Journal of Undergraduate Research

Aaron Bennett and Dr. Dallin Durfee, Physics I will discuss a high speed, low noise homodyne photo-detector. This detector will be used to better implement laser locking techniques, such as the Pound-Drever-Hall Method, that use lock-in detection. A basic explanation of the Pound-Drever-Hall method is presented in my proposal. In this report, I will discuss […]

Kyle Zufelt and Dr. Robert Davis, Department of Physics and Astronomy My research proceeded more or less according to the plan that I proposed. What changed was that I realized there were many more details necessary to work out than what I had included in my proposal. By collaborating with professors in the physics and […]

Daniel Thrasher and Dr. Scott Bergeson, Department of Physics and Astronomy From May through August I had the privilege of traveling to Tsing Hua National University in Taiwan to work in the lab of Professor Andy Kung and associates. The Office of Creative Research awarded me a grant to help cover travel and living expenses. […]

Matthew Rytting and Dr. Karine Chesnel, Department of Physics and Astronomy In my project, we proposed to investigate the effect of field cooling on magnetic domain memory in ferromagnetic films which are exchange coupled with antiferromagnetic material. We analyzed this memory using X-ray speckle correlation, and we performed complementary microscopy measurements so as to get […]

Drake Ranquist and Dr. Victor Migenes, Department of Physics and Astronomy Space weather is of great interest due to its effects on orbiting satellites. The charged particles thrown off from the sun during eruption events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can damage and destroy the electronics aboard spacecraft. They also warp Earth’s […]

Jarom Jackson and Dr. Dallin Durfee, Department of Physics and Astronomy Introduction The goal of this project was to stabilize a laser to use as an ion probe. The first part of the project was completed with some success, though the rest had to be postponed until other parts of the experiment are completed, and […]

Andrew Hoffman and Dr. Lawrence Rees, Department of Physics and Astronomy The BYU nuclear research group has over the past few years been attempting to design neutron detectors for the use of both scientists and homeland security applications. When radioactive materials are being transported, they can emit a broad spectrum of particles including gammas, betas, […]

David Hart and Dr. Kent Gee, Department of Physics and Astronomy Military jet aircraft are some of the fastest vehicles ever made. Their jet engines exhaust fuel at supersonic speeds and create large amounts of noise. However, this noise is loud enough to cause hearing loss, even with the most advanced levels of hearing protection. […]

Stephen Clouse and Dr. Victor Migenes, Department of Physics and Astronomy Abstract We present results from monitoring the spectra of Mrk 1210 with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) and through the construction of sub-mas resolution maps with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). The purpose of these observations was to determine the accelerations, distances, and […]

Benjamin Christensen and Dr. Kent Gee, Department of Physics and Astronomy The hammered dulcimer is a stringed instrument of the zither family, typically consisting of a wooden trapezoidal body with metal strings stretched across the frame. A typical dulcimer can span anywhere between 2 1/2 and 5 octaves, depending on the size of the instrument. The dulcimer used […]