Conference Presentations

I have had the honor to present my work at numerous university, regional, and national conferences, all of which I have listed below!

2024:

• UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference, Chattanooga, TN

  Data Analysis of Supernova Light Curves with Python

  Abstract: Type IIP supernovae (SNe) are a subclass of Type II, or hydrogen (H)-rich SNe, whose classification is based on the presence of signatures of H upon discovery. The "P" in Type IIP SNe's classification denotes the presence of a period of time of near constant brightness, or plateau, in the SN's light curve. A light curve is a graph, inverted at the y-axis, of the SN's luminosity over time. In SN analysis, time is usually represented by Julian dates, or days since noon universal time on 1 January, 4713 BCE. In this work, we analyze the apparent magnitude light curves of the Type IIP SN 2017eaw whilst focusing on three specific phases: the plateau, the transition phase, and the radioactive tail. Our analysis has allowed us to determine transition phase height a0 (mag), the transition phase's midpoint
  t_PT
  (d) and step phase
  w₀
  (d), the tail's slope and plateau's approximate slope
  p₀
  (mag/d), and the zero point of magnitude at
  
  t = t_PT, m₀
  (mag). The objective of our work is to find the Julian date at the end of the transition phase and the beginning of the tail, analyzing the B (blue), V (visible), R (red), and I (near-infrared) apparent magnitude light curves provided by a group of amateur astronomers. Additionally, we analyzed published data sets for each of the four aforementioned bands to check whether the measurements from both data sets are in agreement.

2023:

• National Collegiate Honors Council Conference, Chicago, IL

  LabVIEW Development for Monitoring Slow Controls of the Nab Spectrometer at ORNL

  Abstract: The Nab Experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory consists of a seven-meter-long spectrometer with a magnetic field. The magnet is cooled down to temperatures just a few Kelvin above absolute zero; consequently, crystalline ice forms inside the spectrometer. When the magnet is not running, the ice melts, leaving water that must be removed to prevent damage to the spectrometer's electronics. This is accomplished by running a tube of nitrogen gas inside the spectrometer to flush the water out, but sufficient flow rate must be ensured at all times. We developed a program with LabView, a standard laboratory software developed by National Instruments, to verify already existing flow rate measurements in the laboratory. The development of this program was successful, allowing us to conveniently verify flow rate of nitrogen gas from a computer at the spectrometer.

2022:

• National Collegiate Honors Council Conference, Dallas, TX

  Simulation Testing of Different Variables of Silicon Detector Equipment for the Nab Experiment at ORNL

  Abstract: The Nab Experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will make precise measurements of unpolarized neutron beta decay by measuring the electron-neutrino correlation coefficient,
  a
  , and the Fierz interference term,
  b
  . The experiment employs two silicon detectors within a long electromagnetic spectrometer in order to measure the electron’s energy and the proton’s momentum. The silicon detectors are constructed with a fine Al wire grid in order to increase conductivity on the junction side, and an electric field within the spectrometer is applied to accelerate the protons to an energy where they can be detected. The Nab experiment is currently being installed and benchmarked. We have conducted Geant4 simulation studies of how the presence of the wire grid and electric field affects the efficiency of the silicon detectors in detecting the electron and proton produced in the decay. We will present an overview of these simulation studies and report the results.

• Fall Meeting of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics, New Orleans, LA

  Testing Silicon Detector Characteristics and Simulating Charged Particle Activity for the Nab Experiment

  Abstract: Precise measurements of neutron beta decay can be used to expand upon the Standard Model. The Nab Experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL will make precise measurements of beta decay by measuring the electron-antineutrino correlation coefficient,
  a
  , and the Fierz interference term,
  b
  . Variable
  a
  is useful for finding the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) quark-mixing matrix up- to down-quark element
  V_ud
  . The CKM matrix should be unitary; however, experimental measurements of the top row’s elements disagree with unitarity by over two standard deviations. In the Standard Model, the Fierz interference term
  b
  equals zero. The Nab experiment uses a 7 meter-long spectrometer with a silicon detector at each end to measure the electron’s energy and the proton’s momentum. To ensure quality data, we quantified baseline noise for each pixel on each detector. We collected waveform data and processed them. We analyzed the data to determine which pixels are primed for data collection and which pixels have exceptionally high or low noise or are disconnected from their electronics chains. Additionally, we simulated charged particle activity in the detectors with Geant4. Understanding detector characteristics with these studies helps Nab achieve its overall precision goal of
  Δa/a = 0.001 and
  Δb = 0.003
  .

• Southern Regional Honors Council Conference, Birmingham, AL

  Constructing C++ Simulations for the Nab Experiment at ORNL

  Abstract: The Nab Experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will make precise measurements of unpolarized neutron beta decay by measuring the electron-neutrino correlation coefficient,
  a
  , and the Fierz interference term,
  b
  . The experiment employs two silicon detectors within a long electromagnetic spectrometer in order to measure the electron’s energy and the proton’s momentum. The silicon detectors are constructed with a fine Al wire grid in order to increase conductivity on the junction side, and an electric field within the spectrometer is applied to accelerate the protons to an energy where they can be detected. The Nab experiment is currently being installed and benchmarked. We have conducted Geant4 simulation studies of how the presence of the wire grid and electric field affects the efficiency of the silicon detectors in detecting the electron and proton produced in the decay. We will present an overview of these simulation studies and report the results.

2021:

• National Collegiate Honors Council Conference, Orlando, FL

  Humans and Quantum

  Abstract: The cause of human consciousness has long been debated and remains a mystery. In recent years, some scientists have used quantum physics to hypothesize the truth of autonomy. One hypothesis that has made headway thus far delves into the possibility of superpositions within brain cells. A superposition is a state between two binding, interrelated states (e.g. a quantum bit inside a quantum computer existing in a state between “on” and “off” versus a transistor inside a conventional computer exclusively being “on” or “off”). The superpositions in question may be observable in microtubules, cellular structures that are essential to the order of eukaryotic cells, which are made up of the protein tubulin. Tubulin exists in two states: alpha and beta tubulin. Alpha and beta tubulin have only been as a linkage occurring spontaneously, and cells only produce a limited amount of both alpha and beta tubulin. Due to tublin’s binding and pre-specified quantity, the investigation into the existence of a state (superposition) between “alpha” and “beta” may bear significant findings. Because of the brain’s wet and warm conditions, most superpositions would be difficult to hold for a significant period of time, nullifying the idea of tubulin superpositions contributing to consciousness in any capacity; however, phosphates are added to the protein via phosphorylation. The presence of phosphorus may allow tubulin to hold a superposition for a long period of time. The existence of substantial superpositions in brain cells would allow for varied, detailed data to be stored in the brain, and that data may be what allows humans to be conscious of space and surroundings. If these findings prove true, the function of quantum physics in a biochemical setting will be better understood, and consciousness would likely be viewed as the result of quantum computing in the human brain.

• Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics, Virtual

  Simulation of Silicon Detector Performance for the Nab Experiment

  Abstract: The Nab Experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will make precise measurements of unpolarized neutron beta decay by measuring the electron-neutrino correlation coefficient,
  a
  , and the Fierz interference term,
  b
  . The experiment employs two silicon detectors within a long electromagnetic spectrometer in order to measure the electron’s energy and the proton’s momentum. The silicon detectors are constructed with a fine Al wire grid in order to increase conductivity on the junction side, and an electric field within the spectrometer is applied to accelerate the protons to an energy where they can be detected. The Nab experiment is currently being installed and benchmarked. We have conducted Geant4 simulation studies of how the presence of the wire grid and electric field affects the efficiency of the silicon detectors in detecting the electron and proton produced in the decay. We will present an overview of these simulation studies and report the results.