Physics Department Colloquia |
Events During the Week of August 29th through September 5th, 2010
Monday, August 30th, 2010
- No events scheduled
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
- No events scheduled
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
- No events scheduled
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
- No events scheduled
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
- Once and Future Science at RHIC
- Time: 4:00 pm
- Place: 2241 Chamberlin Hall (coffee at 3:30 pm)
- Speaker: Steven Vigdor, Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear and Particle Physics, Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Abstract: The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has pioneered laboratory study of condensed matter systems governed by a force of a different color. An overarching theme of RHIC research is to unveil unique quantum many-body manifestations of the underlying color force, and their possible implications for the early universe and for other systems based on non-Abelian particle interactions. I will review the status - techniques, results, interpretations, implications and plans - associated with three particular lines of inquiry: the discovery of nearly perfect liquid flow of the extremely hot matter produced fleetingly in RHIC heavy-ion collisions; possible evidence for high-temperature vacuum fluctuations (sphalerons) characterized by local violation of symmetries; and the search for evidence of density saturation for low-momentum gluons in cold nuclear matter. In the process, I will also discuss some aspects of the innovative accelerator physics that drives ongoing and planned upgrades of the RHIC facility.
- Host: Balantekin