Brownian ratchets are nanodevices capable of extracting useful work from environmental noise to create directed motion of particles in the absence of a net force. Research in this area is inspired by biomolecular motors that power the processes of life by utilizing random fluctuations in their environment. These naturally occurring nanodevices are several orders of […]
C38: Compact Imaging of a Laser Beam using a Polarimeter
Author(s): Krist Ha, Engineering Physics, Sawyer Wozniak, Physics Advisor(s): Edward Samson, Department of Physics
B43: A 3D Printable Microscope With Dynamic Patterned Illumination
Our research project is focused on the field of optics, our goal is to reduce the costs and increase efficiency in using filters in microscopy. We explored the utility of a video projector as the source of dynamic pattern illumination for a 3D printable microscope in conjunction with lenses and a Raspberry Pi module and […]
B02-P: Converting Random Fluctuations to Useful Work – An Efficient Nanoratchet
The field of atomic, molecular, and optical physics focuses on how atoms and molecules interact with light. In our experiment, we use several coupled optical lasers to create a series of potential wells, a pattern of high potential energy that causes atoms to become trapped in a three-dimensional gridlike layout, known as an optical lattice. […]