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Poster Abstracts

APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics

at

George Washington University

January 12th - 14th 2018

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APS CUWiP at GW 2018 Poster Session 1

10:30 – 11:15am, Saturday 13th January 2018 1) Haley Buckner, with Dr. Cody Covington, Daniel Kidd, Dr. Kalman Varga

Comparison of Electromagnetic Field Propagation Methods in Maxwell-Schrödinger Hybrid Simulation

2) Caitlin Carfano, with Annemarie L. Exarhos, David A. Hopper, Samuel M. Parks, Richard R. Grote, Lee C. Bassett

Mechanical Exfoliation and Deterministic Dry Transfer of Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Quantum Engineering

3) Ye Hie (Joy) Cho & Kathleen Hamilton, with Dr. Alexander Barr

PSR1913+16: The Binary Pulsar; Mathematical Reproduction and Extension 4) Alexandra Cramer, with Justin Stevens (research advisor)

Timelike Compton Scattering in the GlueX Experiment at Jefferson Lab 5) Chelsea Crowley, with Kazunori Akiyama, Vincent Fish

Superresolving Black Hole Images with Full-Closure Sparse Modeling 6) Mackenzie Devilbiss, with Myron Campbell, Yongyi Wu

Photon and Neutron Waveform Differentiation 7) Kelly Devlin, with Adrian Borsa, Wesley Neely

Oil production and subsidence trends from InSAR over the Powder River Basin, WY

8) Amanda Farah, with Lucas Secco, Bhuvnesh Jain, Neil Dalal, Arka Banjeree

Susmita Adhikari Effects of Self-Interacting Dark Matter on Galaxy Morphologies

9) Kelsey Glazer, with Charlotte Edwards, James Overduin, and Alex Storrs

Olbers` Paradox and the Age of the Universe

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APS CUWiP at GW 2018 Poster Session 2

3:30 – 4:15pm, Saturday 13th January 2018 10) Junellie Gonzalez Quiles, with Dr. Jakob Nordin

Modeling The Atmosphere In The Era Of Big Data From Extremely Wide Field-Of-View Telescopes

11) Sarah Hoback, with Dr. Gregory Harry, Ian MacMullen

Determining Q Distribution of an Uncoated Substrate Using Birefringe Readout 12) Dana Jones, with Savannah Horton, Varoujan Gorjian (research supervisor)

Getting WISE: A Search for Active Galactic Nuclei at the North and South Ecliptic Poles

13) Caitlyn McConnell and Roberto Ramos

The Physics Wonder Girls Camp: Impacting Middle School Girls in STEM 14) Karla Georgina Onate, with James Napolitano, CJ Martoff

Testing CAEN Nuclear & Modern Physics Educational Kit with Silicon Photomultiplier for Upper Level Physics Course

15) Sophia Scarano, with Ki-Yong Kim, Ph.D.

Pulse Characterization of an Unknown Ultrashort-Pulsed Laser 16) Diana Solano-Oropeza, with Stephen McMillan, Joshua Wall

Mock Observations of Simulated Star Formation 17) Frances Stone with Dr. David Pooley

Star Formation Rate Maps of Nearby Galaxies 18) Niko (Eydon) Thomashow, with Regina A. Jorgenson, Vladimir Strelnitski, and

Gary Walker Two-Decade Monitoring of MWC349 in Optical and Radio: New Results

19) Stephanie Williams, with Carter Hall and Tim Edberg

Radon Emination Studies In LZ

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Haley Buckner, with Dr. Cody Covington, Daniel Kidd, Dr. Kalman Varga Title: Comparison of Electromagnetic Field Propagation Methods in Maxwell-Schrödinger Hybrid Simulation Abstract: We developed a hybrid simulation to model the interaction of electromagnetic fields and atoms using a semiclassical framework. The electromagnetic fields are not quantized and their time evolution is governed by Maxwell’s equations coupled to the charge and current distribution of particles determined via Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) calculations. We present two approaches to simulate the time propagation of the Maxwell equations on the atomic scale, using a simplified quantum mechanical system, jellium, as the target for the incident electromagnetic pulse. The first approach implements finite difference time domain (FDTD), which employs finite differences as approximations to both spatial and temporal derivatives that appear in Maxwell’s equations. However, FDTD is shown to be numerically unstable, so a new method must be implemented. The second approach implements the Riemann-Silberstein vector, a complex vector composed of the electric and magnetic fields, to propagate Maxwell’s equations. Using the Riemann-Silberstein formalism, we can track both the Maxwell and Schrodinger equations on the same atomistic scale and observe induced excitations in jellium. The next step is to use atoms and nanostructures in place of jellium as the target of the electromagnetic pulse.

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Caitlin Carfano, with Annemarie L. Exarhos, David A. Hopper, Samuel M. Parks, Richard R. Grote, Lee C. Bassett Title: Mechanical Exfoliation and Deterministic Dry Transfer of Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Quantum Engineering Abstract: Defect engineering in low-dimensional semiconductors is a rising field of interest for applications in quantum sensing, nanophotonics, and multifunctional van der Waals heterostructures. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is of particular interest as it can host fluorescent single-photon sources, though the electronic and chemical structures of these quantum emitters are still not clearly understood. Important for characterization are reliable methods for exfoliating and precise placement monolayer and few-layer films on patterned substrates. Here, large, thin flakes of h-BN are obtained by mechanical exfoliation from bulk crystal. Flake thickness is measured via atomic force microscopy (AFM) data and is correlated to flake color as determined by optical microscopy. Precision placement of exfoliated flakes over etched regions in the underlying substrates is achieved via a stamping technique that involves transferring flakes to a stamp of viscoelastic material, positioning the stamp onto a substrate and then slowly peeling off the stamp so the flakes adhere to the substrate. The exfoliation and transfer techniques developed here can be easily replicated and further testing will be implemented in the future. These findings will enable future experiments to further characterize the electronic and chemical properties of single-photon sources in h-BN, including testing the magnetic properties of the single-photon sources in the absence of substrate interactions.

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Ye Hie (Joy) Cho & Kathleen Hamilton, with Dr. Alexander Barr Title: PSR1913+16: The Binary Pulsar; Mathematical Reproduction and Extension Abstract: The discovery of PSR1913+16, a binary pulsar system, brought light to the first indirect detection of gravitational waves. Our research aims to reproduce the calculations that led to the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics as well as extend beyond their ideas. Using calculus and astrophysics concepts, we have verified the mathematical assumptions and equations underlying their work. Going further, we aim to predict the collision time of PSR1913+16 at the point of coalescence and graphically represent the mathematical model via simulations.

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Alexandra Cramer, with Justin Stevens (research advisor) Title: Timelike Compton Scattering in the GlueX Experiment at Jefferson Lab Abstract: Utilizing recent data from the GlueX experiment in Jefferson Lab’s particle accelerator, my research involves separating the reaction γp→p(e+)(e-), or Timelike Compton Scattering (TCS), from a larger data set. The purpose of the project is to help describe quark and gluon distributions inside of protons, which can be done by comparing TCS scattering properties with GPD models that have slightly differing proton structure parameters. Initial work has involved identifying restrictions on experiment variables, such as the e- and e+ electromagnetic shower width and depth in the GlueX calorimeters, which will remove charged pion background signals.

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Chelsea Crowley, with Kazunori Akiyama, Vincent Fish Title: Superresolving Black Hole Images with Full-Closure Sparse Modeling Abstract: It is believed that almost all galaxies have black holes at their centers. Imaging a black hole is a primary objective to answer scientific questions relating to relativistic accretion and jet formation. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is set to capture images of two nearby black holes, Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way galaxy roughly 26,000 light years away and the other M87 which is in Virgo A, a large elliptical galaxy that is 50 million light years away. Sparse imaging techniques have shown great promise for reconstructing high-fidelity superresolved images of black holes from simulated data. Previous work has included the effects of atmospheric phase errors and thermal noise, but not systematic amplitude errors that arise due to miscalibration. We explore a full-closure imaging technique with sparse modeling that uses closure amplitudes and closure phases to improve the imaging process. This new technique can successfully handle data with systematic amplitude errors. Applying our technique to synthetic EHT data of M87, we find that full-closure sparse modeling can reconstruct images better than traditional methods and recover key structural information on the source, such as the shape and size of the predicted photon ring. These results suggest that our new approach will provide superior imaging performance for data from the EHT and other interferometric arrays.

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Mackenzie Devilbiss, with Myron Campbell, Yongyi Wu Title: Photon and Neutron Waveform Differentiation Abstract: In many high-energy physics experiments, background control is key to producing quality data. Neutrons and photons can interact with scintillating detectors and cause background signals. The K0TO Experiment aims to observe the ultra-rare decay of the neutral long kaon into a neutral pion, a neutrino, and an antineutrino. A neutron can enter and interact with the cesium iodide (CsI) crystal calorimeter, scatter and interact again, creating a signal that could be mistaken for the signature two photon decay of the neutral pion. The JSNS^2 Experiment is searching for sterile neutrino evidence. When an electron neutrino enters the liquid scintillator detector, it interacts with a proton, producing an inverse beta decay (IBD). Photons could be mistaken for the neutron capture within the liquid scintillator that signifies the IBD. Photons and neutrons can be distinguished by comparing the respective waveform shapes. Both waveforms have an asymmetric Gaussian shape, but neutron waveforms appear to have a much longer ‘tail’ decay than photons do. Using this information, we can fit the waveforms and define a standard tail region so that we can compare the area of the tail of the waveform to the total area of the waveform to create a parameter that is different for photons and neutrons. By applying event criteria, or an event cut, based on this parameter, photon and neutron signals can be distinguished and background events can be removed from data. After performing waveform separation studies using both liquid scintillator and single CsI crystal setups, it was determined that this parameter is effective in distinguishing photons and neutrons in liquid scintillator, but not using a single CsI crystal.

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Kelly Devlin, with Adrian Borsa, Wesley Neely Title: Oil production and subsidence trends from InSAR over the Powder River Basin, WY Abstract: Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has proven to be a viable tool to study subsidence from numerous causes, including anthropogenic sources such as mining and drilling. The Powder River Basin (PRB) of northeastern Wyoming has been a historical region of hydrocarbon extraction, producing much of the coal, oil, natural gas, and coalbed methane used in the United States. Although coal production in the PRB is stagnant, oil and gas production has increased over the last decade. Using data from ESA’s Sentinel-1 mission, we create a suite of interferograms to study the surface deformation history of the PRB . We examined two and a half years of data from 11-07-2014 to 06-24-2017 along a single track (129) covering the coalbed and a region of high oil well concentration and production . We assess the ability of InSAR to detect subsidence over increasing temporal baselines, and use the resulting error estimates to guide our interferogram processing. We then produce a surface deformation time series for the PRB from the interferograms and use these data to model volumetric changes of the subsurface. Our results provide constraints on natural resource extraction in the PRB and information about the suitability of using InSAR to monitor human activity.

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Amanda Farah, with Lucas Secco, Bhuvnesh Jain, Neil Dalal, Arka Banjeree, Susmita Adhikari Title: Effects of Self-Interacting Dark Matter on Galaxy Morphologies Abstract: Self-Interacting Dark Matter (SIDM) has long been proposed as a solution to small scale problems posed by standard Cold Dark Matter (CDM). While the initially allowed parameter space for SIDM has been severely constrained by recent simulations and observations, velocity-independent anisotropic cross-sections have not yet been entirely ruled out. In this work, we present a new set of probes of SIDM that can help further constrain the bounds on that cross-section. We employ N-body simulations and analytical arguments to compare the morphology of disk galaxies in SIDM and CDM halos when subject to cluster environments. We test cross-sections of $0.5$ and $1.0 cm^2/g$ and find that thin stellar disks under such conditions may become temporarily warped, and eventually thicker than their standard CDM counterparts. We discuss how these effects are caused by an effective, dominating drag force acting on dark matter particles, and conclude with general remarks on the potential observability of such stellar disk distortions.

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Kelsey Glazer, with Charlotte Edwards, James Overduin, and Alex Storrs Title: Olbers` Paradox and the Age of the Universe Abstract: We describe the development of a new laboratory exercise for undergraduate introductory astronomy courses. Students begin by estimating the intensity of the extragalactic background light using a simple Newtonian cosmological model that agrees with recent measurements to within a factor of two. They then use the 0.4m Towson University telescope to image a dark patch of sky such as the Hubble Deep Field near or during new Moon, and compare the intensity actually observed with that predicted. This comparison leads to a new appreciation of foreground contributions such as light pollution, airglow, zodiacal light, starlight and others. Students pick up important skills in uncertainty analysis and astronomical unit conversion. But the most valuable aspect of the exercise in our view is that it enables students to draw a direct connection between the evidence of their own eyes and the age of the Universe.

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Junellie Gonzalez Quiles, with Dr. Jakob Nordin Title: Modeling The Atmosphere In The Era Of Big Data From Extremely Wide Field-Of-View Telescopes Abstract: Surveys like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), Pan-STARRS and the Palomar Transient Factory Survey (PTF) receive large amounts of data, which need to be processed and calibrated in order to correct for various factors. One of the limiting factors in obtaining high quality data is the atmosphere, and it is therefore essential to find the appropriate calibration for the atmospheric extinction. It is to be expected that a physical atmospheric model, compared to a photometric calibration used currently by PTF, is more effective in calibrating for the atmospheric extinction due to its ability to account for rapid atmospheric fluctuation and objects of different colors. We focused on creating tools to model the atmospheric extinction for the upcoming Zwicky Transient Factory Survey (ZTF). In order to model the atmosphere, we created a program that combines input data and catalogue values, and efficiently handles them. Then, using PTF data and the SDSS catalogue, we created several models to fit the data, and tested the quality of the fits by chi-square minimization. This will allow us to optimize atmospheric extinction for the upcoming ZTF in the near future.

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Sarah Hoback, with Dr. Gregory Harry, Ian MacMullen Title: Determining Q Distribution of an Uncoated Substrate Using Birefringe Readout Abstract: The mechanical loss of an uncoated substrate was measured to determine the Quality factor distribution of a singular mode. An uncoated substrate was put into a vacuum and rung until it oscillated in one of its natural modes (1A+). It then rung down from the mode, and the quality factor, Q, was gathered from a birefringence readout. The Quality factor measures the dampening of an oscillation; which is an indicator of the amount of energy (thermal noise) being released from a substrate in a vacuum. 40 measurements of a single substrate at the 1A+ mode (1083 hz) were gathered. Using the computer modeling program, COMSOL, experimental error and maximum Q values were generated as theoretical results. The experimental data suggested that the Q distribution was skewed to the left, following an Extreme Value (Gumbel) Distribution. This suggests that our data has a maximum value it cannot experimentally surpass. Our experimental data has a Cramér-von Mises value of .95, suggesting it follows the Extreme Value distribution well. Identifying Q distribution follows the Gumbel Curve suggests there is an upper limit to the experimental value of Q. We derived the formula Qp= η+σ(√ 6/π)(γ+2lnφ) from our results, which identifies the maximum experimental Q value of a substrate. potentially, our findings result in a more accurate way to report Q values and uncertainty, with just a small set of Q measurements. Having an accurate baseline of a substrate’s Q, has wide practical application when applying coatings to substrates in the field of thermal noise limitation.

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Dana Jones, with Savannah Horton, Varoujan Gorjian (research supervisor) Title: Getting WISE: A Search for Active Galactic Nuclei at the North and South Ecliptic Poles Abstract: Due to limited observational data available on current models for the accretion disk sizes for active galactic nuclei (AGN), there is a need for the identification of more short-term variable AGN that can be easily monitored for reverberation mapping. This project analyzed data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission survey of the north and south ecliptic poles in order to identify a sample of short-term variable AGN. In order to separate AGN out from regular stars and galaxies present in the survey, a color cut was first performed ([3.4]-[4.6]≥0.4), followed by a magnitude cut (mag≥14) and a signal to noise ratio cut (snr≥20). Then, to select AGN that specifically vary on a short timescale, light curves were created using the Infrared Science Archive and then analyzed for sufficient variability (m≥0.1). Seven potential short-term variable AGN were found.

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Caitlyn McConnell and Roberto Ramos Title: The Physics Wonder Girls Camp: Impacting Middle School Girls in STEM Abstract: It is common knowledge that there are substantially less women workers in STEM than there are men. To contribute to sustaining the pipeline of girls interested in STEM, the "Physics Wonder Girls Camp" - a free, four-day long physics summer camp for middle school girls, has been bringing together annually for the last five years select cohorts of 12 middle school girls to participate in a week-long program designed to intensity and sustain interest of girls in physics. The student camp crew helping run the camp consists of primarily women physics majors. Activities included project-building of remotely-controlled submersibles, training on using power tools, hands-on physics experiments and demonstrations, physics-based games and competition, visits to physics research labs, career talks and visits by women STEM resource speakers, culminating in a Girls' Physics Show to their family. The camp has been featured on Philadelphia's ABC News Network and in the Society of Physics Students' The Observer Magazine Fall 2017 issue. We have measured the short-term success of the camp through blind surveys given at the end of the last day. In this poster, we report on the activities of the camp and the observed responses of the campers to these. Acknowledgement: R.C.R. acknowledges support from National Science Foundation Grant DMR-1555775 and the Lindback Foundation.

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Karla Georgina Onate, with James Napolitano, CJ Martoff Title: Testing CAEN Nuclear & Modern Physics Educational Kit with Silicon Photomultiplier for Upper Level Physics Course Abstract: The Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) is a solid state sensor capable of detecting light signals with single photon sensitivity. SiPMs are composed of a matrix of Avalanche Photo Diodes (APD) connected in parallel on a common Si substrate. The APDs operate in a limited Geiger mode connected in series with a quenching resistor in order to achieve gain at level of ~10^6 [CAEN 16]. Unlike the commonly used Photomultiplier Tube (PMT), SiPMs operate at low voltage and are unperturbed by the effects of magnetic fields. The educational kit uses detectors based on SiPMs to measure Gamma, Beta, and Cosmic Ray spectra. For my research I characterized these detectors and developed experiments for the upper level experimental physics capstone course at Temple University. Using this kit as inspiration I am currently working with a team of engineering students to develop a detector to measure cosmic rays in space for ROCKSAT-X in the summer of 2018.

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Sophia Scarano, with Ki-Yong Kim, Ph.D. Title: Pulse Characterization of an Unknown Ultrashort-Pulsed Laser Abstract: The goal of this research was to design and build an optical diagnostic capable of laser pulse characterization. To study this pulse characterization, I plotted and used optical nonlinear effects such as intensity and interferometric autocorrelation to simulate intensity and interferometric signals in Matlab.

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Diana Solano-Oropeza, with Stephen McMillan, Joshua Wall Title: Mock Observations of Simulated Star Formation Abstract: In astronomy, star formation is studied in two ways: observation and simulations. Observations give a snapshot of young stellar objects and their environments as they are today, while simulations allow for understanding the formation process itself, which spans millions of years. To compare the two, astronomers use mock observations of simulations, designed to create images with similar properties to true observations at specific wavelengths. In this work we compare new simulations of the formation and early evolution of young stellar clusters to real star forming regions using mock observations at infrared wavelengths. We use these mock observations to validate the simulations and gain insight into actual observations of young natal clusters.

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Frances Stone with Dr. David Pooley Title: Star Formation Rate Maps of Nearby Galaxies Abstract: A key component of many extragalactic studies is the correlation of a galaxy’s overall star formation rate with a particular type of astronomical object (like supernovae or luminous X-ray sources). While these correlations have allowed for considerable progress in understanding the nature, formation, and diversity of these objects, the overall star formation rate is a rather blunt instrument. Star formation is not uniform across a galaxy, and maps of local star formation rates can be made. A well calibrated method by Leroy et al. (2007) employs a weighted combination of far ultraviolet (FUV) data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer Telescope (GALEX) and 24-micron data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. We have applied this method to archival images of several nearby galaxy as part of an ongoing effort to build a star formation rate atlas of thousands of nearby galaxies. We present results for some of the most active star forming galaxies we have analyzed so far.

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Niko (Eydon) Thomashow, with Regina A. Jorgenson, Vladimir Strelnitski, and Gary Walker Title: Two-Decade Monitoring of MWC349 in Optical and Radio: New Results Abstract: The Maria Mitchell Observatory (MMO) has completed the two-decade long monitoring of MWC 349 in the optical and radio domains. This poster presentation will be primarily devoted to the new results obtained by optical photometry with broad and narrow band filters and observations of the variability in the masing H30 radio line during the observational season of 2017. The H30 emission arises in the circumstellar disk of the MWC 349A component of the visual double star (with 2.4 arcsec separation between the A and B components). Variable optical emission is also believed to be due to star A. By combining our optical observations with earlier MMO observations, we not only confirmed the previously known quasi-period of ~230 days, but confirmed a second period of ~700 days. One of the most interesting results of radio monitoring is the long-term variability of the systemic radial velocity of star A, as determined through averaging the radial velocities of the two masing peaks arising in the circumstellar disk. This may be the first case where a possible hidden close companion of a star (a lower mass star or a massive protoplanet) is detected by monitoring the radial velocity of the star via the spectral line radiation from its disk. E.T. completed this project as a 2017 MMO NSF REU intern and would like to thank the other interns for their help in conducting the optical observations. This project was supported in part by the NSF REU grant AST-1358980 and by the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association.

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Stephanie Williams, with Carter Hall and Tim Edberg Title: Radon Emination Studies In LZ Abstract: The LZ project is an experiment under construction to directly detect WIMP dark matter in 10 tonnes of liquid xenon. LZ will have an unprecedented sensitivity to WIMP interactions, but radon in the detector is a problematic background because of a beta decay in its decay chain that can mimic WIMP events. If a WIMP interacts with a xenon atom, the atom recoils and excites some xenon atoms and ionizes others. Beta decays affect the xenon atoms in a similar way, making it possible to mistake a WIMP interaction with a beta particle. This necessitates careful screening of LZ components for radon emanation. My research is to develop improved radon measurement techniques to enhance the sensitivity of the radon screening occurring at the University of Maryland.

APS CUWiP 2018 at GW is very grateful for the poster prizes, partially provided by: