2018 Departmental Poster Competition

chaired by Michael Holcomb (TTU Department of Physics and Astronomy)
from to (America/Chicago)
at Science Building ( 103/106 )
Description
Sigma Pi Sigma, GRASP, and SPS  is hosting the 2nd Annual Department of Physics and Astronomy Poster Competition! It will be held on Friday, October 12th from 10:00 am - 01:00 pm. 

This year, we will have three separate divisions: PhD Students, MS Students, and Undergraduate Students.  The department has graciously agreed to cover the cost of poster printing for all participants and has also agreed to provide cash prizes for students who place in each division.  While the participation of all students involved in research is strongly encouraged, this is especially a good opportunity for anyone planning to present a poster at the Texas APS meeting (October 19-20).   This competition offers participants the opportunity to practice poster presentation and receive feedback to improve poster design before going to the conference.

The deadline for poster submission will be midnight on Sunday, October 7th and deadline for abstracts about a week earlier (date will be provided with the submission instruction email).  Posters should be 36"x 48" and university approved templates along with some poster making tips are available from the TLPDC, Graduate School, and the Print Bureau (names are clickable hyperlinks).  Additionally, Dr. Morehead was kind enough to provide the attached PDF which is a poster with tips on designing a great poster.

If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an email.  With a little over a month to work on posters and cash prizes on the line, we look forward to another great turnout this year!

Organizing Committee:
Michael Holcomb (Chair, Sigma Pi Sigma), Eric Sowell (GRASP), David Palmore (SPS) Kavitha Arur, Deven Bhakta

Advisory Committee: 
Dr. Lee (Sigma Pi Sigma Faculty Advisor),  Dr. Huang (GRASP Advisor), Dr. Morehead (SPS Advisor), 
Support sungwon.lee@ttu.edu
Go to day
  • Friday, 12 October 2018
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Effects of Membrane Protein nAChRs on Phase Separated Model Membrane 3h0'
      In this study, the effects of adding 2 mol% of membrane protein nAChRs to DOPC/DSPC/cholesterol lipid bilayers containing coexisting phases are investigated. Previously, no 4-component phase diagram, with nAChRs protein as one of the components, has been studied. This work is the first study of this kind that investigates the effect of ion-transmitter nAChRs on Lo+Ld phase boundaries. The modification of phase boundary by nAChRs is determined using fluorescence microscopy on Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs). After phase boundaries are determined, thermodynamic tie-lines and protein's partition coefficients will be measured. Those data will allow us to precisely determine the exact concentrations of nAChRs in various cell membrane domains. Accurate measurement of the perturbations of the phase boundaries by the protein could serve as a means to quantitatively understand the universal behavior of a range of membrane proteins.
      Speaker: Jigesh Patel (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Poster powerpoint file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Effects of the HGCal mechanical support structure to jets and single particle measurements in CMS 3h0'
      Our research focuses on optimizing the capabilities of the High Granularity Calorimeter (HGCal), which will replace the Endcap Calorimeter in CMS for the High Luminosity operation at the Large Hadron Collider, which begins in 2025 during the Long Shutdown 3 phase. We implemented a mechanical support structure of the HGCal for the first time in the CMS detector simulation software. Using this software, we studied the response of the HGCal to single particles and jets, and the effects of the support structure to the measurement of jet energy. These studies were performed by utilizing the Large Hadron Collider Physics Center at Fermilab, as well as the Pythia Monte Carlo simulations and the constantly updating CMS software. This analysis will allow us to continue to refine the support structure design in future studies.
      Speaker: Jake Noltensmeyer (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Poster powerpoint file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Evidence for Ultra Diffuse Galaxy Formation Through Galaxy Interactions 3h0'
      We report the discovery of two ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) which show clear evidence for association with tidal material and interaction with a larger galaxy halo, found during a search of the Wide portion of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey (CFHTLS).  The two new UDGs, NGC2708-Dw1 and NGC5631-Dw1, are faint (M_g=-13.7 and -11.8 mag), extended (r_h=2.60 and 2.15 kpc) and have low central surface brightness (\mu(g,0)=24.9 and 27.3 mag arcsec^-2), while the stellar stream associated with each has a surface brightness mu(g)>28.2 mag arcsec^-2.  These observations provide evidence that the origin of some UDGs may connect to galaxy interactions, either by transforming normal dwarf galaxies by expanding them,  or because UDGs can collapse out of tidal material (i.e. they are tidal dwarf galaxies). Further work is needed to understand the fraction of the UDG population 'formed' through galaxy interactions, and wide field searches for diffuse dwarf galaxies will provide further clues to the origin of these enigmatic stellar systems.
      Speaker: Mr. Paul Bennet (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Poster pdf file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy at Telecommunication Wavelength Using a Femtosecond Laser. 3h0'
      We report the successful implementation of Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy (FPM) in the telecommunication wavelength using an ultrafast, low coherence laser. High resolution with reduced near speckle-free images were obtained using the proposed approach. We also demonstrate that FPM can be used to image periodic structures through a silicon wafer.
      Speaker: Ishtiaque Ahmed (TTu)
      Material: Poster powerpoint file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Global Properties of Slowly Rotating Neutron Stars 3h0'
      The structure and composition of Neutron Stars (NS) is an open problem in Physics. The Equation of State (EoS) of matter in NS cores is very uncertain because there is a lack of knowledge about how matter behaves at such very high energy.
      The aim of our work is to predict some observables that may impose constraints on the EoS.
      As of 2018, limits are obtained mainly through the mass-radius relationship, while  observations of Gravitational Waves (GW) just started.
      The only GW observation that has been made  as of today about NSs is related to a system of 2 NS orbiting around each other. In this case we can infere very little information about the EoS. 
      Because of that, it makes sense to keep studying the global properties of NSs, even though the GW are promising to be very EoS dependent.
      Most of the predictions of Masses and Radii are made under the assumption that the star is not rotating. We focus our study on the most realistic case in which the star is slowly rotating (that means that the star is rotating slowly compared to its mass-shedding limit).
      Specifically we computed how the rotation of the star affects its mass and radii, and we computed some predictions of these 2 quantities for some realistic EoSs.
      These predictions may enable us to better discriminate between EoSs that are possibly right to the ones that are not.
      Speaker: Mr. Giammarco Turriziani Colonna (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Poster pdf file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 HGCAL test beam study 3h0'
      The High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) is an upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider(LHC) aims to improve performance and achieve high instantaneous luminosity.
      As part of the HL-LHC program,  High Granularity Calorimeter(HGCAL) is constructed by Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at LHC to replace the existing endcap calorimeters. HGCAL has two main compartments known as electromagnetic (ECAL) and hadronic (HCAL) calorimeter and featuring a previously unrealized transverse and longitudinal segmentation. The ECAL and part of HCAL will be based on robust and cost-effective hexagonal silicon sensors. The rest of HCAL will be based on highly segmented plastic scintillator with on scintillator SiPM readout. Prototype hexagonal silicon modules have been tested in beams at CERN. The setup has 28 layers with single module per layer represents a full slice of ECAL. We present part of the results which is the noise study of the modules using electrons, pions and muons.
      Speaker: Tielige Mengke (Physics)
      Material: Slides pdf file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Multi-Waveform Search Method for Intermediate Duration Gravitational Waves Using the Cross Correlation Algorithm (CoCoA) 3h0'
      Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) are flashes of gamma-rays thought to originate from rare forms of massive star collapses (long GRBs), or from mergers of compact binaries (short GRBs) containing at least one neutron star (NS). The nature of the post-explosion / post-merger remnant (NS versus black hole, BH) remains highly debated. In ~10% of GRBs the temporal evolution of the X-ray afterglow that follows the flash of Gamma-rays is observed to "plateau'' on timescales of 103 to 104 seconds since explosion. It has been suggested that this plateau feature may signal the presence of energy injection from a long-lived, highly magnetized NS (magnetar). The Cross-Correlation Algorithm (CoCoA) aims to optimize searches for intermediate-duration 103 to 104 second gravitational waves (GWs) from GRB remnants. In this work, we further develop the detection statistics on which CoCoA is based to allow for multi-waveform searches that can span a physically-motivated parameter space, thus accounting for uncertainties in the physical properties of post-GRB remnants.
      Material: Poster pdf file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 High Granularity Calorimeter Upgrade Studies 3h0'
      The goal of my research is to optimize the design of High Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL) for Jet and MET measurements in preparation for the High Luminosity upgrade to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Experiment during Long Shutdown 3, beginning in 2024. This upgrade is crucial to overcome hardware radiation tolerance and to produce better structure analysis and particle identification. To do so we performed several studies involved C++ and Python software to simulate particle collisions with different HGCAL detector geometries and analyzed the resulting histograms. The studies revealed bugs in detector geometry configuration and tested the efficiency of the simulations to produce accurate particle collision results. These studies are a continuation of software development to effectively construct the most useful detector design for the next CMS upgrade.
      Speaker: Mr. Samuel Cano (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Poster powerpoint file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Monte Carlo Study of Cosmic Muon Tomography for Archaeological Survey 3h0'
      Muon tomography is a relatively newly developed method to indirectly observe objects using cosmic ray muons in extreme environments or situations which we cannot observe objects directly. Our final purpose is applying muon tomography tombs in the ruin of ancient city Limyra. Here we discuss our GEANT4 Monto Carlo simulation works to simulate a small object above our detector.
      Speaker: Mr. Liyang Lou (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Slides pdf file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Improvements at the Preston Gott Skyview Observatory 3h0'
      Starting in mid-June we set out to improve the computer pointing models at Gott Observatory. In order to achieve this, all-new computers were installed along with updated software. The Sky X software was used to make a 60 point, pointing model as opposed to the minimum of a 6 point. Increasing the number of points in the computer model will increase the guiding accuracy of the telescopes with the software. This improved accuracy, along with various improvements at the observatory will increase the quality and amount of astrophysics research that can be done by students. The new computer, software, and pointing models will also help in labs for the students to help train aspiring new astrophysicists in techniques and software used in modern observatories.
      Speakers: Lorenzo Chapa (Texas Tech Physics), Daniel Thomas (Texas Tech Physics)
      Material: Poster powerpoint file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Scanning Diffracted-Light Imaging using thermal radiation 3h0'
      A 4-f imaging arrangement of lenses with a camera, and a rotating slit placed at the Fourier plane of the system, was used to obtain the optical disturbance produced by a macroscopic sample. The sample was illuminated by collimated beams from white-light and thermal radiation sources. The agreement between simulated and experimental results, obtained by processing the captured images using a Fourier ptychographic algorithm, demonstrates that scanning with the slit, the direction of the light that is diffracted by the sample, permits achieving the image diversity necessary for the successful implementation of the scanning diffracted-light imaging technique.
      Speaker: Mrs. Hawra Alghasham (TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY)
      Material: Poster powerpoint file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Radiation-hardness Studies with Cerium-doped Fused-silica Fibers 3h0'
      We continue our R&D effort in developing scintillating and wavelength shifting fibers by doping fused-silica fibers with cerium.  In this report, we summarize fibers’ radiation-hardness by providing experimental data and a predictive model based on second-order rate equations. Five different types of cerium-doped and a clear fused-silica fiber were exposed to the gamma radiation (60Co) at different dose rates up to 100 kGy. We evaluated radiation-induced transmission losses as well as photoluminescence efficiency in a wide wavelength range (400-1000 nm). We also present measurements of the effective numerical aperture upon exposure to radiation and offer some thoughts on the use of these fibers in particle physics as well as in other wide-ranging applications.
      Speaker: Ms. Esra Kendir (Texas University, Akdeniz University)
      Material: Poster pdf file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Non linear variability from the black hole GX 339-4 3h0'
      The bicoherence, a measure of coupling between the phases of different Fourier frequencies, can be used to differentiate between models that produce very similar features in their power spectra. We present the analysis of several observations of RXTE/PCA archival data of the black hole binary GX 339-4 which show QPOs. We find that these QPOs show different patterns in their bicoherence plots, suggesting that they are produced by different physical processes. We also compare these with the results of bicoherence using the model of a Duffing oscillator.
      Speaker: Mrs. Kavitha Arur (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Poster unknown type file} pdf file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 R-modes from Neutron star 3h0'
      Neutron stars are the most dense form stable matter can take before collapsing into a black hole. Consequently, these enigmatic objects are perfect test-beds for studying the intersection of disparate fields of physics, from general and special
      relativity, nuclear and particle physics. If the neutron star is rotating, then, just like Rosby wave on Earth atmosphere, motion of this fluid will be susceptible to the Coriolis force. These non-radial oscillations, known as r-
      modes, can be very long lived---perhaps thousands of years. Because the fluid is so dense, these r-modes may be viable sources of continuous gravitational waves. Until recently, it was thought that the frequency of gravitational waves from r-modes
      should be exactly 4/3 of the spin frequency of the star. However, recent work has shown that it should instead have some dependence on the compactness (the ratio of its mass to its radius, M/R) of the star, such that the range of frequencies is from
      1.39 - 1.57 times the spin frequency. These continuous gravitational waves might be seen in data from ground-based gravitational wave detectors, such as the two laser interferometric gravitational-wave observatories (LIGO) in the continental US.
      We present here a search for the continuous gravitational waves potentially generated by the most promising neutron star in our Galaxy, the pulsar in the Crab nebula. We present here the first search for the continuous gravitational waves
      potentially generated by the most promising neutron star in our Galaxy, the pulsar in the Crab nebula.
      Speaker: Mr. Binod Rajbhandari (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Slides pdf file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Search for resonance in inclusive and b-tagged dijet mass spectra in proton-proton collision at √𝐬=𝟏𝟑 TeV 3h0'
      Btag requirement is developed to increase the sensitivity to final states with jets coming from the hadronization of b-quarks. This algorithm is based on the reconstruction of tracks with large impact parameter and the identification of displaced secondary vertices. In this analysis, we use the >=1btag category with tight WP(Working Point) to search for bstar and 1btag category with medium WP to search for coloron.
      Speaker: Tyler Wang (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Slides pdf file}
    • 10:00 - 13:00 Simultaneous Photometry: Vetting Exoplanets via the Transit Method 3h0'
      The transit method of detecting exoplanets involves measuring the decrease in the amount of light coming from a star when the planet passes in front of its host star. Space-based missions such as Kepler record these light curves and catalog new exoplanet candidates. However, these candidates may often be false-positives, such as eclipsing binary (EB) stars. Since EB stars are often composed of different spectral types, the measured transit depth can vary in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, while planet transits have uniform depth at all wavelengths. This project is to determine the feasibility of making simultaneous photometric measurements in different color filters to identify potential EB false-positives. Using the 12-inch telescopes at the Preston Gott Observatory, we first observe an ideal transit of a confirmed exoplanet and then a known eclipsing binary star. After analyzing the data collected, we present our findings along with our model of the photometric light curves. Simultaneous observations of an exoplanet candidate, while eliminating false-positives in the process, will enable smaller observatories and collegiate institutions to contribute to ongoing efforts to vet potential exoplanet candidates generated by current and future planet surveys.
      Speaker: Ethan McGee (Student)
      Material: Poster powerpoint file}
    • 12:00 - 13:00 Experimental setup of irradiated silicon detectors for the CMS High Granularity Calorimeter 1h0'
      An upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), will increase the luminosity which will increase the number of proton-proton collisions in the LHC and thus will increase the data experiments like the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) will collect. In order to maintain accuracy of measurements under these new conditions, a High-Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL), a replacement for the existing end cap calorimeters, will be introduced. HGCAL will use hexagonal silicon radiation detectors in order to measure the total energy of the particles produced in the collisions. For the R&D of the new silicon detectors, we have sent out sample radiation detectors to be exposed to neutron radiation up to levels expected for HGCAL. The charge collection efficiency (CCE) and electrical properties of the irradiated samples are compared to that of non-irradiated reference samples.  All of the samples have their own full depletion voltage, where the free charge carriers inherent to doped silicon have been evacuated from the sample by applying a bias voltage opposite the direction of natural current flow of the diode.  The three variables being tested require three experimental setups: one that tests leakage current vs bias voltage, one that tests capacitance vs bias voltage, and one that tests charge collection efficiency vs bias voltage. All measurements are done in total darkness to prevent any incident noise by light, and at a consistent temperature, as the characteristics of the silicon diodes are highly dependent on temperature.  
      To test leakage current, a sample silicon detector is placed in a circuit with a power source and current meter. The power source provides the bias voltage across the diode while the current meter measures the leakage current, where the leakage current is a small current induced by the bias voltage. As the bias voltage increases, the leakage current increases, but slowly levels off as the diode reaches full depletion, until the diode experiences breakdown.  To test capacitance, a sample silicon detector is placed in a circuit with a power source and an capacitance meter. The power source provides the bias voltage across the diode, and the capacitance meter applies a low-amplitude alternating current signal across the diode, which allows the measurement of capacitance. As the free charge carriers are removed from the silicon bulk by the increasing bias voltage, the capacitance of the detector keeps decreasing until it reaches full depletion where it is voltage independent.  As the bias voltage increases, the capacitance of the diode decreases linearly until full depletion. After full depletion voltage, the capacitance remains constant.
      For charge collection efficiency vs. bias voltage, all measurements are done at -30 ℃ (-22 ℉) which will be the operating temperature of HGCAL. This temperature is achieved by the combination of a closed circuit liquid cooling and an array of thermoelectric coolers.  After applying the bias voltage across the diode, an infrared laser (IR) incident on the laser window of the diode under test is applied. This laser is able to pierce through 500 μm of silicon, and thus fully penetrates all diodes being tested. This gives a fair estimate of the particles traversing through silicon detectors in HGCAL.The charge carriers generated by the IR form a transient current that in a fully depleted detector is collected within a few nanoseconds.  This requires a 2.5 GHz oscilloscope for data acquisition.  The time integral of the transient current allows to extract the collected charge.  The ratio of the charge collected by an irradiated detector to a non-irradiated reference detector leads to the CCE.
      Speaker: James Christian (Texas Tech University)
      Material: Poster pdf file}
    • 12:00 - 13:00 GRBs with afterglow plateaus during LIGO O2 1h0'
      Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) are amongst the brightest events known to occur within our universe and can release more energy in 10 seconds than our Sun will emit in its entire lifetime! Some GRBs are produced in a supernova event, when very massive stars collapse and die, while others are produced in the merger of two compact objects (neutron stars and black holes), and are linked to gravitational wave events. In the latter case, what remains after the merger is unknown. However, analyzing the evolution of the associated GRBs in time might help solve this mystery. Rather than becoming dimmer, it has been observed that some of these GRBs show a plateau phase, where the luminosity of the GRB is almost constant. This can be explained by a central engine that is re-energizing the shocks released during the merger, and this engine is believed to be a newly formed magnetar (highly magnetized neutron star). Of the GRBs that occurred during LIGO's second science observing run, I have identified all those that could potentially host magnetars. In this poster, I will explain my criteria for selecting ideal candidates, the process of cross-checking GRB and LIGO event times, will further illustrate the future steps needed to recognize these magnetars, and refine ways of detecting new magnetars from GRBs.
      Speaker: Deven Bhakta (TTU Graduate Student)
      Material: Poster pdf file}
    • 12:00 - 13:00 Scanning Diffracted-Light Microscopy 1h0'
      We simulated and experimentally demonstrated a novel subwavelength resolution microscopy technique by illuminating the sample with the hollow-cone of light produced by a ring-shaped condenser and scanning the diffracted light using a slit.
      Speaker: Ms. Hira Farooq (TTU, SPS)
      Material: Poster powerpoint file}