Special Project Ideas
Fall term is a good time to engage in research projects, and it’s not too early to start them sophomore year. We highly recommend that you do one, as do most students who have tried them. If you take one, you will learn something about actually doing Physics and Astronomy research, which will help guide you in decisions about “life after Carleton.” To lure you, we list numerous suitable projects below. The descriptions here are very brief; talk to us to us to explore more fully those projects that interest you and to be sure that we have not already promised a particular project to someone else.
Please note that these are offered only on S/Cr/NC basis since it is very difficult to assign grades to independent and cooperative projects. Special projects are for 2 to 3 credits and you will need to complete a special project form that will get deposited with the registrar. Independent studies can be 1 to 6 credits, and again you need to complete a special form. You can pick up a copy from Mary Drew, Olin 331 or get one online under the Physics and Astronomy Department web page >> Student Resources >>Forms.
Marty Baylor
Special Projects in Physics
My research focuses on integrated optics and optical signal processing. One aspect of my research focuses on making integrated opto-fluidic devices. Another area focuses using optics to solve the cocktail party problem (i.e., separating one signal from a mixture of signals). I am looking for enthusiastic students who want to delve into experimental physics. No prior coursework or research experience is required. The possibility exists to continue work through summer 2012 and into the following academic year.
Project #1: We are in the process of assembling an optical system that can do signal separation and exploring the capabilities and limitations of this system. In addition to working with the optical system, students working on the project need to be comfortable with using the computer to run the optical system. Familiarity with programming in Matlab and Mathematica, as well as knowledge of linear algebra would be helpful, but is not required. This project also involves working with and building electronic circuits and working in the machine shop. For this project, I am looking for students interested in working long-term.
Project #2: I am interested in building integrated optical and fluidic devices. Right now we are working on investigating and controlling the properties of the polymer. In the future, we will be building refractometers and exploring other devices that involve optics and fluids that we might be able to miniaturize using the polymer. With this project, you will mix polymer; use lithography techniques to write physical and index features into the polymer; and design, fabricate and test devices. For this project, I am looking for students interested in working long-term.
Project #3: I am interested in developing optics labs for the use in introductory and upper-division optics courses. This project is ideal for a student who wants a short-term research project (1-2 terms), but is not ready to commit to working into the summer.
Cindy Blaha
Special Projects in Astrophysics
I have several projects to share with students who are interested in astronomical research and observation. Please come and talk to me if you are interested in working on these projects.
Evolutionary History of Galaxies: Interested in finding out how stars and gas interact to affect the life of a galaxy? Massive stars and the gas they ionize play an integral role in shaping the evolutionary history of a galaxy. Recently we’ve been working identifying the ionized hydrogen regions in spiral galaxies M31 and M33, spiral neighbors of our own Milky Way. Optical observations were acquired for three large fields in M33 and ten fields in M31. Each field has a set of B, V and R (blue, green and red) broadband images as well as three images taken through narrow interference filters centered on specific emission lines of ionized hydrogen, sulfur and oxygen. Using all these images together, we are trying to compare the galactic “life history” of M31 and M33. Data analysis will involve use of the Image Reduction and Analysis Facility (IRAF) and other image processing software on several operating systems.
Carleton's CCD Project: I am also involved with developing educational materials for our set of eight CCD (Charge Coupled Device) cameras as well as the new spectrometer and video cameras. This equipment is used on our 8" and 16" telescopes and allows us to record digital observations of astronomical objects and analyze them with a wide variety of software packages for image processing. We will continue to experiment with our CCD cameras, spectrometer and computers to develop observational labs and independent research projects ranging from lunar imaging and compositional analysis to determining the age of stellar clusters.
Nelson Christensen
Special Projects in Physics
Gravitational Wave Research: I am looking for new students (frosh, sophomore or junior) to conduct research on gravitational radiation detection. This is in association with the Laser Interferometric Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO). The goal would be to start research work now, and possibly continue through the summer of 2011. A summer stipend would be available for the summer work. Research during the year could be done for academic credit. Trips to the LIGO observatories are a possibility. Stop by and talk to Nelson about both of these projects.
- Applying advanced numerical statistical and data analysis techniques for extracting gravity wave signals from coalescing compact (neutron stars or black holes) objects. We will be analyzing LIGO data and looking for these events. Programming experience is desired. We can learn the general relativity and statistics as we go.
- Analyzing LIGO data and signals from environmental monitors (seismometers, magnetic field monitors, microphones, etc) in order to identify sources of noise in the detector. We will try to distinguish what could be real events, and what could be glitches or noise.
- Carleton is participating in an effort to study the suitability of building a gravitational wave detector 1 to 2 km underground. We will study the geological and environmental data from the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab, in Homestake, South Dakota. The goal will be to determine the suitability of this location for a new generation of detectors. Trips to South Dakota may occur in the summer in order to acquire data.
Fluid Mechanics Research: We have data from an experiment we conducted where we shot high energy electrons into vials of water. The fluid patterns that were generated are absolutely beautiful. I am looking for a student who would try to model the observed behavior, and see if we can get an agreement between experiment and numerical fluid dynamical calculations.
Melissa Eblen-Zayas
Special Projects in Physics
I have several ongoing projects that involve experimental studies of materials with fascinating electrical and magnetic properties. Anyone, including first-year students, is welcome to talk with me about getting involved. No previous experience is needed; the only pre-requisites are enthusiasm for doing hands-on work and curiosity about solid state physics.
Exploring colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) materials: These correlated electron materials exhibit a huge resistance change in response to applied magnetic fields that is associated with a transition from semiconducting to metallic behavior. These materials are not naturally occurring, and we fabricate them in the ultra-high vacuum chamber in our lab. We are interested in exploring the relationship between the growth parameters used when fabricating the materials and the nature of the CMR response.
Metallic flux growth: This versatile growth technique can be used to produce beautiful single crystals of materials ranging from semiconductors to exotic intermetallic compounds, which we can then characterize. One of the projects underway is to characterize new Ti-Sn compounds that do not appear on Ti-Sn phase diagram.
Dwight Luhman
Special Projects in Physics
Working with students over the past several years we have built and assembled two cryogenic systems. One is capable of reaching temperatures of several Kelvin. The other system is capable of reaching temperatures as low as 0.3 K. The experiments described below utilize these systems to experimentally investigate the influence of disorder on quantum systems at low temperatures.
The Two-dimensional Superfluid Transition: At low temperatures, two-dimensional liquid helium films undergo a phase transition and turn into a superfluid. Superfluidity is an extraordinary state of matter that is characterized by a lack of viscosity in the fluid. I am interested in studying the influence of disorder on this unique phase transition down to temperatures of 0.3 K.
Quantum Dots in Silicon: The spin of an electron confined in a quantum dot structure can theoretically be used as a bit for a quantum computer, known as a qubit. A group of scientists at Sandia National Laboratory are interested in developing technology to create functioning qubits in silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs). We have a collaboration with the scientists at Sandia to study the physics of electrons confined in these structures at low temperatures. The first project that we are initiating is an experiment to understand the disorder landscape in this system and how it influences the physical properties of the qubit system.
Experimental projects in my lab range from “nuts and bolts” type work to computer programming. No previous course work or experience is required, just an enthusiasm for experimental physics. Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss these experiments further.
Arjendu Pattanayak
Special Project in Physics
My research tries to understand the broad behavior of quantum nonlinear systems, and exploring in particular issues such as decoherence, and the difference between quantum and classical systems. The work is both analytical and computational, and I could get students going with few assumptions about their background. I prefer working with juniors (or seniors) but recently several first-year and sophomore students contributed significantly as well. I do like a long-term commitment -- for at least 2 terms. There will be summer research positions available as well. Some of my research is conducted with off-campus colleagues (Brazil, Canada, and Germany for example) and collaborative visits are a possibility. Travel to conferences to report on results is very likely. More information is on my research web page at http://www.people.carleton.edu/~apattana/Research
Jay Tasson
Special Projects in Physics
My recent research focus has been on the theoretical aspects of testing Lorentz symmetry, which is the symmetry underlying special relativity. Tests of such fundamental symmetries have the potential to provide experimental information to guide the merge of General Relativity and the Standard Model of particle physics into a single quantum-consistent theory. Though the motivation sounds quite technical, there is a relatively large space of interesting projects that can be, and have been, pursued by undergraduates. The possibilities span a variety of areas of physics and styles of investigation, from paper and pencil theory to computer-aided data analysis. I’ve commented more specifically on two projects below, but other options could be considered as well. If you’re interested, please talk to me.
Gravimeter Data Analysis: Gravimeters are devices that measure the gravitational field of the Earth. They can be used to measure a number of geophysical effects as well as deviations from Newtonian gravity. The project would consist of analyzing data from such devices to provide improved sensitivities to possible Lorentz-symmetry violations.
Hamiltonian for Atomic Physics: The test framework used to investigate Lorentz symmetry consists of equations relevant for high-energy investigations, while many of the relevant experiments are low-energy in nature and are most easily investigated using the tools of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics and classical mechanics. Getting the low-energy tools from the high energy ones requires some theoretical work, which would constitute one phase of the project. A second phase could consist of applying them to a relevant experimental system.
Bill Titus
Special Projects in Physics
Tides: Last spring, then senior physics major Sam Whitten, wrote a Mathematica program to calculate the time dependence of the gravitational force per mass on an object located on the earth surface at a specific latitude and longitude due to the moon and sun. The code uses astronomical approximation for the locations of the moon, sun, and earth that were generated around 50 years ago. I would like to have a student update those approximations and see how they effect the tidal predictions. This project requires programming skills in Mathematica and a love, or at least a tolerance, for digging through astronomical literature. A background in astronomy would also be helpful.
Gravitational Field from a Polyhedral: As part of an analysis project for gravity inversion in 3D, I would like to find someone willing to start to write a Mathematica program that will calculate the gravitational field due to a constant density polyhedral. The starting point would be an existing 2D version of the program for polygons. This project requires digging through the scientific literature to see what has already been done, programming skills in Mathematica, and good 3D visualization abilities.
Joel Weisberg
Special Project in Astrophysics
Pulsar Research: Pulsars are rapidly spinning (up to 700 times per second!) neutron stars that are born in supernovas. My students, colleagues, and I use data from the giant radiotelecopes in Arecibo, PR, Green Bank, WV, and Parkes, Australia for a variety of pulsar projects. This year’s new students will spend the school year and hopefully the summer studying pulsars primarily at Carleton, with possible trips to the giant Arecibo radiotelescope and to various meetings around the world. We are studying the properties of pulsars in an effort to understand the underlying emission mechanism; measuring the density, turbulence, and magnetization of the interstellar medium by watching its effects on pulsar signals; and studying Einstein's General Theory of Relativity by carefully observing the orbit and pulseshape of a binary pulsar. The projects involve the use of unix, fortran, IDL, and C programs to plan the observations and to analyze the data we collect on these objects. For this year’s students, I request a full calendar year minimum commitment (including summer research at Carleton); preferably longer. Astrophysics I or II is a suggested prerequisite but we can be flexible. We would start by studying pulsars in general and learning the various software; then slowly ramping up through the year to more and more sophisticated analyses of pulsar data and the trip to Arecibo and possibly Parkes observatories. Sorry, but seniors are not eligible due to the summer 2012 component of the project. I am looking for two new students, both to start either fall or winter term. If you are interested, send me an application with your physics and astro background and the reasons for your interest in these projects.
John Weiss
Special Projects in Astrophysics
I have a few projects I'm interested in pursuing with student help. To whet your appetites:
Moon Shadows: The Cassini equinox shadow campaign has yielded many images of Saturn's rings featuring one or more moon shadows. These shadows can potentially be teased into revealing ring structure. I would like to investigate what information we can glean from this data set. We'll use IDL, but prior experience with the language is not required!
The Evolution of Unconstrained Ring Edges: By running numerical models of many (millions) of ring particles interacting via collisions and mutual gravity, we can study how the edges spread over time. Although most (if not all) edges in Saturn's rings have constraints due to interactions with moons, the unconstrained case is, in a sense, the
default physical case and understanding what happens there helps us understand what happens when there is a moon involved. The standard analytic theory makes a lot of assumptions to model the ring as a fluid, but those assumptions are sketchy, at best. We'll spend most of our time using IDL to analyze the results of the simulations, trying to find interesting ways to summarize and explain how the edges evolve.
The Evolution of Vertical Thickness of Saturn's Rings: Saturn's rings are thin. Like, insanely thin. How thin? A few meters thick, we think. Why are they so thin? Collisions damp out vertical motions. The question is, how quickly does this happen? If a perturbation created some vertical thickness, how long would it last? Does it depend on the density of the ring? How about properties of the particles? Honestly, I have no idea, but it'd be fun to find out! We'll generate some numerical models of Saturn's rings and then analyze the results using IDL. (As always, I can teach you IDL pretty easily, so no prior experience is required.)