Events at Physics |
Events During the Week of October 16th through October 23rd, 2011
Monday, October 17th, 2011
- Plasma Physics (Physics/ECE/NE 922) Seminar
- TBD
- Time: 12:05 pm
- Place: 2317 Engineering Hall
- Speaker: David Gates, PPPL
- R. G. Herb Condensed Matter Seminar
- Interplay between superconductivity and ferromagnetism at the LaAlO<sub>3</sub>/SrTiO<sub>3</sub> interface
- Time: 3:30 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Venkat Chandrasekhar, Northwestern University
- Abstract: The interface between the two band insulators LaAlO3 (LAO) and SrTiO3 (STO) has proved to be host to a rich variety of phenomena, including electric field controlled metal-insulator and superconductor-insulator transitions and ferromagnetism. Recently, ferromagnetism and superconductivity, two normally antagonistic phenomena, have been shown to coexist at the interface. We shall discuss the influence of the ferromagnetism on the superconducting properties of the system. In particular, we show how the magnetization dynamics in the ferromagnet can be used as a tool to explore the superconductor to insulator phase transition.
- Host: Rzchowski
- Condensed Matter Theory Group Seminar
- Localization of quantum particles and classical waves in disordered media (Part II)
- Time: 4:30 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Peter Wölfle, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
- Abstract: In the second lecture I review a self-consistent theory of localization and discuss its recent application to interpret experiments on the localization of acoustic waves. The phase relaxation rate in electronic systems is also considered, in particular with respect to recent experiments on ferromagnetic disordered metals. Recent experiments on the localization of ultracold atoms in an optical random potential are reviewed.
- Host: Perkins
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
- Chaos & Complex Systems Seminar
- Algorithmic music composition - Philosophy, methods, implications, and possible applications
- Time: 12:05 pm
- Place: 4274 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Dave Smith, UW Space Science and Engineering Center
- Abstract: Most modern music composition methods are based on the music of previous successful artists, like Mozart, the sonification of complex data sets and mathematical processes, or by combining a large number of manipulation methods and searching for interesting sounds....
My approach is drawn more from cognitive science - determining what types of coherence we can recognize, and presenting these as structure, content and boundaries. One advantage of this approach is that the resultant music can be well defined in both cognitive and aesthetic domains....
In the larger (non-musical) view, by looking at these methods as mechanisms for coping with chaotic and complex phenomena, we end up with a rough map of consciousness which brings surprising questions about our knowledge and educational systems.... For example: How do "what we like" and "what we know" interact?... How do classification systems compete with non-discrete phenomena?
And some groovy music! - Host: Clint Sprott
- Astronomy Colloquium
- Special Astronomy Colloquium
- Sample formation and AGN Outflows in a Sample of Local AGN's
- Time: 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
- Place: 4421 Sterling Hall
- Speaker: Lisa Winter, University of Colorado
- Abstract: While feedback from the central supermassive black hole likely affects the host galaxy evolution in the distant universe, through suppressing star formation, we can not directly observe these processes at work. We can, however, easily observe the host galaxy and AGN properties of nearby sources. To understand the outflow and host galaxy properties in a local sample of AGN, we present our results from optical and X-ray spectroscopic follow-ups of a sample of 50 Seyfert 1s detected in the very hard X-rays (14-195 keV) with the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. Due to the high energy selection, this survey is largely unbiased to the gas and dust which obscures softer bands. We find that outflows are detected in a majority of the sample and may be present in all local Seyfert 1s. We investigate how these outflows affect their host galaxies through searching for correlations between star formation rate and both accretion rate and outflow strength.
- Host: Professor Amy Barger
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
- Department Meeting
- Time: 12:15 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
- Informal Condensed Matter Seminar
- Discussion on Quantum Criticality
- Time: 2:00 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Elihu Abrahams, UCLA
- Host: Andrey Chubukov
- NPAC (Nuclear/Particle/Astro/Cosmo) Forum
- Can hints of new flavor structures form top quarks and B mesons be related?
- Time: 2:30 pm
- Place: 4274 Chamberlin
- Speaker: John Ng, TRIUMF
- Abstract: Recent measurements of front-back asymmetry in t-quark productions at the Tevatron hint at new flavor structure beyond the Standard Model. There is also a tension in the determination of |V_ub| from inclusive and exclusive semileptonic B-meson decays and B--> au u. We examine whether the models proposed to explain the first anomaly can or cannot alleviate the latter tension.
- Host: Michael Ramsey-Musolf
- Graduate Introductory Seminar
- Astrophysics I: IceCube, HAWC, ARA, Auger, DM-Ice
- Time: 5:30 pm
- Place: IceCube Offices 222 W. Washington Avenue
- Speaker: Halzen, Karle, Maruyama, Westerhoff
Friday, October 21st, 2011
- 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
- The Kondo effect: from magnetic alloys to nanoelectronics
- Time: 3:30 pm
- Place: 2241 Chamberlin Hall (coffee at 4:30 pm)
- Speaker: Peter Wölfle, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
- Abstract: After introducing the problem and some historical remarks I show how the Kondo effect may be understood as a collective many-body effect, present whenever a local degree of freedom (spin) is coupled to a continuum of excitations. A comparison with selected experiments serves to highlight the essence of the Kondo effect. Then the Kondo effect in quantum dots is introduced and salient features are reviewed. It is shown how the theory needs to be modified to account for nonequilibrium transport through Kondo dots. Examples of how the Kondo effect is suppressed and how it may be created by finite bias voltage are shown. Finally the role of the Kondo effect in creating "heavy electron metals" is described and the fascinating physics of quantum phase transitions in these compounds is highlighted.
- Host: Chubukov