Past Schedules: 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 | 2008-2009

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“Physics of the Lunar Surface”

Forty years ago, Apollo astronauts landed on the Moon’s surface. We’ve been studying the Moon ever since, from its cold atmosphere right down to the dust on its surface, which is subject to shifting by intense electrical fields. Discoveries about the lunar environment are shaping future robotic and human mission to the Moon. This talk will delve into the basic physics of the lunar surface and highlight new ways scientists are studying the Moon: lab experiments; observations by telescopes on the ground; and instruments in space and on the lunar surface. This talk highlights the latest lunar science findings and how researchers are studying the Moon. We will also show how these findings apply to other airless bodies in space like Mercury and asteroids.

Prof. Mihaly Horanyi

Space Plasma Physics

“The Supercool Atom Computer”

Approximately every eighteen months microprocessors double their speed and decrease their size. If computers continue to become faster and smaller, they will soon reach the scale of only a few atoms. At this scale the world will behave in a different way than we are used to; quantum mechanics laws will dominate and quantum technology must replace or supplement what we have today. Quantum laws are very different from the classical ones -- which rule the everyday world -- and offer the possibility of outstanding technological developments. A quantum computer will be able to perform tasks impossible for classical computers.
To build a practical quantum computer, however, is a very difficult task, and it has motivated intense theoretical and experimental efforts across different fields of physical science and mathematics. In this talk, I will review the main differences between classical and quantum laws and explain how we can take advantage of these differences to process information more efficiently. I will describe the various physical systems proposed to implement a quantum computer and, in particular, discuss some ideas on how a computer based on cold atoms would work.

Prof. Ana Marie Rey

Theoretical Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

“Arithmetic, Population and Energy”

The talk identifies the exponential function as the mathematical function that describes steady growth, and the talk then shows how steady growth gives enormous numbers in modest periods of time. Yet steady growth is the centerpiece of the entire national and global economies. The economic growth is based on the easy availability of fossil fuels, particularly petroleum. The talk examines the dramatic reduction of the life expectancy of a finite non-renewable resource when the rate of consumption of the resource is growing steadily. These results are applied to petroleum. The resulting life-expectancies are very much shorter than those that are quoted by experts, journalists and non-scientists. Charts in the talk illustrate the probable future trend in petroleum production in the U.S. and globally. These charts are taken from my published paper (Mathematical Geology, January 2000, Pg. 1). Numerous examples are given of public statements by prominent people that demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of even the simplest fundamentals of resource arithmetic. The talk closes with a discussion of the importance of educating all of our people to the arithmetic and consequences of growth, especially in terms of populations and in terms of the earth’s finite resources.

2 P.M.
Duane Physics G1B30

“Neutrinos: Ghosts of the Subatomic Universe”

Tiny particles called neutrinos are one of the fundamental building blocks of our universe. Enormous numbers of neutrinos are produced inside stars and supernova explosions, and they are so numerous that trillions of them have harmlessly passed through you in the time it has taken you to read this sentence.  With no electric charge and practically no mass, neutrinos fly through the universe at nearly the speed of light and can travel through enormous amounts of material without being disturbed.  Recent observations that neutrinos can change from one type to another type have helped to resolve the long standing solar neutrino problem, where measurements of the number of neutrinos coming from our Sun were less than half of the predicted value.   This talk will explain the history of the neutrino, discuss how scientists are able to detect them,  and describe some of the experiments that are taking place around the world to help improve our understanding of these elusive particles.

Prof. Alysia Marino

Experimental Elementary Particles and Fields

“Ultrafast Photography with Lasers”

In high speed photography moving objects are frozen as pictures on film by the shutter or the flash light of a camera. Many phenomena in physics and chemistry are however too fast to be captured by an ordinary camera. Ultrafast laser pulses provide the necessary tool to freeze an atom or molecule in motion. The talk will describe this type of ultrafast photography and other applications of a new field of research called attophysics.

Prof. Andreas Becker

Theoretical Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

“Black Holes Inside and Out”

Prof. Andrew Hamilton

Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences