Office: Lederle Grad Research Tower Rm 928
Phone: (413) 545-0993
e-mail:
blaylock@phast.umass.edu
Course is one credit. No homework. Attendance required. Those who are not interested in coming to all of the lectures are encouraged to audit, either officially or unofficially. Drop-ins are always welcome.
Instructor: Prof. Guy Blaylock
Office: Lederle Grad Research Tower Rm 928
Phone: (413) 545-0993
e-mail: blaylock@phast.umass.edu
| 7:00 pm Sept. 4 Hasbrouck 109 Prof. Guy Blaylock |
Course introduction and overview Statement of goals and expectations for the course and for the students. Includes a brief overview of the course content. | |
 The August issue of Scientific American has two articles on lightning. |
7:00 pm Sept. 11 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Thomas Arny |
Thunderstorms What are thunderstorms and how do they form? This lecture discusses some of the aspects of lightning and electrification. Related information can be found here. |
| Special place and time 4:00 pm Sept. 12 Mahar Auditorium Dr. Matt Golombek |
Mars Pathfinder: roving for rocks on the red planet Dr. Golombek is NASA's chief scientist for the Mars Pathfinder mission. His talk at UMass is an unexpected treat resulting from his personal ties to UMass (he was a Ph.D. student here). Don't miss this opportunity to get the latest update on Yogi and his friends. | |
 A magnet levitating above a superconducter in a bath of liquid nitrogen, demonstrating the Meissner effect. |
7:00 pm Sept. 18 LGRT Rm. 1033 Mr. Ben Scott |
Weird science--Turning normal metals superconducting by the proximity effect Many metals have not shown superconductivity down to the lowest temperatures achieved. By putting a known superconductor in contact with a normal metal it is possible to drive the normal metal superconducting at currently accessible temperatures. After an introduction to superconductivity I will discuss the proximity effect and its dependence on the quality of the interface between the two layers. Related information can be found here. |
| 7:00 pm Sep. 25 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Robert Hallock |
Superfluid helium and Bose-Einstein condensation:
magic near absolute zero Liquid helium displays a startling property known as superfluidity, in which liquid helium creeps up the sides of a beaker, flows without friction, and carries heat as a wave. Superfluidity is a state of macroscopic quantum coherence in which a whole helium sample acts as a single quantum state. In this case, some of the atoms are thought to be Bose-condensed. A Bose-Einstein condensate is a form of matter named after physicists Albert Einstein and Satyendra Bose, who postulated its existence 70 years ago, and predicted that atoms would move with macroscopic coherence throughout the sample. In 1995, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado created a Bose-Einstein condensed sample by cooling rubidium atoms to near absolute zero temperature. The talk, which will be experimentally oriented, will describe some of the remarkable properties of superfluid helium and discuss the connection to Bose-Einstein condensation. Related information can be found here. | |
| 7:00 pm Oct. 2 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Gene Golowich |
A theory of everything? One of the primary goals of particle physics research is to develop a model for the universe using the simplest possible prescription and the fewest building blocks. This lecture will explore one recent avenue of study in this area. Related information can be found here. | |
| 7:00 pm Oct. 9 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Barry Holstein |
Exotic physics This lecture will introduce the audience to a few of the most intriguing and unusual phenomena in particle physics. Discussion will include three topics: 1) the behavior of magnetic monopoles, 2) processes which violate charge-parity (CP) symmetry, and 3) neutrino mixing (the act of a neutrino of one type spontaneously turning into a neutrino of another type). Related information can be found here. | |
| Special place and time 7:30 pm Oct. 16 Merrill Science Center Amherst College Prof. Mark Kasevich |
Atomic interferometry Special lecture in conjunction with the 5-college physics colloquium series. Recent advances in the preparation and manipulation of ultra-cold atomic sources have enabled new classes of experiments based on the interference of atomic de Broglie waves. This talk will review these techniques and discuss their application in the following experiments: 1) development of precise and accurate intertial force sensing instruments, with applications ranging from tests of general relativity to oil-well logging and navagation; and 2) studies in quantum statistics, including the observation of Bose-Einstein condensation and higher-order particle interference experiments. Map of Amherst College. Merill Center is labeled building 38 on the map. Related information can be found here. | |
| Special place and time 4:00 pm Oct. 22 Memorial Hall Prof. Barry Holstein |
Symmetry in physical law Humans have always been fascinated with the concepts of symmetry, and it will be shown how such symmetries are manifested in the laws of physics. In many cases these symmetries are broken but it will be demonstrated that the way in which the breaking occurs has much to teach us. | |
 A diagram of the SLD detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The device is four stories tall and weighs 100 tons -- a medium sized particle detector by current standards. |
7:00 pm Oct. 23 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Richard Kofler |
An introduction to particle physics A tour of the small scale structure of the world we live in, from everyday objects to molecules, atoms, nuclei, antimatter, quarks (and beyond?). The talk includes a brief description of the "Standard Model" (which describes the "unified" strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions among the elementary particles) and current experimental techniques at some of the world's largest particle accelerators. Exciting connections between the world of these smallest elementary particles and the large scale structure and evolution of the universe will be explored. Related information can be found here. |
 A photo of Hale-Bopp with the North American nebula in the background, taken in March. |
7:00 pm Oct. 30 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Peter Schloerb |
Studying comet Hale-Bopp with radio telescopes Comet Hale-Bopp was the brightest comet to appear in over two decades. During this time, a large number of new observational techniques have been developed, including sensitive telescopes for radio astronomy at microwave and millimeter wavelengths. Our group at UMass undertook a major campaign to observe the comet using a variety of radio instruments to study its gaseous composition and behavior. The results of this research will be presented, with emphasis on observational work carried out at our own 14m antenna located on the Quabbin Reservation. Related information can be found here. |
| 7:00 pm Nov. 6 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. David Van Blerkom |
By projectile to the moon The first proposed lunar expedition, in which the laws of physics were taken into account, was given by Jules Verne around 1870. He suggested firing a hollow projectile, containing the crew, from an enormous gun. There are some really interesting physical problems involved with this. Could the projectile reach escape velocity? Could the occupants of the projectile survive the acceleration? Verne tried to protect the passengers with what we would now call an airbag. This leads us into the physics of airbags. It is interesting that Verne's idea is being considered as an inexpensive way to launch construction material into space, and giant test guns have actually been developed. | |
 Photograph of Prof. Michael Skrutskie taken at infrared wavelengths. |
7:00 pm Nov. 13 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Michael Skrutskie |
Detecting planetary systems around other stars Detecting planets around stars other than the Sun is a notoriously difficult problem. If one were to look back at our Solar System from the nearest star with the most capable telescopes available, Jupiter would be completely lost from view in the glare of the Sun's light. Detecting the smaller planets would be completely hopeless. Fortunately there are other ways of prospecting for planets that do not involve direct imaging. As Jupiter orbits the Sun, the Sun traces out a small orbit about the center of mass of the Sun-Jupiter system. In following this small orbit the Sun moves at a velocity about 10 meters/second and shifts its position by nearly its diameter. Current technology permits astronomers to measure just these effects if a planet like Jupiter were in orbit about another star. Such observations have led to the detection of several massive planetary candidates around nearby stars just in the past year. Related information can be found here. |
 Night view of the dome at the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory. |
Special place and time 7:30 pm Nov. 17 Hasbrouck 124 Prof. David Griffiths |
Hidden Momentum Special lecture in conjunction with the 5-college physics colloquium series. The electromagnetic fields of a stationary magnetic dipole in the vicinity of a static electric charge carry nonzero linear momentum. Yet a general theorem in relativity states that if the center of energy of an isolated system is at rest, the net momentum must vanish. The resolution to the paradox comes in the realization that stationary objects with internally moving parts can harbor mechanical momentum -- which in this case cancels the field momentum. I shall discuss recent developments in the theory of this so-called "hidden" momentum. |
| 7:00 pm Nov. 20 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Ron Snell Prof. Peter Schloerb |
Tour of the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory Prior registration required -- see instructor. | |
 Photo of crystal growth at the edge of an evaporating salt-water droplet. |
7:00 pm Dec. 4 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Pozen Wong |
Seeing the physical world through digital images Although "a picture is worth a thousand words", imaging techniques are often considered to be qualitative research tools in physics. However, with the advance of computerized digital imaging in recent years, quantitative information can be extracted readily from pictures. A wide variety of previously impossible experiments can now done with relatively inexpensive video equipment and microscopes. This talk will discuss the principles of the techniques and show some everyday examples that have escaped our eyes. |
| 7:00 pm Dec. 11 LGRT Rm. 1033 Prof. Monroe Rabin |
Connections between physics and medicine: A bit of physics can be good for your health Although more and more physicists are working in both the research and clinical aspects of medicine, the close connection between physics and medicine is not generally appreciated. Physical principles and techniques are employed in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of many medical problems. This talk will focus on two aspects of physics in medicine: 1) diagnostic imaging and 2) the treatment of cancer. |
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