Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community
Prof. Nergis Mavalvala
Thu Jan 24, 01:30-02:30am, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Gravitational waves are believed to be emitted by massive astrophysical objects such as black holes and neutron stars. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) is part of an international effort to directly detect these waves. As currently operational detectors are used to search for astrophysical sources of gravitational waves, we are entering an exciting new era of gravitational wave astronomy. Come find out how these detectors work, and what we are learning from them.
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@MIT.EDU
|
|
Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: a Ultracold atomic gases: The coldest matter in the Universe
Prof. Martin Zwierlein
Tue Jan 15, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
At temperatures a million times colder than interstellar space, and at densities a million times thinner than air, atomic gases transform into new states of matter, they become superfluid. In this world, quantum mechanics sets the rules: Atoms behave as waves, they interfere like laser light and they flow without friction. In this lecture I will present the cooling methods, laser cooling and evaporative cooling, that allow us to reach these ultra-low temperatures, and then demonstrate the "super"flow of these gases. I will show that this is directly related to another "super" phenomenon: Superconductivity.
Contact: Monica Wolf, 4-315, 253-4855, mwolf@mit.edu
|
|
Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: b Mining for Dark Matter:Searching for the Dark Side of the Universe
Enectali Figueroa-Feliciano
Wed Jan 16, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Mining for Dark Matter: Searching for the Dark Side of the Universe Half a Mile Underground
The answers to some of the biggest cosmic questions may lie not in the heavens, but deep underground. Scientists all around the world are searching for the elusive Dark Matter, a mysterious substance that makes up 24% of the Universe. One class of candidates for Dark Matter are called Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs. Half a mile underground in the Soudan mine in Minnesota, we are mining data from our detectors trying to strike gold: the first direct evidence of Dark Matter. In this talk we will describe the efforts currently underway in this exciting cosmological gold rush.
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
|
|
Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: c "Staring at the sun a mile underground"
Prof. Joseph Formaggio
Thu Jan 17, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
"Staring at the sun a mile underground"
(and other odd ways neutrinos come into our world)
Ever since their inception by Wolfgang Pauli in 1930, neutrinos have been a mysterious phenomena in the mind of particle physicists. Chargeless, massless (well, nearly massless) particles that can pass through the entire Earth without even deflecting once, neutrinos have continually challenged both experimental and theoretical physicists. In my talk, I will discuss some of the odd history and milestones in our study of neutrinos, and how they have helped us understand the basic foundation of what is often referred to as the Standard Model of particle physics.
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
|
|
Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: d From Quarks to Nuclei: What happened after the Big Bang?
Prof. June Matthews
Tue Jan 22, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
When the universe began in a Big Bang, a hot sea of quarks and gluons was created which coalesced to form protons and neutrons. During the next few minutes, the protons and neutrons came together to form deuterium, helium, and a small amount of lithium. In the theory of "Big Bang Nucleosynthesis," one uses nuclear reaction rates measured in the laboratory to predict the abundances of these elements that can be compared with observations by astronomers. However, the most basic reaction, the formation of deuterium, has not been well measured. I will describe an experiment designed to remedy this situation.
Contact: Prof. Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
|
|
Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: e One Physicist's Journey: Asking the Right Question
Larry Votta
Wed Jan 9, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Larry Votta,'79 MIT Physics Ph.D, will talk about his 27-year journey to answer his thesis advisor's question: "How did I know that my software programs were correct?" and tenuous generalizations of the nature of physics and the modern physics career.
Contact: Maryglenn Vincens, 4-309, 452-2807, vincens@mit.edu
|
|
Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: f "Seeking the Cosmic Zephyr: A Dark Matter Quest"
Dr. Jocelyn Monroe
Wed Jan 23, 01:15-01:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
The universe contains at least five times more dark matter than normal matter, such as atoms. The existence of dark matter is demonstrated by its gravitational interactions with normal matter, but the properties of these mysterious "dark" particles are unknown. The motion of our solar system around the galactic center should produce an apparent dark matter wind, which may enable the definitive observation of dark matter particles. The nature of dark matter is one of the key questions today in physics and astrophysics. A world-wide race is on to directly observe dark matter particles interacting in terrestrial detectors. This search requires the most sensitive detectors and cleanest environments in the history of particle physics. I will describe the evidence for dark matter, and the hunt for the dark matter wind.
Contact: Prof. Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
|
|
Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: g Various Physics Topics
Various Speakers
Mon-Thu, Jan 7, 9-10, 15-17, 22-24, 28, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Lectures given by members of the MIT Physics Community including:
Prof. Young Lee, Larry Votta, Prof. Eric Hudson, Prof. Martin Zweirlein, Prof. Tali Figueroa-Feliciano, Prof. Joe Formaggio, Prof. June Matthews, Dr. Jocelyn Monroe and Prof. Nergis Mavalvala
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
|
|
Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: i The Quest for the Holy Grail of Quantum Magnetism: The Elusive Spin L
Prof. Young Lee
Mon Jan 7, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Can new states of matter be created using an ordinary oven? One of the central issues in condensed matter physics focuses on understanding the exotic phases which emerge from collections of interacting electrons. This talk will introduce the basic concepts in this active field of research. The powerful technique of neutron scattering, an essential tool in this pursuit, will be described. Intriguing new materials will be highlighted, ranging from novel superconductors to the quest for the holy grail of quantum magnetism here at MIT.
Contact: Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@MIT.EDU
|
|
Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community:j Investigating Complexity One Atom at a Time
Prof. Eric Hudson
Thu Jan 10, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Investigating Complexity One Atom at a Time:
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of High Temperature Superconductors
In this talk I will introduce the technique of STM and provide an overview of what we know and don't know about high temperature superconductors. I will then describe my group's recent use of scanning tunneling microscopy to
discover new properties of these mysterious materials.
Contact: Prof. Ray Ashoori, 13-2053, 253-5585, ashoori@mit.edu
|
The Feynman Films
Markos Hankin
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None
This series of films by Richard Feynman is open to the MIT community.
Contact: Markos Hankin, 6c-207, 253-4844, mhankin@mit.edu
The Law of Gravitation
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 7, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
The Best Mind Since Einstein
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 9, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
The Relation of Mathematics to Physics
Markos Hankin
Thu Jan 10, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
The Great Conservation Principles
Markos Hankin
Tue Jan 15, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
Symmetry in Physical Law
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 16, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
The Last Journey of a Genius
Markos Hankin
Thu Jan 17, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
Take the World from Another Point of View
Markos Hankin
Tue Jan 22, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
The Distinction of Past and Future
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 23, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
Probability and Uncertainty
Markos Hankin
Thu Jan 24, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
Seeking New Laws
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 28, 12-01:00pm, 6-120
|
|
