Optics and Modern Physics Lab

NEWS

Congratulations to Optics and Modern Physics Lab students Kevin Casto, Jared Hallett, David Kim, Joy Lee, Christopher Olund, and Narendra Tallapragada whose projects have been recognized as being among the top 300 in the nation in the 2009 Intel Science Talent Search. Jefferson HS for Science and Technology has more semifinalists (15 total) in the 2009 Intel Science Talent Search than any other high school in the country. To date, the Optics and Modern Physics Lab alone has had 46 winners in the Science Talent Search since the lab opened in 1987.

The educational video, Seeing Color: Object, Light, Observer, published by the National Gallery of Art filmed partly from optics demonstrations performed by students in the Optics and Modern Physics Lab is now in it's second release. In addition to the original VHS version which integrates the scientific understanding of color with the artists' use of color, the new DVD now contains separate educational segments which separately teach the how color results from independent concepts related to the Object (physical source), the Light (physics of light wave interactions), and Observer (physiology and psychology of human light perception). The original version appeared on numerous program schedules at public broadcasting stations across the nation and the new DVD will probably exceed this use. Congratulations to class of 2002 students Christine Gonzales, Evan Crawford, Aubrielle Smith, and Brendan Smith for their work in making this video possible.

FOCUS

The Optics and Modern Physics Laboratory provides exciting opportunities for students to develop research and engineering projects in the areas of pure and applied physics that include lens systems, fiber optics, human vision, interferometry, photography, holography, or other laser and optical systems. Research projects in modern physics explore areas of nuclear, atomic, electromagnetic, solid state, wave and quantum physics. Other students regularly make use of the laboratory's specialized technologies to develop projects with applications in a variety of other scientific and engineering areas.

Numerous students projects developed in this laboratory and through the mentorship program have been honored with awards including the Intel Science Talent Search as well as top category and industry awards at science and engineering fairs. The laboratory's attention to the development of strong communication and scientific and technical skills has been recognized through exemplary student awards in science and technology writing competitions.

REPRESENTATIVE SENIOR PROJECTS

Electrically Induced Plasmas for Propelling Hypervelocity Projectiles
Software Development for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
The Design and Testing of Optical Logic Gates
Color Fusion in Human Binocular Vision
Computer Generated Holography

"With the donation support from interested companies, I was able to do cutting-edge research with the use of lasers and photorefractive crystals. These tools became the building blocks for the next generation of computers that will operate at the speed of light - pure optical designs! The hands-on approach of the lab enabled me to go beyond conceptual designs and computer modeling to conduct real scientific experimentation and problem solving. Access to the Internet and other contemporary information sources enabled me to enrich my thoughts and refine them into an understanding that could be expressed clearly to my peers." -Teddie Goldenberg, Student

SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT

Newport Vibration-Isolated Optical Breadboards
Helium-Neon, Argon-Ion, and Solid State Lasers
Computerized Multi-channel Scalar/Analyzer with Scintillation Detector
Computer Controlled X-ray System
easyScan Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Windows-XP based computers

FOUNDING CONTRIBUTOR

Atlantic Research Corporation (now dissolved)

MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS

Atlantic Research Corporation (now dissolved)
Isomet Corporation
Loral Fairchild
Newport Corporation
Optical Society of America
TRW
U.S. Army Night Vision and Electro-Optics Lab
U.S. Postal Service Engineering and Development Center

MENTORING FIRMS

U.S. Army Night Vision and Electro-Optics Lab
MITRE Corporation
George Mason University
Science Applications International Corporation
U.S. Army, Fort Belvoir RDE Center
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
David Taylor Research Center
Smithsonian Institution
BDM Corporation

PAPERS PUBLISHED BY ALUMNI OF THE OPTICS AND MODERN PHYSICS LAB

Jeffrey Chock (Class of 1992)

Chock, J.M.K, Kapania, R.K. "On load updating for finite element models" AIAA Journal. 1 Sep. 2003, V41, N9, pp. 1677-1673.

Chock, J.M.K., Kapania, R.K.. "Review of two methods for calculating explosive air blast", Shock and Vibration Digest. V33 (2). March 2001, pp. 91-102.

Clement, A.E.; Gilbreath, G.C.; McKnight, R., Jr.; Reintjes, J.; Chock, J.M.K. "Measurement of dark conductivity at extremely low light levels using photorefractive two wave mixing", ISAF '92. Proceedings of the Eighth IEEE International Symposium on Applications of Ferroelectrics (Cat. No.92CH3080-9).

Logan Kleinwaks (Class of 1997)

L. Kleinwaks, et al., "Neutron and X-ray reflectometry studies of rough interfaces in a Langmuir-Blodgett film", PHYSICA B, The Journal of Condensed Matter, Vol. 241-243, 1998.

Johann Schleier-Smith (Class of 1997)

J. M. Schleier-Smith and H.A. Stone, "Convection, heaping, and cracking in vertically vibrated granular slurires", Physical Review Letters, Vol. 86, N. 4, April 2, 2001, pp. 3016-3019.

Lexi Ford (Class of 1998)

M. Shima, A.C. Ford, and C.A. Ross, "Crystallographic and magnetic properties of Cr/CoCr(Ta,Pt) films produced by pulsed laser deposition", IEEE Trans. Magn. Vol. 36, 2000, pp. 2321-3.

A. Ford, J. E. Bonevich, R. D. McMichael, M. Vaudin, and T. P. Moffat. "Structure and magnetic anisotropy of electrodeposited Co on n-GaAs(001)". Journal of The Electrochemical Society, V150, N11, pp. C753-C759, 2003.

A.C. Ford , T. Tepper , C.A. Ross. "Reactive pulsed laser deposition of silica and doped silica thin films". Thin Solid Films, V437, 2003, pp 211–216.

Lisa Carlivati (Class of 1999)

Lisa Carlivati, "Magnification of double and quadruple image gravitational lens systems", The Journal of Undergraduate Sciences, 1999.

Monika Schleier-Smith (Class of 2001)

M.H. Schleier-Smith, et al. "The production of nitrogen-13 by neutroncapture in boron compounds", Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, Vol. 215, 2004, pp. 531-536.

A.N. Kolmogorov, V.H. Crespi, M.H. Schleier-Smith, and J.C. Ellenbogen, "Nanotube-substrate interactions: distiguishing carbon nanotubes by the helical angle", Physical Review Letters, Vol. 92, N. 8, February 27, 2004, pp. 0855031-08550314.

Kevin Casto (Class of 2009)

N. R. Sheeley, Jr., D. D.-H. Lee1, K.P. Casto, Y.-M. Wang, & N.B. Rich, “The Structure of Streamer Blobs”, The Astrophysical Journal (approved for publication).