Center for Applied Physics Studies - CAPS

Founded: 1997

Full Time: 5

Part Time: 4

Budget: Derived from external funding, see list below

Director: Dr. Zeno D. Greenwood
Louisiana Tech University
P.O. Box 3169
Ruston, LA 71272

Telephone: 318-257-4358 or 4092 FAX: 318-257-4228

E-Mail: greenw@latech.edu

Web site: www.phys.latech.edu

Research Areas:

Physics and the applied sciences, such as engineering, manufacturing, and medicine, have been traditionally operated as separate disciplines. Although many of the important breakthroughs in applied fields, such as MRI, PET, and the Internet, have come ultimately from basic research in particle physics, often a time lag of years or decades has elapsed between the basic research and the application. An integrated laboratory environment, where physicists and engineers work closely with one another not only hastens the transfer of basic research to applications, but also makes the technologies generated by engineers more readily available to the physics laboratory. Another advantage of this relationship is that research equipment which is needed by the different disciplines and which otherwise would be duplicated in separate laboratories can be readily shared so that resources can be spent efficiently and laboratories can be kept up with state-of-the-art equipment. As a teaching environment, the shared laboratory provides students with cross-disciplinary team training which is urgently needed in a highly technological society.

The shared laboratory environment is currently in operation under the auspices of the Center for Applied Physics Studies (CAPS) at Louisiana Tech University. This center currently includes four groups with diverse, yet related, goals and a major objective of CAPS is to identify advances made by one group which are of immediate use to the others. The four disciplines involved are Particle Physics, Fluids Engineering, Micromanufacturing, and Biomedical Engineering. The CAPS projects involve two or more of these groups. An example which involves all four is the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) project. The Biomedical Engineering group is interested in PET as a way to study the interaction between hemodynamics and uptake of biological agents in atherosclerotic lesions. However, this type of study requires higher spatial resolution than is currently available. The particle physics group is developing high resolution, fast-timing pixilated gamma-ray imaging detectors capable of single photon detection making spectroscopy possible for their balloon-borne projects and which when applied to PET can potentially improve the spatial resolution by a factor of 2 (from 4 mm to 2 mm). These detectors can be manufactured by the Institute for Micromanufacturing (IfM) and CAMD at LSU, and will make use of cooling methods under study by the Fluids Engineering group.

The core of CAPS is the Particle Physics Group which has ongoing research at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Fermi National Accelerator Lab (FermiLab), Los Alamos National Lab, the Minute-of-arc Gamma-Ray Imaging Experiment (MARGIE) with LSU, and the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory located in Livingston, LA. The CAPS Particle Group is composed of

Areas of Expertise:

CAPS has a very active research group in particle physics investigations, a detector development laboratory, and a new materials science program being developed with IfM.

Special Capabilities and Facilities:

Computer Resources: 3 DEC ALPHAs 200/233 MHz & 6 DEC ALPHAs 200/433 MHz & 2 DECStations w/UNIX each with 200 Megs memory, Server, Window NT, 25 GB external Hard Disk Storage, 4 mm DAT, CD Rom, 4 Laser Jet Printer, 1 color printer, 25 Tektronix x-window terminals, 20 assorted PC, all on a local area network subnet off the University Backbone Software: Mathematica, MATLAB, ANSYS, PAW (a data analysis, fitting, and modeling program), LabView, programming languages FORTRAN, C,++, Visual C and Basic, Pspice, AUTOCAD14, DAQ software.

Electronics Test, Modeling, and Assembly Stand: Pspice circuit board design and modeling capable of circuit board manufacturing, electronics components, soldering stations, DC Power Supplies, two Tektronics 4 channel 400MHz scopes, LeCroy 4 channel 1 GHz Digital Scope w/rs232, DVMs, bread boards, pulsers, and spectrum analyzer, CAEN HV PS with 4 32 channel boards.

Data Acquisition Systems: VME, CAMAC, and FastBuss based DAQ systems with PC interfaces, including TDCs, multi-hit TDCs, ADCs, and Scalars, assorted NIM electr4onics for triggering, including scalars, amplifiers, gate generators, etc.

Cosmic Ray Test Stand: composed of PC DAQ, several scintillation counters, charge particle tracking wire chambers, and associated electronics.

Mechanical Design Station:AUTOCAD 14, layout board, and printer Assorted Electronics: NIM modules, gates, amplifiers, ECL/NIM converters, discriminators, ADCs, TDCs, scalars, VME and CAMAC Crates w/ ADC, TDC, Scalars, Multi-hit TDC.

Friction/Heat Transfer Test Apparatus: Particle Velocity Imager (PIV), Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV), High Accuracy Pressure Transducers, Gas/liquid Flow Meters, DC power supplies, Data Acquisition System w/Pentium PC, LabView analysis software, and ink-jet printer, high pressure diaphragm pump (0-1,200 psig).

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer Lab (SIMS Lab): In conjunction with IfM, CAPS has received a SIMS Lab donated by MIT for surface science investigations. The apparatus is capable of measuring surface contaminants and their amounts to sub ppm level.

Resources available through Institute for Micromanufacturing (IfM): PVD Sputterer, PVD Evaporator (E-Beam), LPCVD, Furnace System, CR Ovens, Regular Ovens, Vacuum Ovens, Polyimide Bake Oven, Electroplating Stations, Wet Processing Stations, Spinner Stations, Pattern Generator (2 ?m), Mask Aligner (w/ BS align), ECR Etcher, RIE, Microscopes (inspection), Microscopes (stereo), Probe Station, Profilometer, WYKO RST, Dicing System, Wire Bonders, FFT Analyzer, Die Bonder (eutectic), Die Bonder (epoxy), excimer laser ablation/polymerization, micromachining system, Ion Beam Machining system, 100 keV Electron Beam Lithography System, Metrology Equipment (AFM, RST, 2 SEMs, various optical inspection equipment), Diamond Machining Tool, Computer Controlled Ultra High Precision Micro Milling and Drilling Machine, Atomic Force Microscope, 400W ND:Yg Laser, PIs also have access to over 500 sq. ft. of laboratory space within the IfM.

Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Science (CyBERS): Air isolation vibration table, Photometrics Quantix High Resolution CCD, PC-based Image Analysis System.

Research Equipment:

*see above list

Keywords:

Engineering
Science & Technology
Materials Engineering
Materials Science
Physics
Particle Physics
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Health and Medical
Biomedical Engineering
Energy