|
Physics Department News Archive
May 21, 2005
Physics Student Present Results at DAMOP 2005.
LINCOLN -- Augustana seniors Kelsie Betsch and Nora Johnson presented the results of their research projects at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP 2005) May 17-21 in Lincoln, Neb.
KELSIE BETSCH is a chemistry and physics major from New Ulm, Minn. Her report is on " Applying Principle Control Analysis to Optical Pulse Shapes Optimized for Selective Fragmentation of Clusters."
This research, done as part of the Physics Department's Advanced Laboratory Course, probes how a statistical analysis technique can be used to evaluate, and potentially extract information from, laser pulses that have been tailored to make a small cluster of atoms fragment in a specific way. Information extracted from the laser pulses might help researchers one day use pulsed lasers to drive chemical reactions to desired outcomes.
Betsch graduates later this month with summa cum laude distinction. She begins graduate study in physics at the University of Virginia, where she intends to continue to examine problems at the interface of chemistry and physics. She is the daughter of Patricia and Leigh Betsch.
NORA JOHNSON is a chemistry and mathematics major from Dell Rapids, S.D. Her paper is entitled, " Measurement of Alignment Dependence in Single Ionization of Hydrogen Molecules by Fast Protons."
Her results were gathered as part of a summer research project conducted with Dr. Eric Wells, assistant professor of physics at Augustana, and colleagues at Kansas State University's J.R. Macdonald Laboratory. Johnson's summer research stipend was funded by NASA through the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium, while the Macdonald Laboratory operates with funding from the Division of Chemical, Geosciences, and Biosciences, Office of Basic Energy Science, U.S. Department of Energy. Her research examines how the orientation of a hydrogen molecule is linked to the probability that the molecule will ionize when exposed to the transient electric field of a passing ion.
Johnson graduates from Augustana this month with magna cum laude distinction. She will continue her research at Kansas State, where she has received the Timothy R. Donoghue Graduate Scholarship in physics. She is the daughter of Diane and Lawrence Johnson.
DAMOP was founded in 1943 and was the first division of the American Physical Society. Its central focus is fundamental research on atoms, simple molecules, electrons and light, and their interactions. It plays an enabling role underlying many areas of science through the development of methods for the control and manipulation of atoms, molecules, charged particles and light, through precision measurements and calculations of their properties, and through the invention of new ways to generate light with specific properties. The annual DAMOP meeting is the largest national gathering of the atomic, molecular, and optical physics community and attracts a considerable number of international scientists as well.
Back to Physics News Archive
|
 |
|
Nora makes a point about her work.
Kelsie explains some details at her poster.
The Augustana group at DAMOP. (L-R) Nora Johnson, Eric Wells, and Kelsie Betsch.
|
|
