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School of Physics Public Lecture Series
School of Physics Public Lecture Series
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ItemCube-Shaped Poo and Georgia Tech's Second Ig Nobel Prize(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-10-08) Hu, David L.How does a wombat produce cube-shaped feces? How long does it take an elephant to urinate? Answering these two questions have landed David Hu two Ig Nobel Prizes, awards given at Harvard University for research that makes people laugh, and then think. Hu will talk about his lab's latest adventures catching elephant pee in trash cans, inflating wombat intestines with clown balloons, and dressing up as a gigantic piece of cubed poo at this year's Ig Nobel Ceremony.
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ItemQuantum Computing and the Entanglement Frontier(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-04-15) Preskill, JohnThe quantum laws governing atoms and other tiny objects seem to defy common sense, and information encoded in quantum systems has weird properties that baffle our feeble human minds. John Preskill will explain why he loves quantum entanglement, the elusive feature making quantum information fundamentally different from information in the macroscopic world. By exploiting quantum entanglement, quantum computers should be able to solve otherwise intractable problems, with far-reaching applications to cryptology, materials, and fundamental physical science. Preskill is less weird than a quantum computer, and easier to understand.
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ItemHow a Failed Astrophysics Major Became a Successful Science Writer(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-03-12) Lemonick, MichaelI knew from the time I was a very young child that I wanted to be an astronomer. The dream lasted until I got to college, where I learned to my dismay that I actually had no passion for doing what an astronomer does; what I really wanted is to know what an astronomer knows. This is the story of how it all worked out.
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ItemForecasting Turbulence(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-11-26) Schatz, Michael F.Fluid turbulence is one of the greatest unsolved problems of classical physics (and the subject of a million dollar mathematical (Millenium) challenge). Centuries of research--including Leonardo da Vinci’s observations of “la turbolenza” and the best efforts of numerous physicists (Heisenberg, Kelvin, Rayleigh, Sommerfeld, ...)--have failed to yield a tractable predictive theory. However, recent theoretical and computational advances have successfully linked recurring transient patterns (coherent structures) within turbulence to unstable solutions of the equations governing fluid flow (the Navier-Stokes equations). The solutions describing coherent structures provide a geometrical structure that guides the evolution of turbulence. We describe laboratory experiments where the geometry of key coherent structures is identified and harnessed to construct a roadmap to forecast the behavior of weakly turbulent flows.
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ItemCelebration of 2018 Physics Nobel Prize: Lighting the way with microscopic tractor beams and sculpted laser pulse(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-10-23) Curtis, Jennifer ; Raman, Chandra ; Trebino, RickThe 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes two breakthrough inventions in laser physics. The first, optical tweezers, allows scientist and engineers to use lasers like the tractor beams of Star Trek to manipulate everything from molecules to living cells. Optical tweezers have provided researchers with fingers in the microscopic world that can pull apart DNA, probe the mechanics of life, detect disease and study fundamental interactions in biology, physics, chemistry and engineering. The second breakthrough, chirped pulse amplification, enabled the construction of lasers of incredible power and precision. With the super-high power lasers came cutting-edge applications as diverse as attosecond time-resolved dynamics of atoms and molecules and laser eye surgery. In this public talk, Georgia Tech Professor Rick Trebino will give an overview of optical physics. Professors Jennifer Curtis and Chandra Raman will present a brief history of these discoveries and discuss their impacts on science and society, with an audience Q&A session afterwards.
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ItemWhen Will We Find E.T. and What Happens If We Do?(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-09-24) Shostak, SethAre we alone in the universe? The scientific hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence is now well into its fifth decade, and we still haven’t discovered any cosmic company. Could all this mean that finding biology beyond Earth, even if it exists, is a project for the ages – one that might take centuries or longer? New approaches and new technology for detecting sentient beings elsewhere suggest that there is good reason to expect that we could uncover evidence of sophisticated civilizations – the type of aliens we see in the movies and on TV – within a few decades. But why now, and what sort of evidence can we expect? And how will that affect humanity? Also, if we do find E.T., what would be the societal impact of learning that something, or someone, is out there? Note the speaker gave a Physics Colloquium at 3pm in Pettit Microelectronics 102A&B with the same abstract. https://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/60456
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ItemBinary Neutron Star Merger GW170817: A Multi-sensory Experience of the Universe(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-02-13) Cadonati, Laura ; Otte, A. Nepomuk ; Taboada, IgnacioAugust 17, 2017, is a milestone date for astrophysics. For the first time, the LIGO and Virgo gravitational-wave observatories detected signals from the collision of two neutron stars. The powerful event shook space-time and produced a fireball of light and radiation from the formation of heavy elements. Satellites and observatories all around the world observed the light produced by this event. For the first time, we have measured gravitational waves and light produced in the same astrophysical event. What this discovery means for astrophysics is equivalent to the difference between looking at a black-and-white photo and watching a 3-D IMAX movie! The combined information of gravitational waves and light is greater than the sum of its parts. The combination allows us to learn new things about physics, the universe, and what we are made of – and perhaps explain mysteries that continue to emerge. No one has ever been able to do this before! The historic detection of a cataclysmic celestial collision using signals from multiple messengers signals the era of multi-messenger astrophysics. Discussing the milestone and its implications are School of Physics Professors Laura Cadonati, Nepomuk Otte, and Ignacio Taboada. School of Physics Chair and Professor Pablo Laguna will moderate the discussion. The panel discussion is part of the College of Sciences' Frontiers in Science Lecture Series.
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ItemFrom Molecules to Migration: How Quantum Physics Can Explain the Compass of Birds(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-02-05) Ritz, ThorstenThe world of quantum physics appears mysterious, even spooky, and far removed from everyday phenomena we can observe in the world around us. Especially the realm of living organisms was thought to be far too disorganized and noisy for quantum phenomena to play a role. Recently, however, clues have been mounting that the rules governing the subatomic world may play an unexpectedly pivotal role for phenomena in biology. One particularly fascinating example of this emerging field of quantum biology is bird navigation. Even without GPS, birds are able to travel up to thousands of miles and return to their original location, aided by a physiological magnetic compass sense. Despite having been discovered more than 50 years ago, the underlying mechanism for this “sixth sense” still remains a mystery. Thorsten Ritz will present evidence for the idea that a quantum mechanical reaction may lie at the heart of the magnetic compass of birds and possibly other organisms.
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ItemThe Physics and Materials Science of Superheroes(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2017-10-02) Kakalios, JamesIn 2001 James Kakalios created a Freshman Seminar class at the University of Minnesota entitled: "Everything I Know About Science I Learned from Reading Comic Books." This is a real physics class, that covers topics from Isaac Newton to the transistor, but there’s not an inclined plane or pulley in sight. Rather, ALL the examples come from superhero comic books, and as much as possible, those cases where the superheroes get their physics right! While physicists, engineers and materials scientists don’t typically consult comic books when selecting research topics; innovations first introduced in superhero adventures as fiction can sometimes find their way off the comic book page and into reality. As amazing as the Fantastic Four’s powers is the fact that their costumes are undamaged when the Human Torch flames on or Mr. Fantastic stretches his elastic body. In shape memory materials, an external force or torque induces a structural change that is reversed upon warming, a feature appreciated by Mr. Fantastic. Spider-Man’s wall crawling ability has been ascribed to the same van der Waals attractive force that gecko lizards employ through the millions of microscopic hairs on their toes. Scientists have developed “gecko tape,” consisting of arrays of fibers that provide a strong enough attraction to support a modest weight (if this product ever becomes commercially available, I for one will never wait for the elevator again!). All this, and important topics such as: was it “the fall” or “the webbing” that killed Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man’s girlfriend in the classic Amazing Spider-Man # 121, how graphene saved Iron Man’s life and the chemical composition of Captain America’s shield, will be discussed. Superhero comic books often get their science right more often than one would expect!
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ItemPurls of Wisdom: The Geometry and Topology of Weavables, Wearables and Wallpaper(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-11-28) Matsumoto, Elisabetta A.Curved space and bizarre mathematical worlds beyond Euclid’s axioms entered physics with Einstein’s general theory of relativity. But these geometries are all around us, hiding in plain sight, in the guise of familiar settings. For instance, did you know that making your clothes fit is actually a problem in non-Euclidean geometry? Join Prof. Matsumoto as she takes a sock’s eye view of geometry and topology and walks you through an evening of fun with fabrics.
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