PROJECTS
Below are summaries of some of my current and previous projects. Each project has links to papers, posters, or websites where you can explore them further. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions and I will be happy to hear from you.
Current Project(s)
Applying Quantum Chemistry Methods to Study Statistical Mechanics Processes
In quantum chemistry, the number of potential states a system can occupy is exponential dependent on the size of the system. To efficiently simulate the most interesting of systems, theorists have developed and are developing algorithms which capture the essential characteristics of a system without considering all possible states. One such algorithm is the Density Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG), which was created in the 1990s and has been extensively applied to one-dimensional quantum systems.
Recently, it has been shown to be effective in studying a problem of particular interest in statistical physics called the Simple Exclusion Process (SEP). I am currently developing a DMRG code using Python and will be using it to study the SEP. From there, I intend to use recent DMRG developments to extend my code into higher dimensional systems and study a two-dimensional SEP. Once completed, the SEP can be used study interesting non-equilibrium steady-state systems such as heat transfer in carbon nanotubes and molecular diffusion through zeolites.
For those interested in learning about the DMRG method, a comprehensive description of the algorithm in a the classical framework and the tensor network paradigm is given here. Additionally, here is a paper describing the application of DMRG to the SEP.
Former Projects
Active Matter Theory and Simulation
During my first term at Caltech, I worked in Dr. John Brady's lab where they are studying the behavior of systems containing self-propelled particles. These particles, sometimes called "swimmers" or "squirmers", can range from synthetic Janus particles to bacteria to schools of fish and flocks of birds. My work here will combine theory and simulation to probe the behavior of suspensions of these swimmers under a variety of conditions.
You can view my final presentation explaining the effects of external field on suspensions of swimmers by clicking the image to the left, while some of the previous work done by the Brady group can be found on their website here. Videos of acoustical trapping of active particles are in the supplementary info for this paper and a videos of swimmers working through normal brownian particles are included with this paper.
Combustion Simulation - Principle Component Analysis
In Spring of 2016, I began working on this project with Professor James Sutherland at the Institute for Clean and Secure Energy. The basics of Principle Component Analysis (PCA) involves creating orthonormal basis sets describing the thermochemical state of a system. We are then able to use linear transformations of the transport equations to do high fidelity simulations of complex combustion processes involving both laminar and turbulent reacting flow at significantly lower computational costs.
For more information, click the image on the left to read a paper summarizing PCA or click here or here to for more recently published results.
Rio Tinto Kennecott - Online Stream Analyzer Optimization
During my internship at the Copperton Concentrator this past summer I worked on optimizing plant operator's usage of x-ray flourescence online stream analyzers (OSAs). This project involved addressing the concerns of plant operators, improving OSA availability, quantifying OSA accuracy and fixing control logic.
Click the image on the left for a poster I presented at the conclusion of the project or click here for more information on the Kennecott Copper Mine including a virtual tour of the mine and concentrator.
Normal digital cameras utilize a Bayer filter to record an image; Professor Rajesh Menon and Peng Wang are currently working on a new camera which uses a diffractive filter to randomly scatter entering light. Each wavelength of light scatters in slightly different ways which results in an unintelligible image being recorded by the sensor. My work has been to develop software which utilizes the scattered sensor image and a point spread function to reconstruct the original image.
Previously, this technology was used in creating a computational spectrometer as seen here. For the spectrometer software I recently utilized the direct binary search algorithm and vectorization to decrease computational time by 94%.
Nanopatterning Process Simulations
Professor Rajesh Menon and his graduate students have been developing two nanopatterning processes, POST and AMOL, centered on surmounting the far-field diffraction limit. I have worked on creating simulations to verify their experimental results. These simulations involve generating an interference pattern and simulating light penetration in COMSOL Multiphysics then transferring that data to Matlab to perform photochemical kinetics calculations.
Two papers are currently in varying stages of preparation for publication and will hopefully be completed early this Fall. For videos on Professor Menon's website describing POST and AMOL, click on the image to the left. There you may also find links to various papers published on these topics.
Former Projects
Active Matter Theory and Simulation
During my first term at Caltech, I worked in Dr. John Brady's lab where they are studying the behavior of systems containing self-propelled particles. These particles, sometimes called "swimmers" or "squirmers", can range from synthetic Janus particles to bacteria to schools of fish and flocks of birds. My work here will combine theory and simulation to probe the behavior of suspensions of these swimmers under a variety of conditions.
You can view my final presentation explaining the effects of external field on suspensions of swimmers by clicking the image to the left, while some of the previous work done by the Brady group can be found on their website here. Videos of acoustical trapping of active particles are in the supplementary info for this paper and a videos of swimmers working through normal brownian particles are included with this paper.
Active Matter Theory and Simulation
During my first term at Caltech, I worked in Dr. John Brady's lab where they are studying the behavior of systems containing self-propelled particles. These particles, sometimes called "swimmers" or "squirmers", can range from synthetic Janus particles to bacteria to schools of fish and flocks of birds. My work here will combine theory and simulation to probe the behavior of suspensions of these swimmers under a variety of conditions.
You can view my final presentation explaining the effects of external field on suspensions of swimmers by clicking the image to the left, while some of the previous work done by the Brady group can be found on their website here. Videos of acoustical trapping of active particles are in the supplementary info for this paper and a videos of swimmers working through normal brownian particles are included with this paper.