The lengthy diary that follows was originally written in 2007. Diary of a Graduate Thesis Experiment The laboratory in which I am performing my thesis work (LAPD at UCLA) is used by researchers from all over the world. Groups that are using the device for a research project receive an allotted time in which to […]
Physics
Example of Langmuir Probe Analysis
Sections Processing the Raw Data Determining Electron Temperature and Plasma Potential Calculating Electron Density An Additional Concern for Temperature Analysis Sample Data for Practice This is a simple example of Langmuir probe analysis and the issues related to it. It is intended to serve as a helpful reminder of the technical details in analyzing the […]
Thesis – Chapter 1: Introduction
Thesis – Table of Contents Introduction 1.1 Motivation Anomalous transport is an area of great interest within the plasma physics research community. The field of magnetically confined thermonuclear fusion may benefit significantly from an improved understanding of this topic. It has already been shown that turbulent fluctuations increase the transport of mass and energy [Horton, […]
Ph.D. Thesis Project: Thermal Waves and Turbulent Structures in Magnetized Plasmas
I completed my Ph.D. thesis in 2009. Copies of it are available in both PDF and HTML format. The PDF is the source for the printed copies that were turned in to the UCLA Library as part of the requirements for completion. The web version omits the front matter but does present every chapter and […]
Thesis – Appendix B: Pulse Detection Techniques
Thesis – Table of Contents Pulse Detection Techniques Overview The study of exponential spectra and accompanying Lorentzian pulses in time series data requires that the pulses be isolated for determining their characteristic widths. A variety of identification techniques have been applied to the large data set of this experiment, and notes on two of these […]
Thesis – Appendix A: Wavelet Analysis to Calculate Power Spectra
Thesis – Table of Contents Wavelet Analysis to Calculate Power Spectra Overview Wavelet analysis techniques, while not as commonly understood as Fourier analysis, are nonetheless frequently applied to problems in which time and frequency information are desired simultaneously. Analysis suites such as IDL (popular in plasma physics circles) provide complete libraries for easily incorporating these […]