Projects

Everything I build is to better see and characterize the world around me.

Featured

Research software · running at the Cyclotron Institute
LSTAR MPOD Control System
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A production control system for LSTAR, the Cyclotron Institute's isobar separator. It computes multipole electrode voltages from physics parameters and drives a WIENER MPOD high-voltage crate over SNMP, shaping and cleaning the ion beam to a mass resolving power of M/ΔM ≥ 5000. Built during my work on TAMUTRAP.

Physics & systems
  • · Multipole ion optics
  • · Electrostatic beam shaping
  • · Mass separation, M/ΔM ≥ 5000
  • · Three-layer safety validation
Stack
  • · Python
  • · puresnmp (SNMP)
  • · NumPy
  • · Tkinter
  • · WIENER MPOD
Research context

LSTAR cleans the beamline feeding TAMUTRAP, the Penning-trap experiment measuring beta decay to look for physics beyond the Standard Model. This is the software that runs it.

In progress now

In Progress
Magnetometer
ElectromagnetismInstrumentationFusion diagnostics

Building a hall-effect magnetometer from first principles. Biot-Savart derivation, vector math, beautiful 3D field mapping.

Physics involved
  • · Biot-Savart Law
  • · Vector calculus
  • · Calibration methodology
  • · Magnetic field diagnostics
Tools
  • · Arduino Uno R3
  • · Matplotlib
  • · Python
Fusion connection

Magnetic diagnostics in tokamaks use the same instrumentation principles.

In Progress
Guitar Acoustic Resonance Mapper
AcousticsWave physicsEigenvalue problems

Mapping the resonant modes of an Ibanez AS73G semi-hollow electric guitar using a frequency sweep and impulse response. The Helmholtz resonance of the body cavity turns out to be the same kind of eigenvalue problem you meet in plasma oscillation modes.

Physics involved
  • · Wave equation on bounded domain
  • · Helmholtz resonance
  • · Standing wave modes
  • · Mechanical impedance
Tools
  • · iPhone
  • · Python FFT
  • · Audacity
Fusion connection

The eigenvalue problem for acoustic modes is identical in structure to quantum mechanical bound states and plasma wave modes. Different boundary conditions, same mathematics.

In Progress
Car DAQ / Road Grade Estimator
Sensor fusionEmbedded systemsKalman filter

Real-time OBDII data acquisition using an ESP32 microcontroller. Sensor fusion via Kalman filtering to estimate road grade, a quantity the car doesn't directly measure, using live accelerometer and vehicle dynamics data.

Physics involved
  • · Kalman filtering
  • · Sensor fusion
  • · Vehicle dynamics
  • · Optimal estimation theory
Tools
  • · ESP32
  • · OBDII
  • · Python
Fusion connection

Optimal estimation under Gaussian noise is the same mathematical framework used in plasma diagnostic systems and spacecraft attitude determination. The car is the accessible laboratory.

Coming next

ElectromagnetismMetrologyCalibration
Helmholtz Coil + Hall Sensor Characterization

Two coils separated by their radius produce a uniquely uniform central field. Derive the uniformity from Biot-Savart, verify it experimentally, and characterize a Hall sensor against it.

Plasma physicsDiagnosticsFusion technique
Plasma Globe + Langmuir Probe

Build a Langmuir probe diagnostic for a plasma globe. The IV curve encodes electron temperature and density via the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. A direct fusion diagnostic technique at bench scale.