MN < 2 GeV. The cross section for this process in the interval 3 < MX < 24 GeV relative to the total photoproduction cross section was measured to be σDpartial/σtot = 6.2 ± 0.2(stat) ± 1.4(syst)%. After extrapolating this result to the mass interval of mφ2 < MX2 < 0.05W2 and correcting it for proton dissociation, the fraction of the total cross section attributed to single diffractive photon dissociation, γp → Xp, is found to be σSD/σtot = 13.3 ± 0.5(stat) ± 3.6(syst)%. The mass spectrum of the dissociated photon system in the interval 8 < MX < 24 GeV can be described by the triple pomeron (IP IP IP) diagram with an effective pomeron intercept of αIP(0) = 1.12 ± 0.04(stat) ± 0.08(syst). The cross section for photon dissociation in the range 3 < MX < 8 GeV is significantly higher than that expected from the triple pomeron amplitude describing the region 8 < MX < 24 GeV. Assuming that this discrepancy is due to a pomeron-pomeron-reggeon (IP IP IR) term, its contribution to the diffractive cross section in the interval 3 < MX < 24 GeV is estimated to be fIP IP IR = 26 ± 3(stat) ± 12(syst)%. © Springer-Verlag 1997.

The Interaction Of Fast Alpha Particles With Pellet Ablation Clouds, J. M. Mcchesney, P. B. Parks, R. K. Fisher, Ronald E. Olson

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The energy spectra of energetic confined alpha particles are being measured using the pellet charge exchange method [R. K. Fisher, J. S. Leffler, A. M. Howald, and P. B. Parks, Fusion Technol. 13, 536 (1988)]. The technique uses the dense ablation cloud surrounding an injected impurity pellet to neutralize a fraction of the incident alpha particles, allowing them to escape from the plasma where their energy spectrum can be measured using a neutral particle analyzer. The signal calculations given in the above-mentioned reference disregarded the effects of the alpha particles' helical Larmor orbits, which causes the alphas to make multiple …

How Much Of The Nucleon Spin Is Carried By Glue?, Ian Balitsky, Xiangdong Ji

Physics Faculty Publications

We estimate in the QCD sum rule approach the amount of the nucleon spin carried by the gluon angular momentum: the sum of the gluon spin and orbital angular momenta. The result indicates that gluons contribute at least one half of the nucleon spin at the scale of 1GeV².

Reflection High-Energy Electron-Diffraction Study Of Melting And Solidification Of Pb On Graphite, Z. H. Zhang, P. Kulatunga, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The melting and solidification of Pb thin films on pyrolytic graphite are investigated in situ by reflection high-energy electron diffraction. Thin films with thicknesses of 4-150 monolayers are investigated. The surface morphology of the thin films were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Superheating of the Pb thin films by 4±2 to 12±2 K is observed from diffraction intensity measurements. Upon cooling the substrate, the Pb on graphite is seen to supercool by ∼69±4 K.

Turbulence Modeling Of The Toroidal Wall Heat Load Due To Shear Flows Over Cavities In The Neutral Gas Blanket Divertor Regime, George Vahala, Linda L. Vahala, Joseph Morrison

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Heat loads to the target plate in reactor tokamaks are estimated to be orders of magnitude higher than those that can be withstood by known materials. In regimes of plasma detachment, there is strong evidence that plasma recombination occurs near the divertor plate, leading to a cold neutral gas blanket. Because of the strong coupling between the plasma and the neutrals within the divertor region, there is significant neutral flows along field lines up to Mach 1.2 and Reynolds numbers over 1000. The effects of three dimensional (3D) neutral turbulence within the gas blanket on heat deposition to the toroidal …

Harmonic Oscillation In The Presence Of Multiple Damping Forces, Chris Pelto '97

Honors Projects

The relatively mundane damped harmonic oscillator is found to exhibit interesting motion once under the influence of both a velocity dependent and a Coulombic frictional damping force. Data for the decay of the amplitude as a function of time were collected on a specially prepared torsional oscillator. with a variable electromagnetic damping mechanism. An analytical solution of the appropriate equation of motion was obtained by the method of Laplace transforms. In both the limits of zero Coulombic friction and zero velocity damping, the solution reduces to the well-known answers to the problem. the solution, when plotted with the correct parameters, …

Investigation Of The Optical Properties Of Ordered Semiconductor Materials, Jack E. Mccrae Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Optical studies have been conducted upon CdGeAs₂ and ZnGeP₂, two of the most promising semiconductors being developed for mid-infrared non-linear optics applications. These experiments included photoluminescence (PL) studies of both compounds as well as photoreflectance (PR) measurements upon CdGeAs₂. In addition, Hall effect measurements were carried out upon CdGeAs₂, to aid in interpretation of the optical data. PL was measured as a function of laser power, sample temperature, and crystal orientation for CdGeAs₂. One broad weak peak near 0.38 eV, and another somewhat narrower and often far brighter peak near 0.57 …

Classical Interpretation Of The Quantum Description Of H- Photodetachment In Parallel E And B Fields, Qiaoling Wang, Anthony F. Starace

Anthony F. Starace Publications

Total quantum mechanical cross sections for photodetachment of H^- in parallel E and B fields are examined both analytically and numerically to extract information which has a classical interpretation, thereby complementing recent classical and semiclassical periodic orbit studies.