Building Block Instrumentation for Junior Level Advanced Laboratory

9450943里德学院物理系将对其高级教学实验室课程(物理331/332高级实验室)进行重大改进。这门课程是初中物理专业课程的主要组成部分，对于为他们配备必要的想法、工具和经验以胜任他们的高中论文至关重要。高中论文是由所有四年级的Reed学生承担的为期一年的独立研究项目。先进实验室的改进将通过发展八个现代物理实验站和更新计算机辅助数据采集和分析的介绍(由三个新的LabVIEW系统提供便利)来实现。这八个空间站将由积木组件组成，包括单色光源、数字化示波器、高分辨率光谱仪、温控低温恒温器、可调激光二极管、多通道分析仪和锁定放大器。将为每个新站点开发一个指导性实验。这些实验中的每一个都将通过研究型测量方法阐明具有当代科学重要性的物理概念，并将提供通用数据分析技术的经验。这些空间站的组件型性质也将允许学生轻松地改变实验参数，以寻找新的效果，并修改独立项目的设置。随着这些灵活的组件型工作站的增加，高级实验室将更好地实现其双重目标，即让初级物理专业的学生接触现代实验物理研究的关注和技术，并发展他们作为自主研究人员的技能。此外，这些站点将作为物理论文学生的资源。

9450943 Essick The Reed College Physics Department will implement a major improvement of its upper-division instructional laboratory course (Physics 331/332 Advanced Laboratory). This course is a major component of the curriculum for junior-level physics majors and is of vital importance in outfitting them with the ideas, tools and experiences necessary to competently execute their Senior Theses, the year-long independent research projects undertaken by all fourth-year Reed students. Improvement of the Advanced Laboratory will be realized through the development of eight modern physics experimental stations and an updated presentation of computer-assisted data acquisition and analysis (facilitated by three new LabView systems). The eight stations will be constructed from building-block components including a monochromatic light source, digitizing oscilloscope, high resolution spectrometer, temperature-controlled cryostat, tunable laser diode, multi-channel analyzer and lock-in amplifier. A guided experiment will be developed for each new station. Each of these experiments will illustrate a physical concept of contemporary scientific importance via research-style measurement methods and will provide experience with generic data analysis techniques. The component-type nature of these stations also will allow students to easily alter the experimental parameters in search of new effects and to modify the setups for independent projects. With the addition of these flexible component-type stations, the Advanced Laboratory will better fulfill its dual purpose of exposing junior-level physics majors to the concerns and techniques of modern experimental physics research and developing their skills as autonomous researchers. Additionally, these stations will serve as a resource for physics Thesis students.