Papers by Adrian Thompson
The theory of a complex scalar Higgs field which provides a mechanism for electroweak symmetry br... more The theory of a complex scalar Higgs field which provides a mechanism for electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB) is outlined to provide motivation for the study of the electroweak sector through vector boson scattering (VBS). Many of the exact mechanisms of EWSB have yet to be confirmed in the TeV scale, where the existence of new physics is sought after as a source of unitarity preservation. The use of an effective field theory as a way of incorporating anomalous couplings of new physics is presented as a modern way to study EWSB beyond the standard model.
A foray into variational calculus and functionals. The mantelpiece of the subject, the Euler-Lagr... more A foray into variational calculus and functionals. The mantelpiece of the subject, the Euler-Lagrange equation, is derived and applied to several canonical examples, namely Hamilton's principle. Hamilton's principle, expressed as the principle of least Action, is also derived, whose importance and power is demonstrated on examples in classical mechanics, and discussed in the context of general relativity and quantum field theory.
The fundamentals of pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (PNMR) were investigated in a series of exp... more The fundamentals of pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (PNMR) were investigated in a series of experiments using a sample of mineral oil, a benchtop magnet, and a radio frequency (RF) pulse programmer. The apparatus was set up to observe a free induction decay (FID) signal response in the sample magnetization and measure the homogeneity in the static magnetic field contour. The spin-lattice (T 1 ) and spin-spin (T 2 ) relaxation times of the sample were measured to be 7.48 ± 0.39 ms and 22.69 ± 0.82 ms, respectively.
We used a scintillator apparatus to monitor muon decay at sea-level from atmospheric sources. By ... more We used a scintillator apparatus to monitor muon decay at sea-level from atmospheric sources. By Accumulating a Poisson distribution of muon decay times and accounting for background events, we obtained the mean muon lifetime to be 2.184 ± 0.030ms from an exponential fit. Comparison to other data sets from groups that used our apparatus in a different location, one year ago, yielded interesting results regarding the systematic and random errors associated with our apparatus.
We studied the behavior of nonlinear and chaotic circuits. The resonant frequency of an LRC circu... more We studied the behavior of nonlinear and chaotic circuits. The resonant frequency of an LRC circuit was experimentally determined, and the circuit was compared to a diodeinductor-resistor (DLR) circuit to explore the transition from nonlinearity to chaos. The internal resistance of the LRC inductor was found to be 123 ± 2 Ω, while the low amplitude diode capacitance of the DLR circuit was found to be 55.6 ± 0.7 pF. With the aid of a fast-Fourier-transform (FFT) oscilloscope function, four regimes of behavior in the DLR circuit were studied. Finally, an experiment on Chua's strange attractor circuit is proposed as a future project.
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Papers by Adrian Thompson