“ Top Quark Production with an Associated Z boson ”
Connor Moore - OU
Mentor: Dr. Brad Abbott
The top quark is the largest flavor of quark, and is also, in fact, the heaviest of the elementary particles present in the current version of the Standard Model. A direct consequence of such a high mass is an extremely short life time, short enough that the top quark is the only quark with a short enough lifespan that it does not couple with another quark before decaying. In other words, the top quark is the only quark that can be found alone. The top quark is, in general, only produced with an anti-top quark and had only been observed that way for a number of years. However, within the last half decade, the production of a single top quark has been observed with an associated W boson rather than an anti-top quark. Similarly, the existence of single top production with an associated Z boson (tZ) has also been theorized, and searches for such production are currently being performed. This presentation concerns one portion of the data analysis in which two machine learning techniques are used to sift through data in order to find relevant events relating to tZ production.
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“ Photovoltaics Materials and Devices ”
Mitchell Bredice - Saint Vincent College
Mentor: Dr. Ian Sellers
The Photovoltaic Materials and Devices group is examining the semiconductor material GaInNAs for use in Multi-Junction Solar Cells. GaInNAs has seen improved performance after applying rapid thermal annealing and a hydrogenation process. I will be investigating the hydrogenation process' effect on the majority carrier type, carrier mobility, and defects of GaInNAs, through the use of photoluminescence spectroscopy and Hall Effect measurements.
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“ Broad Absorption Line Quasars ”
Collin McLeod - OU
Mentor: Dr. Karen Leighly
I will discuss the statistical methods we use to find best fit models.
I will briefly discuss chi squared,
Bayes' Theorem, and MCMC sampling methods, before I describe the specific
program we use--emcee. I also plan to demonstrate a result from the emcee
program.
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“ Broad Absorption Line Quasars ”
Ryan Hazlett - OU
Mentor: Dr. Karen Leighly
I will elaborate on the methods used in modeling the continuum of a
Broad Absorption Line Quasar. The physical
meaning of parameters used to model the continuum and absorption will
be explained. The use of either single or multiple outflow
components when creating a model will be discussed. Finally,
the benefits of this rigorous modeling of Quasar outflows will be
presented.
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“ Broad Absorption Line Quasars ”
Susanna Brodnitz - Oberlin College
Mentor: Dr. Karen Leighly
Quasars emit extremely high amounts of light, which is caused by the accretion o
f matter by a supermassive blackhole. Analyzing spectra of light can tell us abo
ut how the quasar is structured. Broad absorption lines specifically can tell us
about high velocity outflows, which are interesting because they could contribu
te feedback to galaxy evolution. This summer we're looking at a set of quasars w
ith a particular broad absorption line, Pv, in order to better characterize the
column density of these quasars.
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“ Quantum Optics ”
Rebecca Fitzgarrald- University of Nebraska Lincoln
Mentor: Dr. Alberto Marino
Spin-exchange collisions in ultracold sodium gases create quantum entanglement between atoms with spin up and spin down.
This opens the door for experiments on matter-wave quantum optics in spin space, similar to what has been done with
entangled beams of light. One example is quantum enhanced interferometry. To implement such experiments, cooling of
the gas and precise control over the collisions are necessary. In sodium, this can be done with near-resonance laser
fields at ~589 nm and microwaves at 1.8 GHz. In my project, I will implement methods to stabilize and control the
amplitude and frequency of those fields using active feedback loops and computer controlled direct digital synthesis.
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“ Protostar Outflows in Region L1448 ”
Jordan Rhoades- University of Central Arkansas
Mentor: Dr. John Tobin
This summer I will be conducting research with Dr. John Tobin and Nick Reynolds on
the outflows of Protostars in the region L1448. The main goal of this research project is to obtain
a better understanding of the ~6 protostars in region L1448 instead of looking at only a few stars.
This research will be showing the big picture of how outflows of these protostars affect the other
protostars' outflows and their environment.
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“ Characterizing the Sensitivity of a Hall Sensor ”
Avi Revah- OU
Mentor: Dr. Mike Santos
The construction of high sensitivity Hall sensors is important for measuring
weak magnetic fields. These sensors have a wide range of applications, including
position sensing and location of cracks in metallic objects via eddy-current
analysis. Previous experimentation on Indium Antimonide Hall sensors have shown
each individual sensor has an optimal sensitivity on the order of 50 nT. Now, we
attempt to characterize the sensitivity of a new Indium Antimonide Hall sensor
array.
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“ "Oort" you glad there may be a ninth planet ”
Maya Kovalik- University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Mentor: Dr. Nate Kaib
Malhotra (1993, 1995) was the first to consider Neptunian migration as having an effect on the population distribution of
subclasses of KBOs. Additionally, the idea that the early solar system may not have been dynamically stable has led to
exploration of what possible "wild days" in the early history of Neptune could have brought about. We will use different
variations of the model of Neptunian migration, along with adding in Planet 9 and separately adding in the Oort Cloud to our
simulations, to map how the Kuiper Belt possibly dynamically evolved to its present state. We will then compare our results
with the OSSOS observational data while limiting the chances of observational bias.
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“ W->WW*->enuenu ”
Dustin Gier - University of Oklahoma
Mentor: Dr. Mike Strauss
By probing certain decay modes of the Higgs Boson, further experimental evidence
can be found confirming that this particle is the
Standard Model Higgs. Through investigating analysis programs and methods, more
interesting and relevant data might be found with
the same tools. Updates to the main Higgs to WW* analysis framework may allow fo
r a smaller learning curve, but the possibility of
transferring data from this program to a less specialized one may circumnavigate
the learning curve almost entirely. Once results of
this investigation have been obtained, they can be applied to new problems, such
as using multivariate analysis on Gluon-Gluon
Fusion simulations.
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“ Classical Be Stars, Circumstellar Disks, and Astrometry ”
Rochelle Horanzy-University of Connecticut
Mentor: Dr. John Wisniewski
Circumstellar disks are a phenomenon created by the rapid rotation of Be stars.
Once matter from these stars is launched into Keplerian orbit, the memory of thi
s process is lost. The goal of this project is to create a catalog of data for a
number of open clusters containing Be stars that will, in turn, provide a time
series analysis of circumstellar disks. This is done by assigning right ascensio
n and declination coordinates. The clusters can then be cross-matched with other
sources of astrometric data, such as the Gaia archive and catalogs of known Be
stars in clusters. With this, the interstellar polarization of these clusters ca
n be calculated.
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“ Evolution of Be star disks ”
Erick Powell- Western Washington University
Mentor: Dr. John Wisniewski
The goal of our project is to put together a catalog of interstellar
polarization to multiple open clusters with Be type stars. This
will allow for a time series analysis of circumstellar disks in these clusters.
From the evolution of these disks we will be able to
further our understanding of accretion/decretion disks which has applications to
various astrophysical phenomena including planet
formation and quasars.
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“ Alkanethiol Self-Assembled Monolayer Structure and Temperature Dependency ”
Juan Zuniga- University of Texas at Dallas
Mentor: Dr. Lloyd Bumm
During the research experience this summer I will be working with the surface and molecular interface group led by Dr. Bumm and we will be studying self-assembled monolayers (SAM)s of alkanethiols on Au(111). A SAM is a one molecule thick, two-dimensional, crystal structure of alkane chains deposited on the Au(111) substrate. The structure of the air-molecule interface of the SAMs depends on the way that the SAM is prepared. We are going to study if the structure of the prepared SAM also depends on annealing temperature. Specifically, we will be preparing SAMs at temperatures ranging from 80 â to 180 â. The SAMs produced during this experiment will be studied using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether constructing SAM samples at high temperatures renders monolayers with fewer defects and whether it yields a greater range of uniform structural domains over the gold surface. The term âdefectâ in the previous sentence is thus used to describe any peculiar, local disruption found in a domain that is in turn on a generally flat molecular terrace. By reducing such irregularities the SAMs can be deemed suitable for a wider range of applications. Such applications can range from modifying the hydrophobic characteristic of surfaces to the development of nanoscopic electronic devices and even pharmacological applications.
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“ Improving the HALT procedure for ATLAS Pixel Detector Modules ”
Cole Le Mahieu- Union University
Mentor: Dr. John Stupak
The purpose of this research project is to improve the HALT (Highly Accelerated Lifetime Testing) procedure for ATLAS pixel detector modules. The system to do this consists of a vibrational table, on which the pixel detector modules are mounted with a pneumatic piston attached directly beneath the table to provide a source of mechanical stress on the modules. Once this first piston operates controllably, two more pistons will be added to the system. In order to guarantee a repeatable procedure for testing the modules’ durability, we must ensure there is a consistent correlation between the pressure of the pistons and the acceleration of the modules.
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“ Low-Noise Current Controller for Ultracold Sodium Atoms ”
Dana Peirce- Bowdoin College
Mentor: Dr. Arne Schwettmann
The rate of spin exchange collisions in ultracold sodium gas depends on the spacing of energy levels in sodium atoms. The spacing is determined by the strength of the applied magnetic field. Supplying a more precise current through Helmholtz coils will result in controlling the rate of spin exchange collisions.
This project aims to create a low-noise current controller utilizing a temperature controller from Wavelength Electronics. The challenge is to convert current data into data that the temperature controller can interpret.
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“ The Standard Model and Vector-like Leptons ”
Cameron Parker- University of Oklahoma
Mentor: Dr. Brad Abbott
This summer, we intend to investigate the existence vector-like leptons. The tau-prime is a lepton more massive than the tau, and
unlike other leptons, has both left-handed and right-handed neutrinos. Previous work done has investigated the possibility of it
decaying into other leptons, but we intend to look for it decaying into hadronic jets. This will involve determining how much signal
and background we can expect for different masses in different signal regions. The goal is to be sensitive to a mass of 500 GeV,
allowing us to say that it must have a mass greater than that if we do not find it.
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“ Vectorlike leptons at the Large Hadron Collider ”
Jon Franco- University of Oklahoma
Mentor: Dr. Brad Abbott
In this experiment, we will be searching for the existence of vectorlike leptons both in and out of the standard model. We will be investigating the decay paths of multi-lepton events and searching for the existence of this theoretical subatomic particle. To do so, we are implementing a region of interest search where this particle is theorized to exist, and recording any anomalies in lepton decay signatures. These anomalies may help describe the muon g-2 anomaly, and could give insight to large dimensional behavior. We are also looking for any discrepancies within the Standard Model.
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