Abstract: Black holes and neutron stars are extraordinary astrophysical laboratories. They allow us to test the laws of gravity and nuclear physics in extreme environments which cannot be reproduced on Earth. In this talk, I will discuss efforts to model these compact objects in two classes of astrophysical systems: mergers of black hole-neutron star and neutron star-neutron star binaries, and accretion disks around supermassive black holes. The first are powerful sources of gravitational waves, and emit bright electromagnetic transients.
Monday, January 23, 2017 - 2:30pm to 3:30pm
· Colloquium
Dr. Francois Foucart, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Friday, December 9, 2016 - 4:00pm
· Colloquium
Prof. Oleg Tchernyshyov, The Johns Hopkins University
Magnets host a variety of solitons: domain walls, vortices, and skyrmions, to name a few. Protected by their nontrivial topology, these solitons can be used for storing and processing information. This motivates us to build economic, yet realistic models of soliton dynamics in magnets. I will review the behavior of magnetic solitons in one, two, and three dimensions.
Friday, November 4, 2016 - 4:00pm
· Colloquium
Prof. Matthew White, University of Vermont
Solution-processed semiconductor devices, including perovskite and organic photovoltaics and organic LEDs, are inherently thin-film technologies. Therefore.
Friday, October 28, 2016 - 4:00pm
· Colloquium
Prof. Marc Lessard, University of New Hampshire
The Sun delivers energy to Earth in the form of a magnetized plasma called the solar wind. As that plasma impacts Earth’s magnetic field, a variety of processes evolve that enable the transfer of much of that energy to our ionosphere, producing spectacular auroral displays in the process. Not surprisingly, some of the energy is also transferred to our neutral upper atmosphere (the "thermosphere”).
Friday, October 21, 2016 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm
· Colloquium
Prof. Joe Checkelsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract: A goal of the exploration of new quantum materials is the development of solid state systems with new functionalities. Topological Insulators are a new class of quantum materials which have recently become of great interest to the physics community- these materials have electronic states that are in some ways fundamentally more robust against disorder than conventional electronic systems. At the forefront of research in these systems is the attempt to capitalize on this unique aspect of these materials to realize new electronic capabilities. Here we review our
Friday, May 6, 2016 - 2:00pm to 3:00pm
· Colloquium
- 02:00pm – 02:20pm: Nicholas Marcellino: Using Monte Carlo Simulations to Model Positron Clouds in Thunderstorms
- 02:20pm – 02:40pm: Brendan Batty, Lisa Bouchard, Tessa Gorte, Patrick Hampson, Daniel Jellis Brent Lawson, Aaron Rago: Induction into Sigma Pi Sigma
- 03:10pm – 03:30pm: Zain Abbas: Analyzing the Efficiency of a Mass Spectrometer for Magnetospheric Observations
- 03:30pm – 03:50pm: Dereck Gervais: Developing and Assessing Viscosity Curriculum for Introductory Physics for the Life Science
Friday, April 15, 2016 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm
· Colloquium
Tracy Slayter, MIT
Abstract: Dark matter is believed to comprise five-sixths of the matter in the universe, and is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for new fundamental physics. But dark matter does not interact directly with light, making it very difficult to detect except by its gravity. I will describe how dark matter collisions might produce high-energy particles observable by Earth-based telescopes, and how we can attempt to tease out those signals from the background.
Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm
· Colloquium
Dr. Eric Grove
Abstract: Thunderstorms are nature's most powerful terrestrial particle accelerators. The high-voltage, high-current electrical discharges of lightning are a familiar feature of a summer storm, but only recently have we come to learn that cloud-to-ground lightning strokes are accompanied by bursts of X-rays, that thunderstorms glow in gamma rays, and that storms occasionally produce intense flashes of gamma rays and launch charged particles into space at relativistic energies.
Friday, April 1, 2016 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm
· Colloquium
Dr. Brant Carlson
Abstract: There is no shortage of puzzles in lightning physics. Thanks to the development of high-bandwidth electronics, high-speed cameras, radiation detectors, and lightning triggering techniques, we now know of a veritable zoo of phenomena, from preliminary breakdown to stepped leader, from M-component to K-change, from corona flash to space stem,... While some of these phenomena are well-understood, many remain puzzling and a unifying theory is not yet known. I will talk about these phenomena and my efforts to understand them by modeling and data analysis, give deta