Comps, honors papers, and prize-winning works of the Physics and Astronomy Department are featured here. All works have been self-submitted by the student authors. Descriptive information about each work is available to search or browse. Access to the full text of the works is limited to current Carleton affiliates with faculty permission. Learn more about how to submit your work and how to request access to the full text of works.

In addition to this digital archive, physical copies of the Physics and Astronomy Department comps from 1978 to 2013 are available at Gould Library.

Follow

Submissions from 2016

Jordan Michael Zoellmer, Physics (PHYS) 2016, The Global Position System: An Introduction to the Background and Physics

Submissions from 2015

Brian Isaac Charous, Physics (PHYS) 2015, The Physics and Design of Antennas

Ross James Jennings, Physics (PHYS) 2015, The Formation of Planets

Melody Paz Judilla, Physics (PHYS) 2015, Explosions in Space: Core-Collapse Supernovae

Stephen Erwin Kuenstner, Physics (PHYS) 2015, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Ben Emery Levy, Physics (PHYS) 2015, Thunderstorms, Lightning, and Lightning Strikes on Aircraft

Shail Maharshi Mehta, Physics (PHYS) 2015, An Analysis of the Physical Principles Underlying Limb Prosthetics and Associated Control Mechanisms

Andrew Davis Polasky, Physics (PHYS) 2015, The Physics of Weather Prediction

Carolyn Raithel, Physics (PHYS) 2015, The Astrophysics of Cosmic Rays

Tenzin Rigden, Physics (PHYS) 2015, Physics of Non-Volatile Digital Data Storage Technologies

Christopher Gorman Winter, Physics (PHYS) 2015, A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS: Particle Detectors at the Large Hadron Collider

Submissions from 2014

Scott Steven Dossa, Physics (PHYS) 2014, Interpretations of Gravity

Emily Jean Luebker Fairfax, Physics (PHYS) 2014, Flying Behind Enemy Lines: Stealth Aircraft Technology of the U.S. Military

Nicholas Henry Herringer, Physics (PHYS) 2014, The Physics of Photography

Duncan Krisa, Physics (PHYS) 2014, Physical Implementations of Digital Logic

Marty Jelin Schwarz, Physics (PHYS) 2014, Nature As Clockmaker

Anne Pender Sledd, Physics (PHYS) 2014, Ultraslow and Stopped Electromagnetic Waves: The Cheater's Guide to Going Faster Than Light

Yan Sun, Physics (PHYS) 2014, Nuclear Fusion

Jackson Tears, Physics (PHYS) 2014, The Colliding Universe

Laura Rose Wadleigh, Physics (PHYS) 2014, Information Theory in Physics

Submissions from 2013

Matthew Charles Adams, Physics (PHYS) 2013, Flipping Bits and Spinning Disks: The Physics of Computer Memory

Tom A. Callister, Physics (PHYS) 2013, Spacecraft Propulsion

Andrew Alan Chael, Physics (PHYS) 2013, Cosmology and the Cosmic Microwave Background

Julian Ray Childs-Walker, Physics (PHYS) 2013, Humpback Whales and Sharks: An Exploration of Biomimicry

Alexander Kyle Chin, Physics (PHYS) 2013, The Physics of Organic Electronic Devices

Morgan Kay Dixon, Physics (PHYS) 2013, The Physics of Antimatter

Peter Duggins, Physics (PHYS) 2013, Physics of Fusion Power

David Roger Miller, Physics (PHYS) 2013, The Physics of Vision

Rachel Elizabeth Osofsky, Physics (PHYS) 2013, The First Three Minutes of the Universe

Charlotte Rose Pfeifer, Physics (PHYS) 2013, The Physics of Spider Webs

Aurora C. Roth, Physics (PHYS) 2013, Ice Fishing for Neutrinos: The Physics of Neutrino Telescopes

Ryan William Skinner, Physics (PHYS) 2013, Imaging the Earth with Synthetic Aperture Radar

Derek James Turner, Physics (PHYS) 2013, The Physics of Medical Imaging: X-ray and MRI

Andrea Vang, Physics (PHYS) 2013, The Physics of Comets

Taylor Ann Want, Physics (PHYS) 2013, The Physics of Waste Management

Submissions from 2012

Dustin James Anderson, Physics (PHYS) 2012, Plasmas and the Sun

Colleen Marie Barr, Physics (PHYS) 2012, Soil Erosion

Ross William Cawthon, Physics (PHYS) 2012, The Shape of the Universe

Benjamin Witte Cerjan, Physics (PHYS) 2012, Snow

Michael William Coughlin, Physics (PHYS) 2012, Earth Energy Dynamics

Louisa Eberle, Physics (PHYS) 2012, The Physics of Butterflies

Valerie Kristen Fox, Physics (PHYS) 2012, Exploring Venus

Kiyota Christopher Gomi, Physics (PHYS) 2012, The Physics of Baseball

Kevin M. Hallman, Physics (PHYS) 2012, The Limit of Moore's Law: Transistor Scaling in the 21st Century

Traci Lin Johnson, Physics (PHYS) 2012, Type Ia Supernovae

Samuel Steven Keller, Physics (PHYS) 2012, Wireless Energy Transfer

Micah Reed Koller, Physics (PHYS) 2012, Fundamentals of Neutron Star Formation, Structure, and Composition

Minty Kunkel, Physics (PHYS) 2012, The History and Physics of the Point-Contact Transistor

Kyle Morgan Leichter, Physics (PHYS) 2012, Advanced Prosthetics

Min Yao Lim, Physics (PHYS) 2012, The Physics of Food & Cooking: A Discourse on Three Courses

Emily Brook Petroff, Physics (PHYS) 2012, The Physics of the Interstellar Medium

Sarah Catherine Cederberg Schlotter, Physics (PHYS) 2012, The Making of Wootz Steel and Damascus Blades

Submissions from 2011

Jacob Lee Anderson, Physics (PHYS) 2011, The Physics of Baseball

Ryan Joseph Babbush, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Quantum Molecular Dynamics

Narula Bilik, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Laser-Based 3D Printing Technology

Sophie Maya Bushwick, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Graphene

Elizabeth A. Cannon, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Plug-In Vehicles: The Future of Transportation

Bradley John Eckelmann, Physics (PHYS) 2011, The Problem of Radiation Exposure in Manned Space Missions

David Matthew French, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Accretion onto Supermassive Black Holes: Fuel for Quasars

Jennifer Marie Goetz, Physics (PHYS) 2011, The Ocean in Motion: Circulation, Mixing and Climate

Alex Hand Kinsey, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Flexible Electronics

Michael Phan Knudson, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Solar Cell Function and Efficiency Considerations

Nathan Kenneth Lysne, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Branching Out, On the relationship between physics and biology as investigated through trees

Claire Elizabeth Murray, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Planetary Nebulae: A Study of Morphology

Peter Andros Rose, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Electromagnetic Cloaking

Laurel Schmidt, Physics (PHYS) 2011, How many protons does it take to turn on a light bulb?

Brian Howard Schuster, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Lightsails: Traveling the Cosmic Ocean

Michael John Servis, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Brownian Motion in Astrophysics

Matthew S. Strongin, Physics (PHYS) 2011, The Prospects and Physical Constraints of Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage

Thomas Adam Sullivan, Physics (PHYS) 2011, The Physics of Spacecraft Propulsion

Shao Min Tan, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Falling Through Spacetime: A Study of Black Holes

Christopher Daniel Wilen, Physics (PHYS) 2011, Free Electron Lasers: Imaging the Ultra Small and Ultra Fast

Submissions from 2010

Cory Pate Barnes, Physics (PHYS) 2010, The Action Principle: An Exlporation into the Mathematical Framework of the Universe

Grace Allsman Elwell, Physics (PHYS) 2010, The Physics of Superheroes: How to Choose a Good Superpower

Ben P. Haynor, Physics (PHYS) 2010, Limits on the Computational Power of Nature

Samuel A. Kanner, Physics (PHYS) 2010, Current Issues Facing the Wave Energy Industry

Andrew Corby McClung, Physics (PHYS) 2010, Information, irreversibility, and the thermodynamics of computation

Anna Jolene Mork, Physics (PHYS) 2010, Molecular Electronics: Exploring the Limits of Small

Katherine Alexis Perry, Physics (PHYS) 2010, Superfluid Helium-3

Callie Jenna Sand, Physics (PHYS) 2010, The Evolution of a Megastructure: Skyscrapers and the American Way

Michael Jared Sanders, Physics (PHYS) 2010, Water Erosion of Topsoil: Fundamental Physical Concepts

Chelsea Phipps Scott, Physics (PHYS) 2010, Glacier dynamics: Using velocity and temperature profiles to understand climate fluctuations

Joseph Karl Swiggum, Physics (PHYS) 2010, Out of Silence: Sound Film Technology of the 1920s

Submissions from 2009

Elliot Bartis, Physics (PHYS) 2009, Physics and applications of pyroelectricity

Thomas Brenner, Physics (PHYS) 2009, The fundamentals of solar cells

Mikael Brucker, Physics (PHYS) 2009, Designing appropriate technology for the developing world

Tiffany F. Cox, Physics (PHYS) 2009, Molten rock: a perspective on magma genesis, magma chamber dynamics, and the effects of crystallization

Lukas Fried, Physics (PHYS) 2009, The sun and its spots

Marlea Iiams, Physics (PHYS) 2009, The physics of woodwinds

Tyler Keating, Physics (PHYS) 2009, Nuclear power: basic principles and future directions

Theodore Marschall, Physics (PHYS) 2009, Superstates: Bose-Einstein condensation in the states of matter

William Mueller, Physics (PHYS) 2009, Energetics of a hovering hummingbird

Sara L. Rothwell, Physics (PHYS) 2009, The quantum effects of light

Ryan Terrien, Physics (PHYS) 2009, Fringe science: optical astronomical interferometry

Submissions from 2005

John M. Floberg, Physics (PHYS) 2005, The physics of boron neutron capture therapy: an emerging and innovative treatment for glioblastoma and melanoma

Kira Grogg, Physics (PHYS) 2005, Harvesting the Wind: The Physics of Wind Turbines

Submissions from 2004

Joseph Durham, Physics (PHYS) 2004, Feedback Control