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Publications

Rapid method for computing the mechanical resonances of irregular objects

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)
Author
Avi Shragai
Florian Theuss
Gael Grissonnanche
B. Ramshaw
Abstract

A solid object's geometry, density, and elastic moduli completely determine its spectrum of normal modes. Solving the inverse problem - determining a material's elastic moduli given a set of resonance frequencies and sample geometry - relies on the ability to compute resonance spectra accurately and efficiently. Established methods for calculating these spectra are either fast but limited to simple geometries, or are applicable to arbitrarily shaped samples at the cost of being prohibitively slow.

Journal
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Date Published
Group (Lab)
Brad Ramshaw Group

Introductory physics students' recognition of strong peers: Gender and racial or ethnic bias differ by course level and context

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)
Author
M. Sundstrom
A.B. Heim
B. Park
N.G. Holmes
Abstract

Researchers have pinpointed recognition from others as one of the most important dimensions of students' science and engineering identity. Studies, however, have found gender biases in students' recognition of their peers, with inconsistent patterns across introductory science and engineering courses. Toward finding the source of this variation, we examine whether a gender bias exists in students' nominations of strong peers across three different remote, introductory physics courses with varying student populations (varying demographics, majors, and course levels).

Journal
Physical Review Physics Education Research
Date Published
Group (Lab)
Natasha Holmes Group

Neuromuscular embodiment of feedback control elements in Drosophila flight

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)
Author
S.C. Whitehead
S. Leone
T. Lindsay
M.R. Meiselman
N.J. Cowan
M.H. Dickinson
N. Yapici
D.L. Stern
T. Shirangi
Itai Cohen
Abstract

While insects such as Drosophila are flying, aerodynamic instabilities require that they make millisecond time scale adjustments to their wing motion to stay aloft and on course. These stabilization reflexes can be modeled as a proportional-integral (PI) controller; however, it is unclear how such control might be instantiated in insects at the level of muscles and neurons.

Journal
Science Advances
Date Published
Research Area
Group (Lab)
Itai Cohen Group

Role of conservation laws in the density matrix renormalization group

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)
Author
T.G. Kiely
E.J. Mueller
Abstract

We explore matrix product state approximations to wave functions which have spontaneously broken symmetries or are critical. We are motivated by the fact that symmetries, and their associated conservation laws, lead to block-sparse matrix product states. Numerical calculations which take advantage of these symmetries run faster and require less memory. However, in symmetry-broken and critical phases the block-sparse ansatz yields less accurate energies. We characterize the role of conservation laws in matrix product states and determine when it is beneficial to make use of them.

Journal
Physical Review B
Date Published
Group (Lab)
Erich Mueller Group

Understanding interaction network formation across instructional contexts in remote physics courses

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)
Author
M. Sundstrom
A. Schang
A.B. Heim
N.G. Holmes
Abstract

Engaging in interactions with peers is important for student learning. Many studies have quantified patterns of student interactions in in-person physics courses using social network analysis, finding different network structures between instructional contexts (lecture and laboratory) and styles (active and traditional). Such studies also find inconsistent results as to whether and how student-level variables (e.g., grades and demographics) relate to the formation of interaction networks.

Journal
Physical Review Physics Education Research
Date Published

Polarity of the CRISPR roadblock to transcription

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)
Author
P.M. Hall
J.T. Inman
R.M. Fulbright
T.T. Le
J.J. Brewer
G. Lambert
S.A. Darst
M.D. Wang
Abstract

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) utility relies on a stable Cas effector complex binding to its target site. However, a Cas complex bound to DNA may be removed by motor proteins carrying out host processes and the mechanism governing this removal remains unclear. Intriguingly, during CRISPR interference, RNA polymerase (RNAP) progression is only fully blocked by a bound endonuclease-deficient Cas (dCas) from the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM)-proximal side.

Journal
Nature Structural and Molecular Biology
Date Published
Research Area
Group (Lab)
Michelle Wang Group

STRAINS: A big data method for classifying cellular response to stimuli at the tissue scale

Author
J. Zheng
T.W. Jackson
L.A. Fortier
L.J. Bonassar
M.L. Delco
Itai Cohen
Abstract

Cellular response to stimulation governs tissue scale processes ranging from growth and development to maintaining tissue health and initiating disease. To determine how cells coordinate their response to such stimuli, it is necessary to simultaneously track and measure the spatiotemporal distribution of their behaviors throughout the tissue. Here, we report on a novel SpatioTemporal Response Analysis IN Situ (STRAINS) tool that uses fluorescent micrographs, cell tracking, and machine learning to measure such behavioral distributions.

Journal
PLoS ONE
Date Published
Group (Lab)
Itai Cohen Group

Reentrant rigidity percolation in structurally correlated filamentous networks

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)
Author
J. Michel
G. Von Kessel
T.W. Jackson
L.J. Bonassar
Itai Cohen
M. Das
Abstract

Many biological tissues feature a heterogeneous network of fibers whose tensile and bending rigidity contribute substantially to these tissues' elastic properties. Rigidity percolation has emerged as an important paradigm for relating these filamentous tissues' mechanics to the concentrations of their constituents. Past studies have generally considered tuning of networks by spatially homogeneous variation in concentration, while ignoring structural correlation.

Journal
Physical Review Research
Date Published
Research Area
Group (Lab)
Itai Cohen Group

Melting of generalized Wigner crystals in transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayer Moiré systems

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)
Author
M. Matty
Eun-Ah Kim
Abstract

Moiré superlattice systems such as transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayers have garnered significant recent interest due to their promising utility as tunable solid state simulators. Recent experiments on a WSe2/WS2 heterobilayer detected incompressible charge ordered states that one can view as generalized Wigner crystals. The tunability of the transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayer Moiré system presents an opportunity to study the rich set of possible phases upon melting these charge-ordered states.

Journal
Nature Communications
Date Published
Group (Lab)
Eun-Ah Kim Group

Strain-induced orbital-energy shift in antiferromagnetic RuO2 revealed by resonant elastic x-ray scattering

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)
Author
B.Z. Gregory
J. Strempfer
D. Weinstock
J.P. Ruf
Y. Sun
H. Nair
N.J. Schreiber
D.G. Schlom
K.M. Shen
A. Singer
Abstract

In its ground state, RuO2 was long thought to be an ordinary metallic paramagnet. Recent neutron and x-ray diffraction revealed that bulk RuO2 is an antiferromagnet with TN above 300 K. Furthermore, epitaxial strain induces superconductivity in thin films of RuO2 below 2 K. Here, we present a resonant elastic x-ray scattering study at the RuL2 edge of the strained RuO2 films exhibiting the strain-induced superconductivity. We observe an azimuthal modulation of the 100 Bragg peak consistent with bulk.

Journal
Physical Review B
Date Published
Group (Lab)
Kyle Shen Group