Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Logan Rudd Rose Hills

Development of an Apparatus to Measure Relative Reflectivity of Teflon Samples to 175 nm Light in Liquid Xenon

The LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment is currently investigating the use of PTFE (Polytetraflouroethylene) best known as Teflon, for the internal walls of its liquid xenon detector, due to its high reflectivity for 175 nm light. In order to streamline research and development of the PTFE to be used in the detector, a new apparatus is currently being developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to quickly measure the relative reflectivity of multiple samples of PTFE against 175 nm light in liquid xenon. My goals for the summer are to aid in designing and building some of the aspects of this apparatus, including a sample rack that can hold multiple samples of PTFE, the photodetection system, and the xenon gas system.

Message To Sponsor

"To the Rose Hills Foundation, I cannot express how much this funding provided for my research means to furthering my studies and future career. I have started working with my research advisor in September of 2015 and really love the project I am working on. This will be the first summer that I will be able to focus full time on it thanks to your generosity and having this opportunity could likely allow me to publish something by the time I apply to graduate school. Furthermore, this opportunity will allow me investigate my passion with research in physics instrumentation on a much deeper level. Thank you so much for your very kind generosity, it truly means a lot to me. Very Best, Logan Rudd"
Profile image of Logan Rudd
Major: Physics
Mentor: Dan McKinsey
Sponsor: Rose Hills Experience
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