Events at Physics |
Events During the Week of September 27th through October 4th, 2026
Sunday, September 27th, 2026
- Graduate Program Event
- GMaWiP Welcome Brunch
- Time: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
- Place: Aubergine on Williamson St
- Abstract: Annual welcome potluck brunch! All career stages welcome: undergrads, postbaccs, grads, postdocs, faculty, staff. RSVP (and optionally sign up to bring something).
Send questions to Amii Matamoros Delgado <matamorosdel@wisc.edu> - Host: GMaWiP
Monday, September 28th, 2026
- Plasma Physics (Physics/ECE/NE 922) Seminar
- Canceled - no seminar
- Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
- Place: 2241 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Ben Dudson, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Abstract: No plasma physics seminar this week.
- Host: Vladimir Zhdankin
- Theory Seminar (High Energy/Cosmology)
- Generalized Symmetries and the Dynamics of Gauge Theories
- Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
- Place: Chamberlin 5280
- Speaker: Zipei Zhang, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Abstract: Symmetry can place exact constraints on a quantum field theory even when its low-energy dynamics are strongly coupled. In this talk, I will introduce generalized symmetries through topological defects and background gauge fields, and explain how ’t Hooft anomalies constrain possible infrared phases. I will illustrate these ideas with the one-form center symmetry of four-dimensional SU(N) Yang–Mills theory and its implications at theta = pi. I will then turn to non-invertible symmetries in two-dimensional adjoint QCD, where topological lines give an argument for deconfinement, and close with a brief look at their applications in more phenomenologically relevant gauge theories.
- Host: Elio J Koenig-Tarasevich
Tuesday, September 29th, 2026
- No events scheduled
Wednesday, September 30th, 2026
- No events scheduled
Thursday, October 1st, 2026
- R. G. Herb Condensed Matter Seminar
- Interface Engineering Across Bulk and Mesoscale Quantum Matter
- Time: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Aravind Devarakonda, Columbia University
- Abstract: Engineering interactions between distinct electronic phases can present new opportunities to discover and control emergent quantum phenomena. In this seminar, I will discuss our group's efforts to realize such interactions through the design of novel interfaces in bulk and mesoscale quantum materials. I will first introduce a growing family of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) bulk van der Waals (vdW) superlattices, where layer-selective chemical substitution provides a versatile method for tailoring the electronic behavior of TMD layers within high-quality bulk heterostructures. I will focus on our recent work demonstrating how layer-selective rare-earth substitution can dramatically alter the electronic behavior of the TMD monolayers. I will then highlight our broader efforts to expand the ways in which we manipulate and assemble interfaces at the mesoscale, including techniques for reconfiguring vdW heterostructures, methods for creating lateral interfaces between crystalline metals, and potential strategies for defining interfaces in the absence of crystallographic or compositional discontinuities.
- Host: Ilya Esterlis
- Astronomy Colloquium
- Multiphase Supersonic Outflows in Active Galactic Nuclei
- Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Place: 4421 Sterling Hall
- Speaker: Daniel Proga, University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Abstract: Large-scale mass outflows from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) naturally connect a galaxy to its central black hole and enable an AGN feedback mechanism. However, quantifying the feedback efficiency is challenging because it involves considering multidimensional fluid dynamics, radiative processes, magnetic processes, and other factors. In this talk, I will summarize the main results from our ongoing work on developing a comprehensive physical model of AGN outflows. Observations indicate that these outflows are not smooth, including the fastest ones, like the ultrafast outflows. Therefore, I will focus on discussing the physical processes that could create multiphase structures within such outflows. We will also present synthetic ultraviolet and X-ray absorption spectra, which probe different outflow phases and can be used to test our model against observations.
- Host: Sebastian Heinz
Friday, October 2nd, 2026
- RISE-AI Reasoning in Science
- Reasoning in Science Lightning Talks and Group Kickoff
- Time: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
- Place: WARF Seminar Hub Room 7560, Morgridge Hall
- Abstract: Join us for the kickoff of the RISE-AI Focus Group on AI Reasoning for Science. The event will feature lightning talks from UW–Madison graduate students across physics, computer science, bioinformatics, and related fields, showcasing diverse applications of AI reasoning in science. Following the talks, we will hold an open discussion on the goals, directions, and future activities of the focus group.
- Host: Moritz Münchmeyer, Nate Woodward
- Physics Department Colloquium
- Cosmology with galaxy imaging surveys: Results from the Dark Energy Survey Year 6 analysis of galaxy clustering and weak lensing
- Time: 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm
- Place: Chamberlin 2241 -
- Speaker: Jessie Muir, University of Cincinnati
- Abstract: Over the six years of 2013-2019, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) imaged one eighth of the sky, measuring the properties of hundreds of millions of galaxies. In this talk I will discuss how we leverage these data to probe the geometry and growth of structure in our Universe, and through that, to test models describing the physics of dark energy, dark matter, and gravity. I will present results from the DES Year 6 cosmology analysis of galaxy clustering and weak gravitational lensing, and will highlight how, as the largest-area galaxy imaging survey of its kind, DES serves as a laboratory for preparation for analysis with next-generation cosmological experiments like the Vera Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).
- Host: Keith Bechtol