Physics and Astronomy Lecture Series

Speaker:  Dr. Charles Adams, Professor, Department of Physics, Durham University
Title:  Making Photons Interact
Abstract:  Photons are the most accessible quantum particle but we are still struggling to understand them or use them efficiently. Replacing electrons with photons could enable a new generation of quantum technologies initiating the Green Internet, however, to implement processing or switching at the few photon level we need to make photons interact. In this talk, Professor Adams will discuss the basic physics underlying why this is hard, the current state of the art, and prospects for the future. 

Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Karina Leppik, Science Flight Planner, SOFIA
Title:  What do you get when you mix an old Boeing 747 with a telescope?
Abstract:  SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy) is NASA's airborne observatory. It is an incredible mix of aviation, engineering, physics and astronomy working together to explore the universe in a way that no other facility is capable of. Karina Leppik, Science Flight Planner for SOFIA, will talk about the plane, the telescope, the science and the people that make SOFIA fly.

Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Dr Claudia de Rham, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University
Title:  Our Accelerating Universe
Abstract:  Our Universe is a remarkable laboratory for physics both at very high and very low energies. Whilst most of the history of our Universe is understood with a remarkable precision, the current state of our Universe remains mystifying, with its 95% of unknown dark matter and dark energy. I will review some of the probes that led to this current standard model for Cosmology and explore how dark energy can lead to the acceleration of the Universe.
Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Dr. Ian Shipsey, Julian Schwinger Distinguished Professor of Physics, Purdue University
Title:  Observation of a New Boson at 125 GeV - Is It the Higgs and What's Next?
Abstract:   The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is the highest energy particle accelerator yet constructed. Currently operating at a center of mass energy of 8 TeV, the LHC has been designed and built in part to find the Higgs boson. Predicted in the 1960s, the Higgs is the only missing piece of the standard model, the prevailing theory of particle physics. If the Higgs did not exist, atoms would not exist and neither would we. On July 4, 2012, the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN, each using a data set corresponding to an accumulated luminosity of approximately 10 inverse femto barns, announced the discovery of a new particle, a candidate for the long-sought Higgs boson. The role of the Higgs boson in the framework of particle physics, the methods that can be used to observe it, the consistency of the current observations with expectations, and what additional information is needed to confirm the new particle as a Higgs boson or something else entirely, will be discussed.

Location:  Wright 201

Margaret B. Hays Lecture

Speaker:  Dr. Ian Shipsey, Julian Schwinger Distinguished Professor of Physics, Purdue University
Title:  In the Shadow of the Higgs: The Greatest Discovery in Particle Physics in 30 Years
Abstract:  The Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world’s largest machine and highest energy atom smasher (particle accelerator). It has been designed and built in part to find the Higgs boson. Predicted in the 1960s, the Higgs is the only missing piece of the standard model, the prevailing theory of particle physics. If the Higgs did not exist, atoms would not exist and neither would we. On July 4, 2012, two independent groups announced the discovery of a particle. Has the Higgs particle finally been found? Or perhaps it is another particle not yet anticipated—a messenger from the dark side of the universe. These experiments and their consequences will be discussed in this talk.
Location:  West Lecture Hall (A162)

Speaker:  Dr. Chris Martin, Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy Department, Oberlin College
Title:  The Intersection between Science and Politics: How Science is Used and Abused in Congress
Abstract:  After spending a year working as a staffer in the US Senate's Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Chris Martin brings a scientist's perspective to how national policy reacts to and in turn drives science. Using examples covering the range of congressional interests, including climate change, earthquakes, human space exploration, and nanotechnology, Martin shows how politicians and scientists can communicate about issues in completely different ways leading to humorous conflicts and surprising synergies. If you have ever wondered what happens in the halls of Congress and how you can most effectively make a difference, this is a talk you should not miss!
Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Dr. Karen Lewis, Department of Physics, The College of Wooster
Title:  20,000 Square Degrees and Counting:  Optical Spectroscopy of the XMM-Newton Slew Survey
Abstract:  Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are among the most energetic objects in the Universe and are commonly used as cosmic "lighthouses" to study the growth and evolution of galaxies in the early universe.  However there are still many unanswered questions about the physical structure of these objects that are best answered by the study of AGN in our own "neighborhood."  After giving an introduction to AGN, Dr. Lewis will describe the development of a sample of nearby bright AGN using the XMM-Newton Slew Survey and plans for further study of these objects.
Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Dr. Andrey Timokhin, Research Fellow, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Title:  Radio Pulsars: Celestial Electric Lighthouses!
Abstract:  Among all the objects in the universe, neutron stars are the ones with the most extreme physical conditions. They are natural laboratories for testing fundamental physical theories in extreme regimes. Most of the known neutron stars are radio pulsars -- isolated, rapidly rotating, highly magnetized stars. Pulsars generate strong electric fields that accelerate charged particles, which then radiate over the whole electromagnetic spectrum. This emission is beamed, like that of a searchlight, resulting in an electric lighthouse! Dr. Timokhin will give an overview of what we know about how pulsars work and present research underway to understand them better.
Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Dr. Riina Tehver, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Denison University
Title:  Modeling Nature's Nano-Machines
Abstract:   Biological cells are complex non-equilibrium systems that can grow, move around, and divide. These tasks are typically accomplished with the aid of proteins that can be thought of as nano-machines. Just like their man-made analogues, these proteins consume fuel and undergo cyclical changes that ultimately result in mechanical work. During this talk I will discuss our current understanding of these machines and the theoretical and computational models that allow us to investigate the connection between the structures of these proteins, their dynamics, and how to connect that to their function.
Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Dr. Katherine Jones Smith, Department of Physics, Reed College
Title: Fractals and the Drip Paintings of Jackson Pollock
Abstract:  In the late 1990s a group of physicists analyzed several of the celebrated drip paintings by the late Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock. Assuming Pollock underwent a particular type of chaotic motion known to leave a fractal trail, they found that every layer of every painting they analyzed possessed the same fractal characteristics. From this they conjectured that Pollock was able to create a unique fractal `signature' in his work, and that fractal analysis could therefore be used as an authentication tool in paintings of disputed origin. It turns out that this hypothesis of 'Fractal Expressionism' is flawed in several important ways. Prof. Jones-Smith will present an account of the techniques used in fractal analysis and the pitfalls which ensue from applying them to Pollock's drip paintings. She will also present several new findings from the realm of fractal mathematics which were motivated by this work.
Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Michael Rowan, Physics Honors Student, Oberlin College
Title:  High-Precision Measurement of Lithium
Abstract:  For many years, spectroscopy has provided important insights into fundamental physics.  As a result of recent improvements in precision measurement techniques and atomic theory calculations, lithium has emerged as a promising candidate for comparison of experiment and theory.  In this talk, progress towards a high-precision measurement is presented.
Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Dr. Dimitry Budker, Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley
Title:  Defects in Ensemble: Physics and Applications of Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond
Abstract:  Many striking properties of diamond are actually related to its imperfections. A particular kind of defect, where two adjacent carbon atoms are substituted by a nitrogen atom and a vacancy, is at the center of one of the latest revolutions in physics and technology. We will discuss what is so special about these “artificial atoms,” how we make them, and how various research groups are using them to measure electromagnetic fields, spatial rotations, and temperatures, sometimes within living biological cells.
Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:  Dr. David Sholl, School of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Title:  Finding Needles in a Haystack:  Selecting Nanoporous Materials via Screening of Thousands of Structures for Large-Scale Energy Applications
Abstract:  A common issue in developing nanoporous materials for specific applications is the need to choose materials with the best performance from very large numbers of candidate materials.  Professor Sholl will describe how computational modeling can be used to accelerate efforts to address this issue.  A key to achieving this goal is to use a staged approach in which increasing levels of physical detail are included as the number of materials considered is reduced.  The examples discussed will focus on developing crystalline nanoporous materials as components in gas separation membranes.
Location:  Wright 201

Speaker:   Dr. Saul Teukolsky, Hans A, Bethe Professor of Physics and Astrophysics, Cornell University
Title:  Simulations of Black Holes and Gravitational Waves
Abstract:  Gravitational wave detectors like LIGO are poised to begin detecting signals. One of the prime scientific goals is to detect waves from the coalescence and merger of black holes in binary systems. Confronting such signals with the predictions of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity will be the first real strong-field test of the theory. Until very recently, theorists were unable to calculate what the theory actually predicts. I will describe recent breakthroughs that have occurred and that have set things up for an epic confrontation of theory and experiment.
Location:  Wright 201

David L. Anderson Lecture

Speaker:  Dr. Saul Teukolsky, Hans A, Bethe Professor of Physics and Astrophysics, Cornell University
Title:  The Coming Revolution in Astrophysics: Black Holes and Multi-Messenger Astronomy
Abstract:  In the next few years, gravitational wave signals from black hole and neutron star events will be detected for the first time. An ambitious program is taking shape to observe these events simultaneously with multiple detectors: optical, radio, x-ray and gamma-ray telescopes, and underground neutrino detectors. I will describe how these combined signals will revolutionize our understanding of a host of problems from fundamental physics to astronomy.
Location:  Craig Lecture Hall

Speaker:  Dr. Will Fischer, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo
Title:  Revealing the Hunter's Secrets with HOPS, the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey
Abstract:  In the last twenty years, hundreds of planets have been discovered beyond our own solar system.  Determining how these planets and their host stars formed is one of the primary goals of astronomy.  We can make progress by observing the ongoing formation of sunlike stars elsewhere in our galaxy.  In the first stage of star formation, a dense clump of molecular gas begins to collapse under its own gravity.  This infalling envelope forms a disk, which feeds gas to a growing central star over a span of about two million years.  Eventually the disk disperses, leaving a system of planets.  Dr. Fischer will show how our program HOPS, the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey, is using data from the Herschel, Spitzer, WISE, and Hubble space telescopes along with a suite of ground-based observatories to understand star formation in the Orion molecular clouds, the most active star-forming region in the nearest 1,500 light years.. 

Location:  Wright 201