IAP 2017 Activities by Category: Physical Sciences

Alcator C-Mod Tour

TBD, MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Jan/11	Wed	04:00PM-05:00PM	NW17-218

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)

Visit the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, a major fusion energy experiment that recently completed its final run with breakthrough results. Alcator C- Mod is the third in a series of tokamak devices at MIT that use very high magnetic fields to confine plasmas operating near 100,000,000 degrees.

Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, 617 253-8101, RIVENBERG@PSFC.MIT.EDU

Complexity in the Universe

Dr. Tom Chang, Mr. Ryan McKinnon

Jan/13	Fri	01:30PM-02:30PM	Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

Two Talks! 1:30-2:30pm

Complexity and Multifractals in Space and the Universe (Dr. Tom Chang)

This talk comprises a series of descriptive narratives geared toward the general audience. "Dynamical complexity" is a phenomenon observed in interacting many-body systems within which multitudes of different sizes of large scale coherent structures emerge, resulting in stochastic behaviors vastly different from those that could be surmised from the underlying equations of interactions. Everywhere one peers into space and the cosmos, there is complexity with the appearance of intermittent fluctuating events involving the mixing and distribution of correlated structures at all spatial and temporal scales. Read the full abstract

Simulating the Universe on a Supercomputer (Mr. Ryan McKinnon)

Galaxies in the universe form and grow over time in a complicated nonlinear fashion. Recent advances in supercomputing ability make it possible to numerically model the essential physics and evolve a "mock" universe from shortly after the Big Bang to the present day, producing a fairly realistic population of galaxies. In this talk, I will highlight the key topics in physics that govern galaxy formation, display visualizations from state-of-the-art astrophysics simulations, and discuss the supercomputing resources needed to simulate the universe.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU

Defense R&D and the Military-Industrial Complex: Science and National Priorities

Subrata Ghoshroy, Research Affiliate

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: No pre-requisites, only an interest in defense policy

After the end of World War II, the U.S. embarked upon a policy to spend large sums of money for defense and created a "black budget" for nuclear weapons. The rationale was two-fold. One was to fight the growing threat of communism and the other was to spur the post-war economy. A big part of the defense budget was for R&D to develop science and technology for weapons, in order to have a technology edge over the USSR. The dual Cold War rationale - prosperity at home and fighting wars abroad - to contain "communist aggression" continues 25 years after the collapse of the USSR. Today, the U.S. military spends about $600 billion including between $70 billion and $80 billion for R&D. 1 trillion-dollar will be spent on nuclear weapons over the next 30 years, shortchanging the research on climate change, e.g. From the early days of the second world war, academics participated in the Manhattan project to develop the atomic bomb, the radar, missile guidance systems, etc. Today's subjects are artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and cyber defense, for example. The Pentagon also funds research in social sciences like political science, anthropology and psychology. Eisenhower's warning of the danger of a "military-industrial complex" (MIC) has come true.

There will be four sessions as follows:

Defense spending, Congress, and the MIC
The universities and the Pentagon
Defense R&D: Innovation deficiency and Lost opportunites
Flming of the award-winning documentary Why We Fight?

Sponsor(s): Science, Technology, and Society
Contact: Subrata Ghoshroy, E51-296, 617 253-3846, GHOSHROY@MIT.EDU

Jan/11	Wed	04:00PM-05:30PM	4-163, CANCELLED DUE TO MEDICAL EMERGENCY.
Jan/18	Wed	04:00PM-05:30PM	4-163, CANCELLED DUE TO MEDICAL EMERGENCY.
Jan/25	Wed	04:00PM-05:30PM	4-163, CANCELLED DUE TO CONTINUED MEDICAL ISSUE
Feb/01	Wed	04:00PM-05:30PM	4-163, CANCELLED DUE TO CONTINUED MEDICAL ISSUE.

Our apologies for having to cancel this activity entirely, due to a prolonged medical issue. We were hoping to have the last day of the original session run as a condensed version, but unfortunately this is not possible.

Subrata Ghoshroy - Research Affiliate

Exoplanet Research at MIT (3 talks and a tour!)

George Ricker, Jenn Burt, Diana Dragomir

Jan/19	Thu	01:00PM-03:30PM	Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/17
Limited to 12 participants
Prereq: attending talks preceding the tour

Unlocking the Secrets of Nearby Exoplanets with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
Dr. George Ricker, 1:00-1:30pm

abstract

Exoplanet Science in the era of TESS
Dr. Jenn Burt, 1:30-2:00pm

abstract

The Mystery of Super-Earth Exoplanets
Dr Diana Dragomir, 2:00-2:30pm

abstract

Tour of the TESS Test Facility

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will discover thousands of exoplanets in orbit around the brightest stars in the sky. In a two-year survey of the solar neighborhood, TESS will monitor more than 200,000 stars for temporary drops in brightness caused by planetary transits. This first-ever spaceborne all-sky transit survey will identify planets ranging from Earth-sized to gas giants, around a wide range of stellar types and orbital distances. No ground-based survey can achieve this feat. A tour of the TESS test facility is available for a small number of attendees on a first-come-first-served basis. The tour will depart from Marlar Lounge at 2:30pm and walk as a group to NE83.

PLEASE NOTE:

No enrollment limit for talks, no advance sign-up required.

Advance sign up required for the tour which is limited to 12 individuals. Sign up by 12noon on January 17 (email meinbres@mit.edu). Please provide your name as it appears on your official ID (passport, valid driver's license, or state-issued ID). Be sure to bring your ID with you for the tour. Tour pre-requisite--attendance at the talks preceding the tour.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU

Exploring high-energy-density science at OMEGA and the NIF using MIT-developed nuclear diagnostics

Hong Weng Sio, Graduate Student

Jan/13	Fri	11:00AM-12:00PM	NW17-218

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)

This overview of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High-Energy-Density (HED) science, highlights MIT’s High-Energy-Density Division work at two major US ICF facilities: Omega and the NIF. MIT’s work at these facilities is based on design and implementation of novel diagnostics, platforms, and analyses, developed at the PSFC accelerator facility.

Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, 617 253-8101, RIVENBERG@PSFC.MIT.EDU

Exploring the Universe from Near to Far with the Chandra X-ray Observatory; Tour of the Chandra Operations Control Center

Dr. Michael Nowak, Research Scientist, Dr. Norbert Schulz

Jan/30	Mon	02:30PM-04:00PM	Marlar Lounge 37-252, bring your official ID for the tour

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/23
Limited to 20 participants
Prereq: attend 2:30pm talk to take Chandra OCC tour that follows

The Universe in X-ray Light

Exploring the Universe from Near to Far with the Chandra X-ray Observatory

In the summer of 1999, NASA launched the third of its great observatories--the Chandra X-ray telescope. Like the Hubble Space telescope which preceded it, Chandra is designed to have an unprecedented ability to create images and spectra of astrophysical objects, except working with high energy X-rays instead of optical light. This means that Chandra views some of the universe's most exotic and energetic phenomena: supernovae, neutron stars, black holes, jets traveling at nearly the speed of light emanating from near the center of clusters of galaxies. In this talk, we'll take a tour of the discoveries made by the Chandra X-ray telescope, starting with studies of our own solar system, moving outward to nearby stars, to the center of our own Galaxy where a black hole 40 millions times the mass of our Sun lurks, to distant clusters of Galaxies where the most massive black holes, billions of times the mass of our Sun, reside.

Talk followed by Tour of Operations Control Center for Chandra X-ray Observatory, One of NASA's Great Observatories

Tour departs 37-252 @ 3:00pm following 2:30pm talk above. Tour signup deadline: Monday, Jan 23 @ noon. Email meinbres@mit.edu your first & last name (as it appears on your ID) & the country of your citizenship. Your tour attendance will be confirmed the week of Jan 23.

The tour is limited to the first 20 people who sign up by Jan 23 @ noon.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU

FT-IR Sampling Capabilities in CMSE

Tim McClure

Jan/31	Tue	10:00AM-02:00PM	13-2137

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/27

The Center for Materials Science and Engineering's Analysis Shared Experimental Facility has an Extended range FT-IR & Microscope with a variety of sampling accessories that are available for the use of researchers. Come find out about the many sampling options now available for FT-IR.

Sponsor(s): Center for Materials Science and Engineering
Contact: Tim McClure, 13-4149, x8-6470, mtim@mit.edu

Fundamentals of ferromagnetism

David Paul

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance:
Prereq: Contact Instructor

DESCRIPTION: The subject of ferromagnetsm – its materials, properties, function, applicability, etc., has been traditionally neglected at the university level (much to the distress of major industries). Only recently, with the increased demand and economic opportunity, for major innovations in this field, has advanced level courses been offered here at MIT. We shall attempt at this series of meetings to provide a basic introductory level to this subject – not readily available otherwise.

Topics to be covered include:

1. the energies involved in creating and analyzing the phenomena of collective magnetic behavior in materials,

2. the effect of geometry on the energies and thus on the magnetic properties. Included are specialized properties of miniaturization and lower dimensionality.

3. Hard permanent magnets – obtaining large coercive forces as functions of atomic structure, material workability and associated lattice defects, grain boundaries, and such; as used in motors, train levitation, etc.

4. Soft magnetic materials as used in transformers for current and energy distribution.

5. magnets as used in computers, smart phones, and electronic design where requirement of size, stability, response time, and temperature control are key.

Contact Instructor to enroll

Sponsor(s): Materials Science and Engineering
Contact: David Paul, 13-5030, 617-253-3306, DIPaul@MIT.EDU

Jan/23	Mon	11:00AM-12:00PM	13-5101
Jan/25	Wed	11:00AM-12:00PM	13-5101
Jan/27	Fri	11:00AM-12:00PM	13-5101

David Paul

Fusion energy and MIT's pathway for accelerated demonstration with high-magnetic field tokamaks

Zach Hartwig, Professor

Jan/11	Wed	02:00PM-03:00PM	1-190

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)

This talk will introduce the key concepts of producing clean, safe, and carbon-free electricity from magnetic fusion energy. It will review the present state of fusion energy research and then introduce MIT's proposed pathway to use high-field superconducting magnets to achieve fusion energy at smaller unit size, at lower cost, and on a timescale relevant to climate change.

Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, 617 253-8101, RIVENBERG@PSFC.MIT.EDU

Future Trainwreck: Mine or Modern Physics

Douglas Sweetser '84

Jan/26	Thu	03:00PM-05:00PM	3-270

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required

Disaster is more interesting than success. I will limit myself to an hour of tales of research failures. Modern physics as more than 42 inverse femtobarns of data from the LHC saying all the work on super symmetry has no value, none, zero. My current research rejects using tensors for any calculations in physics. In its place is a more careful consideration of numbers for space-time events that can be added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided. The physics is found by using equivalence classes for pairs of observers. If the square of the difference between two events as seen by a pair of observers is the same, that is the equivalence class of inertial observers which is at the core of special relativity. If the three space-times-times are the same for a pair of observers, that leads to an equivalence class of non-inertial observers. The space-times-time equivalence class is the basis of my new proposal for gravity. There is no graviton in my proposal. The great hunt for quantum gravity would be over. For those that last until the end, a poll will be conducted to gauge if the audience thinks my current research is headed for a flameout, or a huge shift for physics is in store. One random person will win with a free t-shirt. Register today!

Sponsor(s): Alumni Association
Contact: Elena Byrne, W98-206C, 617 252-1143, EBYRNE@MIT.EDU

Giant Telescopes and Metal Poor Stars

Mr. Alexander Ji

Jan/23	Mon	01:30PM-02:30PM	Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

Learn about next generation telescopes and what metal poor stars tells us about the Universe's origins.

The First Stars

Alexander Ji

The Universe hasn't always been filled with stars. Come learn how astronomers are trying to understand how the first stars were made, tackling this question from both theoretical and observational perspectives.

Modern Cyclopses - The Era of Giant Telescopes

Dr. Gabor Furesz

While astronomical observations have been carried out for thousands of years it is only the past four centuries when our naked eyes have been aided by telescopes. With today's 'giant eyes' we can peer really deep into the night sky, literally reaching the edge of the (observable) Universe. But to get there we have to build larger and larger, ever more sensitive, better telescopes and instruments. It has been really just the past few decades when progress was exponential, just like in other fields: thanks to computers, highly sensitive digital detectors and other modern design and manufacturing technologies. But progress in astronomical instrumentation is also influenced by commercialization, the consumer market, as well as history and politics - as these extremely large and complex scientific machines require collaboration and unique technology developments that point beyond a single nation, even the U.S. (read the full abstract here)

No enrollment limit for talk, no advance sign-up required.

See a complete listing of Kavli IAP activities.

Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU

Health and Safety Issues of Nanomaterials

Marilyn Hallock, Susan Leite, Iraj Aalaei

Jan/19	Thu	11:00AM-12:00PM	46-3189

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

The exciting field of nanotechnology is creating the next industrial revolution in engineering. It is also creating the new field of nanotoxicology. Are nanoparticles more toxic than dust particles we normally work with? Could carbon nanotubes possibly be the next asbestos? Come find out what we know and don't know and how to work safely in your laboratory with nanomaterials. No prerequisite.

Sponsor(s): Environment, Health and Safety Office
Contact: Marilyn Hallock, N52-496, x3-0344, hallock@mit.edu

Heavier than the Sun, Smaller than a City: The Neutron Star

Dr. Paul Hemphill, Dr. Norbert Schulz, Dr. Herman Marshall

Jan/20	Fri	01:30PM-03:00PM	Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: no limit or advanced sign up for talk; tour signup at 1:25
Sign-up by 01/20
Limited to 20 participants
Prereq: none

X-ray Spectroscopy: Talk and Tour. Learn about the development and application of x-ray spectroscopy.

Heavier than the Sun, Smaller than a City: The Neutron Star

Dr. Paul Hemphill

Abstract:
Neutron stars are some of the most extreme objects in the knownUniverse. More massive than the Sun, but just a few miles across, theyhave some of the highest densities, strongest magnetic fields, and highest temperatures of any celestial objects. In this talk I will give an overview of the origins and properties of the various types of neutron stars that we observe, as well as how we can detect them and their usefulness for astrophysics as a whole.

Tour of the X-ray Polarimetry Lab -- please note tour limit and prerequisite below

Drs. Norbert Schulz and Herman Marshall

Tour of MIT's X-ray Polarimetry Lab, where new X-ray instrumentation is currently being developed.

Please Note:
20 people max for tour. Advance sign-up required starting at 1:25pm in 37-252 immediately before Dr. Hemphill's talk. Attendance of talk is required for tour of the Lab. Tour will leave from 37-252 at 2:00pm, and last until about 3:00pm.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU

High-Energy-Density Physics Laboratory tour

Cody Parker, Postdoctoral Associate, Graeme Sutcliffe, Graduate Student

Jan/13	Fri	01:00PM-02:00PM	NW17-218

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)

This tour showcases Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) research at MIT. The PSFC High-Energy-Density Physics group has developed and/or calibrated a number of nuclear diagnostics installed on the OMEGA laser at the University of Rochester, NY, and on the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, CA, to study nuclear products generated in fusion reactions.

Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, 617 253-8101, RIVENBERG@PSFC.MIT.EDU

High-energy-density physics on NIF

Warren Hsing, Program Director High Energy Density S&T NIF

Jan/13	Fri	02:00PM-03:00PM	NW17-218

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)

NIF is the most energetic laser in the world, allowing access to high energy densities ranging from Mbars in solid state to Gbars in implosions. This enables the study of relevant physics spanning planetary cores, inertial confinement fusion, and supernovae. A summary of experiments and future capabilities will be presented.

Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, 617 253-8101, RIVENBERG@PSFC.MIT.EDU

High-resolution x-ray optics at the Space Nanotechnology Laboratory: From nanometers to gigaparsecs

Dr. Ralf Heilmann, Principal Research Scientist, MIT Kavli Institute

Feb/03	Fri	02:30PM-04:15PM	Marlar Lounge 37-252

Enrollment: no limit or advanced sign up for talk; signup for tour at 2:25pm on Feb 3
Sign-up by 02/03
Limited to 6 participants
Prereq: none

The Space Nanotechnology Laboratory (SNL) develops advanced lithography and nano-fabrication technology for high performance space instrumentation, as well as nanometer-accuracy metrology and assembly technology. Two current efforts are the development of nanofabricated soft x-ray gratings, the so-called critical-angle transmission (CAT) gratings, and the development of high-precision focusing X-ray mirrors. CAT gratings require the fabrication of sub-micron structures with extreme geometries and sub-nanometer precision, while x-ray mirrors are formed at 600 deg C while floating on porous air bearings and shaped further using ion implantation. These efforts are aimed at instruments that can help find the missing baryons in the Cosmic Web and reveal the secrets of dark matter.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be a tour of the Space Nanotechnology Laboratory (SNL) from 3:15-4:15pm. The pre-requisite for going on the SNL tour is attending this talk. The tour is limited to SIX people; advance sign-up required starting at 2:25 pm in 37-252. You must attend this talk to take the tour.

A complete listing of IAP activities being offered by MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research is posted on the MKI website.

Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU

How the universe magnetizes itself: instabilities, turbulence and magnetic reconnection

Nuno Loureiro, Assistant Professor

Jan/25	Wed	02:00PM-03:00PM	1-190

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)

The universe is magnetized: from galaxies and galaxy clusters to the solar system, including of course the Sun and our own planet, magnetic fields are found everywhere we care to look. It is reasonably well established that magnetic fields were not created in the Big Bang, so a question naturally arises as to where they come from. Understanding cosmic magnetogenesis, as the problem is usually called, is plasma physics at its very best, involving a rather complex interplay of battery-like effects, instabilities at the electron and ion scales, turbulent amplification (dynamo), and magnetic reconnection to enable magnetic-field topology change. This lecture will aim to describe these processes at an introductory level, and their role in magnetic field generation, amplification and dynamics.

Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, 617 253-8101, RIVENBERG@PSFC.MIT.EDU

IAP 2017 Physics Lecture Series

Professor Nergis Mavalvala, Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Physics Lecture Series IAP 2017

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

Everything You Always Wanted to Know Abo

Jan/09	Mon	01:30PM-02:30PM	6-120

Title: "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Gravitational Waves"

In this talk I will introduce some of the most exciting areas of research advanced LIGO will allow us to explore in the coming years, focusing on characterization of compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes.

Salvatore Vitale - Professor of Physics

Calculate or simulate: Quantum simulatio

Jan/13	Fri	01:30PM-02:30PM	6-120

Title: "Calculate or simulate: Quantum simulations with ultracold gases".

Since the landmark achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation at MIT and JILA in 1995, ultracold quantum gases have emerged as paradigmatic versatile experimental arenas, realising Feynman's vision of a 'universal quantum simulator'.

Dr. Richard Fletcher - Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physics

Physics Career Options, Education Resear

Jan/19	Thu	01:30PM-02:30PM	6-120

Title: "Physics Career Options, Education Research, and Epidemiology of the Zombie Apocalypse".

What can physicists do outdise of "standard" research-track career paths? I will discuss examples from my workin education and research in dynamical modeling.

Dr. Sean Robinson - Lecturer/Jr Lab Mgr, Department of Physics

Engineering Quantum Systems

Jan/20	Fri	01:30PM-02:30PM	6-120

Superconducting qubits are quantum logic elements assembled from electrical circuit components and the building blocks of a quantum information processor. Spectacular improvement in their manufacturing and performance over the past decade has moved this technology from the realm of scientific curiosity to the threshold of technical reality.

William Oliver - LL Senior Staff & Physics Prof of the Practice

Neutrinos from fission: From basic scien

Jan/23	Mon	01:30PM-02:30PM	6-120

Title: " Neutrinos from fission: From basic science to "practical things".

Neutrinos are an extraordinary byproduct of nuclear fission reactions: extremely plentiful, nearly impossible to contain, almost as challenging to detect, and imprinted with profound information about basic physics and, potentially, valuable details of the manmde systems that produce them.

Dr. Rachel Carr - Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physics

Resonant scattering studies of electroni

Jan/25	Wed	01:30PM-02:30PM	6-120

"Resonant scattering studies of electronic orders in quantum materials".

Quantum materials provide an unmatched platform for emergent electronic phases in a nutshell. We probe these exotic phenomena using X-rays. How? Come and find out.

Ricardo Comin - Professor of Physics

Experience and Perspective as a Physics

Jan/27	Fri	01:30PM-02:30PM	6-120

Title: "My Experience and Perspective as a Physicist-Entrepreneur".

Dr. Udi Meirav, MIT Alum - PhD '90

Medical Physics?: A Talk on Simultaneous

Jan/30	Mon	01:30PM-02:30PM	6-120

Medical physics is the subfield of physics concerned with improving healthcare. From radiation therapy to novel device development, this interdisciplinary field is only growing. This talk addresses some of those challenges, their solutions, and the application of the technology to clinical questions.

Daniel B Chonde - Graduate Student, School Of Engineering

IAP 2017- 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