Tagged Questions

4
votes
1answer
61 views

Optics alignment of a confocal scanning microscope

I am facing a challenge in my project regarding optical alignment. See the figure: The challenge is with the vertical optical system alignment. I considered placing a mirror and check back if the ...
4
votes
0answers
76 views

Mechanical Equivalent of Heat

Recently I have been looking up James Joule's experiment regarding the mechanical equivalent of heat. After viewing some drawings of the apparatus, I assumed that the lines holding the weights would ...
4
votes
1answer
89 views

How important is it, really, to clean vacuum parts?

In every lab I've seen, people are quite meticulous about cleaning parts that are to be used in ultrahigh vacuum, as well as the components of the chamber itself. The parts may be put in an ultrasonic ...
2
votes
2answers
159 views

Multiple measurements of the same quantity - combining uncertainties

I have a number of measurements of the same quantity (in this case, the speed of sound in a material). Each of these measurements has their own uncertainty. $$ v_{1} \pm \Delta v_{1} $$ $$ v_{2} \pm ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views

How can I cheat an XRD sample (~10 mg) from a total 1g required? How can I use for the background.

How much can affect (in terms of hump) my X-ray diffraction pattern the "amorphous" glass or maybe someone can suggest me other material to compensate for the small amount of the sample. Note: my ...
1
vote
1answer
130 views

How do you calculate the equivalent absorbed radiation dose from activity, type of emission, and the energy of the emission?

I have a sample of U-238 of which my Geiger counter detects beta activity at 700 events per second. Based on the counter's efficiency of 98.6% for U-238, the activity would be about 710 becquerels, I ...
5
votes
3answers
207 views

experimental technique for measuring temperature of an ant

I am taking a course on thermodynamics. I have a question from my text(halliday & resnick,physics-1). They asked me to measure temperature of an ant or an insect or a small body,like a small ...
0
votes
1answer
110 views

How to choose a $\alpha$, $\beta$, $\gamma$ measurement detector?

There are many different detectors for different radiation,such as NaI,HpGe,CsI for $\gamma$ detection,and ionization chamber,proportional counter,Geiger counter for $\alpha$, $\beta$ detection,but ...
1
vote
1answer
117 views

Calibrating an electronic temperature sensor based on power consumption

I'm working with an electronic temperature logger that is being affected by heat generated internally. How does one come up with a calibration equation to calculate a more accurate reading of ambient ...
4
votes
0answers
150 views

Parity and Helicity of the Higgs Boson

I have been studying how the spin and parity of the new boson discovered at the LHC will be studied and have run into some confusion. The Standard Model Higgs is expected to be a scalar (i.e. have ...
4
votes
2answers
236 views

Vector Boson Fusion

I have been reading about the production mechanisms for the Higgs at the LHC. It is always mentioned that for Vector Boson Fusion, the initial quarks cause jets that are back to back and with a higher ...
0
votes
1answer
105 views

Increase the signal-to-noise ratio of photomultiplier

It is a GRE physics problem. A technique would most likely increase the signal- to-noise ratio of a photomultiplier tube is to operate the tube at a lower temperature operate the tube at higher ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views

random triggers

I understand that a small proportion of events at the LHC that would not trigger on any deterministic trigger are saved on what might be called a random trigger, so that, amongst other uses, proposed ...
4
votes
2answers
186 views

How does one get the value of acceleration of gravitation on earth accurately by experiment without electronic device?

How does one get the value of acceleration of gravitation on earth accurately to 5 significant digits by experiment without electronic device?
2
votes
1answer
118 views

Good algorithm for in-experiment 1-D optimization?

I'm running an experiment -- for the question, it doesn't matter which one, but I'm measuring an optical intensity $I$ as a function of two parameters: reflection angle $\theta$ and wavelength ...
1
vote
1answer
171 views

How does the Double Slit Experiment work in detail?

What is the best detailed description/visualisation of the experiment available? Describing what is actually measured, how the data is analysed, correlated and interpreted when for example large ...
4
votes
2answers
939 views

Strategies against 50 Hz mains hum on detector signals?

I'm having problems with a strong 50 Hz mains hum on signals created by photodetectors. I assume that they are due to ground loops and I realize that the best option would be to remove those. What are ...
1
vote
1answer
529 views

Oil drop experiment--How was the result so accurate?

I remember while learning about Millikan's oil drop experiment and being pretty skeptical about the setup. I know that there is a lot of controversy regarding manipulation of data, but the fact is; he ...
3
votes
2answers
254 views

What is the highest accuracy of measuring time differences achievable today?

I was wondering if it would be possible to shorten the distance between detectors when measuring the speed of neutrinos to, say, 7m rather than the current ~700km? In this way the distance traveled ...
11
votes
1answer
200 views

Cleaning Already Mounted Microspheres on an AFM

I am running an experiment that uses a microsphere (Diameter ~ 50um) mounted onto the end of an AFM cantilever. I run several experiments in a row, but somewhere during a sequence, the microsphere ...
2
votes
1answer
131 views

Measuring concentration

I am trying to measure the concentration of a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) inside a liquid using Gas Chromatography (GC). The liquid contains particles that cannot be sent to a GC, so I am using ...
12
votes
2answers
21 views

Why are binary objects so critical to astronomy?

There are a lot of astronomical objects out there to study but binary objects seem to get more attention. Why is this? What makes binary objects (stars, Kuiper Belt Objects, black holes, galaxies, ...
7
votes
2answers
125 views

How to reproduce highway vibration?

I would like to test my hardware under vibration that can appear on a highway gantry. If someone has a model of such vibration. i.e period and amplitude. In my lab I have a motor that can be ...