Research

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a non-invasive technique that allows the measurement of ongoing brain activity. The Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at the University of Washington, Seattle is the first brain-imaging center in the world focusing on children.

In collaboration with Professor Samu Taulu, the director of the I-LABS MEG Center, I programmed original algorithms to simulate and analyze MEG data to identify the location of brain currents with a higher level of precision in preparation for new prototype MEG machine.

What are quantum dots? Quantum dots, also known as semiconductor nanocrystals, are particles with nanometer-sized diameters that exhibit quantum effects in their size and optical and electronic properties

My research focused on the role of quantum dots in nanotechnology and quantum computing. Specifically, I looked into the design of semiconductor quantum dot qubits and of aluminum gates as well as the role of quantum dots as a form of quantum memory.

In observing the centers of local galaxies, a tight connection has been shown to exist between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies. Based on numeric simulations of the merging of galaxies, actively accreting supermassive black holes (which are referred to as active galactic nuclei, or AGN) are likely to play a foundational role in the evolution of the galaxies. Therefore, surveys of AGN are becoming an essential component of observational cosmology. My work studied the origins of AGN discovery and classification, and their properties.

Lambda cold dark matter, or Lambda-CDM (ΛCDM) is a mathematical parameterization of Big Bang cosmology. It assumes that the universe is composed of ordinary matter, photons, neutrinos, and dark matter. The dark matter (non-relativistic) only interacts gravitationally and dark energy is responsible for the observed acceleration in the Hubble expansion. ΛCDM assumes dark energy takes the corm of a constant vacuum  energy density — Λ. My research focused on studying the roles of dark matter and dark energy in the formation and evolution of our universe.

The patterns of galaxies and matter on scales much larger than individual galaxies or groupings of galaxies are known a the Large Scale Structure (LSS) of the universe. My project focused on the LSS of the universe through its evolution by the Double Dark theory which focuses on the role of dark energy, dark matter, and normal matter in this process. Specifically, I looked into the individual aspects of the universe such as galaxies and interactions between different types of matter to form stars and super-massive black holes.

Gas ionization detectors measure the electric pulses induced by radiation between electrodes in a gas-filled chamber. They are characterized by the effects created by different field strengths between the charge-collecting electrodes. The pulse size depends on the field strength and also on the type of radiation that enters the detector volume and creates ions.

In collaboration with Professor David Pengra at the University of Washington, I studied the physics of gaseous ionization detectors and carried out computer modeling and simulations of pulse formation, electron drift and other aspects of their operation.

Diamond nitrogen-vacancy (DNV) centers are point defects within the diamond lattice structure where a nitrogen atom sits next to a vacant site within the lattice. They are very stable and have interesting optical properties. Specifically, they can locally detect and measure a number of physical quantities, such as magnetic and electric fields. Since its spin state can be both initialized and read-out optically, DNV centers are important for studying electronic and nuclear spin phenomena at room temperature. My research with Professor Boris Blinov, focused on the role of DNV centers in quantum technologies—computing and sensing—and explored DNV quantum sensing applications such as magnetometry and spectroscopy.