IAP 2015 Activities by Sponsor : Physics

8 Mechanics ReView

Dave Pritchard, Professor

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: none

Mechanics ReView– Prof. Dave Pritchard Start: Monday, Jan 12, 2015 End: Thursday, Jan 29, 2015. Building on Newtonian Mechanics at the 8.01 level, we will offer a unified view of how to solve real world mechanics problems that involve several concepts at once. We will emphasize several themes: modeling reality, specifying the system and interactions, making sense of the answer, approximations/estimation, how to approach problems and decompose them into simpler pieces. We will use online models that gives students a hierarchical overview of the core physical content of Mechanics. Limited enrollment – sign up by 12:00 noon Monday Jan. 12, 2015

Sponsor(s): Physics
Contact: Nancy Boyce, 4-315, 617 253-4461, NBOYCE@MIT.EDU

Jan/12	Mon	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/13	Tue	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/14	Wed	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/15	Thu	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/16	Fri	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/20	Tue	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/21	Wed	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/22	Thu	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/23	Fri	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/26	Mon	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/27	Tue	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/28	Wed	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082
Jan/29	Thu	03:00PM-05:00PM	32-082

Dave Pritchard - Professor

IAP 2015 Physics Lecture Series

Krishna Rajagopal, Associate Dept Head & Prof/MacVicar Faculty Fellow

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

IAP 2015 Physics Lecture Series

Sponsor(s): Physics
Contact: Denise Wahkor, 4-315, 617 253-4855, DENISEW@MIT.EDU

The Mysteries of Mass Unveiled?

	Jan/12	Mon	01:30PM-02:30PM	4-370

On July 4, 2012, the discovery of a new boson with mass around 125 GeV was announced at CERN. First measurements of its properties are compatible with those of the long sought standard-model Higgs boson. I will present the results from the first run of the Large Hadron Collider and discuss the potential of future measurements.

Markus Klute - Professor- Department of Physics

Nuclear Detection in Nuclear Security.

	Jan/14	Wed	01:30PM-02:30PM	4-370

The talk will focus on two research areas: the use of monochromatic gamma sources for the detection of nuclear materials in cargo containers; and authentication of nuclear warheads without compromising classified information, which is necessary for enabling nuclear disarmament treaties.

Areg Danagoulian - Assistant Professor, Department of Nuclear Science and Engin

Nolinear Tides

	Jan/16	Fri	01:30PM-02:30PM	4-370

Despite a long history of study, there is a lot we do not understand about tides. This is especially true for close binaries, where the tides are so strong that the fluid response is highly nonlinear. I will focus on two types of close binaries: extrasolar planets in ~1 day orbits and inspiraling neutron star binaries (in ~0.01 second orbits!).

Nevin Weinberg - Assistant Professor, Department of Physics

The Art of Interviewing

	Jan/20	Tue	01:30PM-02:30PM	4-370

The interview is an essential part of getting a job or internship, and often a key piece in being accepted into a graduate program, postdoctoral position, or faculty position. This talk will focus on the many ways you can prepare for an interview, the types of questions (and answers) that one can expect, and other general tips and suggestions so that the interview becomes your strength, not your worry.

Matt Cubstead - Administrative Officer, Department of Physics

Capturing transcription in action

	Jan/22	Thu	01:30PM-02:30PM	4-370

"Capturing transcription in action with single-molecule imaging in live cells".

Transcription is the first step in the central dogma of molecular biology when genetic information in DNA is copied into a messenger RNA. Here, I will discuss our recent efforts in capturing cooperative behaviors that emerge during transcription onset, with single-molecule resolution directly in living cells.

Ibrahim Cisse - Assistant Professor- Department Physics

The Search for Earth 2.0

	Jan/23	Fri	01:30PM-02:30PM	4-370

The discovery and characterization of exoplanets have the potential to offer the world one of the most impactful findings ever in the history of astronomy - the identification of life beyond Earth. Life can be inferred by the presence of atmospheric biosignature gases - gases produced by life that can accumulate to detectable levels in an exoplanet atmosphere.

Sara Seager - Professor, Dept of Earth, Atmospheric, & Planetary Sciences

Fontiers in Superconductivity

	Jan/26	Mon	01:30PM-02:30PM	4-370

Condensed matter physics examines the science of many: when one-billion-quadrillion atoms are assembled in a solid material, new phenomena can emerge. Just when it seems that the phenomenon is fully understood, new superconductors are discovered to challenge this understanding. In this talk, I will give an overview of superconductivity science and technology with a focus on current research directions.

Inna Vishik - Pappalardo Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Physics

The secret life of quarks

	Jan/28	Wed	01:30PM-02:30PM	4-370

I will describe how the strong force that binds atomic nuclei together arises from the underlying interactions of quarks and gluons and discuss how the simple theory that describes them gives rise to the complex world of nuclear physics.

William Detmold - Assistant Professor- Department of Physics

Little Big-Bang: Relativistic Heavy Ion

	Jan/30	Fri	01:30PM-02:30PM	4-370

"Little Big-Bang: Relativistic Heavy Ion Collision at the LHC"

In 2010, LHC has delivered PbPb collisions at the highest collision energies ever achieved. The main goal of the heavy ion program is to study the fundamental theory of strong interactions, Quantum Chromodynamics, under extreme high density and temperature conditions. In this talk, recent results from CMS are reviewed and discussed.

Yen-Jie Lee - Assistant Professor- Department of Physics

IAP 2015- The Feynman Films

Andy Neely, Manager of the Technical Services Group

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

The Feynman Films

Sponsor(s): Physics
Contact: Denise Wahkor, 4-315, 617 253-4855, DENISEW@MIT.EDU