Under The Hood: Preparing the Helium and Lead Observatory for Full Operation

University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. January 2014. Major: Physics. Advisor: Alec Habig. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 64 pages.The Helium and Lead Observatory (HALO) at SNOLAB in Canada is the world's first dedicated supernova neutrino detector. Construction of the detector is complete, but there is still work to be done before it is fully operational. In this thesis, I describe my contributions to the HALO experiment which include the testing of hardware, the design of a redundant networking scheme, and the development and implementation of a remote monitoring system

Machine Learning in High Energy Physics Community White Paper

Machine learning has been applied to several problems in particle physics research, beginning with applications to high-level physics analysis in the 1990s and 2000s, followed by an explosion of applications in particle and event identification and reconstruction in the 2010s. In this document we discuss promising future research and development areas for machine learning in particle physics. We detail a roadmap for their implementation, software and hardware resource requirements, collaborative initiatives with the data science community, academia and industry, and training the particle physics community in data science. The main objective of the document is to connect and motivate these areas of research and development with the physics drivers of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider and future neutrino experiments and identify the resource needs for their implementation. Additionally we identify areas where collaboration with external communities will be of great benefit

Determining the Radial Location of the X-ray Emitting Zone of Spica

Color poster with text, diagrams, and tables.Although it is well known that O and B type stars are X-ray emitters, the machanism driving this process is not entirely understood. Knowing the radial location of the X-ray emission is key to understanding which models of X-ray emission are correct. In this project, we analyzed several ultraviolet wavelengths over a range of temperatures. We then compared this flux to a unique H-alpha data set for the B-star Spica to scale the model.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Reseearch and Sponsored Program

Determining the Radial Location of the X-ray Emitting Zones of Spica

Color poster with diagrams, images, and charts.Although it is well known that O and B type stars are X-ray emitters, the mechanism driving this process is not entirely understood. Knowing the radial location of the X-ray emission is key to understanding which models of X-ray emission are correct. In this project, several photospheric models were analyzed to determine which should be used and reconciled discrepancies within the model with observational data of the B-type star, Spica.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Achieving a Closed Orbit Around Neptune Through Aerobraking

Color poster with text and graphs.Changing the orbit of a spacecraft requires large changes in energy and angular momentum. If a spacecraft approaches a target planet with too much angular momentum, it will be routed around the planet and not captured into orbit. To be captured, the spacecraft must shed excess energy. A method called "aerobraking" can be used to slow the spacecraft down by letting it pass through the upper atmosphere of a planet to burn off excess energy. This study examines the parameters needed to break a spacecraft around Neptune using the process of aerobraking.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

HEP Software Foundation Community White Paper Working Group - Training, Staffing and Careers

The rapid evolution of technology and the parallel increasing complexity of algorithmic analysis in HEP requires developers to acquire a much larger portfolio of programming skills. Young researchers graduating from universities worldwide currently do not receive adequate preparation in the very diverse fields of modern computing to respond to growing needs of the most advanced experimental challenges. There is a growing consensus in the HEP community on the need for training programmes to bring researchers up to date with new software technologies, in particular in the domains of concurrent programming and artificial intelligence. We review some of the initiatives under way for introducing new training programmes and highlight some of the issues that need to be taken into account for these to be successful

Machine Learning in High Energy Physics Community White Paper

peer reviewedMachine learning is an important research area in particle physics, beginning with applications to high-level physics analysis in the 1990s and 2000s, followed by an explosion of applications in particle and event identification and reconstruction in the 2010s. In this document we discuss promising future research and development areas in machine learning in particle physics with a roadmap for their implementation, software and hardware resource requirements, collaborative initiatives with the data science community, academia and industry, and training the particle physics community in data science. The main objective of the document is to connect and motivate these areas of research and development with the physics drivers of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider and future neutrino experiments and identify the resource needs for their implementation. Additionally we identify areas where collaboration with external communities will be of great benefit