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In this experiment an Electrodynamic Ion Ring Trap was constructed and tested. Due to the nature of Electrostatic fields, the setup required an oscillating voltage source to stably trap the particles. It was built in a safe manner, The power supply was kept in a project box to avoid incidental contact, and was connected to a small copper wire in the shape of a ring. The maximum voltage that could be experienced via incidental contact was well within safe ranges a 0.3mA. Within minutes of its completion the trap was able to trap small Lycopodium powder spores mass of approximately 1.7*10^{-11}kg in clusters of 15-30 for long timescales. The oscillations of these spores were observed to be roughly 1.01mm at their maximum, and in an attempt to understand the dynamics of the Ion Trap, a concept called the pseudo-potential of the trap was used. This method proved fairly inaccurate, involving much estimation and using a static field estimation of 9.39*10^8 N\C and a charge estimate on the particles of ~1e, a maximum oscillation distance of 1.37m was calculated. Though the derived static field strength was not far off from the field strength required to achieve the correct oscillation distance (Percent error of 9.92%, the small discrepancy caused major calculation errors. The trap's intended purpose however was to eventually trap protein molecules for mapping via XFEL laser, and after its successful construction that goal is fairly achievable. The trap was also housed in a vacuum chamber so that it could be more effectively implemented with the XFEL.
ContributorsNicely, Ryan Joseph (Author) / Kirian, Richard (Thesis director) / Weiterstall, Uwe (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Physics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) are used for diffractive x-ray imaging of the structure of many biological particles, such as viruses and proteins. The ultimate goal for XFEL-based microscopy is atomic resolution images of non-crystalline particles. However, data collection efficiency as well as the limited amount of measurement time given annually to researchers, such high-resolution images are presently impossible to attain. Here, we consider two potential solutions to the single-particle hit rate problem; the first looks at applying static electric fields to existing aerodynamic particle injectors, and the second looks at the viability of using time-varying electric fields associated with ion traps to create high-density regions of particles. For the static solution, we looked at applying a constant electric potential to the nozzle, as well as applying a high voltage to a ring electrode in close proximity to a grounded nozzle. We considered the breakdown field strength of the helium gas used to determine how closely the ring electrode could be placed without creating an arc that could potentially destroy expensive equipment. Then, we considered the possibility of using electrodynamic ion traps to increase particle densities. We first characterized how charged particles behave in oscillating electric fields using a simple electrode geometry. Using the general results from this, we then constructed a rudimentary ion trap to test if our experiment agreed with the theory. Finally, we conducted a literature review to determine what particle densities other scientists have been able to measure using ion traps. We then compared existing ion traps to what we expect from the nozzle injectors to determine which method may be the better solution.
ContributorsBradshaw, Layne Nicholas (Author) / Kirian, Richard (Thesis director) / Weierstall, Uwe (Committee member) / Department of Physics (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Earth and Space Exploration (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The self-assembly of strongly-coupled nanocrystal superlattices, as a convenient bottom-up synthesis technique featuring a wide parameter space, is at the forefront of next-generation material design. To realize the full potential of such tunable, functional materials, a more complete understanding of the self-assembly process and the artificial crystals it produces is required. In this work, we discuss the results of a hard coherent X-ray scattering experiment at the Linac Coherent Light Source, observing superlattices long after their initial nucleation. The resulting scattering intensity correlation functions have dispersion suggestive of a disordered crystalline structure and indicate the occurrence of rapid, strain-relieving events therein. We also present real space reconstructions of individual superlattices obtained via coherent diffractive imaging. Through this analysis we thus obtain high-resolution structural and dynamical information of self-assembled superlattices in their native liquid environment.
ContributorsHurley, Matthew (Author) / Teitelbaum, Samuel (Thesis director) / Ginsberg, Naomi (Committee member) / Kirian, Richard (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Physics (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies, Sch (Contributor)
Created2023-05