Past Events

Measuring the stratosphere: what balloons are really doing

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Absract: The Earth’s stratosphere, which sits above the troposphere, is a difficult place to make measurements. The highest-flying aircraft can only reach the lowermost portion of the stratosphere, while space-based sensors orbiting well above are limited by technique. Balloons can profile in situ from the surface up to approximately 35 km. Thus, they are a critical measurement platform for investigating the stratospheric constituents and processes that play important roles in regulating Earth’s climate.

Witnessing quantum entanglement in solid state systems with neutron scattering

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Abstract: Quantum materials promise new states of matter and platforms for next-generation electronics, but in many cases no tractable theoretical models exist for their behavior. Compounding this difficulty is the fact that their key properties—quantum entanglement—have been historically very difficult to probe. In this talk I discuss recent work to use neutron spectroscopy to probe many-body entanglement between electron spins in real solid state materials.

Programmable quantum sensing using ultracold atoms in 3D optical lattices

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Abstract: The creation of a matter-wave interferometer can be achieved by loading Bose-Einstein condensed atoms into a crystal of light formed by interfering laser beams. By translating this optical lattice in a specific way, the traditional steps of interferometry can all be implemented, i.e., splitting, propagating, reflecting, and recombining the quantum wavefunction. Using this concept, we have designed and built a compact device to sense inertial signals, including accelerations, rotations, gravity, and gravity gradients.

What did we learn from black hole images?

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The data collected with the Event Horizon Telescope provided the first horizon-scale images of two nearby supermassive black holes. A tremendous amount of theoretical modeling and interpretation, including large simulation libraries and new analysis tools, were necessary to extract physical constraints from these images and perform quantitative tests of General Relativity, plasma physics, and black hole environments. In this talk, I will discuss: 1. the physics behind the simulations and where they succeeded and failed; 2.

Quantum computing: what is it and how far along are we?

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Abstract: Imagine if the act of looking at an object caused it to move – or imagine you had a pair of dice that always rolled doubles, but of different numbers each roll. These counterintuitive phenomena are commonplace in the realm of quantum mechanics, which describes systems that are generally very small, very cold, and/or very isolated from the rest of the world.

Life after JILA speaker series - Ben Brubaker

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Speaker bio: Ben Brubaker is a New York City-based science journalist who covers theoretical computer science as a staff writer for Quanta Magazine. His writing has also appeared in Scientific American, and Physics Today, and elsewhere. He received a Ph.D. in physics from Yale University and conducted postdoctoral research at JILA before moving into science writing.
 

 

Reception at 5:30 at the Sink. We'll meet at the hbar at 5:15 to head over.

Ultraviolet Mars: The Search for More Science

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Abstract: Tremendous new insights into the Martian atmosphere have been achieved in recent years by two ultraviolet spectrographs built at LASP: the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) aboard the Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission, and the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS) aboard the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM). Both instruments have far exceeded their design goals in science return.

The life & flow of polarons: from nonequilibrium formation and relaxation to equilibration in the thermodynamic limit

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Abstract: Polarons, quasiparticles composed of an electronic excitation and the material deformation these cause in a solid or liquid, are ubiquitous. Understanding and controlling their formation, nonequilibrium relaxation, and motion are essential in developing next-generation photocatalysts, energy conversion devices, and even superconductors. In this talk, I introduce some of our recent theoretical advances that enable us to probe the exact quantum dynamics of Holstein polarons subject to dispersive phonon baths in small lattice models to the thermodynamic limit.

Earth Science Applications: Lessons Learned

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Abstract: NASA Earth Science has put significant attention towards enabling uses of Earth science information to support decision making activities by public and private sector organizations. In addition to supporting technical innovations, NASA also pursued several programmatic innovations to help the Earth science community develop capacity in engaging with users, designing projects, and enabling results.

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