Seeing the gravitational wave universe
Physics Professor Chiara M. F. Mingarelli’s and graduate student J. Andrew Casey-Clyde’s “Perspective” just published in Science
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Upcoming visit by Dr. Sylvester James Gates
The University of Connecticut Department of Physics is pleased to announce the upcoming colloquium by Dr. Sylvester James Gates Jr. on November 18th in Gant West 002 from 3:30-4:45PM. Dr. Gates is a theoretical high-energy physicist who has made significant, pioneering contributions to supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory. His colloquium will concern the ongoing efforts to […]
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UConn Physics welcomes two new faculty in quantum science
This year, the Department of Physics proudly welcomes two new faculty members – Lea Ferreira dos Santos and Pavel Volkov […]
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Prof. Jain organized International Workshop on Oxide Electronics
Associate Professor of Physics and Institute of Materials Science Menka Jain recently organized the 28th International Workshop on Oxide Electronics, 2-5th October, Portland, Maine. Other co-organizers were Charles H. Ahn (Yale University), Divine Kumah (North Carolina State University), and Ryan Comes (Auburn University). There were close to 150 attendees from all around the world. The […]
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Prof. Mingarelli is the runner up of Inspiring Women in Science awards
Prof. Chiara Mingarelli is the Inspiring Women in Science awards 2022 Scientific Achievement Runner-Up. The Inspiring Women in Science awards celebrate and support the achievements of women in science, and all those who work to encourage girls and young women to engage with STEM subjects and stay in STEM careers around the world. For more […]
[Read More]Recent Events
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Graduate student Jonathan Smucker, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut , "Modeling a New Type of Charge Transfer in C60 Collisions", Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Seminar3:30pm
11/28
Graduate student Jonathan Smucker, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut , "Modeling a New Type of Charge Transfer in C60 Collisions", Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Seminar
Monday, November 28th, 2022
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Storrs Campus GS-119
Graduate student Jonathan Smucker, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Modeling a New Type of Charge Transfer in C60 Collisions
Charge transfer in ion-atom collisions has been studied for decades due to its many applications to plasma physics, astrophysics, and atmospheric sciences. Recently, studies are being conducted examining charge transfer with more complex targets. These more complex systems create a slew of complications that allow for new types of charge transfer collisions. Of particular importance is the effect chemistry can have on these reactions. We propose a new type of charge transfer in collisions between C60 and its positively charged ion. Quantum molecular dynamics simulations indicate that under certain conditions the two C60 molecules will temporarily bond forming "dumbbell" shaped C120 molecules. These bonds between molecules allow for the efficient transfer of the charge. We compare our proposed model to existing experimental data. This is the first theoretical model developed to describe large scattering angle charge transfer cross sections in C60 + C60+ collisions. -
Dr. Sylvester James Gates, University of Maryland, "Seeking Group Theory Mathematics For SUSY", Dr. Sylvester James Gates (UConn Physics Colloquium)3:30pm
11/18
Dr. Sylvester James Gates, University of Maryland, "Seeking Group Theory Mathematics For SUSY", Dr. Sylvester James Gates (UConn Physics Colloquium)
Friday, November 18th, 2022
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Storrs Campus GW-002
Dr. Sylvester James Gates, University of Maryland
Seeking Group Theory Mathematics For SUSY
Concepts in the mathematics of group theory (roots, weights, raising and lowering operators) lie at the foundation of the physics described in the Standard Model. A similar foundation for supersymmetry (SUSY) is currently lacking. Efforts to construct it are reviewed.
Speaker's bio: Prof. Gates received Bachelor of Science degrees in both physics and mathematics and a Ph.D. in physics from MIT. At the University of Maryland, he became the first African American to hold an endowed chair in physics at a major U.S. research university. Gates is the past president of the American Physical Society (APS), a role to which he was elected in 2019. He has received numerous awards and accolades, including the 2013 Mendel Medal and the 2013 National Medal of Science from former President Barack Obama. In 2013, he was also elected to the National Academy of Sciences, becoming its first African American theoretical physicist recognized in its 150 year-old history. He also served on former President Barack Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. In addition, Gates has just been named as the 2023 recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Oersted Medal, presented by the AAPT in honor of his outstanding leadership and impact in physics education.
Flier for the presentation: https://physics.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2234/2022/11/gates_flyer_final.pdf -
Graduate Student Jamie Shaw, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, "Prospects for Laser Cooling and Trapping Aluminum Monochloride", PhD Dissertation Defense10:00am
11/18
Graduate Student Jamie Shaw, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, "Prospects for Laser Cooling and Trapping Aluminum Monochloride", PhD Dissertation Defense
Friday, November 18th, 2022
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Storrs Campus GS-119
Graduate Student Jamie Shaw, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Prospects for Laser Cooling and Trapping Aluminum Monochloride
The advent of laser cooling has ushered in a platform for studying light-matter interactions with unprecedented control. Over the last 20 years, the techniques in laser cooling have become refined enough to enable specific diatomic and polyatomic molecules to be directly laser cooled into the ultracold regime. In this dissertation talk, I will introduce a diatomic species new to the field of laser cooling which promises many advantages over those used in current experiments. Using three novel, high power, UV laser systems developed for this purpose, I will provide initial probes of the molecular structure critical for laser cooling and demonstrate the first signs of optical forces through radiative deflection of a molecular beam.
Webex URL: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/meet/dam17012 -
Dr. Priya Sharma, University of Connecticut, "Impurity/Confinement Induced Anomalous Thermal Hall Effect in Chiral Phases of Superfluid 3He ", Condensed Matter Physics Seminar2:00pm
11/16
Dr. Priya Sharma, University of Connecticut, "Impurity/Confinement Induced Anomalous Thermal Hall Effect in Chiral Phases of Superfluid 3He ", Condensed Matter Physics Seminar
Wednesday, November 16th, 2022
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Storrs Campus GS-117
Dr. Priya Sharma, University of Connecticut
Impurity/Confinement Induced Anomalous Thermal Hall Effect in Chiral Phases of Superfluid 3He
Abstract :
I will discuss superfluid 3He as a quantum material that can be studied to deepen the broad understanding of quantum condensed matter. Starting with an introduction to this p-wave ordered spin-triplet system and its rich phase diagram, I will motivate the investigation of the superfluid phases under the influence of disorder and confinement. I will describe calculations of an anomalous thermal Hall effect (ATHE) induced by impurities and/or confinement in a chiral phase of superfluid 3He. The ATHE provides an important tool to identify signatures of broken time-reversal and mirror symmetries and topology in chiral superconductors/superfluids. I will conclude with a brief outlook and by connecting to recent work. -
Rodrigo Araiza Bravo, Ph.D. candidate, Harvard University, "Using Arrays of Cold Atoms for Analog Quantum Machine Learning", Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Seminar3:30pm
11/14
Rodrigo Araiza Bravo, Ph.D. candidate, Harvard University, "Using Arrays of Cold Atoms for Analog Quantum Machine Learning", Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Seminar
Monday, November 14th, 2022
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Storrs Campus GS-119
Rodrigo Araiza Bravo, Ph.D. candidate, Harvard University
Using Arrays of Cold Atoms for Analog Quantum Machine Learning
Quantum computing promises to enhance machine learning algorithms. However, noise in small-scale, digital quantum devices thwart the potential advantages of circuit-based quantum machine learning (QML) algorithms. Over the last five years, a new approach to QML addressing these current hardware challenges has emerged. This new approach is called Quantum Neuromorphic Computing (QNC). QNC uses current quantum devices to simulate the dynamics of mathematical models for neuronal computation, which tend to inherit the noise insensitivity of the brain. As a result, QNC promises to use tools from quantum simulation to create scalable and noise-insensitive algorithms. In this talk, I will present recent theoretical work on QNC. I will explain how to use arrays of cold atoms to implement a quantum version of basic models for neuronal circuits called recurrent neural networks (RNNs). I will then show that our quantum RNNs are universal quantum computers by analyzing the quantum RNNs' building blocks, which we call quantum perceptrons. I will present several applications of both quantum RNNs and quantum perceptrons. Combining these results opens a broad range of research directions for exploring quantum machine learning algorithms in near-term devices.
Speaker's Bio:
Rodrigo completed his undergraduate education in 2018 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in applied math and engineering physics. While at UIUC, Rodrigo did experimental work in experimental quantum optics, quantum information, and quantum machine learning. In 2019, Rodrigo moved to Harvard University to pursue a Ph.D. in theoretical AMO physics in Prof. Susanne Yelin's group. He's been working on topics at the intersection of quantum simulation and quantum machine learning. He is also completing a secondary field concentration on Science, Technology, and Society studies at the Harvard Kennedy School where he is developing educational programs and theoretical work on the broader social aspects of quantum science and technology. -
Dr. Florian Cougulic, University of Santiago de Campostela, "Small-x evolution of flavor-singlet helicity distributions", Particle, Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics Seminar2:00pm
11/14
Dr. Florian Cougulic, University of Santiago de Campostela, "Small-x evolution of flavor-singlet helicity distributions", Particle, Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics Seminar
Monday, November 14th, 2022
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Storrs Campus GS-119
Dr. Florian Cougulic, University of Santiago de Campostela
Small-x evolution of flavor-singlet helicity distributions
One of the main goals of hadronic physics is to understand the spin of the proton. It is one of the topics that will be experimentally addressed at the EIC. Understanding how the proton spin is made up of its constituents, quark or gluon spin and orbital angular momentum, requires theoretical inputs at Bjorken-x values below experimentally achievable ones. In this presentation, I will introduce the small-x formalism used to describe unpolarized observables. Then I will describe our approach to
the polarized observables by focusing on flavor-singlet helicity distributions. I will finally underline how our recent work resolved a previous disagreement with pioneering works by Bartels and al. for the intercept of the flavor-singlet distributions small-x asymptotic, in the limit of a large number of colors. -
Prof. Andrew Puckett, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, "Precision studies of proton and neutron structure via medium-energy electron scattering", Graduate Student Seminar12:15pm
11/11
Prof. Andrew Puckett, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, "Precision studies of proton and neutron structure via medium-energy electron scattering", Graduate Student Seminar
Friday, November 11th, 2022
12:15 PM - 01:15 PM
Storrs Campus GS-119
Prof. Andrew Puckett, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Precision studies of proton and neutron structure via medium-energy electron scattering
Electron scattering has been one of the most important tools for precisely probing the femtoscopic structure of strongly interacting matter ever since Hofstadter's pioneering measurements of electron-proton scattering and electron-nucleus scattering at Stanford in the 1950s revealed the non-point-like nature of the proton and provided a first measurement of the proton's size, leading to the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1961. The Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab (JLab) in Newport News, Virginia, is the world's premiere facility for the precision three-dimensional imaging of the nucleon's quark-gluon structure in both coordinate and momentum space. CEBAF uses superconducting radio-frequency acceleration technology to deliver electron beams of unparalleled quality in terms of energy, intensity, duty-cycle, and polarization. Experimentalists use these high-quality electron beams together with state-of-the-art target and detector technologies and high-performance data acquisition and computing capabilities to map the internal structure of strongly interacting matter with unprecedented precision and kinematic reach. In this talk, I will give a brief overview of the physics of electron scattering and its usefulness as a precision probe of nuclear structure, followed by a detailed overview of UConn's leading role and Ph.D. research opportunities in a currently running series of flagship experiments in JLab's experimental Hall A known as the Super BigBite Spectrometer (SBS) program. -
Prof. Vesna Mitrovic, Brown University, "Multi-modal NMR spectroscopy of phase transitions in quantum materials", Condensed Matter Physics Seminar2:00pm
11/9
Prof. Vesna Mitrovic, Brown University, "Multi-modal NMR spectroscopy of phase transitions in quantum materials", Condensed Matter Physics Seminar
Wednesday, November 9th, 2022
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Storrs Campus GS-117
Prof. Vesna Mitrovic, Brown University
Multi-modal NMR spectroscopy of phase transitions in quantum materials
In traditional magnetic resonance, the information about the local spin environment is encoded in the spectrum of the nuclear spins but can potentially be obscured by multiple sources of spectral broadening, including highly non-trivial multipolar exchange interactions, and/or zero local values of susceptibility. This is particularly relevant for materials that exhibit an emergence of exotic quantum phases that possess unusual symmetries and orderings, such as Mott insulators with strong spin-orbit coupling, and whose order parameter has large variations and oftentimes zero mean [1]. In such cases, standard probes around a phase transition are insensitive to variations in the local bilinear terms, presenting a serious obstacle in determining the broken symmetry. Here, we de- scribe a novel NMR approach, inspired by quantum control techniques that fully leveraged multi-dimensional spectroscopy, which manipulates single spin systems in order to refocus Hamiltonian terms only of specific desired symmetries during spin time evolution, used to solve the phase-transition measurement problem by directly measuring the distribution of symmetry breaking terms and not just their mean value.
In contrast to conventional one-dimensional spectroscopy, which studies amplitudes as a function of an experiment time (t) and depends on the system's energy levels, we directly extract an interaction parameter ω from the Hamiltonian through a variation of that interaction's integration time (τ). When the ω values vary across a sample, the width of the distribution is easily recoverable from a decay timescale in the case of half-integer spins, even when the average value of ω is zero. This provides an ideal method for assessing the distribution of disorder above phase transition, specifically for "order from disorder" transitions which require large variations in an order parameter with zero mean. Examples of the application of this method to investigate the emergence of exotic quantum orders will be discussed.
[1] L. Lu et al., Nature communications, 8, 14407 EP (2017)