SPRING 2021
Physics department colloquia in 2021 via Zoom
PHYSICS ColloquiumMay 5 2021, Thursday, 11:00 am CST (Followed by Q&A with speaker: 11:45-12:15)Via Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Andreas VasdekisUniversity of IdahoStochastic Cellular Dynamics, Human Health Implications, and Related MethodsNo two individual cells ever “look” the same, even if they share the same genes and grow under identical conditions. This unexpected phenomenon, generally termed cellular noise, emerges due to the stochastic nature of molecular-level interactions during protein production. In this talk I will introduce this phenomenon, its origins, and the related imaging, microfluidic, and deep learning methods that allow us to investigate it. I will then detail our recent findings of the effects of cellular noise on growth, lipid production, and response to antibiotics.
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PHYSICS ColloquiumBeing rescheduled for Fall Semester (in-person!)Dr. Erin Iski
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PHYSICS ColloquiumApril 7 2021, Wednesday, 4:00 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Seth DarlingUniversity of Chicago and Argonne National LaboratoryWater technologies by interface engineeringDriven by climate change, population growth, development, urbanization, and other factors, water crises represent one of the greatest global risks in the coming decades. Advances in materials represent a powerful tool to address many of these challenges. Understanding—and ultimately controlling—interfaces between materials and water are pivotal. In this presentation, Dr. Darling will lay out the challenges and present several examples of work in his group based on materials engineering strategies for addressing applications in water. In each instance, manipulation of interfacial properties provides novel functionality, ranging from selective transport to energy transduction to pollution mitigation. |
PHYSICS ColloquiumMarch 31 2021, Wednesday, 3:30 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Midhat FarooqAPS Career Program Manager
Physics Careers: the Myths, the Data, and Tips for SuccessPhysics degree holders acquire a diverse set of skills and their training makes them extremely employable in the private sector. While physics programs are well-equipped to give students resources for and a glimpse into the life of an academic career, they often lack the tools to provide the necessary exposure and preparation for other career paths. In this talk, I will go over some data regarding career trajectories of physics degree holders while breaking down common myths and misperceptions. Next, I will provide some guidance on steps students can take to better inform their choices as they pursue various career paths, as well as go over information and tools that advisors can use to mentor students.
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PHYSICS ColloquiumMarch 24 2021, Wednesday, 3:30 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Paul KwiatUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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PHYSICS ColloquiumMarch 18 2021, Thursday, 3:30 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Gabriela B. LemosInstituto de Fisica
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PHYSICS ColloquiumMarch 11 2021, Thursday, 3:30 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. John EllisKing's College London & CERNGrand Unified Theories and Proton DecayGiven the successes of the Standard Model of particle physics, theorists have proposed models that would unify all the particle interactions, possibly including gravity in the context of string theory. Such Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) have related successfully the varying strengths of particle interactions, and predicted the mass of the bottom quark before its discovery. They also suggested that neutrinos should have small masses and oscillate, as discovered by an experiment designed to look for the decays of protons. These decays have but not yet been seen, despite being expected on general grounds and a key prediction of GUTs. A new generation of underground neutrino experiments will have unprecedented capabilities to detect decays of protons. It would be ironic if they finally observe proton decay!
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PHYSICS ColloquiumMarch 3 2021, Wednesday, 3:30 pm CST
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PHYSICS ColloquiumFebruary 25 2021, Thursday, 3:30 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Ajit SrivastavaInstitue of Physics, Bhubaneswar
Investigating Cosmic string theories with Liquid Crystal ExperimentsSpontaneous symmetry breaking plays crucial role in elementary particle physics, leading to the existence of Higgs boson, to exotic topological objects like cosmic strings and magnetic monopoles in the universe. Analogs of such topological objects in condensed matter are flux tubes in superconductors, vortices in superfluids, and hedgehogs and strings in liquid crystals. Liquid crystals provide a very convenient system where such topological defects can be experimentally studied in a variety of physical conditions. We will discuss how the observations of string formation in a liquid crystal system can be used to test theories of cosmic string formation in the early universe. Main focus of these investigations is on various universal aspects of defect formation with which one can establish rigorous quantitative correspondence between these condensed matter experiments and elementary particle physics models of the early universe. |
PHYSICS ColloquiumFebruary 18 2021, Thursday, 1:00 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Joe SmerdonUniversity of Central Lancashire
Adsorption of fullerene and pentacene on Cu(111)
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PHYSICS ColloquiumFebruary 11 2021, Thursday, 4:00 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Yue CaoArgonne National Lab
Nematicity – unidirectional order that breaks the rotation symmetry of the underlying lattice – appears to be ubiquitous among different families of high Tc cuprates and Fe-based superconductors. All known cases involve metallic materials or doped Mott insulators, i.e. systems with itinerant carriers, leading to theoretical descriptions centering around the Fermi surface topology. Here we discuss nematic order in the spin-orbit-coupled Mott insulator Sr2IrO4. The transverse charge susceptibility is two-fold symmetric relative to the Ir-O-Ir bond direction at room temperature above the Neel antiferromagnetic order. Close structural surveys using electron, neutron and X-ray diffraction and phonon measurements using inelastic X-ray scattering show the lattice maintains tetragonal symmetry within our experimental resolution, suggesting an electronic origin of the newly observed order. The nematicity and the lattice degree of freedom both exhibit an anomaly around the onset of the long-range magnetism, highlight the orbital and charge nature of the pseudospin, as well as the intricate interaction between the quasi-2D magnetic layers. We will discuss the implications of our discovery, both in the realm of iridates and more broadly regarding doped Mott insulators. |
PHYSICS ColloquiumFebruary 4 2021, Thursday, 4:00 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Harry E. RudaUniversity of Toronto
A superficial tale: How semiconductor nanowires offer a remarkable platform for nanoelectronics and sensingThe first foray into semiconductor micron-scale ‘whiskers’ came from work by Wagner and Ellis in 1964, only to applied in the late 1990’s to realise nanowires with diameters of tens of nanometers. With the possibility of strong confinement in two dimensions these structures appear to be ideal vehicles for 1d physics and devices. However, surface related phenomena can provide a curse or opportunity in this quest - the latter is the focus of this presentation. Here, I focus on the opportunities in a few areas including ballistic conductance, random telegraph noise, and scattering from individual surface charges. Harnessing these phenomena can enable a host of new opportunities including making inroads in the quest to tame the elusive Majorana Fermion, in ultra-sensitive elevated temperature single charge electrometry and in single molecule level sensing. |
PHYSICS ColloquiumJanuary 28 2021, Thursday, 4:00 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Sunil ChirayathCenter for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives, Texas A&M University
Role of Nuclear Security Education in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear EnergyElectricity production using nuclear technology has historically been one of the largest contributors of carbon-free electricity world-wide, highlighting its immense potential to be a factor in decarbonization efforts. Nuclear power plants can provide stable base load power while operating in the load-follow mode, which makes nuclear power a viable candidate to be considered as a complimentary source in the energy mix while the prominence of variable renewables rises. The challenge is to deploy economically competitive advanced nuclear reactor designs that can be built and operated safely and securely and also address the nuclear waste issue. In this colloquium, I will present the role of nuclear security and nonproliferation in the operation of nuclear power plants and the associated nuclear fuel cycle facilities by discussing its basic principles and major components. Further, I will provide a couple of examples of research conducted in this area and the curriculum followed at Texas A&M University to emphasize the needs for developing a competent and multi-disciplinary workforce to support the nuclear security and nonproliferation mission. |
PHYSICS ColloquiumJanuary 21 2021, Thursday, 4:00 pm CSTVia Zoom (contact Physics Dept. for link) Dr. Adina Luican-Mayer
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HEP SeminarJanuary 21 2021, Thursday, 12:00 pm CST
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OKPVRI Annual Meeting & SymposiumJanuary 15 2021
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