http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7697 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:09:18 GMT 2013-06-19T01:09:18Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77767 Method of testing and voicing organ pipes Clift, Evelyn O Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1922.; Includes bibliographical references (leaf 32). Sun, 01 Jan 1922 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77767 1922-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77480 Optimization of sub-10 femtosecond titanium sapphire lasers Russom, Jeffrey Nary Kerr-lens mode locked Ti:sapphire lasers are the backbone of most ultrafast and attosecond pulse generation systems. As such when building such systems the experimentalist desires an easy to use and robust system to produce femtosecond pulses for use in experiments. Towards this end I will discuss the issues involved in perfecting Kerr-lens mode locked Ti:sapphire laser technology and present experimental results on a new type of output coupler designed using chirped mirror technology. This new type of output coupler promises improved stability and improved spatial and spectral pulse qualities. In addition I will also discuss the phenomenon of Ince-Gaussian modes, which constitute a more general solution to the paraxial wave equation than the regular Hermite and Laguerre Gaussian solutions. By studying these modes, we hope to discover a relationship between the observed Ince-Gaussian mode patterns in the continuous wave beam of the laser and use this to determine the correct operating alignment for the laser cavity. Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-107). Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77480 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77478 LiNaK : multi-species apparatus for the study of ultracold quantum degenerate mixtures Santiago González, Ibon This thesis describes the construction of a versatile apparatus to study ultracold quantum mixtures capable of simultaneously cooling fermionic ⁶Li and ⁴⁰K, as well as the bosonic ⁴¹K. The main features of the experimental setup are presented, in particular the addition of a new species ²³Na, which has enabled the study of the Bose-Fermi mixture ²³Na-⁴⁰K. Three main experimental benchmarks are outlined: first, the production of a Bose-Einstein Condensate of ⁴¹K is discussed and an evaluation of its properties as a coolant are analysed. Secondly, the creation of a triply degenerate Bose-Fermi-Fermi gas of ⁴¹K-⁴⁰K-⁶Li is presented. Simultaneous observation of Pauli Pressure and Bose Condensation in the triply degenerate gas is reported. In addition, interspecies Feshbach resonances between ⁴¹K-⁴⁰K and ⁶Li-⁴¹K are observed, opening the way to the study of a strongly interacting isotopic Bose-Fermi mixture of ⁴¹K-⁴⁰K, which have similar mass. Thirdly, the creation of a quantum degenerate Bose-Fermi mixture of ²³Na-⁴⁰K is discussed and over thirty Feshbach resonances are identified. Finally, a degenerate ²³Na-⁴⁰K Bose-Fermi mixture opens the way to creating fermionic NaK ground state molecules, which are known to be chemically stable and have a larger permanent electric dipole than KRb. This thesis concludes with a review of the molecular properties of NaK and explores the possibilities of bringing Feshbach molecules of NaK into the singlet rovibrational ground state. Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2012.; Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-113). Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77478 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/75006 Magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in liquid mercury Wiley, David S Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1961.; Includes bibliographical references (leaf [106]). Sun, 01 Jan 1961 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/75006 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z