Events at Physics |
Events During the Week of August 11th through August 18th, 2013
Monday, August 12th, 2013
- No events scheduled
Tuesday, August 13th, 2013
- No events scheduled
Wednesday, August 14th, 2013
- No events scheduled
Thursday, August 15th, 2013
- No events scheduled
Friday, August 16th, 2013
- Astronomy Colloquium
- SPECIAL TALK
- Towards 1% Measurements of Cosmological Distances with Cosmic Sound
- Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
- Place: 4421 Sterling Hall
- Speaker: Nikhil Padmanabhan, YALE
- Abstract: <br>
Measuring the accelerated expansion of the Universe with the goal of better understanding its underlying physics is one of the leading programs in cosmology today. The baryon acoustic oscillation technique is one of the foremost tools in our toolbox today. This talk will explain the underlying physics of this method and the reasons it is extremely robust to observational and theoretical systematic errors. I will then present the latest results from the SDSS and BOSS surveys, currently the most precise distance constraints from this method. These will include a new analysis technique to undo the effects of the nonlinear evolution of the density field and partially "reconstruct" the initial density field. I will discuss the implications of these measurements, and will conclude by discussing prospects for improvements in the immediate and not-so-immediate future.<br>
- Host: Astronomy
- NPAC (Nuclear/Particle/Astro/Cosmo) Forum
- Thermal Kinetic Inductance Detectors for X-ray Spectroscopy
- Time: 1:30 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Dr. Thomas Cecil, Argonne National Laboratories
- Abstract: Since their introduction ten years ago, microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) have been examined for applications ranging from the far infrared to gamma rays. Although these detectors have been shown to work with x-rays, several technical challenges have prevented their widespread use. At Argonne, we are developing thermal kinetic inductance detectors (TKIDs), a variation of the MKID in which the superconducting inductance serves as sensitive thermometer. In this talk I will provide a general overview MKIDs and introduce the concept of TKIDs. I will discuss our ongoing research into TKIDs, including device theory, thermal modeling, and device fabrication. Finally, I will discuss possible applications for TKIDs in X-ray spectroscopy.
- Host: Dan McCammon