Understanding the thermodynamic properties of multicomponent mixtures is of critical importance in many chemical and industrial applications. Experimental measurements become progressively difficult as the number of solution components increases -- producing the need for predictive models. Problems in development of predictive models arise if the mixture has one or more components that interact through molecular complexation or association. Experimental solubilities of anthracene and pyrene dissolved in binary systems containing one or more alcohols were measured in order to address this problem. Alcohols examined in this study were: 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 1-octanol. In binary solvent mixtures containing only a single self-associating alcoholic solvent, the alkane cosolvents studied were: n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, tert-butylcyclohexane. Predictive solubility equations were developed using mobile order theory. This approach differs from classical solution models by representing hydrogen bonding with a probability term rather than with expressions derived from stepwise equilibria or expressions to represent hypothetical solution aggregates. Results were compared with the predicted solubilities found from using expressions developed using the Kretschmer-Wiebe and Mecke-Kempter approaches for modeling associated solutions. It was found that the mobile order approach provided reasonably accurate predictions for the solute solubilities in the systems studied. The …

The focus of this study was three fold. First, modeling and feedback were investigated as a training package for social interactions between siblings. Second, the effects of social phrases taught to the sibling with autism were investigated. Third, the magnitude of these social phrases was measured by timing duration of parallel play. The experimental design is an A-B-A1-A2 design conducted in a clinic, with a probe for generalization in the home environment. This intervention was replicated across an additional sibling dyad to indicate its effectiveness. This study ascertained that the sibling with autism was a viable participant in learning new social skills that could function as a behavioral cusp and increase sibling interactions.

MINOS (Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search), is a long baseline neutrino experiment designed to search for neutrino oscillations using two detectors at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, IL (Near Detector) and Soudan, MN (Far Detector). It will study {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}} oscillations and make a measurement on the oscillation parameters, {Delta}m{sub 23}{sup 2} and sin{sup 2} 2{theta}{sub 23}, via a {nu}{sub {mu}} beam made at Fermilab. Charge current neutrino interactions in the MINOS detectors are of three types: quasi-elastic scattering (QEL), resonance scattering (RES) and deep inelastic scattering (DIS). Of these, quasi-elastic scattering leaves the cleanest signal with just one {mu} and one proton in the final state, thus rendering the reconstruction of the neutrino energy more accurate. This thesis will outline a method to separate QEL events from the others in the two detectors and perform a calculation of {Delta}m{sub 23}{sup 2} and sin{sup 2} 2{theta}{sub 23} using those events. The period under consideration was May 2005 to February 2006. The number of observed quasi-elastic events with energies below 10 GeV was 29, where the expected number was 60 {+-} 3. A fit to the energy distribution of these events gives {Delta}m{sub 23}{sup 2} = 2.91{sub -0.53}{sup +0.49}(stat){sub …

Excitation functions for the 1n and 2n exit channels of the 208Pb(51V,xn)259-xDb reaction were measured. A maximum cross section of the 1n exit channel of 2070+1100/-760 pb was measured at an excitation energy of 16.0 +- 1.8 MeV. For the 2n exit channel, a maximum cross section of 1660+450/-370 pb was measured at 22.0 +- 1.8 MeV excitation energy. The 1n excitation function for the 209Bi(50Ti,n)258Db reaction was remeasured, resulting in a cross section of 5480+1730/1370 pb at an excitation energy of 16.0 +- 1.6 MeV. Differences in cross section maxima are discussed in terms of the fusion probability below the barrier. The extraction of niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) from hydrochloric acid and mixed hydrochloric acid/lithium chloride media by bis(2-ethylhexyl) hydrogen phosphate (HDEHP) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) hydrogen phosphite (BEHP) was studied. The goal of the experiments was to find a system that demonstrates selectivity among the members of group five of the Periodic Table and is also suitable for the study of dubnium (Db, Z = 105). Experiments with niobium and tantalum were performed with carrier (10-6 M), carrier free (10-10 M) and trace (10-16 M) concentrations of metal using hydrochloric acid solution with concentrations ranging from 1 - 11 …

The XRMS experiment on the Gd{sub 5}Ge{sub 4} system has shown that, below the Neel temperature, T{sub N} = 127 K, the magnetic unit cells is the same as the chemical unit cell. From azimuth scans and the Q dependence of the magnetic scattering, all three Gd sites in the structure were determined to be in the same magnetic space group Pnma. The magnetic moments are aligned along the c-axis and the c-components of the magnetic moments at the three different sites are equal. The ferromagnetic slabs are stacked antiferromagnetically along the b-direction. They found an unusual order parameter curve in Gd{sub 5}Ge{sub 4}. A spin-reorientation transition is a possibility in Gd{sub 5}Ge{sub 4}, which is similar to the Tb{sub 5}Ge{sub 4} case. Tb{sub 5}Ge{sub 4} possesses the same Sm{sub 5}Ge{sub 4}-type crystallographic structure and the same magnetic space group as Gd{sub 5}Ge{sub 4} does. The difference in magnetic structure is that Tb{sub 5}Ge{sub 4} has a canted one but Gd{sub 5}Ge{sub 4} has nearly a collinear one in the low temperature antiferromagnetic phase. The competition between the magneto-crystalline anisotropy and the nearest-neighbor magnetic exchange interactions may allow a 3-dimensional canted antiferromagnetic structure in Tb{sub 5}Ge{sub 4}. The spin-reorientation transition …

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This thesis is focused on an inclusive search of the t{bar t} {yields} E{sub T} + jets decay channel by means of neural network tools in proton antiproton collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV recorded by the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). At the Tevatron p{bar p} collider top quarks are mainly produced in pairs through quark-antiquark annihilation and gluon-gluon fusion processes; in the Standard Model description, the top quark then decays to a W boson and a b quark almost 100% of the times, so that its decay signatures are classified according to the W decay modes. When only one W decays leptonically, the t{bar t} event typically contains a charged lepton, missing transverse energy due to the presence of a neutrino escaping from the detector, and four high transverse momentum jets, two of which originate from b quarks. In this thesis we describe a t{bar t} production cross section measurement which uses data collected by a 'multijet' trigger, and selects this kind of top decays by requiring a high-P{sub T} neutrino signature and by using an optimized neural network to discriminate top quark pair production from backgrounds. In Chapter 1, a brief review of the Standard Model of …

The Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) is a two detector long-baseline neutrino experiment designed to study the disappearance of muon neutrinos. MINOS will test the {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}} oscillation hypothesis and measure precisely {Delta}m{sub 23}{sup 2} and sin{sup 2} 2{theta}{sub 23} oscillation parameters. The source of neutrinos for MINOS experiment is Fermilab's Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beamline. The energy spectrum and the composition of the beam is measured at two locations, one close to the source and the other 735 km down-stream in the Soudan Mine Underground Laboratory in northern Minnesota. The precision measurement of the oscillation parameters requires an accurate prediction of the neutrino flux at the Far Detector. This thesis discusses the calculation of the neutrino flux at the Far Detector and its uncertainties. A technique that uses the Near Detector data to constrain the uncertainties in the calculation of the flux is described. The data corresponding to an exposure of 2.5 x 10{sup 20} protons on the NuMI target is presented and an energy dependent disappearance pattern predicted by neutrino oscillation hypotheses is observed in the Far Detector data. The fit to MINOS data, for given exposure, yields the best fit values …

A Monte Carlo study of a generic search for new resonances beyond the Standard Model (SM) in the CMS experiment is presented. The resonances are axigluon, coloron, E{sub 6} diquark, excited quark, W{prime}, Z{prime}, and the Randall-Sundrum graviton which decay to dijets. The dijet resonance cross section that the CMS can expect to discover at a 5{sigma} significance or to exclude at 95% confidence level for integrated luminosities of 100 pb{sup -1}, 1 fb{sup -1}, and 10 fb{sup -1} is evaluated. It is shown that a 5{sigma} discovery of a multi-TeV dijet resonance is possible for an axigluon, excited quark, and E{sub 6} diquark. However, a 5{sigma} discovery can not be projected with confidence for a W{prime}, Z{prime} and the Randall-Sundrum graviton. On the other hand, 95% CL exclusion mass regions can be measured for all resonances at high luminosities. In the second part of this dissertation, the analyses of the 2006 test beam data from the combined electromagnetic and hadronic barrel calorimeters are presented. The CMS barrel calorimeters response to a variety of beam particles in a wide momenta range (1 to 350 GeV/c) is measured. Furthermore, using these beam data, the expected performance of the barrel calorimeters to …

The study of the top quark pair production mechanism in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV is described. The main subjects are the measurements of the top quark pair production cross section, the top quark mass and a search for a new particle decaying to the top quark pair. The analyses are based on 1.9 fb{sup -1} of data collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) Run II experiment between March 2002 and May 2007, using the lepton+jets events. The measured top quark pair production cross section is 8.2 {+-} 0.5 (stat.) {+-} 0.8 (syst.) {+-} 0.5 (lum.) pb, which is slightly higher than the standard model prediction at the top mass of 175 GeV/c{sup 2}. The top quark mass is an important parameter in the standard model, and also in the experimental studies. The measured top quark mass if 171.6 {+-} 2.0 (stat.) {+-} 1.3(syst.) GeV/c{sup 2}. Finally, they report on a search for a new gauge boson decaying to t{bar t}, which interferes with the standard model gluon in the q{bar q} {yields} t{bar t} production process. They call such a hypothetical particle a 'Massive Gluon'. The observed t{bar t} invariant mass distribution is …

(C5Me5)2LnOTf where Ln = La, Ce, Sm, Gd, and Yb have been synthesized and these derivatives are good starting materials for the synthesis of (C5Me5)2LnX derivatives. (C5Me5)2Ln(2,2'-bipyridine), where Ln = La, Ce, Sm, and Gd, along with several methylated bipyridine analogues have been synthesized and their magnetic moments have been measured as a function of temperature. In lanthanum, cerium, and gadolinium complexes the bipyridine ligand ligand is unequivocally the radical anion, and the observed magnetic moment is the result of intramolecular coupling of the unpaired electron on the lanthanide fragment with the unpaired electron on the bipyridine along with the intermolecular coupling between radicals. Comparison with the magnetic moments of the known compounds (C5Me5)2Sm(2,2'-bipyridine) and (C5Me5)2Yb(2,2'-bipyridine) leads to an understanding of the role of the Sm(II)/Sm(III) and Yb(II)/Yb(III) couple in the magnetic properties of (C5Me5)2Sm(2,2'-bipyridine) and (C5Me5)2Yb(2,2'-bipyridine). In addition, crystal structures of (C5Me5)2Ln(2,2'-bipyridine) and [(C5Me5)2Ln(2,2'-bipyridine)][BPh4](Ln= Ce and Gd), where the lanthanide is unequivocally in the +3 oxidation state, give the crystallographic characteristics of bipyridine as an anion and as a neutral ligand in the same coordination environment, respectively. Substituted bipyridine ligands coordinated to (C5Me5)2Yb are studied to further understand how the magnetic coupling in (C5Me5)2Yb(2,2'-bipyridine) changes with substitutions. In the …

The resonant production of tau-lepton pairs is as interesting for the study of Standard Model (SM) physics as the production of lighter leptons pairs. For new phenomena, such as Higgs boson production or in case new particles beyond the SM would arise, the detection of (resonant) pairs of tau leptons becomes much more interesting. This is due to the fact that tau leptons are much heavier than the other leptons, which increases the chance that these new phenomena would be observed first in this channel. Unfortunately their clean detection is far more difficult than that of muons or electrons. The cross section times branching ratio {sigma}{center_dot} Br for the process p{bar p} {yields} Z {yields} {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -} was measured at {radical}s = 1.96 GeV using 1.0 fb{sup -1} of data collected by the D0 experiment. This measurement was performed in the channel in which one of the tau leptons decays to a muon and neutrinos, while the other decays either hadronically or to an electron and neutrinos. A set of 1511 events, of which about 20% estimated background, passed all selection criteria. The trigger and muon reconstruction efficiencies, as well as the efficiency for track reconstruction were obtained from …

The author presents new measurements of the type Ia SN rate from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey. The SDSS-II Supernova Survey was carried out during the Fall months (Sept.-Nov.) of 2005-2007 and discovered {approx} 500 spectroscopically confirmed SNe Ia with densely sampled (once every {approx} 4 days), multi-color light curves. Additionally, the SDSS-II Supernova Survey has discovered several hundred SNe Ia candidates with well-measured light curves, but without spectroscopic confirmation of type. This total, achieved in 9 months of observing, represents {approx} 15-20% of the total SNe Ia discovered worldwide since 1885. The author describes some technical details of the SN Survey observations and SN search algorithms that contributed to the extremely high-yield of discovered SNe and that are important as context for the SDSS-II Supernova Survey SN Ia rate measurements.

We study the behavior of charged particles produced in association with Drell-Yan lepton-pairs in the region of the Z-boson in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.96 TeV. We use the direction of the Z-boson in each event to define 'toward', 'away', and 'transverse' regions. For Drell-Yan production (excluding the leptons) both the 'toward' and 'transverse' regions are very sensitive to the 'underlying event', which is defined as everything except the two hard scattered components. The data are corrected to the particle level and are then compared with several PYTHIA models (with multiple parton interactions) and HERWIG (without multiple parton interactions) at the particle level (i.e. generator level). The data are also compared with a previous analysis on the behavior of the 'underlying event' in high transverse momentum jet production. The goal is to produce data that can be used by the theorists to tune and improve the QCD Monte-Carlo models of the 'underlying event' that are used to simulate hadron-hadron collisions.

Optical microbunches with a spacing of 800 nm have been produced for laser acceleration research. The microbunches are produced using a inverse Free-Electron-Laser (IFEL) followed by a dispersive chicane. The microbunched electron beam is characterized by coherent optical transition radiation (COTR) with good agreement to the analytic theory for bunch formation. In a second experiment the bunches are accelerated in a second stage to achieve for the first time direct net acceleration of electrons traveling in a vacuum with visible light. This dissertation presents the theory of microbunch formation and characterization of the microbunches. It also presents the design of the experimental hardware from magnetostatic and particle tracking simulations, to fabrication and measurement of the undulator and chicane magnets. Finally, the dissertation discusses three experiments aimed at demonstrating the IFEL interaction, microbunch production, and the net acceleration of the microbunched beam. At the close of the dissertation, a separate but related research effort on the tight focusing of electrons for coupling into optical scale, Photonic Bandgap, structures is presented. This includes the design and fabrication of a strong focusing permanent magnet quadrupole triplet and an outline of an initial experiment using the triplet to observe wakefields generated by an electron …

Images of the Bullet Cluster of galaxies in visible light, X-rays, and through gravitational lensing confirm that most of the matter in the universe is not composed of any known form of matter. The combined evidence from the dynamics of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, the cosmic microwave background, big bang nucleosynthesis, and other observations indicates that 80% of the universe's matter is dark, nearly collisionless, and cold. The identify of the dar, matter remains unknown, but weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are a very good candidate. They are a natural part of many supersymmetric extensions to the standard model, and could be produced as a nonrelativistic, thermal relic in the early universe with about the right density to account for the missing mass. The dark matter of a galaxy should exist as a spherical or ellipsoidal cloud, called a 'halo' because it extends well past the edge of the visible galaxy. The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) seeks to directly detect interactions between WIMPs in the Milky Way's galactic dark matter halo using crystals of germanium and silicon. Our Z-sensitive ionization and phonon ('ZIP') detectors simultaneously measure both phonons and ionization produced by particle interactions. In order to find …

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are ubiquitous in the centers of galaxies. Their formation and subsequent evolution is inextricably linked to that of their host galaxies, and the study of galaxy formation is incomplete without the inclusion of SMBHs. The present work seeks to understand the growth and evolution of SMBHs through their interaction with the host galaxy and its environment. In the first part of the thesis (Chap. 2 and 3), we combine a simple semi-analytic model of outflows from active galactic nuclei (AGN) with a simulated dark matter density distribution to study the impact of SMBH feedback on cosmological scales. We find that constraints can be placed on the kinetic efficiency of such feedback using observations of the filling fraction of the Ly{alpha} forest. We also find that AGN feedback is energetic enough to redistribute baryons over cosmological distances, having potentially significant effects on the interpretation of cosmological data which are sensitive to the total matter density distribution (e.g. weak lensing). However, truly assessing the impact of AGN feedback in the universe necessitates large-dynamic range simulations with extensive treatment of baryonic physics to first model the fueling of SMBHs. In the second part of the thesis (Chap. 4-6) we …

A measurement of hadron production cross-sections for the simulation of accelerator neutrino beams and a search for muon neutrino to electron neutrino oscillations in the {Delta}m{sup 2} {approx} 1 eV{sup 2} region. This dissertation presents measurements from two different high energy physics experiments with a very strong connection: the Hadron Production (HARP) experiment located at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Mini Booster Neutrino Experiment (Mini-BooNE) located at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois.

This thesis presents the results of an analysis of {nu}{sub {mu}} disappearance with the MINOS experiment, which studies the neutrino beam produced by the NuMI facility at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The rates and energy spectra of charged current {nu}{sub {mu}} interactions are measured in two similar detectors, located at distances of 1 km and 735 km along the NuMI beamline. The Near Detector provides accurate measurements of the initial beam composition and energy, while the Far Detector is sensitive to the effects of neutrino oscillations. The analysis uses data collected between May 2005 and March 2007, corresponding to an exposure of 2.5 x 10{sup 20} protons on target. As part of the analysis, sophisticated software was developed to identify muon tracks in the detectors and to reconstruct muon kinematics. Events with reconstructed tracks were then analyzed using a multivariate technique to efficiently isolate a pure sample of charged current {nu}{sub {mu}} events. An extrapolation method was also developed, which produces accurate predictions of the Far Detector neutrino energy spectrum, based on data collected at the Near Detector. Finally, several techniques to improve the sensitivity of an oscillation measurement were implemented, and a full study of the systematic uncertainties was …

Angle- and time-resolved two-photon photoemission (2PPE) was used to study systems of organic semiconductors on Ag(111). The 2PPE studies focused on electronic behavior specific to interfaces and ultrathin films. Electron time dynamics and band dispersions were characterized for ultrathin films of a prototypical n-type planar aromatic hydrocarbon, PTCDA, and representatives from a family of p-type oligothiophenes.In PTCDA, electronic behavior was correlated with film morphology and growth modes. Within a fewmonolayers of the interface, image potential states and a LUMO+1 state were detected. The degree to which the LUMO+1 state exhibited a band mass less than a free electron mass depended on the crystallinity of the layer. Similarly, image potential states were measured to have free electron-like effective masses on ordered surfaces, and the effective masses increased with disorder within the thin film. Electron lifetimes were correlated with film growth modes, such that the lifetimes of electrons excited into systems created by layer-by-layer, amorphous film growth increased by orders of magnitude by only a few monolayers from the surface. Conversely, the decay dynamics of electrons in Stranski-Krastanov systems were limited by interaction with the exposed wetting layer, which limited the barrier to decay back into the metal.Oligothiophenes including monothiophene, quaterthiophene, and …

This dissertation describes a search for the pair production of scalar top quarks, {tilde t}{sub 1}, using a luminosity of 995 pb{sup -1} of data collected in p{bar p} collisions with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at a center-of-mass energy {radical}s = 1.96 TeV. Both scalar top quarks are assumed to decay into a charm quark and a neutralino, {tilde {chi}}{sub 1}{sup 0}, where {tilde {chi}}{sub 1}{sup 0} is the lightest supersymmetric particle. This leads to a final state with two acoplanar charm jets and missing transverse energy. The yield of such events in data is found to be consistent with the expectations from known standard model processes. Sets of {tilde t}{sub 1} and {tilde {chi}}{sub 1}{sup 0} masses are excluded at the 95% confidence level that substantially extend the domain excluded by previous searches. With the theoretical uncertainty on the {tilde t}{sub 1} pair production cross section taken into account, the largest limit for m{sub {tilde t}{sub 1}} is m{sub {tilde t}{sub 1}} > 150 GeV, for m{sub {tilde {chi}}{sub 1}{sup 0}} = 65 GeV.

The Mini-Booster neutrino experiment (MiniBooNE) at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) is designed to search for {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} appearance neutrino oscillations. Muon neutrino charged-current quasi-elastic (CCQE) interactions ({nu}{sub {mu}} + n {yields} {mu} + p) make up roughly 40% of our data sample, and it is used to constrain the background and cross sections for the oscillation analysis. Using high-statistics MiniBooNE CCQE data, the muon-neutrino CCQE cross section is measured. The nuclear model is tuned precisely using the MiniBooNE data. The measured total cross section is {sigma} = (1.058 {+-} 0.003 (stat) {+-} 0.111 (syst)) x 10{sup -38} cm{sup 2} at the MiniBooNE muon neutrino beam energy (700-800 MeV). {nu}{sub e} appearance candidate data is also used to search for Lorentz violation. Lorentz symmetry is one of the most fundamental symmetries in modern physics. Neutrino oscillations offer a new method to test it. We found that the MiniBooNE result is not well-described using Lorentz violation, however further investigation is required for a more conclusive result.

A search for the muon neutrino magnetic moment was conducted using the Mini-BooNE low energy neutrino data. The analysis was performed by analyzing the elastic scattering interactions of muon neutrinos on electrons. The analysis looked for an excess of elastic scattering events above the Standard Model prediction from which a limit on the neutrino magnetic could be set. In this thesis, we report an excess of 15.3 {+-} 6.6(stat){+-}4.1(syst) {nu}{sub {mu}e} events above the expected background. At 90% C.L., we derived a limit on the muon neutrino magnetic moment of 12.7 x 10{sup -10} {micro}{sub B}. The other analysis reported in this thesis is a measurement of charged current single pion production (CC{pi}{sup +}) to charged current quasi elastic (CCQE) interactions cross sections ratio. This measurement was performed with two different fitting algorithms and the results from both fitters are consistent with each other.

The author presents a measurement of p{bar p} {yields} Z{gamma} + X {yields} e{sup +}e{sup -}{gamma} + X production using proton-antiproton collisions data collected at the Collider Detector at Fermilab at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV. Z{gamma} production provides a direct test of the triple neutral gauge couplings. A measurement of Z{gamma} production cross section and search for anomalous ZZ{gamma} and Z{gamma}{gamma} couplings are presented. The data presented are from 1.1 fb{sup -1} of p{bar p} integrated luminosity collected at the CDF Detector. Electrons from Z decays are selected with E{sub t} > 20 Gev. Photons (E{sub t} > 7 GeV) are required to be well-separated from the electrons. There are 390 ee{gamma} candidate events found with 1.1 fb{sup -1} of data, compared to the SM prediction of 375.3 {+-} 25.2 events. The Standard Model prediction for the cross section for p{bar p} {yields} e{sup +}e{sup -}{gamma} + X production at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV is 4.5 {+-} 0.4 pb. The measured cross section is 4.7 {+-} 0.6 pb. The cross section and kinematic distributions of the ee{gamma} events are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. Limits on the ZZ{gamma} and Z{gamma}{gamma} couplings are extracted using the …