Physics Theses and Dissertations
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Item Partially Covariant Quantum Theory of Gravitation(1972) Moncrief, Vincent E.; Nutku, Yavuz; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)In this thesis it is argued that a strict law of conservation of probability is necessary for the unambiguous interpretation of any proposed quantum theory of gravitation. After a brief review of the current canonicnl methods for quantizing the gravitational field we conclude that they do not guarantee conservation of probability owing to the difficulty of finding a suitable intrinsic time coordinate. In an attempt to circumvent this problem we have proposed an alternative method of quantization which has a conventional Schrodinger equation and therefore a law of probability conservation. This result is achieved by imposing a weaker form of the quantum constraint equations than that of the conventional theory. In order to justify this approach it is necessary to show that, in spite of the weak form of the constraint equations, the Einstein theory is recovered in the classical limit . A partial proof of the desired result is given. The proposed quantum theory is developed somewhat by considering the interaction of matter and gravitational fields. Quantum analogs of the covariant conservation laws are derived for the special case of a massive spin-zero field. Charge conservation is also considered and an invariant scheme for defining the number of particles and anti-particles is developed.Item Investigation of Vanishing of a Horizon for Bianchi Type IX (the Mixmaster) Universe(1972) Chitre, D.M.; Misner, Charles W.; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)In this dissertation, the generic, non-rotating, homogeneous closed model universe ( the "Mixmaster Universe", Bianchi Type IX) is studied to gain some insight into how the broad-scale homogeneity of the universe may have been produced at very early times. We begin our discussion by sketching the development of relativistic cosmology until the last decade. In the second chapter we discuss particle horizons in the Robertson-Walker models. These standard models of the universe possess particle horizons. Thus, only a finite part of such a universe could have been causally connected; while the isotropy of 2.7°K microwave radiation implies the universe to be homogeneous on a much larger scale than the size of the horizon. The third chapter discusses in detail the evolution of the Mixmaster Universe near the singularity using the Hamiltonian techniques developed by Misner for these models . At a fixed time (or volume) epoch Ω0, a Mixmaster Universe is specified by initial conditions' β+, β- (shape anisotropy) and p+ , p- (expansion rate anisotropy). In the fourth chapter we derive the equations for rays of high-frequency sound waves and light waves. When these equations are applied in the Mixmaster Universe, we find that for certain subsets of initial conditions, some of these sound rays and light rays would circumnavigate the corresponding universes in certain directions. Our results for light rays parallel those of Doroshkevich and Novikov, however we use entirely different methods (Hamiltonian methods) for treating the Einstein equations. In the last chapter the evolution of the Mixmaster Universe is shown equivalent to a geodesic flow within a bounded region of the Lobatchewsky plane. The boundary shape makes this flow Ergodic. The ergodicity is proved by invoking a certain group of conformal transformations, G, which makes this flow of broken geodesics on the Lobatchewsky plane, D, into a continuous one on D/G. The Einstein equations in this problem lead to a natural measure on initial conditions related to β+, p+. The measure of the circumnavigation sets depends upon the epoch and it goes to zero as the volume of the universe shrinks to zero. Finally, we compute the probability for circumnavigation along any one axis of the universe, It turns out to be roughly 1% for an empty universe and it decreases to 0.02% for realistic models containing radiation and matter in them.Item A Direct Measurement of the Relativistic Effect of the Gravitational Potential on the Rats of Atomic Clocks Flown in an Aircraft(1976) Williams, Ralph Emerson; Alley, C . O.; Physics and Astronomy; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)General relativity predicts that standard clocks placed at differing gravitational potentials will run at different rates. Although experiments confirming the gravitational redshift have been done, they involve frequency and not time, and need not appeal to general relativity for explanation. Therefore, considerable interest exists as to the result of an accurate experiment in which real macroscopic clocks are brought together for comparison before and after separation to differing potentials. This experiment consists of flying an ensemble of atomic clocks in a military aircraft and comparing them before and after flight to another clock ensemble remaining on the ground. The ground ensemble included several Hewlett-Packard Cesium Beam clocks, three Efratom optically pumped Rubidium clocks, and two hydrogen masers. The flying ensemble included at least three Hewlett-Packard Cesium clocks and three Efratom Rubidium clocks. Five of the Cesium clocks were new models delivered with a high beam current option resulting in higher stability than standard models. The clocks were maintained under stringent environmental controls to protect against vibration, magnetic fields, and changes in temperature, pressure, and power supply voltage. Five main flights were ma de, each at approximately 30,000 feet altitude for fifteen hours. The aircraft was continuously tracked by a theodolite calibrated radar which obtained position and velocity measurements for every second of flight. This allowed an accurate calculation of a theoretical prediction to compare to experiment. The flying clocks gained approximately 45 nanoseconds (45 x 10-9 s) with respect to the ground clocks. The normalized results (measured effect divided by predicted effect) and the experimental standard deviations of the mean for each of the five flights were as follows: .999 + .016 .977 + .026 .963 + .013 1.002 + .026 .991 + .037 The result for the entire experiment, with standard deviation of the mean, was .987 ±. .011. The statistically expected standard deviation of the mean based on knowledge of clock quality was approximately .015. Considering this result as well as systematic errors, a final result is established of Measured value/ Predicted value = 0.987 ± .016Item The Li6(a,2a)d Reaction at 50 to 80 MeV(1970) Watson, John W.; Pugh, Howel G.; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)The Li6(a,2a)d reaction was studied at 50.4, 59.0, 60.5, 70.3 and 79.6 MeV bombarding energy. For each bombarding energy, several coincident energy spectra of the two emitted a-particles were measured. Special emphasis was placed on measuring spectra at pairs of angles where zero momentum (in the laboratory frame of reference) was possible for the residual deuteron. Using the constraints on three body kinematics, events corresponding to an a+ a+ d final state were selected from the coincident energy spectra. The cross section for these events was projected onto the E1 energy axis of the coincident spectra. The projected energy spectra were analyzed with the Plane Wave Impulse Approximation. From those points in the projected spectra which corresponded to zero deuteron recoil momentum, off-mass-shell a-a scattering cross sections were extracted. These were found to be in excellent agreement with free a-a scattering cross sections, if free cross sections for the final state center of mass energy of the two a's in the Li6 (a,2a)d reaction were chosen for the comparison. Off- mass-shell a-a cross sections were also extracted for data where the residual deuteron had a momentum of 30 MeV/c. These cross sections were also found to agree with free a-a scattering, but it was necessary to introduce an ad hoc shift in the a-a scattering angle to produce this agreement. Predictions of off-mass-shell a-a cross sections were made using a potential model. These indicate that the off-mass-shell cross section should indeed be very similar to the on-mass-shell cross section at the final state energy. Using the Plane Wave Impulse Approximation a momentum distribution for a's in Li6 was extracted from the experimental data. A cluster model for Li6 was devised to fit the binding energy and r.m.s. charge radius of Li6, as well as the 3s1 a-d scattering phase shift. For comparison with the experimental data, the momentum wave function of the a-particle in Li6 was calculated by taking the Fourier transform of the a-d relative motion. The theoretical and experimental momentum distributions were found to be in serious disagreement, both in magnitude and width at half maximum. By introducing a cut-off radius into the theoretical wave function, the discrepancies between theory and experiment were accounted for. It was also found, that if the cut-off radius is used as an adjustable parameter, then this Li6 wave function and reaction model explains the magnitudes and widths of the a-d relative momentum distributions determined from a wide variety of other reactions.Item A Field Theory of Extended Particles Based on Covariant Harmonic Oscillator Wavefunctions(1976) Karr, Thomas John; Kim, Young Suh; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)We attempt to combine the covariant harmonic oscillator (CHO) quark model with second quantized field theory. We review the CHO formalism for a system of two quarks (meson). We introduce a mesonic field Φ(x1 ,x2) that depends on the position of both quarks, and then derive the field equations from a covariant lagrangian L(x1, x2). The CHO equation allows a complete separation of the average meson coordinate X from the relative quark coordinate ξ. The CHO wavefunction in the field expresses the extended size and internal structure of the meson. Φ, describes mesons in the ground state and any excited state , with angular momentum ∞ mass^2. From Φ we construct conserved tensors like P^μ the meson momentum. We second quantize Φ in the X variable only and discuss the extended particle commutation relations. We investigate a Φ^3-type meson interaction where the vertex function is an overlap integral of the wavefunctions entering the interaction region. We derive a nonlinear integrodifferential equation for the U matrix , linearize and solve it by perturbation theory. The result is simple diagramatic rules for the S matrix. The S matrix is covariant and unitary. We do not find any contradiction between the principles of QFT and the CHO quark model. The Φ field theory includes scalar meson(point particle)theory as a special case, while its greater generality illuminates the difference between point and extended particles.Item Electrons and Spin Waves in Itinerant Ferromagnets(1976) Murray, Joanne; Korenman, Victor; Physics and Astronomy; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)Though it is accepted that the 3-d magnetic electrons of transition metals such as nickel are itinerant, at high temperature these itinerant ferromagnets act as if the electrons were localized at lattice sites. In particular, three experimental results conflict with the Stoner itinerant model: 1) The spin band gap does not decrease with temperature as the average magnetization, but much more slowly. 2) Spin waves of short wavelength propagate above the Curie temperature. 3) Magnetic degrees of freedom play a role in determining thermodynamic properties n ear and above TC. The source of these discrepancies is the failure of Stoner theory to take into account magnetization fluctuations. In this paper, I do calculations of single particle and spin wave properties in a generalization of Stoner theory devised by R. E. Prange and V. Korenman to take account of fluctuations. In Stoner theory, electrons interact with an effective magnetic field proportional to the average magnetization, which becomes zero at the phase transition. The basic idea of the generalization of Stoner theory is that electrons are sensitive to their local environment and therefore that electronic and spin wave properties should be calculated in the presence of a local slowly fluctuating magnetization configuration. Only after calculating these properties should the fluctuations be thermally averaged. As a result, electrons interact with an effective magnetic field which is basically proportional to the magnitude of the local magnetization vector and which need not become zero at TC. Single particle properties are calculated by making a transformation to the spatially varying frame of reference of the local magnetization and doing perturbation theory with the magnetization gradients as the small perturbation parameter. We find that the spin eigenstates are approximately in or opposite to the direction of the local magnetization. Even when there is no longer a macroscopic magnetization, an energy gap is maintained between spin-split bands, the bands now being defined in terms of the local magnetization direction. The change in the energy gap from its zero temperature value is proportional only to the average square o f a magnetization gradient, a quantity which may be small even above TC. Thus we can understand that the gap changes only slowly with temperature and that the spin wave does not decay into Stoner single particle excitations even at high temperature. A free energy is found which is very similar in form to the free energy used to compute thermodynamic properties in localized models; thus we find that magnetic degrees of freedom are still important in computing thermodynamic properties above TC. It is the existence of a population difference and energy gap, rather than a macroscopic average magnetization that permits the existence of a spin flip collective excitation. We find a secular equation for the spin wave frequency in the presence of fluctuations which is very similar to the usua1 RPA secular equation, except for small perturbations proportional to the square of magnetization gradients. The corrections to the spin wave frequency and lifetime include the effect of the perturbation of single electron energies by the background, and also of the scattering of the spin wave from single particle spin-conserving excitations and from other spin waves. These corrections are quite small and allow for propagation even above TC. Thus it is a prediction of our theory that one see spin waves even above the critical temperature, so long as an appropriate Population difference maintains a locally ordered magnetization.Item Gravitational Radiation Detection(1976) Rydbeck, Gustaf H. B.; Weber, Joseph; Physics and Astronomy; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)This dissertation studies resonant gravitational wave detectors and related data analysis. Different forms (strain amplitude) of the equation of motion for a medium responding to a gravitational wave are discussed in relation to the detection of such waves. Utilizing "Bayesian techniques" an optimal method for data analysis is developed. Noise and filter theory is reviewed. It is seen that the “Bayesian techniques" integrates filter theory and data analysis, providing both filter properties and optimal methods for integrating the data.(In particular the method leads to a non threshold type of analysis, and "looks for" correlation between two detectors without the use of time delay). Expressions for optimal sensitivity (and filters) of detector systems are given, including the limit of perfect sensors and electronics. The signal to noise ratio in terms of the spectral power of the gravitational radiation is derived. Long baseline interferometry is discussed. A computer program simulating a pair of Weber type detectors is developed to study different approaches to data analysis.