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open access

Application of Statistical Physics in Human Physiology: Heart-Brain Dynamics

Description: This dissertation is devoted to study of complex systems in human physiology particularly heartbeats and brain dynamics. We have studied the dynamics of heartbeats that has been a subject of investigation of two independent groups. The first group emphasized the multifractal nature of the heartbeat dynamics of healthy subjects, whereas the second group had established a close connection between healthy subjects and the occurrence of crucial events. We have analyzed the same set of data and esta… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Bohara, Gyanendra
open access

Emergence of Cooperation and Homeodynamics as a Result of Self Organized Temporal Criticality: From Biology to Physics

Description: This dissertation is an attempt at establishing a bridge between biology and physics leading naturally from the field of phase transitions in physics to the cooperative nature of living systems. We show that this aim can be realized by supplementing the current field of evolutionary game theory with a new form of self-organized temporal criticality. In the case of ordinary criticality, the units of a system choosing either cooperation or defection under the influence of the choices done by thei… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Mahmoodi, Korosh
open access

Nanophotonics of Plasmonic and Two-Dimensional Metamaterials

Description: Various nanostructured materials display unique and interesting optical properties. Specific nanoscale objects discussed in an experimental perspective in this dissertation include optical metamaterials, surface plasmon sensors, and two-dimensional materials. These nanoscale objects were fabricated, investigated optically, and their applications are assessed. First, one-dimensional magnetic gratings were studied, followed by their two-dimensional analog, the so-called "fishnet." Both were fabri… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Roccapriore, Kevin M
open access

Artificially Structured Boundary for Control and Confinement of Beams and Plasmas

Description: An artificially structured boundary (ASB) produces a short-range, static electromagnetic field that can reflect charged particles. In the work presented, an ASB is considered to consist of a spatially periodic arrangement of electrostatically plugged magnetic cusps. When used to create an enclosed volume, an ASB may confine a non-neutral plasma that is effectively free of applied electromagnetic fields, provided the spatial period of the ASB-applied field is much smaller than any one dimension … more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Hedlof, Ryan
open access

Examination of Magnetic Plasma Expulsion

Description: Magnetic plasma expulsion uses a magnetic field distortion to redirect incident charged particles around a certain area for the purposes of shielding. Computational studies are carried out and for certain values of magnetic field, magnetic plasma expulsion is found to effectively shield a sizable area. There are however many plasma behaviors and interactions that must be considered. Applications to a new cryogenic antimatter trap design are discussed.
Date: May 2018
Creator: Phillips, Ryan Edward
open access

Core-Shell Based Metamaterials: Fabrication Protocol and Optical Properties

Description: The objective of this study is to examine core-shell type plasmonic metamaterials aimed at the development of materials with unique electromagnetic properties. The building blocks of metamaterials under study consist of gold as a metal component, and silica and precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) as the dielectric media. The results of this study demonstrate important applications of the core-shells including scattering suppression, airborne obscurants made of fractal gold shells, photomodific… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: De Silva, Vashista C
open access

Design, Construction, and Application of an Electrostatic Quadrupole Doublet for Heavy Ion Nuclear Microprobe Research

Description: A nuclear microprobe, typically consisting of 2 - 4 quadrupole magnetic lenses and apertures serving as objective and a collimating divergence slits, focuses MeV ions to approximately 1 x 1 μm for modification and analysis of materials. Although far less utilized, electrostatic quadrupole fields similarly afford strong focusing of ions and have the added benefit of doing so independent of ion mass. Instead, electrostatic quadrupole focusing exhibits energy dependence on focusing ions. A heav… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Manuel, Jack Elliot
open access

Dynamic Screening via Intense Laser Radiation and Its Effects on Bulk and Surface Plasma Dispersion Relations

Description: Recent experimentation with excitation of surface plasmons on a gold film in the Kretschmann configuration have shown what appears to be a superconductive effect. Researchers claimed to see the existence of electron pairing during scattering as well as magnetic field repulsion while twisting the polarization of the laser. In an attempt to explain this, they pointed to a combination of electron-electron scattering in external fields as well as dynamic screening via intense laser radiation. Th… more
Date: August 2017
Creator: Lanier, Steven t
open access

Fabrication of Photonic Crystal Templates through Holographic Lithography and Study of their Optical and Plasmonic Properties in Aluminium Doped Zinc Oxide

Description: This dissertation focuses on two aspects of integrating near-infrared plasmonics with electronics with the intent of developing the platform for future photonics. The first aspect focuses on fabrication by introducing and developing a simple, single reflective optical element capable of high–throughput, large scale fabrication of micro- and nano-sized structure templates using holographic lithography. This reflective optical element is then utilized to show proof of concept in fabricating thre… more
Date: August 2017
Creator: George, David Ray
open access

Interacting complex systems: theory and application to real-world situations

Description: The interest in complex systems has increased exponentially during the past years because it was found helpful in addressing many of today's challenges. The study of the brain, biology, earthquakes, markets and social sciences are only a few examples of the fields that have benefited from the investigation of complex systems. Internet, the increased mobility of people and the raising energy demand are among the factors that brought in contact complex systems that were isolated till a few years … more
Date: August 2017
Creator: Piccinini, Nicola
open access

Nonlinear Light Generation from Optical Cavities and Antennae

Description: Semiconductor based micro- and nano-structures grown in a systematic and controlled way using selective area growth are emerging as a promising route toward devices for integrated optical circuitry in optoelectronics and photonics field. This dissertation focuses on the experimental investigation of the nonlinear optical effects in selectively grown gallium nitride micro-pyramids that act as optical cavities, zinc oxide submicron rods and indium gallium nitride multiple quantum well core shell … more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Butler, Sween J.
open access

Ion Beam Synthesis of Binary and Ternary Transition Metal Silicide Thin Films

Description: Among the well-known methods to form or modify the composition and physical properties of thin films, ion implantation has shown to be a very powerful technique. In particular, ion beam syntheses of binary iron silicide have been studied by several groups. Further, the interests in transition metal silicide systems are triggered by their potential use in advanced silicon based opto-electronic devices. In addition, ternary silicides have been by far less studied than their binary counterparts de… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Lakshantha, Wickramaarachchige Jayampath
open access

Local Phase Manipulation for Multi-Beam Interference Lithography for the Fabrication of Two and Three Dimensional Photonic Crystal Templates

Description: In this work, we study the use of a spatial light modulator (SLM) for local manipulation of phase in interfering laser beams to fabricate photonic crystal templates with embedded, engineered defects. A SLM displaying geometric phase patterns was used as a digitally programmable phase mask to fabricate 4-fold and 6-fold symmetric photonic crystal templates. Through pixel-by-pixel phase engineering, digital control of the phases of one or more of the interfering beams was demonstrated, thus allo… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Lutkenhaus, Jeffrey Ryan
open access

Low-Energy Electron Irradiation of Preheated and Gas-Exposed Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Description: We investigate the conditions under which electron irradiation of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) bundles with 2 keV electrons produces an increase in the Raman D peak. We find that an increase in the D peak does not occur when SWCNTs are preheated in situ at 600 C for 1 h in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) before irradiation is performed. Exposing SWCNTs to air or other gases after preheating in UHV and before irradiation results in an increase in the D peak. Small diameter SWCNTs that are not pr… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Ecton, Philip
open access

Charged Particle Transport and Confinement Along Null Magnetic Curves and in Various Other Nonuniform Field Configurations for Applications in Antihydrogen Production

Description: Comparisons between measurements of the ground-state hyperfine structure and gravitational acceleration of hydrogen and antihydrogen could provide a test of fundamental physical theories such as CPT (charge conjugation, parity, time-reversal) and gravitational symmetries. Currently, antihydrogen traps are based on Malmberg-Penning traps. The number of antiprotons in Malmberg-Penning traps with sufficiently low energy to be suitable for trappable antihydrogen production may be reduced by the el… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Lane, Ryan A.
open access

Quantum Coherent Control and Propagation in Lambda System

Description: Strong coherence in quasi-resonant laser driven system interferes with effective relaxations, resulting in behaviors like, coherent population trapping and Electromagnetically induced transparency. The Raman system can optimize this utilizing excited coherence in the lambda system when exposed to counter- intuitive pump-stokes pulses. The phenomenon can result in complete population transfer between vibrational levels called Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage(STIRAP). STIRAP and CHIRAP have bee… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Singh, Pooja, 1983-
open access

A Search for Periodic and Quasi-Periodic Patterns in Select Proxy Data with a Goal to Understanding Temperature Variation

Description: In this work over 200 temperature proxy data sets have been analyzed to determine if periodic and or quasi-periodic patterns exist in the data sets. References to the journal articles where data are recorded are provided. Chapter 1 serves an introduction to the problem of temperature determination in providing information on how various proxy data sources are derived. Examples are given of the techniques followed in producing proxy data that predict temperature for each method used. In chapte… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Otto, James (James Robert)
open access

Fractional Calculus and Dynamic Approach to Complexity

Description: Fractional calculus enables the possibility of using real number powers or complex number powers of the differentiation operator. The fundamental connection between fractional calculus and subordination processes is explored and affords a physical interpretation for a fractional trajectory, that being an average over an ensemble of stochastic trajectories. With an ensemble average perspective, the explanation of the behavior of fractional chaotic systems changes dramatically. Before now what ha… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Beig, Mirza Tanweer Ahmad
open access

Nonlinear and Quantum Optics Near Nanoparticles

Description: We study the behavior of electric fields in and around dielectric and metal nanoparticles, and prepare the ground for their applications to a variety of systems viz. photovoltaics, imaging and detection techniques, and molecular spectroscopy. We exploit the property of nanoparticles being able to focus the radiation field into small regions and study some of the interesting nonlinear, and quantum coherence and interference phenomena near them. The traditional approach to study the nonlinear lig… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Dhayal, Suman
open access

Variational Calculations of Positronium Scattering with Hydrogen

Description: Positronium-hydrogen (Ps-H) scattering is of interest, as it is a fundamental four-body Coulomb problem. We have investigated low-energy Ps-H scattering below the Ps(n=2) excitation threshold using the Kohn variational method and variants of the method with a trial wavefunction that includes highly correlated Hylleraas-type short-range terms. We give an elegant formalism that combines all Kohn-type variational methods into a single form. Along with this, we have also developed a general formali… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Woods, Denton
open access

Complex Numbers in Quantum Theory

Description: In 1927, Nobel prize winning physicist, E. Schrodinger, in correspondence with Ehrenfest, wrote the following about the new theory: “What is unpleasant here, and indeed directly to be objected to, is the use of complex numbers. Psi is surely fundamentally a real function.” This seemingly simple issue remains unexplained almost ninety years later. In this dissertation I elucidate the physical and theoretical origins of the complex requirement. I identify a freedom/constraint situation encoun… more
Date: August 2015
Creator: Maynard, Glenn
open access

A Precise Few-nucleon Size Difference by Isotope Shift Measurements of Helium

Description: We perform high precision measurements of an isotope shift between the two stable isotopes of helium. We use laser excitation of the 2^3 S_1-2^3 P_0 transition at 1083 nm in a metastable beam of 3He and 4He atoms. A newly developed tunable laser frequency selector along with our previous electro-optic frequency modulation technique provides extremely reliable, adaptable, and precise frequency and intensity control. The intensity control contributes negligibly to overall experimental uncertai… more
Date: August 2015
Creator: Hassan Rezaeian, Nima
open access

Synthesis and Characterization of Ion Beam Assisted Silver Nanosystems in Silicon Based Materials for Enhanced Photocurrent Collection Efficiency

Description: In recent years a great deal of interest has been focused on the synthesis of transitional metal (e.g. Ag, Cu, Fe, Au) nanosystems at the surface to sub-surface regions of Si and SiO2 matrices for fundamental understanding of their structures as well as for development of technological applications with enhanced electronic and optical properties. The applications of the metal nanoparticle or nanocluster (NC) systems range from plasmonics, photovoltaic devices, medical, and biosensors. In all o… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Dhoubhadel, Mangal S.
open access

Analysis of Biological Materials Using a Nuclear Microprobe

Description: The use of nuclear microprobe techniques including: Particle induced x-ray emission (PIXE) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) for elemental analysis and quantitative elemental imaging of biological samples is especially useful in biological and biomedical research because of its high sensitivity for physiologically important trace elements or toxic heavy metals. The nuclear microprobe of the Ion Beam Modification and Analysis Laboratory (IBMAL) has been used to study the enhanceme… more
Date: December 2014
Creator: Mulware, Stephen Juma
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