The Landau Damping of a Manhole Cover

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Eric L. Peterson and Dr. Ross L. Spencer, Physics and Astronomy Research groups at BYU and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) are actively investigating the properties of pure-electron plasmas, which fall into the more general class of nonneutral plasmas. Electrons are excited and injected into a Malmberg-Penning trap where they form a […]

A Novel Method for the Preparation of Sulfhydryl-Terminated Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold

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Justin Gregory Peacock and Dr. Matthew R. Linford, Chemistry and Biochemistry Introduction and Methods Self-assembled monolayers (SAM’s) on gold have been extensively studied during the past 20 years because of their use in biochemical surface recognition, as nanotechnological structures, as nano-chemical wires and circuits in electronics, as a means of creating patterned surfaces, as sensors […]

A New Light at the End of the Tunnel: Steps toward a Nanocrystal LED

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Jorj Ian Owen and Dr. Robert C. Davis, Physics and Astronomy Introduction and Background A light emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that gives off light. An LED works by the combination of electrons and electron holes (a moving, positive charge caused by missing electrons). As the electron and electron hole combine, the electron […]

Self-referencing Interferometric Measurement of Microradian Wedge Angles

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Rebecca Olson and Dr. Scott D. Bergeson, Physics and Astronomy We developed a new interferometric method of measuring the wedge angles of beamsplitters and the deviation angles of penta prisms. This method could easily be extended to certify the angles on other optical pieces as well. We built the interferometer and analyzed the images using […]

Significance of Introduced Bias in the Utah Colleges Exit Poll

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Sherstin Merx and Dr. Scott Grimshaw, Statistics Since 1982, Brigham Young University Departments of Statistics and Political Science have sponsored the Utah Colleges Exit Poll (UCEP) as both a research tool and as an experience in applied statistics. However, in designing the poll, UCEP routinely deals with administrative and geographic issues that make the task […]

Na,K-ATPase Expression In The Epithelial Layer of the Lens

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Karen Merrell and Dr. Steven W. Graves, Chemistry and Biochemistry Na,K-ATPase is a multi-subunit protein that uses ATP to pump Na+ ions out of the cell and K+ ions into the cell. Multiple isoforms of each subunit of Na,K-ATPase have been identified, but the á subunit of Na,K-ATPase plays the most important functional role and […]

Metal Ion Analysis for use in Calculation of Apparent Molar Volumes and Apparent Molar Heat Capacities of Copper(II), Nickel(II), and Zinc(II) Nitrates

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Eric Merkley and Dr. Earl M. Woolley, Chemistry and Biochemistry Apparent molar heat capacity, Cp,f, and apparent molar volume, Vf, are valuable thermodynamic quantities in the study of solute-solvent interactions and chemical reactions in aqueous solutions. Work in our laboratory1-3 has demonstrated that fixed-cell differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and vibrating-tube densimetry can provide sensitive and […]

Optimal Energy Recovery in Finite Time for Linearly Dissipative Systems

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Mark Meilstrup and Dr. Scott Glasgow, Mathematics Many physical processes involve the loss or dissipation of energy. For example, when pushing a box across the floor, some of the energy that is spent will be lost to frictional forces. Our research is concerned with the study of the energy which is lost, and also the […]