Past Events

Abstract: Piezoelectricity is the intrinsic cou

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Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in astrochemistry and are si

Ultracold polar molecules are an exciting platform for quantum science and technology. The combination of rich internal structure of vibration and rotation, controllable long-range dipolar interactions and strong coupling to applied electric and microwave fields has inspired many applications. These include quantum simulation of strongly interacting many-body systems, the study of quantum magnetism, quantum metrology and molecular clocks, quantum computation, precision tests of fundamental physics and the exploration of ultracold chemistry.

Abstract: Cosmology – the study of the Universe in which we live – inevitably goes back further than recorded human history.  Questions of the origin and nature of our world and Universe seem fundamentally intertwined with our inquisitive nature.  While some questions may forever remain unanswerable or philosophical in nature, science is continually advancing our understanding of the ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘when’ of our Universe.  Not only are we learning the content, history, and physics of our Universe but, ultimately, its fate.  We routinely use the

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Abstract: In this talk, I will take you on a tour of large language models, tracing their evolution from Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) to the Transformer architecture. We will explore how Transformers elegantly sidestep the vanishing and exploding gradient issues that plagued RNNs. I will introduce neural scaling laws—empirical relationships reminiscent of scaling behaviors common in physics—that predict how model performance improves with increased computational investment.

Abstract: Efforts on quantum simulation and computation have lead to the realization of well-controlled quantum many-body systems. Due to practical constraints, they are inevitably open, i.e., coupled to the environment, which generally leads to decoherence but can also be used to stabilize interesting states. In the thermodynamic limit, the nonequilibrium steady states can undergo phase transitions due to the competition of unitary and driven-dissipative processes. After recalling general properties, we will discuss first simple examples.

Abstract: Fundamental research to understand how bacteria fight viral infections uncovered the function of CRISPR-Cas programmable proteins that detect and cut specific DNA or RNA sequences. CRISPR technology is now an indispensable tool in human, animal and agricultural research. Furthermore, the FDA’s approval of a CRISPR therapy for sickle cell disease marked the beginning of a new era in healthcare. I will discuss the scientific and societal advances that will expand both the applications and impact of genome editing across the globe.

Abstract: A growing number of surprisingly massive galaxies are now being found in the first ~billion years after the Big Bang that push the limits of theoretical predictions within Lambda-CDM. Unusually bright high-redshift galaxies discovered by JWST challenge our most fundamental models of how fast stars form. Some of them contain overly massive black holes whose formation is uncharted. Massive dusty starbursts found with ALMA are requiring new explanations about early dust production.