The recent observation of nonzero neutrino mass is the first concrete indication of physics beyond the Standard Model. Their properties, unique among the other fermions, leads naturally to the idea of a Majorana neutrino mass term. Despite the strong theoretical prejudice toward this concept, it must be tested experimentally. This...
This thesis is a description of the measurement of the W boson mass using the D0 Run II detector with 770 pb^-1 of proton-antiproton collision data. These collisions were produced by the Tevatron at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV between 2002 and 2006. We use a sample of W -> e...
B_s mixing studies provide a precision test of Charge-Parity violation in the Standard Model. A measurement of deltaMs constrains elements of the CKM quark rotation matrix, providing a probe of Standard Model Charge-Parity violation.
This thesis describes a study of B_s mixing in the semileptonic decay B_s -> D_s mu...
We use transverse sound spectroscopy to probe excited states of the Cooper pairs in the B-phase of superfluid 3He. In particular we study those excited states with non-zero energy at zero momentum, the so called gapped, or exciton, modes. This includes precise measurements of the imaginary squashing mode energies as...
A study of the optical properties and superconductivity in semiconductors is presented using the highly precise all-electron full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) density functional calculations.
Optical properties [$\varepsilon(\omega)$,$n(\omega)$,$k(\omega)$,$R(\omega)$ and $\alpha(\omega)$] of some III-V semiconductors [InAs, InSb, GaSb, and AlSb] and their critical point (CP) energies, are calculated from the...
Since its emergence, the Ginzburg-Landau theory has had a tremendous success in describing thermodynamic properties of superconductivity. In the case of superfluid 3He, not all five fourth-order parameters in the theory are known. Only four combinations of the five parameters have been experimentally established and theoretical attempts to calculate the...
Weak optical signals, e.g., Raman scattering, fluorescence emission, etc., are typically enhanced by increasing both the excitation field and the collection efficiency. Near a surface, signals can be resonantly enhanced using either surface plasmon polaritons or a resonant dielectric waveguide, provided the sources lie within an evanescent decay length of...
Living organisms grow precisely controlled assemblies of inorganic crystals using organic substrates. This observation has inspired the strategy of using synthetic organic templates for the growth of tailored inorganic thin films. It has been previously shown that monomolecular organic layers floating on supersaturated aqueous subphases (Langmuir monolayers) select the structure...
One of the current goals in the biomaterials research is to develop implants with improved osteoconductivity and long-term stability. Thanks to its chemical similarity to the mineral phase of natural bone, hydroxyapatite (HA) has been extensively studied and clinically tested as a coating on metallic substrates, to obtain bioactive implants...
Graphene sheets (one-atom-thick, two-dimensional layers of sp2-bonded carbon) are predicted to have a range of unusual properties. Recent studies have shown that individual graphene sheets have extraordinary electrical properties, but an efficient method of graphite exfoliation remains a challenge. A number of approaches to exfoliation have been tried, such as...
Measurements of the ratios of charged kaon decay rates for Ke3/K2pi, Kmu3/K2pi and Kmu3/Ke3 are presented. These measurements are based on charged kaon decays collected in a dedicated run in 2003 by the NA48/2 experiment at CERN. The results obtained are Ke3/K2pi = 0.2470 +- 0.0009 (stat) +- 0.0004 (syst)...
This is a visualization of an event reconstructed in CMS HGCal. This event is consist of 10 pions with a transverse momentum of 35 GeV. The reconstruction algorithm groups all valid energy deposits (hits) into clusters, each incoming particle having one or a few corresponding clusters, so that the energy...
This dissertation presents a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) study of anisotropic superconductors, MgB$_2$ and Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ (Bi2212), and diffusion in glass-forming aqueous solutions of glycerol. In glycerol and deuterated water mixtures, the diffusion of glycerol is measured selectively by the $^1$H NMR stimulated echo technique in the gradient field of a...
The Galactic center (GC) is a dense and chaotic region filled with unusual sources, such as intense star forming regions, dense star clusters, nonthermal radio filaments, and a massive black hole. The proximity of the GC region makes it an ideal place to study the unusual processes that tend to...
This dissertation presents submillimeter polarimetry methods and scientific results. The scientific results focus on revealing the magnetic field structure of giant molecular clouds (GMCs). The basic principles, instrumentation, observing strategy, and data analysis methods of submillimeter polarimetry are introduced. The scientific data were acquired by SPARO during the observing campaign...
The High Energy Density Sciences group at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory studies materials in extreme conditions such as very high temperatures and pressures. We use shock waves produced by the Linac Coherent Light Source to compress polycrystalline diamond samples. Compressing these samples allows us to use x-ray diffraction to study...
ESA and NASA are moving forward with plans to launch LISA around 2030. With data from the Illustris large-scale cosmological simulation, we provide analysis of LISA detection rates accompanied by characterization of the merging massive black holes and their host galaxies. Massive black holes of total mass $\sim10^6-10^9 M_\odot$ are...
In this dissertation, I discuss the role of neutrino masses and fermion flavor in modern particle physics and present several efforts aimed at exploiting these properties in searches for new physics. In particular, I discuss (1) the effects of neutrino decays on neutrino propagation; (2) the sensitivity of the Deep...
This dissertation presents a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) study of a novel anisotropic superconductor, HgBa$_{2}$CuO$_{4+\delta}$ (Hg1201) and unconventional strain dependence of the mean free path of silica aerogel. Hg1201 is one of the most structurally simple cuprates known. Therefore, it is an ideal compound in investigation of various phases in...
An atom interferometric gyroscope (AIG) made with an uncorrelated ensemble of N two-level atoms, rotating at a rate ΩG about an axis normal to the area Θ accrues a phase ϕ = 2ωCΘΩG/c2 due to the Sagnac effect. Here ωC is the Compton frequency of the atoms used, and c...