Diet Soda and Liquid Nitrogen
Letter to the Editor about how the diet soda and Mentos reaction can be produced by the direct immersion of a plastic soda bottle in liquid nitrogen.
physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv subjects
Bart H. McGuyer
Publications and source records attributed to Bart H. McGuyer.
Symmetry and Voltmeters
Letter to the Editor that explains a popular demonstration with voltmeters and electromotive force using symmetry.
physics.ed-ph↗
Frequency-dependent capacitors using paper
Measurements of capacitors made with paper sheets reveal a significant decrease in capacitance with increasing frequency from 10 to 100,000 Hz, offering a simple demonstration of complex dielectric phenomena using common equipment.
physics.ed-ph↗
Thermometry via Light Shifts in Optical Lattices
For atoms or molecules in optical lattices, conventional thermometry methods are often unsuitable due to low particle numbers or a lack of cycling transitions. However, a differential spectroscopic light shift can map temperature onto the line shape with a low sensitivity to trap anharmonicity. We study narrow molecular transitions to demonstrate precise frequency-based lattice thermometry, as well as carrier cooling. This approach should be applicable down to nanokelvin temperatures. We also discuss how the thermal light shift can affect the accuracy of optical lattice clocks.
physics.atom-ph↗
Visible optical beats at the hertz level
We present a lecture demonstration which produces a visible, beating interference pattern that is the optical analog of demonstrations which produce audible, beating sound-wave interference. The setup is a compact, portable Mach-Zehnder interferometer made of optical components commonly found in laser physics labs. This apparatus may also be built and used in advanced laboratory courses to illustrate concepts in interferometry and laser light modulation.
physics.optics↗