45 research outputs found
Bandwidth coverage of niobium based superconducting tunnel devices
No full textThe Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical observatory that is being built on a 5000 m altitude plateau in Chile to perform heterodyne measurements in the frequency range of 30 to 950 GHz. These measurements will reveal the presence of characteristic molecules that tell us more about the evolution of the early universe and the formation of stars and planetary systems. Because of the limited atmospherical transmission of radiation at these frequencies, ALMA is divided into 10 frequency bands with a sufficiently high transmission. This thesis describes the research that has been done to develop superconductor - insulator - superconductor (SIS) tunneljunctions as detectors for Band 9 of ALMA (602 - 720 GHz). To realize these devices, a tuning circuit has been developed that optimizes the coupling of electromagnetic radiation from the antenna to the SIS junction. Further, a new method has been developed to create SIS junctions with aluminum nitride (AlN) as the insulating material. This method uses a remote plasma from an inductively coupled plasma source. Junctions that have been grown with this new method show a much better uniformity in transmissivity of the tunneling barrier at high critical current densities. Using the new method, SIS devices with AlN tunnel barriers have been developed that have a record low noise temperature over the full bandwidth of Band 9.Applied Science
Shot-noise detection in a carbon nanotube quantum dot
No full textKavli Institute of Nanoscience DelftApplied Science
The sound of music: Determining Young's modulus using a guitar string
No full textWhen a new topic is introduced in the curriculum, teachers seek various ways to teach students the related concepts. For the novel topic 'materials' in the revised Dutch curriculum, I developed an experiment in which students determine Young's modulus using a guitar string. The experiment not only covers several concepts related to 'materials' it also provides a clear link to the physics of music and illustrates to students, aged 16, why the topic 'materials' could be of interest. ImPhys/Practicum supportScience Education and Communicatio
What's inside the pink box? A nature of science activity for teachers and students
No full textAlthough learning about Nature of Science (NOS) promotes a variety of important outcomes, teachers often lack suitable activities for younger students to effectively address NOS. In this article I elaborate on a NOS activity developed for a teacher professionalisation workshop. The activity is suited for younger students as well, where clear links are made between elements of the activity and how science works. </p
Proeven (v/a)an vroeger
No full textIn het magazijn van het natuurkundig practicum van de TU Delft staat een rijke historie aan instrumenten en experimenten opgeslagen. Toen ik drie dezelfde opstellingen tegenkwam maakte ik een ‘reis naar het verleden’ in een poging het experiment in ere te herstellen.ImPhys/Practicum suppor
A Physics Lab Course in Times of COVID-19
No full textDue to the coronavirus lockdown, home experiments were devised for our first-year physics lab course. In this practitioner contribution we elaborate on the guided inquiries that were set up. Students could carry out the experiments with standard tools available at home, including sensors mobile phones are equipped with. Various design principles stemming from the literature were used that are meant to encourage the development of inquiry skills. The switch from prescribed to more open experiments allowed us to focus on the quality of the inquiry rather than judging the quality of the final report alone. Students tried to produce sound research but often did not make optimal choices. We were not able to provide adequate feedback during their investigations. How students carried out the experiments shows that the current course does not adequately develop the highly valued inquiry skills to set up an independent scientific experiment. We expect the design principles to be transferable to other science subjects and can be used by other practitioners when students have to stay at home.ImPhys/Practicum suppor
KRITISCH? LAAT HET ZE MAAR ERVAREN…: ONTWIKKELING VAN EEN KRITISCHE HOUDING IN EEN LEERLIJN ONDERZOEKEN
No full textOm de geringe leeropbrengst van practica te vergroten, ontwikkel en test ik in mijn promotieonderzoek een leerlijn onderzoeken. De activiteiten van deze leerlijn richten zich ophet ontwikkelen van de benodigde kennis en kritische houding om een onderzoek succesvol uit te voeren. In dit artikel bespreek ik de eerste stap: leerlingen prikkelen om überhaupt een goed onderzoek op te wíllen zetten
Introducing argumentation in inquiry—a combination of five exemplary activities
No full textSuccessfully carrying out a secondary school physics inquiry requires a considerable amount of procedural and content knowledge. It further requires knowledge of how and why maintaining scientific standards produces the best available answer to the given research question. To this purpose, a series of five inquiry activities was developed and tested in a single case study with students aged 14. The test shows that students indeed come to use a more scientific approach to inquiry tasks and understand why they should do so. We believe that this series of activities can serve as a starting point for more complex physics inquiries.Accepted Author ManuscriptImPhys/Practicum supportScience Education and CommunicationEthics & Philosophy of Technolog
Eerstejaarspracticum in tijden van COVID-19
No full textDe maatregelen die genomen zijn tegen het verder verspreiden van het COVID-19 en het uitvoeren van academisch practicumonderwijs lijken haaks op elkaar te staan. Practicum via teleconferentie is vrijwel onmogelijk. Door de practicumopdrachten aan te passen zijn we er toch in geslaagd om onze eerstejaarsnatuurkundestudenten (TU Delft) het vak Inleidend practicum af te laten ronden. Hier een korte beschrijving van die aanpassingen, het resultaat en een evaluatie.ImPhys/Practicum suppor
One setup for many experiments: enabling versatile student-led investigations
No full textThis article presents an experimental setup capable of conducting various experiments. The setup is used to accurately determine the acceleration due to gravity using either the pendulum or free fall experiment, as well as to allow students to conceive and conduct their own experiment. We discuss the design of the setup and the experiments conducted with it, highlighting the versatility and potential use for open inquiry. We include students’ perception on this particular experiment and how it led to an interesting and educational open inquiry.ImPhys/DocentenScience Education and Communicatio
