2018

The 2018 Scholar-Mentor teams

Milo Eder with Prof. Aaron Reinhard (Physics): "Quantifying the Impact of State-Mixing on the Rydberg Excitation Blockade"

Atoms in highly excited, or Rydberg, states are good candidates for implementing a quantum computer, or a computer which functions using the principles of quantum mechanics. However, when one tries to use a laser to excite atoms to a given Rydberg state, they can mix into other, unwanted states at a surprisingly high rate. We aim to understand this process in order to find the conditions under which its effects can be minimized. By doing so, we hope to help point the way towards the most favorable experimental conditions to implement a quantum computer using neutral atoms.

Margo Goldfarb with Prof. Kerry Rouhier (Chemistry): "An Investigation into a Novel Synthetic Route for β-alanine in Plants"

Plants provide us with a number of important vitamins and nutrients that we are unable make ourselves. One such vitamin is vitamin B5. This important vitamin serves as a precursor to coenzyme A, which is an essential component in cellular respiration. Vitamin B5 and coenzyme A are synthesized from the non-protein amino acid, beta-alanine. While the biochemical reactions for the synthesis of vitamin B5 and coenzyme A are well known, it has long been a mystery as to how plants synthesize beta-alanine. Current research proposes that beta-alanine is made from spermine and uracil, however our lab recently discovered another route. Through the use of a variety of analytical techniques we are tracking this new pathway to show that beta-alanine can be synthesized from other important metabolic precursors.

Yiyi Ma with Prof. John Hofferberth (Chemistry): "Exploring the Impact of Functionalized Tethers on the Performance of an Intramolecular Vinylogous Aldol Reaction Capable of Forming All Carbon Quaternary Stereocenters"

We are exploring a new way to prepare organic molecules with an arrangement of carbon atoms called an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter. This arrangement of atoms is found in chemicals produced in nature and important pharmaceuticals. Despite their importance, all carbon quaternary stereocenters are difficult to assemble and this work aims to expand the range of methods available to synthetic chemists to prepare such chemicals.

Rachel Nguyen with Prof. Tom Giblin (Physics): "Scalar Field Dark Matter"

Most of the matter in the Universe is invisible, made of Dark Matter and Dark Energy—96% of the Universe eludes direct direction and explanation. Dark matter is the oldest of these two mysteries; gravitationally, we see evidence that dark matter is responsible for holding galaxies together. We use large, high performance, lattice simulations of the Universe with fields that may explain this phenomenon. In our simulations we watch how the Universe comes together and will be able to say whether these fields could be (or could not be) a viable candidate for this great mystery.

Emily Rachfal with Prof. Judy Holdener (Mathematics and Statistics): "Characterizing Multiply Perfect Numbers"

In January of 2018, Jonathan Price, a 51-year old electrical engineer living in Germantown Tennessee discovered the 50^th Mersenne prime using a computer program downloaded from GIMPS (the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search). The prime, 2^77,232,917 - 1, has 23,249,425 digits and is the largest known prime number. This prime, as it turns out, also gives rise to a new perfect number. A perfect number is a number whose sum of divisors equals twice the number itself. (For example, 6 is perfect, because the sum of its divisors: 1, 2, 3 and 6 is 12, which is twice 6.) As the Greek mathematician Euclid observed over two thousand years ago, every Mersenne prime (which is a prime of the form 2^p- 1 where p is prime) gives rise to the even perfect number 2^p-1(2^p- 1). In this way, Price’s prime discovery reveals the new perfect number 2^77,232,916 (2^77,232,917 – 1). While perfect numbers have been studied for over two thousand years, these numbers remain mysterious. For example, all fifty known perfect numbers are even, and nobody knows if an odd perfect number exists. We are examining generalizations of perfect numbers known as multiply perfect numbers. A multiply perfect number of multiplicity k is an integer n satisfying the property that the sum of the divisors of n is equal to kn. (So multiply perfect numbers of multiplicity 2 are perfect numbers.) Currently there are over 5000 known multiply perfect numbers, and we are working to understand their structure. Like perfect numbers, all known multiply perfect numbers are even. However unlike perfect numbers, the structure of even multiply perfect numbers is not understood. Mathematicians believe that there are infinitely many multiply perfect numbers and that they exist for every possible multiplicity k>1. Currently, the largest known multiplicity of a multiply perfect number is 11. In their research we will be studying the distribution of multiply perfect numbers within the integers and examining ways to construct new multiply perfect numbers. In doing so, we hope to gain new insights into the possible existence of odd perfect and multiply perfect numbers.

Georgia Stolle-McAllister with Prof. Les Wade (Physics): "The search for intermediate-mass black holes binaries in LIGO’s second observing run"

On September 14, 2015, a network of gravitational-wave detectors called LIGO made the first direct detection of gravitational waves from the merging of two black holes. Several more merging black hole pairs have since been detected by LIGO, and their two observing runs of data are still being analyzed by the collaboration. We will search data from LIGO’s second observing run for a mysterious class of heavy black holes, called intermediate-mass black holes, which may play an important role in the formation of supermassive black holes.

2018 Programming

Spring

January – Kickoff celebration: Get the project started off on the right foot!

February – Research integrity discussion: What does it mean to do ethical research? We will review some interesting case studies and discuss their outcomes.

March – Celebration of women’s history month: March is women’s history month. We will celebrate by discussing some influential women in chemistry, mathematics, and physics who you may not be familiar with. We will also discuss tips and techniques for giving a strong research presentation.

Summer

Networking and preparing for graduate school seminar with staff from the Career Development Office.

Research progress updates: Each scholar will give two short presentation on the progress of their research. This will be an opportunity for scholars to share with others the successes (and maybe failures) of their own research.

Fall

Department visits to The Ohio State University.