Research Experience for Teachers LIGO 2002 John R. Thacker Covington High School
Summer in Livingston ! Gaining culture Demonstrations LIGO Experiences Lesson Plan Ideas Data Analysis
Culture: it’s surprising where Gravity turns up… “To Martinique, that Monserrat mystique We'll put out to sea And we'll perfect our chemistry By and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity …” “To Martinique, that Monserrat mystique We'll put out to sea And we'll perfect our chemistry By and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity …” Kokomo - The Beach Boys
Culture Meetings... Clean Rooms... Laser Safety... SURF Lectures... Control Room...
PEPI Installation
Easy does it...
Hmmnn LIGO Experience
Temperature v. Distance Incandescent source Sensor: thermistor Lesson Plan Ideas
Using Data Collection System
Schematic for MAX187 ADC
Switch Box Close Up
The Detector
So, what were the results ? Temperature decreases by one over the cube root of the distance { y = 3461 X (- 0.31) } Beyond about 8 inches temperature data was marginal Thermistor required about 3 minutes to stabilize
Using a Thermistor to Monitor Power Consumed Lesson Plan Ideas
Variable DC Input ( 2 VDC to 22 VDC ) Thermistor Output Voltage to ADC Input Voltage to Thermistor 5 VDC 200 Ohm Power Resistor with Thermistor Attached
Typical Thermistor Voltage V. Time Curve About 6 minutes to stabilize
Curve based on manufacturer data supplied with Thermistor NTC: Negative Thermal Constant
So, what were the results ? Voltage thru power resistor varied: 2 – 22 VDC Current thru power resistor calculated : I = V/R Power Consumed: P = I V Graph Power Consumed v. Thermistor voltage
Results: For our limited range of voltage input, the results are essentially linear; The results are not expected to be linear for larger voltage values input to the power resistor;
Meteor Search Look for Sudden Enhancements to Atmosphere (SEAs) caused by meteor induced ionization trail Meteor Scatter – uses ionization trails to reflect radio waves Trails are typically 80 – 100 km high Used day or night – even for “secure” communications
Meteor Search – HOW ? Tune to “empty” frequency in VHF band (41 – 68 MHz) & wait for reception of a distant transmitting station Typical reflections last 1 to 10 seconds
Ionization Trail Constructive Interference Geometric optics Geometric Optics
Potential SEA’s
Solar Flare Search 20 – 100 kHZ band Look for enhanced signals flare heavily ionizes ionosphere down to D layer VLF wave guide ducting occurs – more efficient propagati
Demonstrations Pinewood Derby Racetrack Demonstrate Energy Put into the System Positive and Negative Curvature Connection to Gravity
The first 16 ft of the 24 ft track
Demonstrations Prototype of Starting Block
It works !
A Peak Inside...
Jam Nuts, Anyone ?? Cam
Simplify... Prototype of start mechanism
The Test Vehicles Integrated Mass Units
Don’t leave home without it...
Which One Wins ??
They’re Off ! !
Are the results what you expected ?
Mass Forward Mass Aft Just another pretty face Switching lanes...
It doesn’t matter which lane you choose...
Analyzing LIGO Data
Classroom Data Analysis