Events at Physics |
Events During the Week of October 14th through October 21st, 2012
Monday, October 15th, 2012
- Plasma Physics (Physics/ECE/NE 922) Seminar
- Strong beaming of high-energy particle acceleration and radiation in magnetic reconnection in relativistic pair plasmas
- Time: 12:00 pm
- Place: 1310 Sterling Hall
- Speaker: Dmitri Uzdensky, Center for Integrated Plasma Studies, UC-Boulder
- Condensed Matter Theory Group Seminar
- Electronic and structural correlations at oxide interfaces
- Time: 4:30 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Mark Rzchowski
Tuesday, October 16th, 2012
- Chaos & Complex Systems Seminar
- Applications of computed tomography
- Time: 12:05 pm
- Place: 4274 Chamberlin (refreshments will be served)
- Speaker: Rock Mackie, UW Departments of Molecular Biology and Medical Physics
- Abstract: Computed tomography (CT) is the reconstruction of the interior of a volume from many views of projections through it. X-ray CT lead to a revolution in medicine and with other scan types has revolutionized medicine including largely eliminating exploratory surgery. Optical, charged particle, and neutron beam CT systems are also being used in many scientific disciplines. The algorithms for reconstruction involve complex mathematics that are prone to measurement inaccuracies that lead to artifacts.
- Host: Sprott
Wednesday, October 17th, 2012
- Department Meeting
- Time: 12:15 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
Thursday, October 18th, 2012
- R. G. Herb Condensed Matter Seminar
- Quantum Technology: The Second Quantum Revolution
- Time: 10:00 am
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Jonathan Dowling, Louisiana State University
- Abstract: We are currently in the midst of a second quantum revolution. The first quantum revolution gave us new rules that govern physical reality. The second quantum revolution will take these rules and use them to develop new technologies. In this review we discuss the principles upon which quantum technology is based and the tools required to develop it. We discuss a number of examples of research programs that could deliver quantum technologies in coming decades including; quantum information technology, quantum electromechanical systems, coherent quantum electronics, quantum optics and coherent matter technology.
- Host: Coppersmith & Saffman
- Astronomy Colloquium
- Blue Straggler Formation in the Old Open Cluster NGC188
- Time: 3:30 pm
- Place: 4421 Sterling Hall
- Speaker: Aaron Geller, Northwestern University
- Abstract: <br>
<br>
Open clusters occupy a compelling regime for blue straggler formation. Their moderate stellar densities permit blue straggler formation through all of the known mechanisms, namely collisions, mergers and mass transfer. Furthermore, the accessibility of open clusters to both detailed observations and sophisticated N-body simulations provides unique opportunities to investigate the origins of blue stragglers in great detail. Perhaps the most well-studied blue straggler population in an open cluster is that of NGC 188. This ~7 Gyr open cluster hosts 21 blue stragglers, 16 of which are known to have binary companions, as revealed by our multi-epoch WIYN/Hydra radial-velocity survey. The majority of these blue stragglers have ~0.5 Msun companions that orbit with periods of order 1000 days and have modest eccentricities. Comparisons with predictions from N-body simulations of NGC 188 show that collisions and mergers cannot create such blue stragglers. (Although these mechanisms may account for some or all of the other blue stragglers in the cluster.) Instead the dominant formation mechanism for the blue stragglers in NGC 188 is most likely mass transfer processes.<br>
- NPAC (Nuclear/Particle/Astro/Cosmo) Forum
- Physics in a Big Universe
- Time: 4:00 pm
- Place: 4274 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Sean Carroll, Caltech
- Host: Halzen
- Graduate Introductory Seminar
- High Energy Collider Experiment
- Time: 5:45 pm
- Place: 2223 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Carlsmith, Dasu, Herndon, Mellado, Pan, Smith, Wu, UW Madison
Friday, October 19th, 2012
- Cosmology Journal Club
- An Informal discussion about a broad variety of arXiv papers related to Cosmology
- Time: 12:00 pm
- Place: 5242 Chamberlin Hall
- Abstract: Please visit the following link for more details:
http://cmb.physics.wisc.edu/journal/index.html
Please feel free to bring your lunch!
If you have questions or comments about this journal club, would like to propose a topic or volunteer to introduce a paper, please email Le Zhang (lzhang263@wisc.edu) - Host: Peter Timbie
- Physics Department Colloquium
- Discovery of the Higgs Boson - the God Particle
- Time: 3:30 pm
- Place: 2241 Chamberlin Hall (coffee at 4:30 pm)
- Speaker: Sau Lan Wu, UW-Madison
- Abstract: The recent experimental discovery of the Higgs particle has involved the hard work of thousands of scientists from 56 countries around the world for more than two decades. The Higgs particle is responsible for all masses of the universe. This is the discovery of the decades in physics, and was accomplished at the Large Hadron Collider of CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. In this presentation, Enrico Fermi and Vilas Professor of physics Sau Lan Wu will speak on this discovery and the seminal role her research group and UW-Madison played.
- Host: Himpsel