This research is concerned with investigating the spatio-temporal patterns of current filaments in an electroluminescent semiconductor. This is an interesting and novel area of nonlinear dynamics. The patterns will be observed with a metallurgical microscope topped by a CCD camera. A frame-grabber will digitize the output of the CCD camera and load the image data into a laboratory micro-computer for subsequent data analysis. The system will be able to record images much faster than the expected spiral rotation rate of the filament patterns. Computer simulations will also be undertaken to understand the nonlinear hebahior of these ac thin film electroluminescent semiconductor devices. There is strong theoretical support for this type of work at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at UCSB.
