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Physics majors Cavan Stone ’05 (Shirley, Mass.) and Ibrahima Bah ’06 (Bronx, N.Y), and electrical and computer engineering major Simon Mushi ’06 (Gaborone, Botswana) described their summer research experiences Friday at Researchpalooza, the first of a series of talks sponsored by the Physics Club.
Stone conducted research at Harvard University’s Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. Building on work started in 1977, the research was titled “Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey: Cataloging the Large Scale Structure of the Universe.” He explained that redshift is the percentage difference between the wavelengths we see and those we would not see if the source were not moving.
Stone, who studied alongside astronomer Nathalie Martimbeau and John Huchra, senior astronomer and professor of astronomy, both in the Optical and Infrared Division, defined the current and past redshift situations of the universe and explained the implications of this study to cosmology.
Bah did his research at Columbia University in New York City alongside David Helfand, chair of the astronomy department, who will be speaking at Lafayette Friday, Feb. 6. The title of Bah’s research was “Search for Supernova Remnants: Parts of Dead Stars — Life After Death for a Star.”
A thermonuclear reaction is the life of a star, Bah explained, and there are two ways for a star to die: a nova, which is a non-spectacular implosion of sorts, and a supernova, a spectacular explosion which lends itself to light that can last for 10,000 to 100,000 years. A supernova remnant is composed of the leftovers after a supernova has occurred, and consists of a hot shell that is rich in element, and tends to be a site for future star birth. Bah’s research involved finding these remnants in a very small part of the galactic field.
“The summer was great in that it gave an experience that has strengthened my interest in science and allowed me to see and feel what it is to be a scientist,” he says. “That is, the joy of finding things and the frustration of having things not go the way you want them.”
Mushi worked as an EXCEL Scholar with David Hogenboom, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor Emeritus of Physics, and Andrew Dougherty, associate professor of physics. The official title of his research was “Volumetric and Optical Studies of the Phase Equilibria of Hydrated Salts from 0.1 to 400Mpa with Applications to Europa.” Europa, Mushi explained, is Jupiter’s icy moon, and the smallest of the Galilean moons.
This was the first year of a three-year, NASA-funded study to further understanding of the ocean believed to exist on Europa. This is an “experimental year,” says Mushi.
“All in all, the work over the summer spanned several different disciplines, from working in the machine shop [creating a steel safety shield for high-pressure sections and modifying the apparatus to allow view of crystal states and phase changes], to modifying our Labview computer program, to preparing and loading test solutions into our vessel, to working with epoxy sealants,” he explained.
Physics Club adviser Michael Stark, assistant professor of physics, served as MC of the event.