JILA Auditorium

Hello!

The Graduate Association of Students in Physics (GASP) and the JILA Association of Graduate Students (JAGS) are excited to announce the next session of the Graduate Student Seminar Series! Please join us on Thursday, March 13th, at 12:30 in the JILA Auditorium for lunch, with the talks beginning at 12:45.

The talks for this session are:

   Light-assisted Collisions in Optical Tweezers - Steven Pampel, Regal Group
   Observation of field-split crystal electric field levels in CsErSe$_2$ - Hope Whitelock, Lee Group

Abstract:   Ultrafast sciences and technologies are founded on the principles of ultrashort-pulse nonlinear optics. Until now, their discrete and bulky nature has hindered the utilization of their vast functionalities for many applications, ranging from sensing to computing and quantum information processing.

Abstract: Field massive stars are more easily identified and studied than those in crowded cluster environments.  While some massive stars may form in relative isolation, most are ejected from clusters via dynamical processes and supernova kicks in binary systems.  Since both mechanisms are driven by binarity in the massive star population, field stars and their kinematics probe the effects of binarity, which can strongly influence stellar evolution by the tr

Abstract:

Abstract: Lunar volatiles, especially water, hold the key to sustaining long-term human presence on the Moon and beyond.

March 10th, our colloquium will feature six short research talks by current APS 3rd years. Come help us celebrate ongoing student research in APS!

- Anna Zuckerman, Electron Beam Simulations for Substellar Atmospheres

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.

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.