Events at Physics |
Events During the Week of October 12th through October 19th, 2008
Monday, October 13th, 2008
- Plasma Physics (Physics/ECE/NE 922) Seminar
- Rotational Stabilization of Kink Modes in Magnetically Collimated Jets
- Time: 12:05 pm
- Place: 1227 Engineering Hall
- Speaker: Chris Carey, UW-Madison, CPTC, Dept of Physics
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
- Chaos & Complex Systems Seminar
- A perspective on evolution and psychiatry
- Time: 12:05 pm
- Place: 4274 Chamberlin (Refreshments will be served)
- Speaker: Russ Gardner, UW Department of Psychiatry
- Abstract: This presentation summarizes key points in the troubled 20th century history of psychiatry and its guiding paradigms. These include, for example, a oddly restricted definition of the word "biology" - a definition that de facto includes cellular-molecular biology only. Psychiatric disorders presently appear out of the blue understood as molecular in origin with corrections to be achieved with medications in short impersonal sessions. The specialty does not exhibit parallels to other specialties such as pulmonology and orthopedics for which lung and bone anatomies represent physical organs substrate to their respective physiologies and rationalize their respective "pathophysiologies" that describe disease as deviation from how the body works normally.
Reasons stem from major opposing figures of the twentieth century: (1) Freud who did present pathophysiologies but not based on a real nervous system - his writings did not mention the brain after 1900 despite his prior researcher and neurologist credentials. (2) "Biological" psychiatrists typified and led by Eli Robins who reacted to the untested therapies that made claims based on authority and that eschewed data-gathering. But they threw out the pathophysiology baby with the bathwater and suggested any "future" pathophysiologies would primarily involve cellular-molecular foundations - without need of other levels of analysis, an assumption that presently seems as without foundation as Freud's neglect of an actual brain.
Both traditions implied that the free-standing individual separable from other people suffices for their models. But although research shows psychotherapies of all kinds work effectively and that placebos account for much variance in drug treatment, these paradigmatic features persist in present day psychiatry, augmented in part by corporate financial factors. A psychiatric basic science with a focus on an evolved "social brain" with the physiological function of "relational neurobiology" would help provide order for psychiatry's disorder. Social factors account for much larger human brain size compared, for example, to chimpanzee brains (3x larger by weight) despite close genomic identity. An approach that dissects pathophysiological mechanisms includes communicational states that transcend species combined with communicational features seemingly unique to humans.
- Astronomy Colloquium
- Testing Models for Interstellar Dust
- Time: 3:30 pm
- Place: 6515 Sterling Hall
- Speaker: Bruce Draine, Princeton University
- Abstract: The basic properties of interstellar dust continue to be controversial. We are quite sure that much of the dust mass is composed of amorphous silicates. There is wide agreement that interstellar dust includes a substantial population of ultrasmall grains consisting of large PAH molecules. All authors agree that carbonaceous material contributes an appreciable fraction of the overall grain mass. Beyond this, there remains uncertainty over fundamental issues. For example, grain morphology -- is the overall dust mass dominated by grains that are compact, or by grains that are loose, fluffy aggregates?<br><br>
I will discuss some recent work on interstellar dust, including:<br><br>
(1) models vs observations of IR emission from star-forming galaxies;<br><br>
(2) predicting polarization of FIR/submm emission from interstellar dust;<br><br>
(3) conflict between current interstellar dust models and observations of interstellar dust entering the heliosphere. - Host: Prof Alexander Lazarian
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
- No events scheduled
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
- R. G. Herb Condensed Matter Seminar
- Field-induced anisotropy in specific heat and transport properties of unconventional superconductors
- Time: 10:00 am
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Ilya Vekhter, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University
- Abstract: Specific heat and thermal transport under applied magnetic field have been extensively used in recent years to determine the shape of the energy gap in unconventional superconductors and the location of the gap zeroes (nodes). I will describe the theoretical underpinnings of these measurements, our current understanding of the field-induced anisotropy in the vortex state, and discuss open questions. Part of the focus will be on resolving, from a theoretical standpoint, the apparent discrepancy between different measurements on the heavy fermion CeCoIn5.
- Host: Natalia Perkins
- Graduate Introductory Seminar
- Condensed Matter-Experimental Intro Seminar
- Time: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
- Place: 2223 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Condensed Matter Exp Group, Physics Dept.
- Abstract: Introductory Seminar for first year Grad Students (others welcome)
- Host: Condensed Matter Experimental Group
Friday, October 17th, 2008
- NPAC (Nuclear/Particle/Astro/Cosmo) Forum
- Towards the Emergence of Cyclic Universes with Scale-invariant fluctuations
- Time: 2:30 pm
- Place: 5280 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Tirthabir Biswas, Pennsylvania State University
- Abstract: Tolman pointed out that if a cyclic universe model has<br>
to be consistent with the second law of<br>
thermodynamics, the cycles must inevitably shrink to<br>
zero as one goes back in time (cycles). I will provide<br>
a simple cosmological paradigm which avoids this<br>
"super Big Bang". Moreover we will see that in these<br>
"Emergent cyclic models" new mechanisms for generating<br>
scale-invariant fluctuations can naturally emerge.<br>
<br>
- Host: Daniel Chung
- Physics Department Colloquium
- The Physics of Space Weapons
- Time: 4:00 pm
- Place: 2241 Chamberlin Hall (coffee at 3:30 pm)
- Speaker: David Wright, Union of Concerned Scientists and MIT
- Abstract: U.S. interest in new military uses of space has increased in the past few years, driven in part by the important role satellites have played in recent conflicts. New uses of space being considered include basing weapons in space to attack targets on the ground and in space, and developing weapons to attack satellites. This has led to an international debate about how space should be used and whether such activities should be limited. This issue took on added urgency after the Chinese test of an anti-satellite weapon in January 2007. Unfortunately, many of the discussions, both by weapons proponents and opponents, reflect a lack of understanding of fundamental physics concepts that are important for the debate. This talk will give an introduction to the current debate, and will show how basic principles of mechanics and orbital dynamics can have important implications for these issues. It will also discuss briefly our recent work on the creation of orbital debris by anti-satellite weapons.
- Host: Coppersmith