Master/bachelor projects

We are always opened for master/bachelor students. There are numerous projects that can be design to suit you, all depending of your interests and knowledge. A few examples of project can be found below. Do not hesitate to contact us for further information and discussions.

Development of an ion beam apparatus for undergraduate laboratories

Development of a mini storage ring

Measurement of the electron affinity of ZnO

Studies of Rheoscopic fluids

Investigation of negative ions of astrophysical interest

Development of an ion beam apparatus for undergraduate laboratories
We are currently developing an ion beam apparatus that will be used for advanced undergraduate teaching. The system consists of a plasma discharge ion source, a Wien filter for mass analysis and ion optical components. The system will be used to demonstrate the movement of charges in electric and magnetic fields and to give an experimental introduction to mass spectroscopy. The hardware for this device is in place. The task for this project is to develop this ion beam apparatus into an advanced undergraduate laboratory assignment where student will learn about production of ion beams, ion beam optics, detection of charged particles and data analysis. Further, the work can be accompanied by simulations of the charge particles in electrical and magnetic fields.

Development of a mini storage ring
A storage ring is a device where charge particles can be accelerated and stored. The most well know storage ring is LHC at CERN, where protons are stored in a ring with a circumference of 27 km. The smallest ring built to date has been constructed by researchers in Lyon. Their ring has a circumference smaller than 1 meter. The great advantage with the small ring is that it relatively easy can be cooled to a temperature of only a few Kelvin. We are now in the process of designing a storage ring in collaboration with the researchers in Lyon. One group of bachelor students is currently performing simulations of the ion trajectories using the software SIMION. Thereafter, the results will be transferred into a mechanical construction. Various types of research projects can be offered within the framework of the design and construction of this device.

Measurement of the electron affinity of ZnO
Zinc oxide is semiconductor with some unique properties. It is transparent, it has a high electron mobility and a wide bandgap. The material has been used in electronic applications such as thin-film transistors and light-emitting diodes. An important property of this material is its electron affinity. The aim of this project is to measure the electron affinity in gas phase. That is made by producing a beam of ZnO, which is intersected with a beam from a tunable laser. By varying the photon energy and observing the onset of production of neutral fragments, the electron affinity can be determined with very high accuracy.

Studies of Rheoscopic fluids
The direction patterns of microscopic particles with a preferred axis in liquid suspension can be mapped by light scattering. This can be used to visualize the ordering of complex systems governed by a underlying, random or steady, flow. The figure below shows an example of a complex fluid flow: a line of vortices created by moving a tip over the surface of a fluid. It was recently shown that textures of anisotropic particles in two-dimensional random flows exhibit unexpected singularities, resulting in unexpected light patterns. We can offer various projects in which these fingerprints of rheoscopic fluids are investigated. The work can involve development of imaging technique, development of manipulation techniques for fluid and computer simulations.

Investigation of negative ions of astrophysical interest
In recent years there has been an increased interest for negative ions in space. The work was triggered by the observation of C6H- in instellar media in 2006. Since then a number of negative ions has been observed in interstellar media. We now intend to make laboratory investigations of these ions. The prime goal is to experimentally determine important parameters, such as electron affinities and photodetachment cross sections. These data is of great importance when chemical processes in the interstellar media are modeled.