When students describe physics, they often associate this science with facts, formulae, and objectivity. Unfortunately, all too often, STEM classes completely overlook cultural influence and when it is discussed, it is described as a historical and static phenomenon. This can block students from connecting physics to their own experiences. In our research, we asked students to reflect on their sense of the nature of physics and how their own experiences influence their perception. We used a phenomenological qualitative analysis to investigate 51 students’ ideas across five introductory physics classes at a two year college. Using an emergent theming analysis, we coded students’ written descriptions of physics and how their background shaped their ideas. Students described their own familial, cultural, and professional backgrounds, as well as their instructors’ identities and teaching methods, as impacting their perspective of subjectivity and objectivity in physics. By making space in class to compare and contrast physics culture with students’ own experiences, we hope to show students that their individual background is key to shaping their learning and improving the often inequitable field of physics.

Within STEM, physics ranks among the least aligned with the US population regarding racial and gender representation. This not only has the potential to hinder new discoveries and innovations, it also highlights a lack of equitable opportunities for individuals. In an effort to identify ways in which teaching practices may contribute to this problem, our research explores correlations between active learning strategies and growth in students’ conceptual understanding. The data analyzed are from a pre/post survey in a two-year college calculus-based introductory university physics class with a primarily Vietnamese, Black, and white population. We present topics including force and free-fall that show either substantial or limited improvement in student learning gains. We compare data across several demographics, and relate corresponding learning activities. We provide recommendations to improve both learning outcomes and instructional methods, with the aim of increasing opportunities for all identities to complete degrees and pursue career goals.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are layered materials made up of either a single or very few atomic layers. The properties they exhibit are fundamentally different from those of three-dimensional crystals, and they provide us with high levels of control to design novel systems in order to study new physical phenomena. 2D dielectrics are used in electrostatic gating to control the displacement field and carrier doping being applied to a 2D sample, making the properties and performance of 2D dielectrics very important. In 2D heterostructure devices, the standard dielectric used is hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). However, a recently published paper  claims that the novel 2D dielectric Bi₂SeO₅ is readily exfoliated, transferrable, and has a dielectric constant of 15, significantly higher than that of hBN, which ranges between 3-4. In this project I aimed to determine the dielectric constant and breakdown characteristics of Bi₂SeO₅ in hopes of finding a more effective substitute for hBN. I successfully measured the dielectric constant of Bi₂SeO₅ by fabricating a 2D graphene heterostrcuture device and taking graphene transport measurements comparing hBN and Bi₂SeO₅. From the data obtained I found the dielectric constant to be 14.3, which agrees with literary values. I fabricated a Bi₂SeO₅ backgate using a dry transfer technique in order to perform characterize the breakdown characteristics of the dielectric. By applying a voltage to each contact, grounding the gates, and then floating all other contacts, I measured the current passing through the dielectric until we began to see an exponential trend in order to measure breakdown. This is of interest because if Bi₂SeO₅ is proven to be more effective than hBN, it would let us apply a higher displacement field and doping to samples which would let us access new, exotic phases in 2D materials such as WTe₂.

Dark matter is a theoretical form of matter that doesn’t interact with light or conventional matter despite its large expected abundance in our universe. One potential candidate for dark matter, predicted in models, is weakly-interacting long-lived particles (LLP). The ForwArd Search ExpeRiment (FASER), located in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, uses detectors to search for LLP produced in proton-proton collisions. Upon hitting the detectors, particles generate electronic hit signals that are used to reconstruct the decay products of LLPs. Analyzing these tracks may offer insights into the properties and characteristics of LLP. The FASER detector is made of four tracking stations: 1, 2, 3, and interface tracker, each comprising of three layers with eight Semiconductor Tracker modules in each layer. Due to the imprecise installation of these tracking stations, misalignment occurs preventing accurate track reconstruction. To address this issue, I aim to execute an iterative local Chi-square alignment test to determine alignment parameters for each station individually and collectively using previously collected FASER data. I hypothesize that modules will have improved residual values and sensitivity after alignment.

Convection in porous media within an inclined layer is relevant to a wide range of geophysical and engineering applications, e.g., in understanding large-scale convection in a geothermal reservoir. Previous work found that stable stationary localized convective structures are present at moderate Rayleigh numbers and a sufficiently large inclination angle when the boundary conditions are symmetric with respect to the layer midplane. In this project, I study the dynamics of traveling localized structures in inclined porous medium convection in the presence of asymmetric temperature boundary conditions. I conducted direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the fluid equations and found that one- and two-pulse structures exhibit a quadratic relationship between the travel speed of the structure and the symmetry breaking control parameter in the boundary conditions, while three- to five-pulse domain-filling structures display a linear relationship. With further simulations and increasing domain size, we discovered that, for sufficiently strong symmetry breaking, adjacent pulses repel each other while traveling and so tend to spread out, eventually becoming equidistant in the finite domain. The repulsion is sensitive to the travel speed (and thus to the asymmetric boundary conditions) and the domain size. I show that these interactions are associated with the spatial eigenvalues of the base flow that are responsible for the leading and trailing tails of the 1D along-slope temperature profile of the localized structures. These eigenvalues are complex implying that the tails oscillate while decaying exponentially. We employ the computed spatial eigenvalues to predict the tail profiles of traveling pulses and show that these successfully match observations from DNS. This comprehensive analysis enhances our understanding of the stability and bifurcations in the dynamics of traveling localized structures in inclined porous medium convection, offering valuable insights for geophysical and engineering applications.

Current Gravitational-Wave observatories mainly focus on gravitational wave(GW) detection at frequency bands below 10kHz, probing signals that are expected to arise from known astrophysical sources, leaving frequency ranges above 10kHz largely unexplored. GWs with frequencies beyond 10kHz correspond to Ultra-High-Frequency Gravitational Waves(UHF-GW) that are theorized to be sourced by various Beyond-the-Standard-Model(BSM) phenomena both in the early and late universe, providing an unique window to probe for new physics. The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment(ADMX) is a resonant cavity designed to search for axion dark matter, however, recent studies have shown that resonant cavities like ADMX have a possible sensitivity towards UHF-GW within the GHz range through GW-Electromagnetic coupling. In our research, we provide a detailed examination of ADMX’s experimental sensitivity with regards to the strain of UHF-GW generated by two hypothetical sources: primordial black hole(PBH) binaries and boson annihilation within boson clouds generated by black hole superradiance. We investigate various source parameters, such as GW strain amplitude, GW signal duration time, and the merging rate of PBH binaries, to determine ADMX’s detection capability for potential GW source candidates. Our work will provide ADMX with insights on the plausibility of monochromatic UHF-GW detections with current experimental parameters and serve as a motivation towards inquiries of alternative UHF-GW sources or imminent data analysis strategies depending on the outcome.

Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by the rotation and merging of black holes deep in our universe. On earth, these waves cause a minute strain that can be measured with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). We are developing a calibrator that exerts an oscillating gravitational force on the test mass of LIGO to precisely calibrate the strain sensitivity of the interferometer. The calibrator consists of four motor-driven rotors which are placed around the test mass. The four motors have to run at a constant speed and have to maintain an exact phase relationship. In this research, I designed motor-controller software in Python, which rotates the motors with constant speed with a phase uncertainty of less than 2 degrees. The system uses one of the motors as the reference and converts its encoder position changes to frequency. A Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) loop locks the encoder’s frequency to a reference frequency. Then, the three witness encoders are locked to the lead encoder. The gravitational force from the calibrator is calculated using a Python program from Prof. Gundlach's team. The code decomposes the calibrator into 3D points and applies multipole expansions to accurately compute the force at the center of LIGO’s test mass. The gravitational calibrator will help to reduce uncertainties in LIGO’s strain readouts.

Light-front quantization was first introduced by Dirac in 1949 as a new form of relativistic quantum mechanics. It has become a useful tool in analyzing a variety of high energy experiments. This project is an application of light front dynamics to the deuteron, or two nucleons in a bound state, with an exponential form of the separable Yamaguchi potential.
The objective of this project is to develop a model for the deuteron wave function, incorporating Einstein's special relativity principles. The same model will be then used to predict scattering states, more specifically, calculating phase shifts as a function of energy. The Schrödinger equation is first formulated in the light front coordinates. Analytical derivation of the deuteron wave function then yields an expression containing transcendental functions. Numerical methods are implemented in Python to solve the transcendental functions and produce a model of the deuteron, which is then be used to calculate the T-matrix of the scattering states.This work will help contribute to the understanding of nucleon-nucleon interactions in the deuteron and produce a better treatment of the deuteron wave function that is consistent with Einstein’s special relativity.

Physics concepts dealing with charges, particles, and electricity are difficult to conceptualize, yet foundational for students' scientific understanding. As an undergraduate researcher at the Novel Observations in Mixed Reality (NOMR) lab, I work on developing virtual reality applications for introductory physics lab courses at UW. To develop tools and scenarios for the labs, we use C# in Unity. One of the tools that I worked on developing was the Charge Tool, a tool that allows students to change particle charges and experiment with the relationship between charge and force according to Coulomb's Law. We conducted usability testing by taking participants with different levels of familiarity with VR, using the “think aloud” method. Through this, we identified user pain points for ease of use and ensuring an easier learning curve for students who are new to using VR. Based on key insights, we improved the particle colors to being more intuitive and color-blind friendly, as well as redesigned the tool to make it more functional and easier to use. I also work on a decay particle project that focuses on the principle of conservation of charge, momentum, and mass-energy, and a tutorial project which allows students to access instructions and lab manuals inside the VR lab scene. Since virtual reality is still pretty new in the field of education, research in it becomes important as it allows students to interact with physics concepts in a way that they never have before.

Achieving high performance in fixed-wing, unmanned aerial systems necessitates efficient wing assemblies which often entail significant design and production costs. Balancing measures associated with performance, production, reliability, and maintainability adds further complexity to wing design. I present here my current work on the use of Cellular Compressive Wing (CCW) architecture as a viable solution for achieving low structural mass and high flight efficiency while simultaneously enhancing production, maintainability, and reducing costs. To confirm the approach, a wing planform utilizing CCW has been developed based on specific aircraft performance requirements. Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Element Analysis have been leveraged to generate estimates of dynamic planform load distributions and CCW interface load characteristics. These simulation methods have in turn been used to guide the design of wing cell interfaces optimized for additive manufacturing techniques employing photopolymers and composite thermopolymers. Application-specific bench-test and in-flight hardware are currently being constructed and tested for direct experimental validation of dynamic planform and CCW interface loads.

Hydrostatic pressure can be used to tune the electronic properties of atomically thin layered materials by decreasing the interlayer spacing, thereby enhancing the strength of interlayer interactions. In moiré systems, pressure can be used to create flat bands in samples with twist angles away from the usual ‘magic angle’. Twisted trilayer graphene (tTLG) has a Dirac band superimposed atop a flat band. These two bands can hybridize in a finite displacement field making it possible to further tune the flat band. The flat band is host to a variety of flavor-polarized correlated states, which may be an important ingredient in generating the exotic superconducting phases seen in tTLG. Although pressure could provide a new avenue for tuning these correlated states, a high-pressure study has not previously been performed on tTLG owing to the challenges of applying pressure to layered 2D materials: limited sample space, difficulty mounting the sample, and challenges in establishing electrical contacts. In this talk, I will discuss advances we have made in addressing these issues via a custom printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB provides a sturdy platform for mounting samples, and has gold pads to enable wire bonding. I will also discuss ongoing high-pressure electrical transport measurements of tTLG nanodevices. This work could elucidate further the origin of the unusual superconducting phase seen in tTLG, and provide a blueprint for future high-pressure studies of 2D materials.

While discussing as a group what types of experimentation we could potentially do, we had a variety of different ideas. We thought that with the DC plasma source available to us, it would be interesting to compare how the cleanliness of the vacuum chamber impacted when breakdown would occur. For our research, we are using a DC Plasma Discharge device, which creates a plasma between two electrodes inside of a vacuum chamber. A high DC (direct current) voltage is applied across the two electrodes and a current flows between them. Plasma, the 4th state of matter, is a gas where electrons have been stripped from atoms or molecules in a gas. What results is an electrically charged gas consisting of negative electrons and positive ions. The point at which a gas becomes a plasma is called breakdown. Breakdown depends on the pressure in the vacuum vessel, the distance between the electrodes, the type of gas and the voltage applied. A Paschen curve relates the breakdown voltage to the product of the distance between the electrodes and the pressure in the vacuum vessel. Our goal was to see how a dirty vacuum chamber would impact the Paschen curve. We expected that breakdown would happen at lower voltages with the clean vacuum chamber. We obtained data for creating the curve by running the plasma tube and measuring the pressure as the voltage increased while the vacuum chamber was contaminated with oil. We recorded pressure and voltage values for when breakdown occured and repeated this process with different distances. We then gathered the same data after the vacuum was cleaned. The implication of our research is that it will add to information on how the cleanliness of a vacuum chamber determines when breakdown happens in a plasma tube. In the future, more trials could be run and different gases could be tested. 

Quantum dots are nanometer scale semiconductor particles that have been extensively studied over the past decade. Colloidal quantum dots are dispersed in solution, and so can be easily deposited on a surface. This allows them to act as highly versatile quantum sensors. I am studying cadmium selenide quantum dots doped with manganese (Mn:CdSe). They possess a spin of 5/2, meaning they have six spin states, each corresponding to a different quantized energy. These six energies can be probed with photoluminescence spectroscopy, and theoretically appear as six distinct peaks in the spectrum. This allows us to use spectral analysis to read the spin state of a dot. Due to the Zeeman effect, the spin state energies are sensitive to applied magnetic fields. A simple sensing procedure first initializes the spin state, allows it to evolve under some magnetic field, and reads out the final spin state. My work focuses on the initialization and readout of the spin. For this purpose, I previously built a monochromator to characterize the quantum dots under pulsed excitation at various wavelengths, power, and temperature. I am measuring their properties using photon counting correlation measurements, photoluminescence spectra, and lifetime measurements. The goal of these results is to characterize the properties of these Mn:CdSe quantum dots to lay the groundwork for their development as a highly sensitive quantum sensor.

The purpose of this experiment was to visualize and record the different rates of expansion for multiple gases as they are launched into the higher parts of Earth’s atmosphere with a High-Altitude Balloon (HAB). The ideal gas law models the behavior of a gas that of which its molecules occupy no volume and have no intermolecular forces (IMF). It is a simple equation; however, it cannot model gases accurately. On the other hand, Van der Waals equation for non-ideal gases better resembles the behavior of a real gas as it includes what the ideal gas law lacks. To test this, we filled three syringes with three different gases to the same volume. We chose to test argon, helium, and nitrogen. We secured the syringes to a container, which served as the payload for the HAB. We also placed an altimeter, thermometer, and a barometric pressure sensor inside the container. Then, we connected the sensors to an Arduino to record each piece of data synced to a stopwatch that is displayed in the container on a screen. Finally, we secured a camera to the container facing the stopwatch and syringes to record the gasses’ volume. Because helium has the weakest IMFs out of the three gases, we believed helium would expand at a higher rate as atmospheric pressure decreases compared to the other gases. The results from our experiment serve as a good example of how far the behavior of real gases deviate from ideal gases modeled by the ideal gas law. Depending on how close our measured values reach the calculated values from the ideal gas law, we can predict which situations the ideal gas law can model the behavior of a particular gas relatively accurately.

We collected and compared the spectra of air plasma and argon plasma in a dirty and clean direct current (DC) plasma discharge device. After cleaning the plasma tube we hypothesize the measured plasma spectrum will have fewer lines because it wont have as many impurities. The fourth state of matter, plasma, is matter that has been superheated, causing the electrons to be ripped from the atoms. This forms an electrically charged gas that consists of negative electrons and positive ions. Our plasma was created using a DC plasma discharge device. This device creates a plasma between two electrodes inside of a vacuum chamber. A high DC voltage is applied across the two electrodes and a current flows between them. DC plasmas can be utilized as sputter sources to deposit thin films for solar panels and the purity of the plasma can affect performance. Our vacuum vessel was accidentally contaminated with oil and dirt. To evaluate the effectiveness of our cleaning practices, spectra was measured for plasmas in the vessel contaminated with oil and other dirt and then again after the vessel was cleaned. Spectra, the range of wavelength produced when light is dispersed, emitted by air plasma and argon plasma were measured between 645 nm and 1050 nm with an Ocean Optics ST-NIR spectrometer. Spectra before and after cleaning were compared to measure the effectiveness of the cleaning. Our research provides evidence for the best way to clean DC plasma discharge devices in order to remove impurities. The conclusion of this analysis is imperative for efficient thin film plating using DC plasma.

Quantum point defects are imperfections in a lattice that occur exclusively at or around a single point. In zinc oxide (ZnO), such imperfections can arise when implanted atoms replace zinc atoms adjacent to vacant lattice sites. This substitution leads to unpaired electrons, contained in the potential well of the vacant site, that act as standalone atomic systems. Such systems are often utilized in quantum sensing or employed as qubits; their effectiveness in these roles is qualified by their spin, optical, and charge properties, uniquely determined by the lattice material. Ab initio simulations have predicted promising spin defect behavior in ZnO implanted with vanadium, niobium, and titanium ions. Theorized properties of such defects, such as magnetic insensitivity, would be exceedingly useful for applications as a robust and coherent qubit. Therefore, the goal of this project is to create, observe, and eventually characterize these novel defects to determine their effectiveness for quantum information applications. To do so, I first determine the photoluminescent spectral profile of non-implanted ZnO samples using confocal fluorescence microscopes across various temperatures and excitation wavelengths. Then, we introduce the substituent atoms to the samples with an ion beam. After, we anneal the sample, subjecting it to high temperatures and prompting the ions within to move throughout the lattice and reattach themselves near vacancies, creating the defect. I then fluoresce the implanted sample to prompt a transition between the energy levels of the defect. If it is present, the defect’s relaxation emits a photon of a characteristic frequency unique to the defect. Thus, comparing pre and post-implantation spectra of the sample’s photoluminescence allows us to confirm the existence of the defect, gain insight into its structure, and, in later projects, examine its optical, electronic, and magnetic properties.

A direct current (DC) discharge is one method for producing plasma. Plasma, the 4th state of matter, is defined as the separation of positive ions and electrons in a gas. A gas transforms into a plasma in an isolated low-pressure area between two electrodes, a cathode and an anode. The DC discharge, particularly the DC glow discharge, has historically been significant for both investigating plasma characteristics and providing a weakly ionized plasma for various uses. This project explores the utilization of Faraday’s Law as a fundamental principle for quantifying plasma currents. A fundamental principle of electromagnetism that I have been exploring on this project is Faraday’s Law, this law is especially useful in plasma physics when figuring out the current flowing through a plasma column or confinement device. The device I am building is called a B-dot probe which will be used to measure the current when the discharge turns on. The B-dot probe is essentially a coil made of conducting wire with a “tail” (twisted pair). Through a series of tests, I have procured the average magnetic field produced by the plasma current. From this average magnetic field and geometric measurements the average plasma current is deduced. Plasma is used everywhere now a days like in your TV and neon lights as well as in nature like the aurora borealis. With this research I hope to make the understanding behind the physics of plasma as well as it's magnetic fields easier to comprehend.

PIONEER is a rare-pion decay experiment, which aims to test Lepton Flavor Universality (LFU), a consequence of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. The SM is very successful but is known to be incomplete as it cannot describe gravity, dark matter, and other observed phenomena. PIONEER will test LFU by measuring the relative frequency of the two primary decays of a subatomic particle known as a pion. The ratio of the rates of pion decay to muon and pion decay to electron is predicted extremely precisely by the SM and is sensitive to physics beyond the SM. Therefore, this ratio is extremely important to measure. Muons quickly decay to electrons, so the final product of both decays is an electron, but their energies can distinguish the decay path. Thus, this measurement requires an extremely sensitive calorimeter to measure the energies of the resulting electrons. One candidate for this calorimeter is a large array of LYSO crystals. LYSO is a fast, dense, high-light-yield scintillator whose intrinsic properties suggest it would be a natural candidate for the experiment. Despite its advantages, a large, LYSO-based calorimeter has never been developed. We wish to measure certain properties of large LYSO crystals, such as energy resolution and uniformity, to determine if they meet the requirements necessary for use in the PIONEER calorimeter. Bench tests conducted thus far have displayed impressive single-crystal resolution and uniformity at low energies when crystals are wrapped in a well-fitted specular reflector. Energy resolution tests were conducted on an array of 10 LYSO crystals, using 17.6 MeV gamma rays produced by the Van der Graff accelerator at the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics (CENPA) here at UW. LYSO crystal performance and energy resolution have been shown in preliminary tests to be within the specifications for the PIONEER calorimeter.

Collision avoidance studies find important applications for motion planning of mobile robots for deployment in outer space, nuclear waste management, mobiles used for process automation, etc. Here, we integrate mobile robot simulations with mathematical modeling using Python to understand collision avoidance for mobile robotics. We used the open-source Pioneer code on the Webots platform for simulations of mobile robots which employ Kinect-based optical and IR sensors and cameras for live-tracking of objects in the environment variable and have motion controller Matlab software that provides the kinematic variables like position, velocity, and acceleration of various objects in real-time. We wrote a Python code to digitize the image matrices obtained from simulations and identified the pixels having objects that the mobile robot must avoid for collision avoidance. We calculated the instantaneous distances between the mobile robot and various objects to interpret and analyze the simulated trajectories. We used jump collision avoidance models to estimate the mobile robot trajectories in the vicinity of objects. The calculated object avoidance jump trajectory of the robot was smoothened using Gaussian data convolution methods to obtain smooth trajectories. The simulations provide attractive visualization and are useful for machine learning and testing algorithms for collision avoidance and motion planning.

Accurately modeling atmospheric re-entry has become incredibly important with the advent of reusable spacecraft. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) employs solvers, a combination of mathematical models, to attempt to replicate real-world physical characteristics, such as when a spacecraft is re-entering the atmosphere. This research attempts to validate the OpenFOAM hy2Foam solver–which was created to model the environment of atmospheric re-entry–by comparing CFD results to real-world wind tunnel data of the hypervelocity ballistic model 1 (HB-1) at mach 5.1. We show with 99% confidence that the CFD simulations do not produce numerically accurate results when compared to historical wind tunnel data at seven varying angles of attack: -1, 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 degrees. For all angles of attack, the forebody axial-force coefficient disagrees with historical wind tunnel testing, being 2.38 times less on average. Additionally, for all but the -1 and 0 degree angle of attack, the pitching-moment coefficient disagrees with the historical data, being 52.6 times less on average. Additional research conducted on the HB-2 model has found similar disagreement of aerodynamic results demonstrating a need for additional research to ensure the solver produces numerically accurate results. Accurate solvers are vital to ensure that CFD simulations accurately model real-world conditions, such as during spacecraft re-entry when safety of astronauts could be at stake if a spacecraft is designed based on invalid data. 

As computing continues to evolve, there are few fields with more extensive and revolutionary prospects than quantum computing. Advanced quantum technologies have the potential to see into a world that classical computing cannot, enabling more advanced encryption methods, precision atomic interaction modeling, and molecular simulations for pharmaceutical drug research. Students should be exposed to modern quantum technologies, but providing students with hands-on experience is challenging at the undergraduate level. Our project aims to remove that barrier. Ion traps are the fundamental mechanisms for information storage in trapped ion quantum computers, so we designed and built a scaled-up version of one of these traps for use in a classroom setting. Our trap, a linear quadrupole trap, is based around 4 conductive electrodes that utilize alternating current (AC) to confine charged particles to a linear trapping axis, bounded on either end by 2 direct current (DC) rods. The trap features a 3-D printed polylactic acid (PLA) base and lid with a locking mechanism to prevent undesired air movement within the trapping region. We implemented a high-voltage lower DC plate in combination with a grounded upper plate to emulate an infinite parallel plate capacitor when the distance between the two is minimized and the plate area is maximized, allowing for additional vertical manipulation of the particles. To guarantee student safety, all high-voltage components remain covered while trapping, and each conductive element has undergone distance and breakdown voltage calculations to ensure that no electrical arcing can occur. As a result, undergraduate students in the lab are able to manipulate different aspects of the electric field geometry to observe micromotion, Coulomb Crystals, secular frequencies, and determine the charge-to-mass ratios of different charged particles such as lycopodium moss spores (25µm) or polyethylene microspheres (50µm).

About 400 million to one billion years after the Big Bang, radiation from the earliest light sources began to ionize the neutral hydrogen gas that filled much of the universe. Data from this era, which is known as the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), provides constraints on our models of structure formation and evolution of the early universe. One of the instruments currently being commissioned for this purpose is the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA). Located in South Africa, HERA is a radio telescope that uses a large array of antennas to study the large-scale structures of the universe during the EoR. My work has been focused on validating the instrument while it is being built by analyzing systematics present in the data as well as calibration solutions. Most recently, I've been focused on validating the HERA data processing pipeline. One of the major challenges with studying the EoR is that the radiation from this era is extremely faint in comparison to foreground radiation from other sources in the sky. In order to isolate the EoR signal, the radiation from other sources on the sky must be subtracted from the total signal. Calibration solutions, which give solutions to an equation for correcting instrumental effects, are one of the key pieces in this process. HERA is backed by an international collaboration that has built a bespoke data processing pipeline; by comparing the plots of the calibration solutions, I've been able to help validate that the results from the HERA pipeline hold up against results from the Fast Holographic Deconvolution (FHD) pipeline, a well-established, open source pipeline for processing radio interferometric data. This furthers our confidence in our results while ensuring any potential issues are addressed before the telescope is fully completed.

For this research, I am developing an algorithm for reconstructing particle trajectories using data from the proposed MATHUSLA (Massive Timing Hodoscope for Ultra Stable Neutral Particles) detector at CERN’s (the European Council for Nuclear Research) Large Hadron Collider. The MATHUSLA detector is specifically designed to capture LLPs (Long-Lived Particles), a class of theoretical neutral high-energy particles that are undetectable by current CERN detectors due to their large decay times, potentially emitted during particle collisions using a series of tracking layers. My objective is to identify potential LLP candidates using the data collected by these highly precise trackers. The algorithm I developed determines the most probable particle trajectories that occurred corresponding to the data collected by the trackers. The algorithm has demonstrated a path detection accuracy exceeding 90% in sample point clouds with reasonably high efficiency. Future work includes examining how to take into account and accurately detect the non-linear paths frequently taken by real-world particles, in addition to better fitting the algorithm to the more realistic and cluttered data expected from the detector. The study of LLPs is a fast growing subfield in particle physics; finally detecting and analyzing them could play a massive role in taking the field beyond the Standard Model.

The backsplash galaxies of the Milky Way are galaxies that have once entered the virial radius of the Milky Way but reside outside of which today. As a backsplash galaxy enters the Milky Way, its gravitational interaction with the Milky Way causes its star forming material to be stripped away and causes it to appear to be more diffused and older. The evolution and properties of a backsplash galaxy depend significantly on the properties of its dark matter halo as it makes up the majority of its mass. In my research, I use cosmological simulations of Cold Dark Matter (CDM) and Self-Interacting Dark Matter (SIDM) of Near-Milky Way halos done by my mentors and their colleagues to identify and analyze the properties of backsplash halos during their evolution and compare the results across the two dark matter models. Significant differences between the results from the CDM and the SIDM models are anticipated, with the major difference caused by the interactions between the SIDM particles allowing the exchange of energy and momentum between particles, causing the energy to transfer between regions of the halo, resulting in altered density profiles which influences the tidal evolution history. After the analysis of both models are completed, the results can be compared and matched to observational data of the candidates of backsplash galaxies of the Milky Way, and conclude in each model’s ability to make accurate predictions. This research contributes to the ongoing investigation of the properties of dark matter particles and the analysis of the evolution of backsplash galaxies.

An unexplained phenomenon in physics is the significant imbalance of matter and antimatter in the universe. The violation of the Charge-Parity (CP) symmetry is a known source of this imbalance. However, the observed instances of this violation are not enough to explain the magnitude of the imbalance observed in the universe. In this research, I am looking for additional sources of CP violation using tau leptons, heavier cousins of the electrons. I examine the decay of a Z boson, one of the weak force carriers, to tau leptons in search of CP violation. Of interest is a quantity called Psi, a probability distribution related to the polarization of the Z boson. The distribution’s general shape is sinusoidal, and CP violation manifests itself through horizontal shifts in Psi. The taus decay extremely quickly inside the detector and I calculate Psi from their visible decay products. Previous research formulated a calculation of Psi in one decay channel (hadhad) which I have replicated. My research shows it is also possible to calculate Psi for a different channel (lephad) which is easier to study at the Large Hadron Collider. I used simulated events to calculate Psi and study its dependencies with ideal detector simulation. Ongoing work on this project involves performing analysis with more realistic simulations accounting for a realistic detector, and preparing for the measurement with real data from the ATLAS detector. If Charge-Parity symmetry is found to be violated, it would be striking evidence for new physics beyond the Standard Model and a significant milestone in explaining the imbalance of matter and antimatter.

Trapped ion quantum computing (TIQC), with its large decoherence times and small operation times relative to other physical quantum computing architectures, has garnered significant attention in the public and private sectors. Planar Paul traps, which simultaneously utilize radio frequency and static voltages in a two-dimensional electrode array to spatially confine ions, are the primary candidates for trapping ions for TIQC due to their manufacturability and ability to shuttle ions between multiple trapping zones for quantum logic gates and memory storage. The growing relevance of this technology necessitates educating students about the advanced electrodynamics of ion trapping and ion shuttling. Therefore, I developed a macroscopic planar Paul trap which utilizes 50µm diameter proxy-ions along with high voltage (HV) alternating currents (AC) at 60 Hz and HV direct currents (DC). These are applied to a 5-rail electrode geometry to demonstrate ion shuttling and ion-group splitting along a linear trapping axis. The goal is to educate students on the electrodynamics of ion traps by allowing them to experiment with the tunable trapping parameters, such as AC voltage amplitudes, DC voltage magnitudes, and applied shuttling waveforms and observe the changes in the dynamics of the proxy-ions relative to theoretical predictions. I designed the trap by implementing the recommended relative electrode dimensions into COMSOL Multiphysics and optimizing the geometry by maximizing the pseudopotential confinement while simultaneously minimizing electrode surface area. Afterwards, I utilized an analytic model of a 5-rail planar Paul trap, along with the method of Lagrange multipliers, to optimize the voltage magnitude and waveform of the segmented electrodes for smooth, effective shuttling and ion-group splitting. I then integrated an HV relay circuit and the 5-rail electrode geometry onto printed circuit boards to allow for student-controlled ion shuttling via an Arduino microcontroller.