JHU QuarkNet Summer 2016 - Summer Student Research

Please click the titles to see a poster summarizing each student's research.

Posters can be downloaded (PDF format).

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Jack Carlton - Modeling Quantum Waves and Probability

Over the course of six weeks, I researched established wave function models. These models have already made large impacts on technology today. I used a couple of simulations in order to “look into” the quantum world. As a result, I am now able to comprehend the nature of particles and their waveforms.

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Tatiana Davidson Bajandas - Modeling the Milky Way Rotation Curve with No Dark Matter

I constructed a model of the rotation of the galaxy using a simple bulge model. This model yields the curve expected without the gravitational effects of dark matter. Two mathematical models were used, one for the rotation of an object inside the bulge of the galaxy and one of an object outside of it. Distinctly lower rotational speeds for objects with large radii are observed, an attribute which conflicts with collected data, strongly supporting the existence of dark matter in the outer reaches of our Milky Way Galaxy.

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Kyle Dickerson - Radio Astronomy with Pulsars

Pulsars are the rotating beams of electromagnetic radiation emitted from a neutron star.  I have researched the proposal, discovery, function, and importance of pulsars using primary source documents.  I have collected data from multiple pulsars and non pulsars by using the Greenbank-20 radio telescope through the Pulsar Search Collaboratory.  Pulsars may be used to collect data concerning astrophysical phenomena.

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Simon Liu - Modeling the Milky Way Rotation Curve

The purpose of this project was to construct a rotation velocity curve of the Milky Way Galaxy. Using Johns Hopkins University's Small Radio Telescope, I collected data on the radio frequencies of different parts of the galaxy and successfully recreated a rotation curve with a domain up to 8 kiloparsecs (kpc). By doing this, I hoped to find empirical evidence for unobservable matter in the galaxy. Because of the large deviation of the constructed rotation curve and the expected Newtonian rotation curve, I can conclude that there is indeed a large amount of matter that is undetectable by modern instruments.

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Jason Zhao - Reconstructing Cosmic Ray Events With Muon Data

The purpose of this investigation was to use the data collected from a cosmic ray muon detector (CRMD) and information about how muons interact with atmospheric matter to create a model for re-construction of part of a cosmic ray shower. Using this model, we can use a muon’s velocity to find the energy and momentum of the charged pions created by the cosmic rays.
 
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Isabelle Zhou - Characterizing Radio Galaxy Evolution Using the K-Z Relation

Using data from different sources and previous cosmological studies, I analyzed the relationships between redshift (z) and luminosity (K) in radio galaxies. After comparing my results to those of previous papers, I reaffirmed the conclusions scientists had previously predicted about the evolution of radio galaxies and made my own predictions as well.