JILA Auditorium

Abstract: Neutrinos are enigmatic particles. Their properties are rather basic and yet so bizarre and surprising that at times we hardly believe them. We barely notice their presence, and yet they are everywhere and are essential to things as glaring as the sun’s energy production. The minuscule but non-zero mass of a neutrino, nearly a million times smaller than the electron (the next lightest particle), has enormous consequences for our understanding of these particles and their role in shaping the universe.

A major goal of modern particle physics is to search for phenomena that are in conflict with our best theoretical understanding of nature, the Standard Model (SM). One approach in the search occurs at the laboratory scale where the SM’s most precise predictions are tested by the most precise measurements of fundamental particles. Deviations at this high-precision frontier would inform the search for Beyond the SM (BSM) physics.

Abstract: Cold atoms provide an ideal platform for many aspects of quantum science, from metrology to simulation to quantum computing and networking.  These applications stem from their status as simple quantum objects, whose degrees of freedom can be controlled and entangled, and whose properties are identical and constant.

Abstract:

Abstract: 

Abstract: We utilize transport systems daily to commute, e.g. via road networks, or bring energy to our houses through the power grid. Our body needs transport networks, such as the lymphatic, arterial or venous system, to distribute nutrients and remove waste. If the transported quantity is information, for example carried by an electrical signal, then even the internet and the brain can be thought of as members of this broad class of webs.

Abstract: Fusion energy is a promising technology for producing clean, limitless, zero-carbon energy. Recently, there has been a paradigm shift where today, privately funded research dominates over the historic government-funded fusion program. Private research and development paths to fusion have very short timelines, and some future milestones appear speculative. I will discuss plasma and nuclear physics constraints that experiments will face as they progress toward the fusion goal.

Abstract: