ucd school of physics summer internships 2019 · 2019-03-27 · ucd school of physics summer...
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UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Photoabsorption of laser plasmas in the optical region
Prof Padraig Dunne, Dr Fergal O'[email protected]
Due to recent astronomical observations of Kilonova events there is an urgent need for data on theabsorption by ions of electromagnetic radiation in the visible and near IR regions of the spectrum (see https://physicsworld.com/a/gw170817-kilonova-what-happened-next/ for example).
This project will investigate the optimum way to generate these data in the laboratory using laser produced plasmas as sources of both the ions of interest and the radiation to probe these ions. It will be experimental in nature, involving some design and creative work in the laboratory, possibly supported by some atomic structure and plasma physics calculations.
(1-2 places)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Science Communication
Dr. Sharon Shannon, Associate Prof. Emma [email protected]
Suite Science is in partnership with the Solas Project and 15 UCD linked DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) schools. The action plan focuses on addressing the educational needs of children from disadvantaged communities. This project will involve a literature review of current science communication models, analysing data obtained from class surveys, experiment design and development, creation of lesson plans and worksheets.
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Materials for photonics
Dr. James [email protected]
The understanding of process involving light matter interaction in new material designs involves may different physical processes. Here we will concentrate on the controled alteration of materials in order to assess the impact of lattice defects on the optical properties of the material. This projectis experimental and centres on material handling and optical measurements.
(1-2 places)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Multi-wavelength study of Gamma-ray Bursts afterglows
Dr. Antonio [email protected]
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous explosions in the Universe, with central engines which drive the outbursts in highly relativistic jets. Most of their energy is producedat high energy gamma-rays and last only a few seconds. However, about 10% is released as longer wavelength ‘afterglow’ emission which is detectable at X-ray, optical and radio wavelengths for days, weeks and even months after the main burst.
The aim of this project is to study the multi-wavelength afterglow from long GRBs (durations > 2 sec) which signals the death of massive stars. The student(s) will be using data from ground-based telescopes, such as UCD robotic telescope, Watcher, as well as space observatories such as Swift and XMM-Newton. The student(s) will acquire valuable knowledge on the physics of GRBs as well as skills on optical photometry and high-energyobservational techniques such as spectroscopy.
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
An Automated Blazar Alert System for VERITAS
Assoc. Prof. John [email protected]
Blazars are Active Galactic Nuclei with powerful jets which happen to be oriented towards the Earth. They emit radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum exhibit dramatic variability on timescales as short as minutes. Multi-wavelength observations of flaring events is key to constraining the physics of these objects. Whilst ground-based TeV gamma-ray telescopes, such as VERITAS, provide exceptional sensitivity and temporal resolution, they are narrow field-of-view instruments and need to know where to point. TheFermi-LAT gamma-ray space telescope, which operates in the GeV regime, is a wide field-of-view instrument and monitors the whole sky every three hours, and can thus be used to trigger VERITAS observations.
This project is to develop tools to download public Fermi-LAT data and automatically identify possible targets for VERITAS observations. Information provided will include predicted flux in the TeV energy range after taking account of gamma-ray absorption by the extragalactic background light. Data from other source, such as NASA’s Swift X-ray telescope, may also me included. The project is primarily a programming task, with the tools to be developed in Python.
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
LEGO Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
Prof. Brian [email protected]
In this project you will be responsible for designing, building and testing an improved conceptual atomic force microscope (AFM) for teaching and outreach activities using our LEGO Mindstorms AFM as your starting point. Can you make a version based on Arduino?Raspberry Pi? You’ll also get experience using real AFMs for imaging materials with nanoscale resolution.
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Microcontact printing of biomolecules for electrostatic-based detection
Prof. Brian [email protected]
In this project you will be responsible for developing a protocol for the deposition of molecules at the microscale and imaging the resulting transferred patterns using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The ultimate aim of the project is to image the transferred molecules in a liquid environment based on detecting the electrostatic interactions between the molecules and the AFM probe and then to quantify the change in the electrostatic interaction following the introduction of a complementary binding molecule.
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Building an Ion Microscope
Assoc. Prof. Dominic [email protected]
Figure: Displaying a scanning Focused Ion Beam (FIB) image of a plant surface as an example.
Focused ions of noble gases can be used to scan and modify the morphology and composition of microstructures at surfaces. This project aims to electronically interface an existing ion gun in ultra-high vacuum and to programme a scanning pattern for the purpose of lithography and ion-sensitive imaging. The ready system would be capable of imaging surface structures and to display high resolution images on a suitable computer. An interest in electronics and basic skills in one programming language (e.g. C/C++/C#, Python, Julia or Matlab) are desirable.
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Nanomanipulation of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes
Assoc. Prof. Dominic [email protected]
Figure: Highly ordered CNT array including outstanding materials properties.
This experimental project is utilizing a modified 3D-printer to write patterns of aligned carbon nanotubes onto a substrate. These patterns can provide additional functionality including conductivity, enhanced sensing and modification of the optical response of the entire system. The aim of this project is to generate a functional CNT-patterned surface with properties beyond conventionally coated surfaces.
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Physics Education
Assoc. Prof. Emma Sokell, Dr. Claudia [email protected]
Interested in doing research? Wanting to learn? Come and talk to us! We are looking for a motivated student to join our research team.
This project looks at understanding how participation in physics outreach and public engagement activities can impact university students’ physics identity.We look at physics university students (undergraduates and graduates students) that
participate in physics outreach/public engagement activities to understand what is their motivation for participation and what effect (if any) has on their physics identity, which means their sense of belonging within the field.
As a member of the research team you will learn how to collect and analyse data for the study, conduct your own data analysis, and learn how to communicate your findings on a research paper/conference.
You will have the opportunity at the end of the project to write and submit for publication a short research paper for a conference proceeding and the opportunity to present your research at a conference. This is in addition to the poster component of the student internship scheme in Physics.
In addition there will be an opportunity to be involved in other physics education research projects that are underway in the School of Physics.
Eligibility:
- Motivated and responsible student
Desired but not necessary:
- Prior research experience
- Prior experience doing outreach or public engagement activities
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
EduCube: The 1U Educational CubeSat Simulator
Dr. Robert [email protected]
The EduCube is an educational satellite demonstration system, which was designed and built in the Space Science Group and is used to introduce the MSc Space Science & Technology students to satellite technology. It contains all the basic subsystems that a realworld CubeSat nano-satellite — such as EIRSAT-1 — actually needs. However, we have found a number of performance issues which require further investigation, especially with their electrical and communication systems. We are looking for a student intern who will systematically test the hardware in these EduCubes, and will help us to repair and improvethem for future students. The successful student will have excellent electronics skills, and an interest in space technology. They will develop an understanding of CubeSats and satellite subsystems.
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Development of the Operations Strategy for EIRSAT-1
Dr. Ronan [email protected]
The Educational Irish Research Satellite 1 (EIRSAT-1) is a 2-U CubeSat under development in University College Dublin (UCD) as part of the European Space Agency Fly Your Satellite! programme. EIRSAT-1 comprises three payloads, a gamma-ray detection (GMOD), the EnBio thermal experiment module (EMOD), and an attitude control experiment called Wave Based Control. The project is a collaborative space project, developed by students and staff in the School of Physics, the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in UCD. In addition to the development of hardware and software for the satellite, it is necessary to develop and test an operations strategy to facilitate planning and manage EIRSAT-1 in the orbit phase. The aim of this internship is to develop and test the operations strategy. This work will involve developing a detailed understanding of the mission, the onboard softwaresystem and the ground segment.
(1 place)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Physics of Collective Behaviour
Dr. Vladimir Lobaskin [email protected]
Since two decades scientists have been successfully using physical models for describing collective behaviour of living organisms. Such was the theory of flocking by Tamas Vicsek that explored the analogy between alignment of magnetic dipoles and flying birds. The success of social physics is based on the fact that many macroscopic properties of large groups are independent of the microscopic, individual details of the active agents. This allows us to develop generic models of collective behaviour that imitate an enormous range of phenomena from collective cell migration to human opinion dynamics or car traffic. The degree of collectivity is then analysed by methods of statistical physics. The project is theoretical and will require some programming (python, matlab, etc.), analytical, and numerical skills.
(1 - 2 places)
UCD School of Physics Summer Internships 2019
Towards 3-D visualization of collagen fibrils in the optic nerve
Assoc. Prof. Brian [email protected]
The main binding protein in the eye is predominantly type-I collagen that provides shape and transparency to the cornea. The same protein is present in the strongly scattering white sclera that gives shape and strength to the eye ball. At the eye fundus the retina has cone and rod cells that transmit visual sensations to the visual cortex via the optic nerve that is commonly identified as the blind spot, located in the nasal retina of each eye. The lamina cribrosa is the base of the optic nerve and it is made of a mesh of collagen fibrils with wide openings that allow the passage of nerve signals. In eyes affected by glaucoma or elevated intraocular pressure, the optic disc area becomes distorted and the lamina cribrosa may deteriorate eventually leading to tunnel vision or blindness. To understand more about the structure and properties of the lamina cribrosa we will use second-harmonic microscopy to capture images of the fibrillar structure and the crimp of the collagen fibrils in microscopic tissues from sheep eyes provided by collaborators in the USA.
Due to its fibrillar structure collagen-I is a strong generator of second-harmonic radiation when exposed to focused infrared ultrashort light pulses. This provides auto-confocally and high contrast imaging of fibrils. Polarization can be used as an extra parameter to align along the fibrillar axis of the proteins to enhance their visibility. We will quantify the contrast and explore tools to analyse the fibrillar crimp. Eventually, this work may give newinsight into ways to strengthen the optic disc and prevent vision loss caused by eye disease.
(1 place)