For a complete list of my publications and presentations, please see my resume.
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Shapes of 4 multipolar modes produced by 2 types of light polarization. The dipole modes (top row) are driven by the electric field and the quadrupole modes (bottom row) are driven by electric field gradients.
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Structuring light for the manipulation of multipolar phenomena - Ph.D. work
Schuller Lab University of California, Santa Barbara, Spring 2013 - Present The Greek word meta means to go beyond; hence, metamaterials refer to materials which have properties that go beyond those found in nature. Metamaterials manipulate light in unique ways because they are composed of arrays of particles which are on the same size scale as the wavelength of the light they are meant to manipulate. The interaction between light and matter gives rise to what are called multipolar resonances within the particles. Understanding the behavior of these multipolar resonances is essential for metamaterial design. Typically, researchers engineer multipolar resonances by modifying geometrical and material parameters of the particles. Instead, my research focuses on manipulating multipolar resonances by modifying properties of the illuminating light. |
Characterization of Infrared cameras
Center for Infrared Photodetectors Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, Summer 2012 Infrared (IR) cameras are useful for a variety of applications, such as night vision and imaging by satellites. Focal plane arrays (FPAs), composed of a series of IR-detecting pixels, are the foundation of IR cameras. In this summer internship, I experimentally tested IR FPAs and developed MATLAB programs to characterize the performance of IR FPAs. (Image from NASA-JPL) |
An infrared camera and the false-color image it produces, depicting a body heat map.
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Simulation of an interferometer device. Green rectangles are moveable mirorrs, and colored lines depict intensity of wave reflected by mirrors.
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Studying effects of interface roughness on interferometer device
Phillips Research Group University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Fall 2010 - Spring 2011 Interferometers are devices used to measure the difference between two paths of light and are used for a variety of applications, including characterization of material properties. Typically, these devices are made of bulky optical components like mirrors and beam splitters. In this project, I modeled an interferometer device based on moving micromirrors which were in the size range of 10^-6 meters, with the aim of shrinking the large interferometer device to a small chip. Specifically, I studied the effects of roughness on the mirror surface on the device performance. Interesting fact: An interferometer formed the basis of the LIGO experiment that made the first detection of gravitational waves. |
Designing and building a Lunar Micro Rover
NASA Robotics Academy Mountain View, CA, Summer 2009 and Summer 2011 NASA Robotics Academy is a 10-week internship program for undergraduate and graduate students interested in robotics. Over two summers, I worked with a group of interns at the NASA Ames Research Center to design, build, and test a Lunar Micro Rover (LMR), a customizable test bed for exploring planetary surfaces. I primarily worked on developing the electronics system. In 2009, I developed power control and battery charging circuitry. In 2011, I designed and tested a transistor-based dosimeter to detect the total absorbed dose of radiation that the LMR may experience in space. |
CAD model of Lunar Micro Rover with electrical system components highlighted in green
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Photograph of completed snow sensor
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Programming a wireless atmospheric sensor
Snow Sensor Project University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Fall 2008 - Spring 2009 The Snow Sensor project aims to build a sensor that can be buried in a snow pack and wirelessly report atmospheric data, such as temperature, moisture content, and snow density. I worked on programming a microprocessor to wirelessly report temperature data to a host computer. (Image from Snow Sensor Project) |