New Advanced Labs collection resources

Muon Experiment

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:32:36 EST

The purpose of this experiment is to determine the mean lifetime of the muon. A muon is a weakly interacting particle similar to an electron but differing in lepton number and mass (roughly 207 times as massive).

Optical Tweezers

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:12:58 EST

Learn about the principles behind the optical tweezers or optical trapping experiment. Become familiar with the use of standard optics including optical alignment, and collection of data through the use of a camera-computer system. Examine the forces on a bead trapped by a laser.

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:55:12 EST

Purpose •Use microwaves to induce and detect electron paramagnetic resonance. •Become familiar with a waveguide spectrometer and phase-sensitive detection. •Measure the gyromagnetic ratio and transverse relaxation time of the nearly-free electrons in DPPH.

Javaoptics Package

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:54:16 EST

The Javaoptics Launcher package contains teaching resources for Physical Optics at university level as part of physics or optics and optometry studies. Some of the resources can also be used by high school teachers or students to illustrate and broaden knowledge on some aspects of physics at this teaching level. The resources may be used either in an ordinary course as support material or as the main working tool in an on-line Internet course. Visit the Javaoptics website for additional information about this package.

Doppler Free Laser Spectroscopy

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:44:39 EST

In this experiment you will use a technique known as saturation-absorption spectroscopy to study the hyperfine structure (hfs) of rubidium. This particular method is designed to overcome the limitations imposed by the Doppler-broadening of spectral lines while avoiding the need to work at low temperatures.

Holography

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:44:13 EST

The purpose of this experiment is to become familiar with holograms. Specifically, you will learn how to work with laser optics and the techniques of making and viewing holograms.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Field Measurements

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:18:19 EST

This laboratory is designed for students to become familiar with the principles and detection techniques of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), examine the relationship between current and magnetic field in an electromagnet, and gain experience in the use of magnetic field measurement techniques.

Surface Plasmons

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:17:28 EST

In this experiment we measure the dispersion relationship of Surface Plasmon Waves. Upon the total reflection of TH polarized incident light from the glass and air interface in a prism, surface plasmon waves can be excited in a silver thin film locating right at the interface, and its wave vector can be determined by finding the minimum reflectivity point while the light incident angle is varied.

I2 spectroscopy with diode laser & HeNe linewidth measurement

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:02:20 EST

This is a manuscript submitted by a group of students in an upper-level undergraduate physics course, Lasers (PHY430), at Bethel University. They build an ECDL and did saturation spectroscopy of the P(33) lines of I2, which enabled them to make a beat frequency measurement with a HeNe laser beam.

Chaotic Electric Circuit Explorer

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:28:03 EST

The Chaotic Electric Circuit Explorer Model simulation enables the user to explore the properties and behavior of two electrical circuits with known chaotic behavior. The two circuits are Chua's circuit and an autonomous relaxation oscillator (ARO). The simulation has four modes. The user may run a circuit with either preset or user-selected initial conditions to observe the time-dependence of voltage across specific capacitors and a plot of the phase space of these capacitors' voltages against one another. The Chaotic Electric Circuit Explorer Model was created using the Easy Java Simulations (EJS) modeling tool. It is distributed as a ready-to-run (compiled) Java archive. Double clicking the ejs_comp_phys_circuit_chaos.jar file will run the program if Java is installed.

Physics of Light and Optics

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:48:13 EST

This textbook is developed for an upper level undergraduate course in optics. A free online copy is available.

Physics for the 21st Century: Video Catalog

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:32:29 EST

This website offers a collection of professionally-produced educational videos for undergraduate physics education. Each video explores with leading scientists a frontier area of physics. Current titles include: 1. The Basic Building Blocks of Matter, 2. The Fundamental Interactions, 3. Gravity, 4. String Theory and Extra Dimensions, 5. The Quantum World, 6. Macroscopic Quantum Mechanics, 7. Manipulating Light, 8. Emergent Behavior in Quantum Matter, 9. Biophysics, 10. Dark Matter, 11. Dark Energy. Each video is half-hour long. A DVD collection is available for purchase, along with a facilitator guide. The video series is produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Science Media Group in association with the Harvard University Department of Physics. It is sponsored by Annenberg Media.

An Examination of Quantized Conductance in Nanowires

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:28:56 EST

A table-top experiment designed to measure quantized conductance in gold nanowires. Students Christopher May and Asher Davidson, under the guidance of Prof. John Essick - Reed College - present a detailed explanation of the theory, experimental methods, and results.

An undergraduate laboratory experiment on quantized conductance in nanocontacts

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:12:44 EST

An article published in 1999 by the American Journal of Physics that describes an experiment on quantum conductance of nanocontacts. This material is an important reference for modern versions of the experiment.

University of St Andrews: Quantum Mechanics Animations

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:36:03 EST

This is a collection of animations for the teaching of concepts in quantum mechanics. Each animation includes a step-by-step exploration that explains key points in detail, and most animations include password-protected instructor resources consisting of worksheets with solutions. These animations build on existing education research and the experience of the authors. Each animation specifically targets student misconceptions and areas of difficulty in quantum mechanics. Animations have been used and evaluated in several quantum mechanics courses. The topics covered include bound states in one and two dimensions, scattering states, perturbations, Fermi and Bose statistics, and quantum logic. The development of further animations and extension of site functionality are ongoing.

Quantum Mechanics Experiments at Whitman College

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:18:54 EST

The site describes a collection of Modern Undergraduate Quantum Mechanics Experiments developed at Whitman College by Professor Mark Beck. It links to a complete laboratory manual with the following experiments: (1) Spontaneous Parametric Downconversion, (2) Proof of the Existence of Photons, (3) Single Photon Interference, (4) Testing Local Realism à la Hardy. The manual also presents documentation for LabView interfaces to the experimental setups. A collection of links to additional resources is included.

LEDP - Laboratory Equipment Donation Program

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:23:22 EST

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) grants used energy-related laboratory equipment through its Laboratory Equipment Donation Program (LEDP). Any non-profit, educational institution starting at the middle school level and including high schools, universities, colleges, junior colleges, technical institutes, museums, or hospitals, located in the U.S. and interested in establishing or upgrading energy-oriented educational programs in the life, physical, and environmental sciences and in engineering is eligible to apply. Application reviews and grant awards are performed on a first-received, first-qualified basis. Examples of equipment that may be requested include: * Amp meters, voltmeters, electrometers * Amplifiers * Catalyst test units * Distillation columns * Dosimeters, survey meters, radiometers, and spectroscopes * Gas and liquid chromatographs * Gas tracers and analyzers - solar collectors and heliometers * Ion control gauges * Linear and pulse-height analyzers * Mass spectrometers, infrared spectrometers, and ultraviolet spectrometers * Oscilloscopes * Power supplies * Radiation detectors, monitors, scalers, and counters * Radiation shields and reactor associated components * Recorders * Signal generators * Temperature and pressure recorders Prior to 2012, this program was known as the Energy Related Laboratory Equipment (ERLE) Grant Program.

Normal Modes

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 09:51:31 EST

Objective: To investigate the behavior of a mechanical system. Apparatus: Vibrating Strip apparatus, small foam pads (2), small aluminum block (1) , Read/Drive cable patch panel, PC sound card interface, speakers, FFTScope software, cables; Two pendulums coupled with spring, motion sensor, supporting beam, ring stand. Presented by Gabe Alba

Holographic Real-Time Imaging of Standing Waves in Gases

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:01:02 EST

Stroboscopic holographic inteferometry has been developed at an advanced undergraduatelevel allowing real-time imaging of standing sound waves in gas filled, closed tube resonators. A heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometer was first built by students to show the feasibility of interferometric detection of sound waves in a small cell. In the subsequent holographic study, the laser irradiance is modulated by an acousto-optic cell at frequencies near that of the standing wave, and a video camera records the fringe motion due to sound pressure changes. Fractional fringe shifts are observed for an air filled cell, and multiple fringe shifts are imaged for the case of freon. Sound reflections from the cell ends are easily observed, with non-sinusoidal waveforms dominating at high intensities due to position of resonator harmonics. Presented by Dick Peterson

Surface Plasmon Resonance Laboratory

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:35:20 EST

This lab focuses on the optical generation and modeling of Surface Plasmons, in particular the attempt of predicting and generating a resonance condition in a three layer system; glass, metal and air. The lab is designed to easily create a film and test it’s resonance with minimal cost and time to prepare the setup between testing. This concept can be demonstrated in a more elaborate setup, but is not necessary unless this demonstration will be used as a research instrument afterwards. This lab is comprised of four main parts: 1. Understanding the theory of SPR, through deriving the Fresnel equations from Maxwell Equations. 2. Determining the optimal conditions for the Prism Coating (Modeling). 3. Fabricating the coated prism with a deposition system. 4. Comparing modeling and experiment, explain error.