The ionosphere is a region of Earth’s upper atmosphere containing a high concentration of ions and free electrons. As a dispersive medium, signals transmitted by satellites experience frequency-dependent refractive indices, resulting in carrier phase advance and pseudorange group delay as it reaches signal receivers. By measuring these propagation effects, total electron content along the signal’s path can be estimated to characterize the state of the ionosphere. The methodology involved utilizing a Raspberry Pi 5 microcontroller connected to a custom printed circuit board modelled after the PocketSDR frontend. Signal acquisition and tracking were performed over a twenty-four hour period to capture daily variations in local electron density. The captured data were processed using custom software to compute vertical total electron content using an approximation of the Appleton-Hartree equation. The results demonstrated that high-precision monitoring of ionospheric conditions can be achieved using an affordable and portable hardware configuration. The project establishes a scalable framework for mobile atmospheric sensing, allowing for future deployments on mobile platforms such as high-altitude balloons to overcome terrestrial signal degradation and obstruction, allowing for more accurate ionospheric characterization.

Perovskite quantum dots have gained attention in nanophotonics due to their unique optoelectronic properties, including long carrier diffusion lengths, high photoluminescent quantum yield, and a tunable bandgap—features well suited to improving the efficiency of technologies like photovoltaics, LEDs, and lasers. Tuning the X-site in the ABX₃ perovskite crystal structure allows precise emission control across a wide spectral range; however, limited stability and phase segregation in mixed halide samples remain challenges for device integration. This project investigates how the structure of CsPbX₃ nanocrystals affects the energy and stability of light emission. Using photoluminescence spectroscopy, we measured bandgap shifts during photoexcitation and relaxation, with a significant redshift during the regeneration period serving as a signature of ion migration. Previous results showed evidence of ion migration in some, but not all, regions of mixed halide perovskite thin films—likely due to competing factors influencing the band gap, including particle size variation, surface passivation, optical environment, and charge carrier effects like self-trapped excitons. Our current work is focused on refining synthesis methods to isolate these factors and the effects of film heterogeneity. Improved film deposition can be achieved by modifying halide exchange procedures, cleaning methods, and surfactant ratios.

Origami-inspired robots offer rapid, accessible design and manufacture with diverse functionalities. In particular, origami robots without conventional electronics have the unique advantage of functioning in extreme environments such as ones with high radiation or large magnetic fields. However, the absence of sophisticated control systems limits these robots to simple autonomous behaviors. In our previous studies, we developed a printable, electronics-free, and self-sustained oscillator that generates simple complementary square-wave signals. Our study presents a quadrature oscillation system capable of generating four square-wave signals a quarter-cycle out of phase, enabling four distinct states. Such control signals are important in various engineering and robotics applications, such as orchestrating limb movements in bio-inspired robots. We demonstrate the practicality and value of this oscillation system by designing and constructing an origami crawling robot that utilizes the quadrature oscillator to achieve coordinated locomotion. Together, the oscillator and robot illustrate the potential for more complex control and functions in origami robotics, paving the way for more electronics-free, rapid-design origami robots with advanced autonomous behaviors.

Manifolds are implemented in fusion reactor blanket designs to distribute the breeder into channels and collect it after it serves its function. For blanket concepts using liquid metal as a breeder, regions of expansion and contraction in manifolds present the challenge of high pressure drops associated with the 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect in the flows. Previous studies have shown that a more gradual change in the geometry can help reduce the associated flow disturbance and pressure loss. In this study, a 3D computational model of LM MHD flow in an electroconductive inlet manifold featuring gradual expansion was created and solved numerically in COMSOL Multiphysics for a fixed expansion ratio of 4, fixed expansion angle θ = 45°, and Hartmann numbers 100 < Ha < 800. First, the built-in MHD module was validated and verified for 2D and 3D classic MHD problems. Then, the coupling between the LM flow, channel walls, and plasma-confining magnetic field is shown through flow velocity changes and pressure drops. The relation between MHD pressure drop and Ha is further explored and summarized to help optimize future blanket manifold designs.