Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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Description
An automated test system was developed to characterize detectors for the Kilopixel Array Pathfinder Project (KAPPa). KAPPa is an astronomy instrument that detects light at terahertz wavelengths using a 16-pixel heterodyne focal plane array. Although primarily designed for the KAPPa receiver, the test system can be used with other instruments to automate tests that might be tedious and time-consuming by hand. Mechanical components of the test setup include an adjustable structure of aluminum t-slot framing that supports a rotating chopper. Driven by a stepper motor, the chopper alternates between blackbodies at room temperature and 77 K. The cold load consists of absorbing material submerged in liquid nitrogen in an open Styrofoam cooler. Scripts written in Matlab and Python control the mechanical system, interface with receiver components, and process data. To calculate the equivalent noise temperature of a receiver, the y-factor method is used. Test system operation was verified by sweeping the local oscillator frequency and power level for two room temperature Schottky diode receivers from Virginia Diodes, Inc. The test system was then integrated with the KAPPa receiver, providing a low cost, simple, adaptable means to measure noise with minimal user intervention.
ContributorsKuenzi, Linda Christine (Author) / Groppi, Christopher (Thesis director) / Mauskopf, Philip (Committee member) / Kulesa, Craig (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The work presented herein will present the methodology and results for characterizing the thermal and electrical characteristics of the high gain warm IF amplifiers being developed by Arizona State University (ASU) for the GUSTO radio astronomy instrument. Thermal analysis will be performed in the form of Thermal Desktop simulations, hand calculations, and lab measurements. The electrical characteristics of the LNA design are then examined by collecting S-parameter measurements of the entire GUSTO band across a temperature range of -40°C to +70°C. Ultimately, the work performed justifies that ASU’s design of the GUSTO electronics is capable of meeting all technical requirements necessary to achieve mission success.
ContributorsRogers, Sarah (Author) / Groppi, Christopher (Thesis director) / Mauskopf, Philip (Committee member) / Mani, Hamdi (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Balloon-borne telescopes are an economic alternative to scientists seeking to study light compared to other ground- and space-based alternatives, such as the Keck Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope. One such balloon-borne telescope is the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope, or simply BLAST. Arizona State University was tasked with assembling one of the primary optics plates for the telescope's next mission. This plate, detailed in the following paragraphs, is designed to detect and capture submillimeter wavelength light. This will help scientists understand the formation and early life of stars. Due to its highly sensitive nature detecting light, the optics plate had to be carefully assembled following a strict assembly and testing procedure. Initially, error tolerances for the mirrors and plate were developed using a computer model, later to be compared to measured values. The engineering decisions made throughout the process pertained to every aspect of the plate, from ensuring the compliance of the engineering drawings to the polishing of the mirrors for testing. The assembly procedure itself was verified at the conclusion using a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) to analyze whether or not the plate was within defined error tolerances mentioned above. This data was further visualized within the document to show that the assembly procedure of the BLAST optics plate was successful. The largest error margins seen were approximately one order of magnitude lower than their tolerated limits, reflecting good engineering judgement and care applied to the manufacturing process. The plate has since been shipped offsite to continue testing and the assembly team is confident it will perform well within expected parameters.
ContributorsDombrowski, Shane Matthew (Author) / Groppi, Christopher (Thesis director) / Mauskopf, Philip (Committee member) / Underhill, Matthew (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The world of micro-tools and micro-machining is still being explored, and new manufacturing processes and tools are being developed by researchers and industry leaders alike. Many of the performance metrics for ultra-small machining tools (like end mills) are still underdefined or are currently being determined. The objective of this investigation was to determine the performance and durability of the 15 micron (um) diameter micro tool manufactured by the company Performance Micro Tool (PMT). The performance of the tool was measured by the surface roughness that resulted from the micro end mill's tool path. The durability of the tool was measured by the overall linear distance cut by the end mill before complete tool failure. In total, two micro-tools were tested, and the performance and durability results were surprising and significant. The tools surpassed the initial expectations of immediate failure upon contact with the base model. The expectation of failure stemmed from the less than ideal testing conditions for the tools -- a milling machine not capable of ideal cutting parameters and imperfections in the base model manufacturing. In terms of durability, both tools survived the entire defined tool path; over 5,000 times the tool diameter, a comparable metric for industry macro tools. The performance of the end mills was spectacular, both toolpaths had average surface roughness values below 0.05um, which is lower than the industry standard for some of the highest cut quality. Ultimately, the consistent results from both tools encourages a deeper investigation into these micro-tools. The fact that both tools exceeded expectations means that an investigation of many more tools is worth the financial and time investment. A further investigation of a large number of micro-tools could yield a standardized metric for performance and durability for the 15um tools.
ContributorsBurk, William Davis (Author) / Groppi, Christopher (Thesis director) / Underhill, Matthew (Committee member) / Mauskopf, Philip (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05