Recent Senior Theses

2020

Relating Flows and Currents in Auroral Arcs
Joshua Gutow

Advisor: Kristina Lynch

A Luminosity Function for Field Ultra-diffuse Galaxies
Joshua Perlmutter
Advisor: Ryan Hickox

An Analysis of Optical Polarization Angle Variations in Blazar Jets
Tara Sweeney
Advisor: Jedidah Isler

Modeling Astrospheres of Cool Main-sequence Stars According to Observable Stellar Parameters
Gregory Mark Szypko
Advisor: Hans Mueller

 

2018

Adam Burnett
Senior Thesis: Testing Theories of Aural Radio Emissions With Direction-of-Arrival Measurements
Advisor: James LaBelle

Krishan Canzius
Senior Thesis: Entanglement Metrcis in Quantum Spin Chains
Advisor: Chandrasekhar Ramanathan

Emily Golitzin
Senior Thesis: Follow-up on a Swift/BAT Detected Seyfert II: Gas Ionization, Kinematics and the Spectral Energy Distribution of SWIFT J0446.4 + 1828
Advisor: Ryan Hickox

Raphael Hviding
Senior Thesis: Understanding the Galactic Scale Effect of AGN with Fabry-Perot Spectroscopy from SALT
Advisor: Ryan Hickox

Alana Juric
Senior Thesis: Studying the Space Weather of Exoplanets in Binary Star Systems
Advisor: Hans Mueller

Chenguant Li
Senior Thesis: Memory Reactivation in Neural Networks
Advisor: Alex Rimberg

Katherine Mentzer
Senior Thesis: Extracting Density-Density Correlations From Quantum Degenerate Gases
Advisor: Kevin Wright

Saba Nejad
Senior Thesis: Does Gravity Enforce Macrorealism
Advisor: Miles Blencowe

Andrew Sun
Senior Thesis: Time-Dependent Simulation of Neutral Helium in the Heliosphere
Advisor: Hans Mueller

Douglas Tallmadge
Senior Thesis: Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion as an Undergraduate Laboratory
Advisor: Robyn Millan

William Tremml
Senior Thesis: Methods of Approximating Divergence-Free Vector Fields for Ionospheric Data
Advisor: Kristina Lynch

Kent Ueno
Senior Thesis: Entanglement Spectra of Engineered NMR Spin Hamiltonians
Advisor: Chandrasekhar Ramanathan

Erik Weis
Senior Thesis: Benchmarking Quantum Computers Using Electronic Structure Algorithms
Advisor: James Whitfield

Anne Woronecki
Senior Thesis: Optical Trapping and Transportation of an Ultracold Cloud Using a Focus Tunable Lens
Advisor: Kevin Wright

2017

Samuel Greydanus
Senior Thesis: Approximating Matrix Product States with Machine Learning
Advisor: James Whitfield

Margaret Lane
Senior Thesis: X-Ray Spectral Modeling of Obscured AGN with Torus Models and Comparison to Mid-IR Emission
Advisor: Ryan Hickox

Jack Neustadt​
Senior Thesis: Optical Observations of Galactic Supernova Remnants
Advisor: Robert Fesen

2016

Lucas Bezerra​
Senior Thesis: Fast Wavefront Characterization of Optical Traps for Quantum Gases
Advisor: Kevin Wright

Pawan Dhakal​
Senior Thesis: High Precision Helium Spectroscopy and Quantum Gravity Effects
Advisor: Roberto Onofrio

Oscar Friedman​
Senior Thesis: Time Evolution of the Wigner Flow Function
Advisor: Miles Blencowe

Muhammad Kiani​
Senior Thesis: Fabrication and Characterization of Graphene Devices
Advisor: Chandrasekhar Ramanathan

Luis Martinez​
Senior Thesis: Bubbles in My Scalar Field Soup: A Study on Oscillons in Cosmology
Advisor: Mercelo Gleiser

Jonathan Vandermause​
Senior Thesis: Characterization and Control of Nuclear Spin Systems
Advisor: Chandrasekhar Ramanathan

Kathryn Waychoff​
Senior Thesis: Zonal Wind Variability of the Jovian Planets
Advisor: Robyn Millan

2015

William Athol
Senior Thesis: Design and Validation of a Zero Field and Low Field EDMR System
Advisor: Chandrasekhar Ramanathan

Matthew Digman
Senior Thesis: Gravitational Anomaly in Anistropic Spacetimes
Advisor: Robert Caldwell

Nina Maksimova
Senior Thesis: Testing Alternatives to the Standard Cosmological Model using the Cosmic Microwave Background
Advisor: Robert Caldwell

2014

Laurel Anderson
Senior Thesis: Experimental Control of Spin Chain Dynamics
Advisor: Chandrasekhar Ramanathan

Todd Anderson
Senior Thesis: Orbital Dynamics Model of a CubeSat Swarm Under Aerodynamic Torque in LEO
Advisor: Kristina Lynch

Spencer Diamond
Senior Thesis: Plasma Etch Characterization for Use in Cavity Optomechancis Experiment
Advisor: Alex Rimberg

Peter Horak
Senior Thesis: Attitude Estimation for Rocket-Borne Sensorcraft
Advisor: Kristina Lynch

Sarah Pasternak
Senior Thesis: Design and Early Verification of an Electrically Detected Magnetic Resonance (EDMR) System
Advisor: Chandrasekhar Ramanathan

Nathan Utterback
Senior Thesis: Kinematic Modeling and Analysis of the Galactic Supernova Remnant 3C58 (G130.7 + 3.1)
Advisor: Robert Fesen

2013

Benjamin Katz
Senior Thesis: Special-Relativistic Effects of a Microscale Oscillator on a Macroscopic Quantum State
Advisor: Miles Blencowe

Alexander Meill
Senior Thesis: Implementing Measurement-Based Quantum Computing in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Advisor: Chandrasekhar Ramanathan

2012

Michael Chilcote
Senior Thesis: Numerical and Experimental Investigations of Ionospheric Sounding Using AM Radio
Advisor: James LaBelle

Aryeh Drager
Senior Thesis: Using Multimedia Pre-Lecture Assignments to Improve the Introductory Physics Experience
Advisor: Robyn Millan

Emily DeBaun
Senior Thesis: Nonlinear Dynamics of a Biological Cell in a Uniform Electric Field
Advisor: Miles Blencowe

Nicholas Knezek
Senior Thesis: An Analysis of Energetic Oxygen Interaction with Europe in the Jovian Magnetosphere
Advisor: Robyn Millan

Amanda Slagle
Senior Thesis: Vector Field Mapping and Analysis Using Finite Sensor Swarms
Advisor: Kristina Lynch

2011

Dhrubo Jyoti
Senior Thesis: Numerical Explorations of Dipolarly-Coupled Chaotic Quantum Spin Systems
Advisor: Lorenza Viola

John Roland
Senior Thesis: Fabrication of Nano-Mechanical Resonators for the Study of the Quantum to Classical Transition
Advisor: Alex Rimberg

Julianna Scheiman
Senior Thesis: The Feasibility of Using POES Satellite Data and Ground-Based Riometer Data to Examine Relativistic Electron Events
Advisor: Robyn Millan

2010

Ian Boneysteele
Senior Thesis: Delta Pion Channels
Advisor: Timothy Smith

Laura DeLorenzo
Senior Thesis: The Non-Linear Dynamics of a DC Voltage Biased Microwave Cavity With An Embedded Josephson Junction
Advisor: Miles Blencowe

Ian Hayes
Senior Thesis: Microwave Resonators for the Study Of the Quantum-To-Classical Transition
Advisor: Alex Rimberg

Umair Siddiqui
Senior Thesis: Design, Calibration and Use of a Collimated Electron Source for Plasma Sheath Studies
Advisor: Kristina Lynch

2009

Evan W. Brand
Senior Thesis: Dynamics of an Oscillating Classical Heisenberg Spin Chain
Advisor: Miles Blencowe

Benjamin Chapman
Senior Thesis: Nonlinear Effects in Oscillator Chains
Advisor: Miles Blencowe

Matthew Schenker
Senior Thesis: VLBI Mapping of H2O Megamasers in MRK 1419
Advisor: John Thorstensen

Wendell Smith
Senior Thesis: The Entangled Twin Paradox
Advisor: Miles Blencowe

Steven J. Weber
Senior Thesis: Radio Frequency Quantum Point Contacts With On-Chip Inductors
Advisor: Alex Rimberg

2008

Phillip Bracikowski
Senior Thesis: Study of Mesospheric Dust
Advisor: Kristina Lynch

Alexander Crew
Senior Thesis: Data Analysis of Magnetic Fields from the ROPA Sounding Rocket
Advisor: Kristina Lynch

Parker Fagrelius
Senior Thesis: Understanding Quantum Mechanics: Entangling our Reality
Advisor: Marcelo Gleiser

Brendan Huang
Senior Thesis: Investigation of Microscopic Photon and Phonon Non-Demolition Schemes
Advisor: Miles Blencowe

Leon Maurer
Senior Thesis: Low Temperature Coulomb Blockade
Advisor: Alex Rimberg

Bennet Meyers
Senior Thesis: Bremsstrahlung X-Rays Produced in Lightning Stroke Events
Advisor: Robyn Millan

David Strauss
Senior Thesis: VLF Propagation Study at 24kHz
Advisor: James Labelle

Karl Yando
Senior Thesis: Monte Carlo Simulation of the NOAH POES Particle Detector Module and Analysis of Relativistic Electron Fluxes
Advisor: Robyn Millan

Jordan Zastrow
Senior Thesis: An Optical Study of the Circumstellar Medium in Cassiopeia A
Advisor: Robert Fesen