Written by Nora Berrah: Debadarshini (Jolly) Mishra successfully defended her PhD thesis in May 2024 in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. Jolly gave several presentations at national and international conferences and is the co-author of 8 publications. She is now a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and was hired before her thesis defense to […]
Bren Backhaus Advisor: Jonathan Trump Thesis: “Emission-Line Properties of High-Redshift Galaxies and their Black Holes” Dharma Basaula Advisor: Serge Nakhmanson Thesis: “Mesoscale Modeling of Thermoelectric Materials” Mitchell Bredice Advisor: Vasili Kharchenko Thesis: “Kinetics, Nucleation, and Relaxation Dynamics of Ion-Seeded Nanoparticles” Michael Davino Advisor: Carlos Trallero Thesis: “Strong-field Physics from Atoms to Nanoparticles” Ashok Gurung Advisor: […]
On August 27, 2024, scholars, trustees, and friends of UConn gathered at the University of Connecticut School of Law to honor members of the university community elected to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Established by an Act of Congress in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences was followed by the National Academy […]
Dear Friends of UConn Physics, Last year, I wrote to you as a new Interim Head of Physics and only barely a month into my appointment. During the past year, we conducted a search for a permanent head and I was selected. For this, I am very grateful for the trust and support I received […]
Every year, the American Physical Society (APS) sponsors CU*IP – Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics – at several locations around the country. This year, led by Prof. Nora Berrah, UConn Physics applied to host this national conference in Storrs and our proposal was accepted for January 24-26, 2025! The purpose of […]
Lawrence “Larry” Kappers, passed away on Friday, August 2, 2024. Professor Lawrence (Larry) Kappers (aka “Kap”) retired in 2009, having joined the UConn Physics Department in 1973. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completing postdoctoral appointments at the University of Minnesota and Oklahoma State University, he developed an active research program […]
The UConn STARs group visited Hartford Public High School (HPHS) to teach physics for a total of eight class periods from May 6th-9th, 2024. UConn brought 16 undergraduate students from the STARs program to HPHS for our annual outreach program, during which we interacted with about 100 high school students. We collaborated with physics teacher […]
Father Thaddeus J. Burch passed away May 14, 2024 in Wauwatosa, WI. He was 93 years old, a Jesuit for 75 years and a priest for 62 years. His life combined his deep religious faith with a quest and appreciation for the world of physics. In addition to his two bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and […]
Professor Moshe Gai, the director of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science, aka the Astrophysics Laboratory, https://astro.uconn.edu, was awarded a 2024-2025 Fulbright US Scholar Award to teach and do research in Romania. He will spend five months at the newly constructed world highest power laser lab (10 PW), the Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP), recently […]
The University of Connecticut, Department of Physics is proud to announce the 26th Annual Katzenstein Distinguished Lecturer that will be on Friday, November 15th.
UConn physics professor Nora Berrah has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Science (NAS), becoming the fifth member from the UConn community to join the selective national society.
Connecticut’s oldest planetarium will soon be back in action. Once used for education and outreach for UConn faculty, students, and community members, the planetarium fell into disuse in the last several years, but Department of Physics Assistant Professor-in-Residence Matt Guthrie has been working hard with skilled facilities staff, including CLAS Facilities Team Leader Brett DeMarchi, to bring this piece of UConn history back into working order.
UConn faculty and students will host a community event to view the solar eclipse at 2:00-4:30pm this Monday, April 8, on Horsebarn Hill (behind the Dairy Bar). Here in Storrs we’ll observe a maximum occultation of 92% at 3:28pm. This is a very exciting and special opportunity, since the next time that our location will […]
Two of UConn Physics Department’s undergrads, Rachel Cleveland and Nicholas Thiel-Hudson, have been recently selected as part of the 2024 cohort of UConn University Scholars! These students were selected based on the strength of their proposal. Graduation as a University Scholar recognizes a student’s extraordinary engagement with self-reflective learning and research or creative endeavors.
After years of disuse, the UConn Observatory, featuring a 16-inch optical telescope, is coming back into service. Physics faculty member Matt Guthrie, a driving force behind this rejuvenation effort spoke with UConn Today about the benefits offered by the Observatory both to students and to the community.
On October 14, 2023 40-50 members and friends of the UConn Physics department took part in the 51’st annual ascent up Mount Monadnock, near Jaffrey, New Hampshire. After the hike, the then-hungry hikers descended to the campground near Gilson Pond and enjoyed some well-earned refreshments.
The University of Connecticut, Department of Physics, is proud to announce that on October 20, 2023, Gérard Mourou, professor and member of Haut Collège at the École Polytechnique and A. D. Moore Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan and 2018 Nobel Prize winner, will be presenting the 25th Distinguished Katzenstein Lecture.
About 20% of UConn students are supported by the Center for Students with Disabilities. The true percentage of students who need help is even higher. With so many students who require diverse ways of learning, how can faculty make sure their teaching is adequate, effective and inclusive for all students? In order to address this […]
Dear Friends of UConn Physics, Before highlighting some of the major events in the Physics Department during the past year, I need to sincerely thank Prof. Barry Wells for his leadership as Department Head for the past five years. Dr. Wells guided the department through the turbulent times of the COVID pandemic and resulting shutdown […]
Mirion Technologies, Inc. (https://www.mirion.com) formerly Canberra Inc., located in Meriden, CT, a worldwide leading company for manufacturing of electronics and nuclear detectors, established a partnership with our Physics department. In this partnership between our Physics department and a local industry, our students are encouraged to apply to spend a summer internship in the “real world” […]
A recent publication by Geoffrey Harrison, Tobias Saule, Brandin Davis, and Carlos Trallero from the Department of Physics, University of Connecticut is featured in Advances in Engineering. The publication presents a novel method for mitigating the bit-depth limit by increasing the phase precision of the Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs). The technique is based on adding […]
The UConn STARs visited Hartford High School on May 8th and 11th, 2023. We visited junior engineering students in the classroom of Mrs. Melissa Adams and the high school football team lead by Coach Jackson. We taught them all about quantum mechanics, solar telescopes, gravity, and of course electricity and they taught us as well. […]
Frederick Edward Steigert, of Westerly, RI passed away surrounded by the love of his family on Monday, May 29, 2023. He was the husband of Judith Carol (Lance) Steigert. Born in New York, New York on September 11, 1928, he was the son of the late Karl and Margarete (Shuppert) Steigert. Frederick was a dedicated […]
The Department of Physics is hosting UConn-NSF summer school on Parton Saturation and Electron Ion Collider (EIC). The School will take place in Storrs, from August 1 to August 10, 2023. The school chair is Professor Alex Kovner. The school website can be found at https://www.phys.uconn.edu/Conferences/saturation-eic/. The Electron-Ion Collider is the next big experiment in […]
Jeff Schweitzer passed away unexpectedly last year on May 31, 2022 in his home in Ridgefield, CT. Jeff was a faculty member in the physics department for 25 years (1997-2022). Jeff earned his B.S. in Physics from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (1967), and his M.S. (1969) and Ph.D. (1972) in physics from the Purdue […]
Galaxy clusters are the most massive objects in the Universe: a single cluster contains anything from a hundred to many thousands of galaxies, alongside collections of plasma, hot X-ray emitting gas, and dark matter. These components are held together by the cluster’s own gravity. Understanding such galaxy clusters is crucial to pinning down the origin […]
Promoting gender diversity and inclusion in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the Connecticut Science Center’s Women in Science Initiative hosted a captivating outreach event led by UConn’s Sarah Trallero, Aslı Tandoğan, and Aislinn Daniels. This event took place on April 15th, 2023 at the Connecticut Science Center. In the outreach event, […]
A University chapter of Optica (formerly known as OSA), the largest professional society for Optics and Photonics, has started at UConn. Physics graduate students Zhanna Rodnova and Kevin Watson, and Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate student Gokul Krishnan started the chapter in the Fall of 2022 to help students, undergraduate, and graduate, learn more about […]
This year, international conferences have begun to come back into their pre-pandemic form. For the American Physical Society’s annual March Meeting, it was bigger than ever with over 12,000 participants in the world’s largest meeting ever devoted to physics. UConn showed strong as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research scientists, and faculty researchers attended the meeting […]
Gary Dean Bent, 82, a former assistant head of the Physics Department at the University of Connecticut for 23 years, passed away on Friday, March 3, 2023. He was born on October 9, 1940, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Growing up in Florida, he studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he earned Bachelor’s and […]
Prof. Cara Battersby’s research group, the Milky Way Laboratory, was invited to collaborate with Genevieve de Leon, the 2022-23 Koopman Distinguished Chair in the Painting Department at the University of Hartford, for an exhibition focused on the intersection between the Maya calendrical cycles and scientific studies of the cosmos. From the Milky Way Laboratory, H […]
The Conversation interviewed Prof. Jonathan Trump about his recent work with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with an article and podcast interview available at this link. The interview includes discussion of Prof. Trump’s recent journal paper that used spectroscopic observations from JWST to understand the chemical enrichment of galaxies in the early Universe.
The 2023 High Energy Astrophysics Division’s Early-Career Prize is awarded to Dr. Chiara Mingarelli for her leadership in the analysis of pulsar timing array data and her contributions to our understanding of the stochastic gravitational wave background.
Daniel McCarron, a physics professor, received a grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research for his work analyzing the quantum mechanical behavior of a simple hydrocarbon molecule: CH, or methylidyne. A highly reactive gas, methylidyne is abundant in the interstellar medium, and its simple composition promises to allow researchers to study the role […]
Quantum matter and materials have grown to be active areas of modern condensed matter. The fascinating properties of quantum materials might lead to technological applications such as spintronics, quantum technologies, and quantum sensors. The combination of new materials discoveries and the development of new probes of quantum matter has helped shape these topics into an […]
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 […]
Second-year graduate student Andrea Mejia received in Fall 2022 the CT Space Grant Award for her Graduate Research on “Constraining Black Hole Binaries and Mergers” where she studies, by means of numerical simulations, how Active Galactic Nuclei form and eventually merge stellar mass black hole binaries, see https://ctspacegrant.org/funding-programs/faculty/past-recipients. In addition, Andrea successfully secured in May […]
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 […]
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 […]
Professors Jain and Sochnikov received NSF research grant entitled “New Quantum Elastocaloric Demagnetization Refrigeration for the Millikelvin Range”. A major focus of their research will be the cooling of quantum chips. For this purpose, their teams will study ‘spin liquids’, which can be harnessed to achieve millikelvin temperatures without magnetic fields. At such low temperatures, […]
Associate Professor of Physics Menka Jain and the Institute of Materials Science is co-organizing a workshop-28th International Workshop on Oxide Electronics (IWOE) in Maine next month. The IWOE series has become an important venue to discuss recent advances and emerging trends in this developing field. The aim of the workshop is to provide an interdisciplinary […]
Prof. Nora Berrah received the Honorary Doctoral Degree from the University of Turku in Finland. The ceremonial conferment was on October 8, 2021. This honor comes with the University of Turku Doctoral Certificate as well as a “Hat and a Sword”, the latter symbolizing the “Doctors’ Rank but also Sharpness of Thought and Role in […]
This coming October we’ll mark the 50th anniversary of the first hike up Mt. Monadnock by the Physics Department. We plan to hike Saturday, October 8th. Because the park recommends reservations, we will make reservations for a large group. Alumni are welcome and should contact Tom Blum or Alex Kovner as soon as possible to […]
Dear Friends of UConn Physics, Probably the biggest event in the physics world this past year was the successful launch and early data taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It’s not just pretty pictures – the far infrared capabilities allow for the measurement of the most redshifted, […]
The first two experiments using the newly constructed collection of apparatus known as the Super BigBite Spectrometer were completed from Oct. 2021-Feb. 2022 in Jefferson Lab’s Experimental Hall A. Data were collected that will determine the neutron’s magnetic form factor (GMN) in a previously unexplored regime of momentum transfer Q2 up to 13.6 (GeV/c)2 with […]
Two UConn Physics graduate students were recently awarded the Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS) scholarship to support their work in the field of directed energy. Brandin Davis and Zhanna Rodnova received awards for their research on developing long-wavelength infra-red radiation sources. They were among 20 national winners. DEPS awards students scholarships of up to $10,000 […]
The James Webb Space Telescope released its first science observations on July 12 with much fanfare and excitement across the globe. UConn Physics Professor Jonathan Trump is part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science collaboration that was awarded some of the first observations on the transformative new space telescope. Prof. Trump was interviewed by several local media outlets, […]
Prof. Thomas Blum is one of two faculty to receive the Research Excellence award from the University of Connecticut in 2022. Tom came to UConn in 2004 and is a professor and associate department head for undergraduate education in the Physics Department. As a theoretical physicist, Blum specializes in making difficult, detailed mathematical calculations concerning […]
The University of Connecticut, Department of Physics, is proud to announce that on September 23, 2022, Professor Donna Strickland of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo will be presenting the 2020 Distinguished Katzenstein Lecture. Prof. Strickland is one of the recipients of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for developing […]
Professor Cara Battersby has been awarded an NSF CAREER grant! “The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the […]
UConn is now home to tools that have played an instrumental role in mapping the universe — 10 large aluminum plates used as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Measuring 32 inches across, one-eighth of an inch thick, and with thousands of tiny holes drilled in them, these plates may not be the […]
UConn’s collaboration with the Department of Defense Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is launching a new project. It is titled Multiscale Modeling and Characterization of Metamaterials, Functional Ceramics and Photonics. This is a $4.7 M contract with $1M for Physics. The project’s goal is to explore and advance the understanding of electronic, photonic, magnetic, and […]
The article The Largest Suite of Cosmic Simulations for AI Training Is Now Free to Download; Already Spurring Discoveries describe research of a team of astrophysicists that includes UConn Professor of Physics Daniel Anglés-Alcázar. “Machine learning is revolutionizing many areas of science, but it requires a huge amount of data to exploit,” says Anglés-Alcázar. “The […]
UConn Physics Professor Jonathan Trump is part of a group of scientists who will be the first to conduct research using the James Webb space telescope. The local Fox News TV station conducted an interview with Prof. Trump.
On Friday December 3rd, a group of U.S. Senators, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced a bipartisan a resolution to recognize the significant scientific, educational, and economic contributions made by the Arecibo Observatory telescope. “The telescope at Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory was a […]
Chiara Mingarelli, Assistant Professor of Physics at UConn, is the lead researcher on a $650,000 Collaborative Research Grant from the National Science Foundation, half of which is earmarked for UConn, to conduct an experiment to prove the existence of supermassive black hole binaries. This grant will combine, for the first time, traditional astronomy with gravitational […]
UConn Physics graduate student Mohammed (Mo) Akhshik works on data gathered using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and has led to exciting discoveries, some while he served as the science Principle Investigator of the REQUIEM HST program from which he is co-author on two publications, one in Nature and one in Nature Astronomy. Akhshik is also […]
At the center of galaxies, like our own Milky Way, lie massive black holes surrounded by spinning gas. Some shine brightly, with a continuous supply of fuel, while others go dormant for millions of years, only to reawaken with a serendipitous influx of gas. It remains largely a mystery how gas flows across the universe […]
As we approach the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, UConn is set for having classes in person again, students on campus, and our first taste of somewhat normal university life in a year and a half. Students, faculty, and staff are all required to be vaccinated, masks are required indoors, classrooms will be fully […]
Prof. Emeritus Winthrop Smith and former student Prof. Douglas Goodman (Quinnipiac University) Edit Special Issue of Open Access Journal Atoms, on Low Energy Interactions between Ions and Ultracold Atoms The Special Issue of the online journal Atoms is a collection of current peer-reviewed articles by experts in the field of ultracold collisions and reactions involving […]
The Physics Department welcomes our newest faculty member, Dr. Anh-Thu Le, although he prefers to be called simply AT. AT worked for many years at the well-known James R. Macdonald Laboratory, rising to the rank of Research Professor. He worked alongside a world-known theorist, Dr. Chii-Dong Lin. Dr. Le went on to become an Assistant […]
Professor Andrew Puckett’s research group is currently leading, as part of a collaboration of approximately 100 scientists from approximately 30 US and international institutions, the installation in Jefferson Lab’s Experimental Hall A of the first of a series of planned experiments known as the Super BigBite Spectrometer (SBS) Program, with beam to Hall A tentatively […]
Physics major Nicole Khusid, a rising senior at UConn, was featured in a UConn Today article about her research. Nicole has been working on gravitional lensing of distant sources of gravitational waves, seeking to understand their multimessenger signals and detectability by future astrophysics facilities. Nicole was awarded a SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fund) award to […]
It seems that the muon, a heavier partner of the electron, may be breaking what have been understood as the laws of physics. The findings announced on April 7th were met with excitement and speculation at what this might mean. UConn physics researchers Professor Thomas Blum and Assistant Professor Luchang Jin helped pioneer the theoretical physics behind the findings.
Professor Cara Bettersby’s research is featured in the article “The Study of Big Data: How CLAS Researchers Use Data Science” published by UConn Today. Prof. Battersby’s work focuses on describing and studying the center of the Milky Way galaxy, which she calls an “experimental playground” for the distant cosmos. Her work described the spectroscopy of […]
New Physics PhD graduate Yasaman Homayouni is featured in a story on the class of 2021 from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). For the full story of what inspired Yasaman and other students during their time at UConn, see the article in UConn Today.
Mark Rayner/CERN The Fermilab E989 experiment announced the first new result on the muon’s anomalous magnetic moment in almost 20 years. The new measurement, combined with Brookhaven’s E821, has increased the discrepancy with the Standard Model value to 4.2 standard deviations. UConn Professors Tom Blum and Luchang Jin explain the theory calculations in a feature […]
Professor of Physics Nora Berrah has been awarded the International Blaise Pascal Chaire d’Excellence, a prestigious honor whose previous winners include scientists and scholars from a wide range of disciplines, including multiple Nobel laureates. Her award was selected by a committee of scientists and voted on by the Permanent Commission Regional Council of the Région […]
Members and friends of the Physics Department gathered online Saturday morning, April 10, to share memories and thoughts of appreciation for Prof. Munir Islam who passed from this world on March 11, 2021. The meeting was led jointly by Profs. Win Smith and Mehdi Anwar, with expressions of appreciation and sympathy for the family by several members of the department past and present. Prof. Mannheim has offered this written tribute to our colleague and friend.
Dr. David Katzenstein, a friend, and benefactor of the UConn Department of Physics, passed away on January 25, 2021 due to Covid-19. David was the son of Henry Katzenstein, the first Physics Ph.D. from UConn and a major benefactor of our Department. Currently, both the annual Katzenstein Distinguished Lecture and the Katzenstein Prize for a […]
UConn astrophysicist Chiara Mingarelli is part of a team of researchers who recently published data on a hint of a signal that sent ripples of excitement through the physics community. These monumental findings are the culmination of twelve and a half years of data gathered from NANOGrav — a network of pulsars across the galaxy — all in the hopes of detecting gravitational waves.
UConn Physics alumnus Dr. Michael Wininger (BS, 2003) was recently featured in the professional journal O&P Almanac (Orthotics and Prosthetics). The article describes how his eclectic background, beginning with degrees from UConn, has enabled him to lead innovations in several areas of health research. Mike is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Biostatistics Department […]
November 2, 2020 – Elaina Hancock – UConn Communications The Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s fifth generation – a groundbreaking project to bolster our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies, including the Milky Way – collected its very first observations on the evening of October 23. Image: The Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s fifth generation […]
Arnold Russek, a theoretical atomic physicist, born July 13, 1926, in New York, passed away on October 13th, 2020, in Colorado. As a young man of 18, he served honorably as a radio engineer in the Pacific during WWII. He earned his Ph.D. at the Courant Institute at New York University in 1953, and taught […]
UConn graduate student Gloria Fonseca Alvarez was featured with a video in the Author Interview series produced by the American Astronomical Society (AAS). In this video, Gloria talks about her work to understand the inner environments of black holes. The paper highlighted in the video shows that the orbits of emission-line gas around supermassive black holes are often smaller than expected from previous observations.
Most superconductors only work when they’re super cold. Chemists and metallurgists have experimented with different combinations of elements for years, trying to get superconductors that work at temperatures close to room temperature. Sochnikov and his students are thinking about it differently. What if mechanical changes such as squeezing or stretching could make a material a superconductor?
Throughout her long life, Cynthia Peterson educated and enriched her family, her students, and her community through science, discovery, and a lifelong enthusiasm for teaching prospective scientists. Through community outreach and during her many years as a professor, Cynthia taught many that wonderment can be found simply by looking up at the night sky.
When I arrived in Storrs from New York City in 1969 to teach physics at the University of Connecticut, one of the first colleagues I met was Dr. Cynthia Peterson. She had an infectious enthusiasm that appealed to me and my wife Anne. It turned out that Anne and Cynthia had both been students at […]
Erin Scanlon joins our Department in fall 2020 as Assistant Professor in Residence at the Avery Point Campus. Erin comes to UConn with an impressive track record of university teaching experience and scholarship in physics education research (PER). After earning a master’s degree in physics from Georgia Institute of Technology, Erin joined the faculty at […]
It’s been crazy. That holds for everybody over these past six months; UConn and the Physics Department as well. Events unfurled rapidly last March. Within a week the March Meeting of the APS was cancelled, our department had to postpone the 2020 Katzenstein Lecture with Donna Strickland, and then the University announced that students would […]
The transition to online learning that was necessitated due to the COVID-19 outbreak was not without its challenges. Faculty had roughly 10 days to adapt to a modality of instruction most were not used to. TAs had to simultaneously learn how to teach remotely while also adjusting to having the courses they were taking also […]
UConn Physic alum, Dr. Hyewon Pechkis, an Assistant Professor of Physics at the California State University Chico recently received the prestigious CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. This five-year grant titled “Making a Difference in First Year Underrepresented Students’ Education through Research: Quantum Coherence in a Bose Thermal Gas” will facilitate the involvement of […]
We are very excited to extend a warm welcome to a new UConn Physics Faculty member, Dr. Christopher Faesi. Chris is an astrophysicist, specializing in both observational work and modelling, primarily in the study of star formation. He got his PhD at Harvard University, followed by a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy […]
Kyungseon Joo, a professor of physics, has been named Chair of the CLAS Collaboration, one of the largest international collaborations in nuclear physics. CLAS involves 50 institutions from 9 countries and has about 250 collaborators. The collaboration recently completed the upgrade of the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS12) for operation at 11 GeV beam energy […]
The Physics Department’s Diversity & Multiculturalism Committee (DMC) was accepted into the APS Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Alliance (APS-IDEA). Despite years of efforts on local and national levels, the diversity in many physics departments is not reflective of the diversity nationwide. Our department is no exception in this regard. The new APS initiative was created […]
Assistant Professor of Physics Luchang Jin has been chosen to receive a prestigious Early Career Award from the US Department of Energy’s Office of High Energy Physics (HEP) for 2020. The amount of the award is $750,000 to be used over five years. The DOE Early Career Award is extremely competitive: this year only 16 scientists in […]
Jonathan Trump, Assistant Professor of Physics, will receive $738,090 over five years to compile a census of supermassive black holes in the universe. This will give insights into how supermassive black holes and galaxies evolve across cosmic time. Trump will also develop a bridge program for underrepresented undergraduate physics majors at UConn to increase their […]
Professors Tom Blum and Luchang Jin, along with colleagues at BNL and Columbia, Nagoya, and Regensburg universities have completed a first-ever calculation of the hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution to the muon’s anomalous magnetic moment with all errors controlled. The work is published in Physical Review Letters as an Editor’s Suggestion and also appeared in […]
A single x-ray can unravel an enormous molecule, physicists report in the March 17 issue of Physical Review Letters. Their findings could lead to safer medical imaging and a more nuanced understanding of the electronics of heavy metals. Medical imaging techniques such as MRIs use heavy metals from the bottom of the periodic table as …
The Geophysics research group (Prof. Vernon Cormier and students) operate a seismic wave station that continuously monitors vibrations in the earth’s crust, many of which arise from seismic events that happen far away. These waves travel through the deep earth, and eventually make their way to the surface where they are detected. The above […]
What is a Bachelors of Science degree in Physics good for? What kinds of jobs are available to graduates who complete a 4-year degree in physics, but decide not to pursue an advanced degree? How does a physics degree stack up against other STEM fields in terms of employment options in today’s highly competitive job […]
Could traveling into the past be part of our future? Quite possibly, says Ron Mallett, a UConn emeritus professor of physics who has studied the concept of time travel for decades. Earlier this month, he spoke with NBC Connecticut reporter Kevin Nathan about his life and work as a theoretical physicist, and discussed how time […]
The UConn Today published an article highlighting the state of 10-year renovation of the Gant Science Complex. The Complex was first constructed between 1974 and 1978 and was home to the departments of mathematics and physics for several decades. The renovation to this 285,00 square-foot campus landmark is part of Next Generation Connecticut, the initiative […]
The UConn Physics Department is delighted to announce that our 2019 Distinguished Katzenstein Lecturer will be Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell is world-famous for her discovery of pulsars in 1967. Pulsars are a special type of neutron star, the rotating dense remnant of a massive star. Pulsars have highly magnetic surfaces, and emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation […]
The Daily Campus published an article highlighting the research of Prof. Thomas Blum about Quantum Chromodynamics, a theory which describes the interactions between elementary particles. The development of this theory could help further understanding of the Standard Model of particle physics. The Standard Model is what physicists use to describe the fundamental building blocks of […]
UConn Astrophysicist and observational astronomer Jonathan Trump was a recent guest on UConn 360, a podcast from the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut. In this conversation, Jonathan tells about how attending a lecture as an undergraduate at Penn State captured his interest and changed the course of his professional career. Now Jonathan offers […]
New building, new teaching approach, new people – there is a lot of change and excitement in the air for the Physics Department in 2019. The most obvious change is that physics has moved into a newly renovated building. What most alumni will remember as the Math Building has been taken down to its frame […]
Physicists used to think that superconductivity – electricity flowing without resistance or loss – was an all or nothing phenomenon. But new evidence suggests that it’s not so clear cut, at least in copper oxide superconductors. “If we understood why copper oxide is a superconductor at such high temperatures, we might be able to synthesize a better one”, says UConn physicist Ilya Sochnikov. Sochnikov and his colleagues at Rice University, Brookhaven National Lab and Yale recently figured out part of that puzzle, and they report their results in the latest issue of Nature.
Daniel McCarron, assistant professor of physics, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will receive $645,000 over five years for his work on the development of techniques to trap large groups of molecules and cool them to temperatures near absolute zero. The possible control of molecules at this low temperature provides access to new research applications, such as quantum computers that can leverage the laws of quantum mechanics to outperform classical computers.
When Carlos Trallero started his academic career in physics, he had no idea he would become a pioneer in a field of research that uses high-power lasers to investigate atomic and molecular physical phenomena. Originally from Cuba, where there isn’t much funding for experimental research, Trallero began his academic career by studying theoretical physics. But as a senior graduate student at Stony Brook University, he got the chance to work in a lab doing experimental work and quickly recognized it was his true passion.
May 27-June 5 UConn Physics Department hosted an international summer school Strong interactions beyond simple factorization: collectivity at high energy from initial to final state. The school was supported by an NSF grant to Prof. Kovner and was devoted to modern approaches to the physics of high energy hadronic and heavy ion collisions.
Amelia Henkel, graduating Double Major in Physics and Human Rights, and President of the Undergraduate Women in Physics Club, speaks on the CLAS website about her passion for physics and human rights, and how she mastered challenges in her remarkably interdisciplinary curriculum. “We really need to interact with other disciplines,” says Amelia, “because that’s […]
On April 11th and 12 of 2019 Prof. Paul Corkum of the Joint Attosecond Laboratory (University of Ottawa and the National Research Council of Canada) visited the department. Prof. Corkum’s main area of research is on the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with matter broadly defined. His most notable contribution is perhaps the discovery of […]
The University of Connecticut’s Katherine Whitaker is part of a team of astronomers who have put together the largest and most comprehensive “history book” of the universe from 16 years’ worth of observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.This image, a mosaic of nearly 7,500 separate Hubble exposures, presents a wide portrait of the distant universe and contains roughly 265,000 galaxies that stretch back through 13.3 billion years to just 500 million years after the Big Bang.
UConn physics professor Nora Berrah has been elected to the historic and prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This year, more than 200 individuals were elected to the academy with compelling achievements in academia, business, government, and public affairs. Berrah, who was head of the physics department from 2014 to 2018, has been recognized […]
This image is the first ever taken of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project. The black center is a direct view of the event horizon of a supermassive black hole with a mass of 6.5 billion times the Sun, lying at the center of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. The bright ring is emission from hot gas just above the event horizon, with an asymmetric shape caused by gravitational lensing of light in the strong gravity of the black hole. The EHT collaboration captured the image using a network of 8 radio telescopes that spanned the Earth.
The 2018 Reynolds lecture speaker was Prof Andrew Millis, a Professor of Physics at Columbia University and a co-Director of Center for Computational Quantum Physics at the Flatiron Institute. Dr. Millis’s research focus is theoretical condensed matter physics. He is the leading authority in theory of correlated materials, application of new theoretical ideas to actual […]
An international research team headed by Dr. Aaron LaForge from the research group of Prof. Nora Berrah in the Physics department at UConn has recently discovered a new type of decay mechanism leading to highly efficient double ionization in weakly-bound systems. The team has published its results in the science journal “Nature Physics”. Ionization is […]
Original UConn Today article here Rising Star in Astrophysics Receives Sloan Foundation Fellowship February 19, 2019 – Jessica McBride – Office of the Vice President for Research Kate Whitaker, assistant professor of physics, stands next to a telescope inside the observatory on top of the Gant Complex on Feb. 14, 2019. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo) As […]
About one mile from the Gant plaza, Goodwin Elementary School teaches some really bright kids. On January 15, 2019, science teacher Nancy Titchen and Goodwin teachers brought the entire 3rd grade class on a field trip to the Physics Learning Labs mock-up studio for some science fun. Students enjoyed a liquid nitrogen show, witnessed quantum […]
Physics professor Nora Berrah has been named a 2018 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Prof. Berrah has been recognized for her distinguished contributions to the field of molecular dynamics, particularly for pioneering non-linear science using x-ray lasers and spectroscopy using synchrotron light sources. View full story on CLAS website.
Step into a fall 2018 class section of PHYS 1602: Fundamentals of Physics II, and you’ll find a scene that’s far from the large introductory science lectures common on most college campuses. Anna Regan ’21 (CLAS) utilizes a whiteboard to try out solutions during her group’s problem-solving tutorial. (Bri Diaz/UConn Photo) To start, the class […]
A young Cara Battersby once scrawled out the phrase “Science is curious” in a school project about what she wanted to do when she grew up.
This simple phrase still captures Battersby’s outlook on her research about our universe.
Recently shortlisted for the 2018 Nature Research Inspiring Science Award, Battersby has been working on several projects aimed at unfolding some of the most compelling mysteries of galaxies near and far.
“I’m really interested in how stars are born,” Battersby says. “They’re the source of all life on Earth.”
Battersby is leading an international team of over 20 scientists to map the center of the Milky Way Galaxy using the Submillimeter Array in Hawaii, in a large survey called CMZoom. She was recently awarded a National Science Foundation grant to follow-up on this survey and create a 3D computer modeled map of the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
In August 2018, Professor Barrett Wells entered as the new head of the Physics department, following Professor Nora Berrah. Barrett is an experimental condensed matter physicists with a robust research program involved in both synthesis and advanced experimentation around novel phases of quantum materials. Barrett brings to the department strong administrative talent, having served […]
Connor Occhialini – Finalist 2018 LeRoy Apker Undergraduate Achievements Award by Jason Hancock One of our star undergraduates, Connor Occhialini, has won national recognition as a finalist in the 2018 LeRoy Apker Undergraduate Achievements Award competition for his research in the UConn Physics department. The honor and distinction is awarded not only for the excellent […]
The Katzenstein Distinguished Lectures series continued in the 2018 academic year with its twenty second Nobel Laureate lecturer, with an October 26, 2018 lecture by Professor Rainer Weiss of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The title of Professor Weiss’ talk was “Exploration of the Universe with Gravitational Waves”, with abstract: The observations of gravitational waves […]
Laboratory Technician II (UCP 4) Department of Physics College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Connecticut The Department of Physics seeks 2 dynamic and energetic applicants to join its teaching laboratory team. The Department is undergoing a deep renovation of teaching pedagogy in large-scale learning labs with full support of the University. The successful […]
The Physics Nobel prize in 2018 was awarded to Gérard Mourou (École Polytechnique, Université Paris-Saclay), Arthur Ashkin (Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies), and Donna Strickland (University of Waterloo) for ground-breaking inventions in the field of laser physics.
Dynamic Quantum Matter, Entangled orders and Quantum Criticality Workshop, June 18- June 19, 2018, sponsored by UConn, NSF, Nordita, Villum Center for Dirac Materials, Institute for Materials Science. The conference focused on entangled and non-equilibrium orders in quantum materials.
Physics major Brenna Robertson has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Mark Miller Undergraduate Research Award. Brenna’s proposal, which focuses on modeling supermassive black hole spin using spectral emission diagrams, was selected from among a strong pool of applicants. Brenna Robertson is working with Prof. Jonathan Trump. The Mark Miller Award is a […]
Undergraduate Physics Majors, Sam Cutler and Anthony (Josh) Machado, recently received awards from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium. Sam was awarded an Undergraduate Research Fellowship to perform research at UConn this summer working with Prof. Kate Whitaker. The title of his research project is “Examining High Redshift Rotation Curve Outside the Local Universe”. Josh […]
The Physics Department Graduate Student Association, in collaboration with the faculty, organized the Annual Research Poster Day which was held this year on March 23, 2018. About 15 students presented their research in a poster presentation. Awards were presented to graduate students Erin Curry and Martin Disla, and an undergraduate student Sadhana Suresh.
Prof Alan Wuosmaa has been awarded a grant for 3 years for Studies of exotic nuclei with transfer reactions. For the information about Prof. Wuosmaa research visit his home page.
Professor Tom Blum has been selected a “Fermilab Distinguished Scholar”. Fermilab Distinguished Scholars are rotating multi-year appointments for U.S. theorists in either the Fermilab Theoretical Physics Department or the Theoretical Astrophysics Group. The Fermilab Distinguished Scholars program aims to: Strengthen connections between the Fermilab Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics groups and the wider U.S. particle-theory community. […]
Professor Vernon F. Cormier from the Department of Physics, University of Connecticut has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the transition from liquid to solid in the Earth’s core using seismic wave measurements. Cormier’s project will determine the structure of the Earth’s inner core in relation to the processes that […]
Friday afternoon on April 20, 2018 the UConn Physics Department held a colloquium in honor of Professor Douglas Hamilton on the occasion of his retirement from active service on the faculty. The colloquium was MC’ed by Prof. Jason Hancock, who surveyed the highlights of a career spanning four decades marked by notable accomplishments in research, […]
A recently renovated physics classroom in the Edward V. Gant Science Complex was built to pilot a new approach to physics education, integrating lecture with lab rather than the classical approach of separating these components. Students and instructors apply concepts with hands-on activities throughout the lecture, practice new tools, and problem solve as a […]
A memorial service for Prof. Rawitscher will be held Saturday, Sept. 15 at 2pm in the Storrs Congregational Church, 2 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT 06268. George passed away on March 10, 2018, after a brief illness and just having passed his 90th birthday, which was celebrated with a cake at a meeting of the UConn Physics Department. George served as a UConn faculty member for 45 years from 1964 until he retired in 2009.
Gizmodo has recently launched a new series of articles to explore how the best images in science were created and why. In a recent article in this series by Ryan F. Mandelbaum entitled, “The Making of ‘Pillars of Creation,’ One of the Most Amazing Images of Our Universe”, the author presents a classic set of images taken […]
Monday, March 26, 2018 The 21st Annual Katzenstein Distinguished Lecture was hosted by the UConn Physics Department, featuring Dr. Takaaki Kajita, 2015 Nobel Prize Winner from the University of Tokyo, speaking on “Oscillating Neutrinos.” After the lecture, a banquet with the speaker was held for members and guests of the department. We enjoyed welcoming alumni and […]
PhD student Lukasz Kuna and undergraduate Hope Whitelock participate in a symposium “Mesoscopic phenomena in ceramic materials” arranged by Materials Scientist Serge Nakhmanson at the “Electronic and Advanced Materials Conference” in Orlando, Florida. Four UConn students including Tulsi Patel, Krishna Chaitanya Pitike, Lukasz Kuna and Hope Whitlock showcased their research.
Professor Carlos Trallero has been granted $1.06 million from the Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to study recollision physics at the nanoscale to help develop ultrafast electronics. This research will enhance the knowledge base of electron recollision dynamics at the nanoscale, which can be used to develop ultrafast light-driven electronics.
An artist’s rendering of hot material falling into a supermassive black hole, creating what is called the accretion disk, shown in orange. Reverberation mapping measures the time it takes light to travel between two areas of the accretion disk. The ‘light echo’ enables direct measurement of the mass of the black hole. This reverberation mapping […]
Muon g-2 Theory Initiative Hadronic Light-by-Light working group workshop
Workshop participants will discuss recent progress and plans to determine the hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment, which is expected to contribute the largest uncertainty in the Standard Model prediction. The goal of the workshop is to estimate current and expected systematic errors from lattice QCD, dispersive methods, and models and create a plan to address them in time for new experiments at Fermilab and J-PARC.
December 19, 2017 – Colin Poitras – UConn Communications Scientists from three major research universities successfully manipulated the outcome of a chemical reaction and, in doing so, created a rare molecular ion. Through a process known as “controlling chemistry,” the researchers bonded an oxygen atom to two different metal atoms, creating the barium-oxygen-calcium molecular ion or BaOCa+ The same […]
Two UConn physics professors will be among the world’s first scientists to explore the universe using the new James Webb Space Telescope. The highly competitive, peer-reviewed James Webb Space Telescope Early Release Science program was created to test the capabilities of the new observatory and to showcase the tools the telescope is equipped with. Of more than 100 proposals submitted, only 13 were chosen to participate in the early release phase, including two separate proposals involving UConn researchers Kate Whitaker and Jonathan Trump, both assistant professors of physics.
Solving the complex problems that we face in our world today requires a more talented workforce than we have ever needed before. Such a workforce must be comprised of a wide range of diverse talents and creative insights. No segment of the population can be ignored or overlooked in this talent search. This presentation will describe the most recent research that demonstrates the positive impact that social and informational diversity has on science and innovation, the reasons for this impact and the importance of committed leadership in achieving a strong and inclusive workplace where creativity and productivity is maximized.
The American Physical Society (APS) has named two UConn Physics faculty as APS Fellows. APS Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one’s professional peers and is an honor bestowed by election. The criterion for election is exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise; e.g., outstanding physics research, important applications of physics, leadership in or service to physics, […]
The UConn Physics Graduate Student Association sponsored a social event featuring UConn dairy bar ice cream to welcome back students after the summer break. Other regular events throughout the year sponsored by the PGSA include the Holiday Party in December, the Poster Exhibition Competition in April, and the Department Picnic in May.
The Physics Department has recently expanded its research and teaching specialties to include Astronomy with the addition of three new junior faculty: Cara Battersby, Jonathan Trump, and Kate Whitaker. In addition to the expertise in Observational Astronomy using the latest instruments and techniques, they are also spearheading a suite of new courses in Astronomy and […]
Following up on results from Physics education research conducted at MIT and elsewhere, professor Jason Hancock has begun the process of transforming the way Introductory Physics is taught at the University of Connecticut. Starting with the course PHYS 1601Q for physics majors, Prof. Hancock has developed a curriculum that integrates aspects of both lecture and lab […]
In May, 2017 UConn alumnus Alex Barnes was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in Nuclear Physics at Carnegie Mellon University, working in the group of Prof. Curtis Meyer. Alex begins this appointment immediately after completing his PhD at the University of Connecticut in April 2017, under the guidance of Prof. Richard Jones. In his new position, […]
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control lists radon as a primary cause of lung cancer, second only to smoking. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 20,000 deaths each year from lung cancer in the U.S. are the result of exposure to radon in the living environment. It is believed that as many as 1 in […]
As a research assistant in the physics department at UCONN, I assisted in the alignment, maintenance, and principles of operation of the various apparatuses and measurement techniques used within cold atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) experimental physics research. This included optical components, laser alignment, laser locking, saturation absorption spectroscopy, and electrodynamic ion trapping. Some specific […]
Attached is our record for the Mw 6.9 earthquake associated with eruptions of the Kilauea volcano on the big island of Hawaii. The large waves arriving after 2300 GMT are surface waves (elastic energy that exponentially decays with depth away from the surface) traveling from the earthquake to us. The beating pattern is characteristic of […]
Scientists have been rigorously commissioning the experimental equipment to prepare for a new era of nuclear physics experiments. This equipment is at the newly upgraded Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab in Newport News, Virginia. These activities have already led to the first scientific result. This research demonstrates the feasibility of detecting a potential new kind of particles known collectively as exotic hadrons. The existence and spectrum of these new particles hold important clues to unlocking the mystery of “quark confinement” — why no quark has ever been found alone.
As a theoretical physicist studying the fundamental elements of matter, UConn graduate student Daniel Hoying creates calculations so large and complex they require supercomputers to perform them. So Hoying is obviously excited that he will soon have regular access to one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National […]
For the first time, scientists have directly detected gravitational waves — ripples in space-time — in addition to light from the spectacular collision of two neutron stars. This marks the first time that a cosmic event has been viewed in both gravitational waves and light. The discovery was made using the U.S.-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave […]
The Department of Physics, in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, seeks qualified applicants for the position of Senior Machine Shop Engineer (UCP 8). The Department of Physics machine shop supports the teaching and research missions of the department through the design, building, and implementation of sophisticated experimental apparatus, and in the training and […]
Instead of directly searching for new particles as the LHC experiments are doing in Geneva, the muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab measures a well-known physical property of the muon to ever greater precision, looking for deviations from the value it should have based on the Standard Model of particle physics, assuming that no new forces […]
The Katzenstein Distinguished Lectures series continued in Fall 2016 for its 19th year, with an October 28, 2016 lecture by Professor Leon N. Cooper of Brown University, entitled “On the Interpretation of the Quantum Theory: Can Free Will And Locality Exist Together In The Quantum Theory?” Professor Cooper shared the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics […]
On Monday, August 21, 2017, the moon eclipsed the sun across the US. What began as a small organic outreach activity blossomed into an epic community event. With help from UConn communications, the UConn Physics club, and staff in the physics department, astronomers Jonathan Trump, Cara Battersby, and Kate Whitaker hosted an eclipse viewing event open […]
Whoever said rules were made to be broken wasn’t a physicist. When something doesn’t act the way you think it should, either the rules are wrong, or there’s new physics to be discovered. Which is exactly what UConn’s Connor Occhialini ’18 (CLAS), an honors student majoring in physics and math, found when he began researching scandium fluoride. Most materials swell as they heat up. Scandium fluoride must be doing something else, reasoned Occhialini. […]
Please join the Department of Physics at UConn for a Solar Eclipse Viewing Party! Hosted by Prof. Cara Battersby, Prof. Jonathan Trump, and Prof. Kate Whitaker August 21 2017, Horsebarn Hill 1:00 – 4:00 PM (next to Dairy Bar) weather permitting From our location, the solar eclipse begins at 1:25pm and ends at 4:00pm. Maximum […]
A Total Eclipse of the Heart (of America) August 14, 2017 – Elaina Hancock – UConn Communications A spectacular and likely unforgettable show will take place in the sky Aug. 21. “Have you ever seen a total solar eclipse?” asks Cynthia Peterson, professor emerita of physics. “It’s a really, really exciting event!” The reason she and […]
John Mangeri’s Award Lands Him in Argonne National Laboratory John Mangeri (left) with his SCGSR-award host Dr. Olle Heinonen (right) in front of the Chemistry building (bldg. 200) at Argonne National Laboratory. (Photo credit to Dr. Andrea Jokisaari) By Katherine Eastman John Mangeri, a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Serge Nakhmanson’s “Complex Materials by Computational Design” […]
Spring 2017 the UConn chapter of the Sigma Pi Sigma Honor Society inducted 11 new members: Filip Bergabo, Vincent Flynn, Kevin Grassie, Daniel Kovner, Jack Lichtman, Paul Molinaro, Connor Occhialini, Brian Roy, Andrew Sampino, Theodore Sauyet, and Hope Whitelock. The academic scholarship of this group is truly outstanding, and probably unprecedented in the chapter’s history. […]
Researchers working with the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (J-Lab) have published their first scientific results since the accelerator energy was increased from six billion electron volts (GeV) to 12 GeV. The upgrade was commissioned to enable the next generation of physics experiments that will allow scientists to see smaller bits of matter than have ever been seen before. The first publication from the upgraded CEBAF was published by the GlueX collaboration in the April issue of Physical Review C.
The American Physical Society (APS) has named three UConn Physics faculty as APS Fellows. APS Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one’s professional peers and is an honor bestowed by election. The criterion for election is exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise; e.g., outstanding physics research, important applications of physics, leadership in or […]
Each fall for the past decade or more, members of the UConn Physics Department have gathered one clear day near the peak of fall colors for a group hike up Mount Monadnock. Located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire not far from Keene, Monadnock is well known for its accessibility to a wide range […]
The Physics department is pleased to announce a new thrust in research, scholarship and teaching with the hire of three young astronomers: Jonathan Trump arrives from a Hubble Space Telescope Fellowship at Penn State University, Cara Battersby who currently has an NSF fellowship at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Katherine Whitaker Tease who is […]
The Physics Department is saddened by the passing of Professor Edward E. Eyler on September 19, 2016. Ed was a caring mentor to many students over his excellent research career. We will forever miss our friend and colleague.
William C. Stwalley (Bill), Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Physics, has retired from teaching on June 1, 2016. He is now continuing as UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emeritus /Research Professor of Physics and also continuing as an Affiliate Professor of Chemistry and of the Institute of Material Science (IMS). The Physics Department […]
Assistant professors in residence (APiRs) are primarily responsible for teaching and managing large introductory service classes in cooperation with faculty. The Physics Department has recently promoted Diego Valente to APiR from his former position of Visiting Assistant Professor. Congratulations Diego on a well-deserved promotion. The department extends a warm welcome to three other APiRs, Belter Ordaz-Mendoza, Hani Duli, and […]
On Friday, April 15, the department will be hosting a special refreshments hour from 3:00-4:00PM in the Physics reading room in recognition of all Physics employees. This year we are celebrating milestones for the following people: Michael Rozman – 15 Years of service Edward Eyler – 20 years of service Dawn Rawlinson – 25 years […]
Dr. Sochnikov is a recipient of Montana Instruments Cold Science Exploration Awards Lab Startup Grant. Dr. Ilya Sochnikov has just started new scanning SQUID microscopy lab at the University of Connecticut. Ilya Sochnikov’s research focuses on nanoscale quantum phenomena in new materials. An emergence of a new phenomenon or a phase transition occurs when interactions […]
October 6, 2015 – Kim Krieger – UConn Communications Jason Hancock, Assistant Professor in Physics, with graduate students, Erin Curry and Sahan Handunkanda, have been investigating a substance that shrinks when it warms. Most materials swell when they warm, and shrink when they cool. But UConn physicist Jason Hancock has been investigating a substance that responds in reverse: […]
March 26, 2015 – Tim Miller Researchers have made an experimental breakthrough in explaining a rare property of an exotic magnetic material, potentially opening a path to a host of new technologies. From information storage to magnetic refrigeration, many of tomorrow’s most promising innovations rely on sophisticated magnetic materials, and this discovery opens the door to harnessing […]
Adam Riess- Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and 2011 co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, Johns Hopkins University
In 1929 Edwin Hubble discovered that our Universe is expanding. Eighty years later, the Space Telescope that bears his name is being used to study an even more surprising phenomenon: that the expansion is speeding up. The origin of this effect is not known, but is broadly attributed to a type of “dark energy” first posited to exist by Albert Einstein and now dominating the mass-energy budget of the Universe. Professor Riess will describe how his team discovered the acceleration of the Universe and why understanding the nature of dark energy presents one of the greatest remaining challenges in astrophysics and cosmology. He will also discuss recent evidence that the Universe continues to defy our best efforts to predict its behavior.
Adam Riess is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, the Thomas J. Barber Professor in Space Studies at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, a distinguished astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
He received his bachelor’s degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992 and his PhD from Harvard University in 1996. His research involves measurements of the cosmological framework with supernovae (exploding stars) and Cepheids (pulsating stars). Currently, he leads the SHOES Team in efforts to improve the measurement of the Hubble Constant and the Higher-z Team to find and measure the most distant type Ia supernovae known to probe the origin of cosmic acceleration.
In 2011, he was named a co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and was awarded the Albert Einstein Medal for his leadership in the High-z Supernova Search Team’s discovery that the expansion rate of the universe is accelerating, a phenomenon widely attributed to a mysterious, unexplained “dark energy” filling the universe. The discovery was named by Science magazine in 1998 as “the Breakthrough Discovery of the Year.”
His accomplishments have been recognized with a number of other awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2008, the Gruber Foundation Cosmology Prize in 2007 (shared), and the Shaw Prize in Astronomy in 2006.
Reception at 3:00pm in the Gant Science Light Court
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 direct 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 leading 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 utility as a precision probe of nuclear structure, followed by a detailed overview of UConn’s role and Ph.D. research opportunities at JLab with the Puckett group.
Dr. Shafique Adam, Washington University in St. Louis
A narrow magic window for ultraflat bands and emergent heavy fermions near the magic angle in twisted bilayer graphene
The notion of a single “magic angle” in twisted bilayer graphene has evolved into a fascinating array of magic angles and ranges each describing different facets of the material’s behavior. While the original continuum model predicted a nominal magic angle, its simplicity ignored the intricate interplay of different physical phenomena. For example, lattice relaxation [1] near the magic angle shifts its value upward, only to be counteracted by pseudomagnetic fields. Including a symmetry allowed relaxation parameter changes this magic angle to a magic range. Yet another magic angle emerges from the coupling to phonons when the Fermi velocity equals the phonon sound velocity. Building upon this rich tapestry of magical effects, we will discuss our recent work on the convergence of lattice relaxation and Hartree interaction near the magic angle [2]. We unveil a previously unreported Lifshitz transition to a Fermi surface topology that supports a “heavy fermion” pocket and an ultraflat band pinned to the Fermi energy. Analytical and numerical insights shed light on the narrow “magic angle range” where the “heavy fermion” is stable and make predictions for its experimental observation. We believe that the bands presented here are accurate at high temperature and provide a good starting point to understand the myriad of complex behavior observed in this system.
[1] “Analytical Model for Atomic Relaxation in Twisted Moiré Materials” by MMA Ezzi, GN Pallewela, C De Beule, EJ Mele, and S Adam, arXiv:2401.00498 (2024)
[2] “A self-consistent Hartree theory for lattice-relaxed magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene” by MMA Ezzi, L Peng, Z Liu, JHZ Chao, GN Pallewela, D Foo, and S Adam arXiv:2404.17638 (2024)
ASTRA: A Transition-Density-Matrix Approach to Time-Resolved Molecular Ionization
Attosecond science, which investigates the time-resolved correlated motion of electrons in atoms, molecules, and solids, is rapidly advancing toward larger molecular systems and more complex processes, such as multiple ionization and molecular fragmentation. Theoretical methods capable of addressing both multiple excitations and photofragment entanglement are essential to capture these phenomena. Among the most promising theoretical approaches are ab initio wave-function-based close-coupling (CC) methods, increasingly adopted by the AMO community.
Despite significant progress from codes like XCHEM [1,2], tRecX [3], RMT [4], and UKRmol+ [5], scaling remains a major challenge – whether in handling ionic correlation, accounting for many atoms, or for distant fragments. To address these limitations, we developed ASTRA [6] (AttoSecond TRAnsitions), an ab initio CC molecular ionization code based on high-order transition density matrices between correlated ionic states of arbitrary multiplicity [7], and hybrid Gaussian-B-spline integrals [5,9]. ASTRA integrates multiple state-of-the-art codes, such as DALTON [8], a general-purpose quantum chemistry code, LUCIA [7], a large-scale CI code, and GBTOlib [5], a hybrid integral library suited for slow photoelectrons and comparatively small molecules.
ASTRA has successfully reproduced total and partial photoionization cross sections, photoemission asymmetry parameters, and molecular-frame photoelectron angular distributions for molecules such as N 2 , CO, H 2 CO, and Pyrazine, showing excellent agreement with existing benchmarks. Currently, ASTRA is being applied to study attosecond transient absorption spectra of CO and O 2 , as well as sequential XUV-pump IR-probe ionization of C 2 H 4 . Its formalism naturally extends to molecular double ionization and can efficiently model electron exchange between multiple disjoint molecular fragments − relevant for describing ionization in weakly bound clusters like (H 2 O) n .
Looking ahead, continued integration with tools tailored to high-energy photoemission, non-adiabatic nuclear dynamics, and strong fields ionization will be critical for addressing emerging challenges in ultrafast many-body dynamics. Free-electron lasers enable time-resolved studies of core ionization, while table-top attosecond pump-probe experiments are targeting increasingly larger molecules, monitoring both electron dynamics and nuclear rearrangements throughout chemical reactions with intense probe pulses [10]. To reproduce these complex experiments, we are collaborating with NIST to replace GBTOlib with a more efficient hybrid library capable of handling larger molecules and higher orbital angular momenta. We are also pairing ASTRA with surface-hopping methods [11], where multiphoton ionization is typically not available. Additionally, to track the asymptotic evolution of weakly coupled photofragments under strong light fields − without incurring prohibitive computational costs − we are considering integrating separate optimized propagators for each fragment, which will open the door for us to simulate strong-field multichannel molecular-ionization processes.
[1] M. Klinker et al., J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 9, 756 (2018).
[2] V. J. Borràs et al., Science Advances 9, eade3855 (2023).
[3] A. Scrinzi, Comput. Phys. Commun. 270, 108146 (2022).
[4] A. C. Brown et al., Comput. Phys. Commun. 250, 107062 (2020).
[5] Z. Masin et al., Comp. Phys. Commun. 249, 107092 (2020).
[6] J. M. Randazzo et al., Phys. Rev. Res. 5, 043115 (2023).
[7] J. Olsen et al., J. Chem. Phys. 89, 2185 (1988); ibid. 104, 8007 (1996).
[8] K. Aidas et al., Comp. Mol. Sci. 4, 269 (2014).
[9] H. Gharibnejad et al., Comp. Phys. Commun. 263, 107889 (2021).
[10] F. Vismarra et al., Nature Chemistry (2024).
[11] L. Fransén et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 128, 1457 (2024).
I will describe some of the background that led to the award of the Nobel prize to Dr. Adam Riess, who will be our 2024 Katzenstein speaker on November 15.
Prof. Anh-Thu Le, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Following electron-nuclear dynamics with ultrafast intense lasers
Recent progress in laser technology has led to new coherent light sources that can be used to investigate ultrafast processes in matter. To take advantage of these new light sources, different experimental techniques have been developed to reveal the inner-workings of coupled electron-nuclear dynamics in molecules. Concurrently, theoretical and computational tools have also been developed to understand and decode hidden information from experimental measurements. In this talk, I will present our group’s recent progress in understanding intense laser-atom/molecule interactions by using some of the most promising techniques such as laser-induced electron diffraction, high-harmonic generation spectroscopy, and attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. I will also address the challenges and opportunities in this field for practical realization of molecular “movies” with atomic resolution in space and time that can provide new insights into fundamental chemical reactions.
A New Era for Connecticut’s Oldest Planetarium: Historic Roots to Modern Revival
The UConn Planetarium, built in 1954, has long been a central resource for astronomy education and outreach at the University of Connecticut. In this talk, I will present an overview of the planetarium’s historical roots at UConn, its significance in the community, and the extensive renovations we have completed to bring this important facility back to life. After years of disuse, the planetarium has been fully upgraded with modern technology and will officially reopen on November 1st, immediately following this colloquium.
Our efforts to restore the planetarium are guided by the legacy of Dr. Cynthia Peterson, UConn’s first woman physics faculty member and a pioneer in science education. The planetarium now officially bears her name as the Cynthia Wyeth Peterson Memorial Planetarium, in honor of her decades of dedication to astronomy outreach. Following my presentation, Nora Berrah and Celeste Peterson will speak about Dr. Peterson’s life and achievements - how her contributions to UConn and the wider scientific community continue to resonate today.
Prof. Moshe Gai, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Concepts of Stellar Evolution
Star are born, they evolve to a mature midlife and sooner or later die, some in an amazing last display. We will discuss how star reveal the stages of Stellar Evolution and what makes them tick. We will also seek feedback on the need for such a graduate class at UConn.
The search for anyons, quasiparticles with fractional charge and exotic exchange statistics, has inspired decades of condensed matter research. Moreover, it has been predicted that exchange braiding of these particles, especially non-abelian anyons, can produce topologically protected logic operations that can serve as building blocks for fault-tolerant quantum computing. In this talk, I will discuss the progress of research on two quantum materials platforms to realize these exotic particles. In the first example, we will discuss anyons arising in fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effects, using quantum Hall interferometers for direct observation of the anyon braiding phase around a confined cavity. In the second example, we will discuss our recent experimental efforts to realize non-abelian anyons in proximitized topological insulator surfaces by controlled manipulation of magnetic vortices containing non-abelian anyons.
Jacob Heeren is a data analyst at Collins Aerospace, where he supports both commercial and military operations. His responsibilities span the entire data pipeline, encompassing data engineering, visualization, analytics, and governance across diverse projects. He holds degrees in psychology and applied mathematics from Iowa State University, with additional studies in astrophysics at the University of Iowa. Outside of his professional role, Jacob enjoys rock climbing and creating music, reflecting his passion for both physical and creative pursuits. Jacob will discuss his career path, current role, and useful skill sets for data science positions
Profs. Xian Wu and Erin Scanlon and Matt Guthrie, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
An Introduction to Physics Education Research
Physics education research (PER) is a subfield of physics that focuses on investigating questions such as: 1) how can we teach physics better?; 2) how do students learn physics?; and 3) how can we make the physics community more inclusive, equitable, and diverse? In this talk, we will give an introduction to PER, including common misconceptions, methods, and the PER happening at UConn.
Román Fernández Aranda, Department of Physics, University of Crete and FORTH Institute of Astrophysics, Greece
A Burning Hot DOG: The extreme ISM conditions of the most luminous obscured galaxy in The Universe
Hot dust-obscured galaxies (or Hot DOGs) are a remarkable population of high-redshift galaxies. Hot DOGs harbor hyper-luminous supermassive black holes (SMBHs), which are believed to provide strong feedback, creating extreme conditions in the interstellar medium (ISM) of their host galaxies in recurrent episodes of strong accretion and heavy obscuration. W2246-0526 is a Hot DOG at redshift 4.6 and the most luminous obscured galaxy known to date. I will present ALMA observations of both the brightest far-IR fine-structure emission lines and their underlying dust continuum, combined with ISM modeling of the gas and the dust. This work sheds light on the extreme conditions galaxies can experience during the early stages of the Universe, which is critical to our understanding of how distant and young galaxies evolve.
Prof. Shohini Bhattacharya, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Exploring the Cosmic Core of Nucleons with the Electron-Ion Collider
Have you ever wondered what holds the universe together at its most fundamental level? The answer lies in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the theory that describes how quarks and gluons—collectively known as partons—interact to form nucleons, the protons and neutrons that make up all visible matter. Despite our understanding of QCD, the inner workings of partons remain one of the most profound mysteries in physics. How do they move? How do they contribute to a nucleon’s spin and structure? The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), a cutting-edge facility soon to be operational, is poised to address these profound questions. In this talk, I will take you on a journey into the “cosmic core” of nucleons and explain how the EIC, like a super-powered microscope, will enable us to peer deep inside protons and neutrons, unveiling the dynamics of partons. I will focus on one of my key research projects aimed at unraveling the nucleon spin puzzle using the capabilities of the EIC. But the excitement doesn’t end there. Advancing our understanding of QCD not only helps us probe nucleons but also allows us to test the Standard Model of particle physics, our most comprehensive theory of the universe. Together, we will explore the far-reaching implications of this research field.
Arrays of dipolar-interacting spins - magnetic atoms, polar molecules, and Rydberg atoms - represent powerful and versatile platforms for analog quantum simulation experiments. The internal state dynamics in these dipolar arrays provide a natural setting to explore problems of equilibrium and non-equilibrium quantum magnetism. The presence of many internal states of the atoms and molecules further enables studies of large-spin magnetism, but also holds promise for more general quantum simulation studies. Here we describe how the simple addition of multi-frequency microwave fields to Rydberg arrays enables highly controllable studies of few- and many-body dynamics along an internal-state “synthetic” dimension. I’ll discuss several early studies in the Rydberg synthetic dimension platform, touching on interaction-driven phenomena relevant to topology, artificial gauge fields, and disorder-induced localization. Looking forward, such microwave manipulation opens up several new directions for exploring complex, driven quantum matter in dipolar arrays.
Structured Light and Induced Vorticity in Superconductors
Questions of controlling the quantum states of matter via light have been at the forefront of research on driven phases. We demonstrate the effects of imprinted vorticity on superconducting coherent states using structured light. Within the framework of the generalized time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation, we show the induction of coherent vortex pairs moving in phase with electromagnetic wave oscillation. The structured light, generated by a Laguerre-Gaussian beam, provides light sources with various quantum properties, such as spin angular momentum and orbital angular momentum. This state of light is also well known as an optical vortex, characterized by a twisted phase front. In the current work, we investigate the optically induced dynamics of superconducting coherent states using both normal light sources and optical vortices. These results uncover rich hydrodynamics of superconducting states and suggest new optical applications for imprinting quantum states on superconducting materials.
Last year’s Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Pierre Agostini, Anne l’Huillier, and Ferenc Krausz, for discoveries that launched attosecond science and technology at the turn of the century, before there were any x-ray free electron lasers. Subsequent advances at SLAC as well as other labs around the world helped to establish the breadth and importance of research at the attosecond frontier, making the case for Nobel recognition of the foundational work. This illustrates how technological advances and fundamental discoveries feed on each other: advances in ultrafast lasers are quickly followed by fundamental discoveries in physics, which then motivate further advances in laser technology. This colloquium is an eyewitness account of that story from its beginnings four decades ago to the present. I’ll describe the science behind the Prize, and I’ll explain how x-ray lasers have become a central focus for the next chapter of the saga.
Reception preceding at 3pm in the Gant Light Court
Prof. Lea Ferreira dos Santos, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Nonequilibrium Quantum Dynamics
Santos’s group uses numerical and analytical methods to understand, predict, and control the dynamics of quantum systems taken far from equilibrium. This talk will present two lines of research of the group. (i) The characterization of quantum systems with many interacting particles, the timescales for their relaxation process, and the conditions for reaching thermal equilibrium. (ii) The use of the quantum-classical correspondence to better understand and make use of static and dynamical properties of transmon qubits, which are the predominant element in circuit-based quantum information processing.
How to Make a Faster Trapped-Ion Quantum Computer?
Trapped ions offer a pristine platform for quantum computation, but enhancing the interactions without compromising the qubits remains a crucial challenge. In this talk, I will present a strategy to enhance the interaction strengths in trapped-ion systems via parametric amplification of the ions’ motion, thereby suppressing the relative importance of decoherence. We illustrate the power of this approach by showing how it can improve the speed and fidelity of two-qubit gates in multi-ion systems and how it can enhance collective spin states useful for quantum metrology. Our proposal has been further demonstrated in the experiment, confirming the enhancement. Our results open a new avenue of phonon modulation in trapped ions and are directly relevant to numerous other physical platforms in which spin interactions are mediated by bosons.
Prof. Peter Schweitzer, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Internal Structure of Hadrons
Hadrons are composed particles and exhibit a rich internal structure which is probed experimentally in high energy experiments and described in the theory of Quantum Chromodynamics. Recent advances in the theory of hadron structure with focus on gravitational form factors are discussed.
Dr. Eric Koch, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Revealing the multi-phase neutral interstellar medium’s role in the star formation lifecycle: a sharpened view of nearby galaxies from LGLBS and PHANGS-JWST
The neutral interstellar medium (ISM) fuels the star formation lifecycle, yet we still lack vital constraints on the formation and destruction of molecular clouds because of challenges in observing the cold neutral ISM phases with high resolution and sensitivity. With dedicated surveys, the combination of VLA, ALMA, and JWST can now make significant advances in the coming years. In this talk, I will present multiple observational approaches that are making progress in this area: detailed 21-cm HI VLA mapping across the Local Group from the Local Group L-band Survey (lglbs.org), resolved molecular cloud studies with ALMA and JWST in M33 and PAH imaging from PHANGS-JWST as a highly sensitive resolved view of the total neutral gas tracer (phangs.org). These surveys bridge Galactic with extragalactic star formation studies and provide new constraints to guide the next generation of numerical simulations.
Prof. Simone Colombo, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Observing our Universe with Quantum Sensors
In this seminar, we will introduce the application of atomic, molecular, and optical (known as AMO) physics to the field of quantum metrology. We will show how atoms are used as probes of our universe and how to harness quantum effects to enhance their sensing capabilities.
We will then focus on a specific type of atomic sensor and one of our research interests: optical atomic clocks. Building upon recent results, we will illustrate how optical clocks’ performances can be pushed beyond current limitations and how they can be/are deployed to get a better glimpse of the inner workings of our universes. In this framework, we will highlight the research activities that we are currently pursuing in our lab. Crucially, we will attempt to give a perspective on the life of an AMO physicist.
Bi-polaron superconductivity in the low density limit
It has been assumed for decades that high values of Tc from the electron-phonon coupling are impossible. At weak-to-intermediate coupling strength this result follows from the Migdal-Eliashberg theory, while at strong coupling, when bipolarons form, the transition temperatures are low because of the exponential effective mass enhancement. However, the latter conclusion was based on numerical solutions of the Holstein model. I will discuss a different model with coupling based on the displacement modulated hopping of electrons and argue that much larger values of the bipolaron Tc can be achieved in this setup. Non-locality of the problem gives rise to small-size, yet relatively light bipolarons, which can be studied by an exact sign-problem-free quantum Monte Carlo approach even in the presence of strong Hubbard and Coulomb potentials. We find that Tc in this model generically and significantly exceeds typical upper bounds based on Migdal-Eliashberg theory or superfluidity of Holstein bipolarons, and, thus, offers a route towards the design of high-Tc superconductors via functional material engineering. Finally, there are indications for even better prospects in systems with non-linear electron-phonon coupling.
Cortex Fusion Systems, Inc. uses shaped ultrafast laser pulses to catalyze fusion reactions in molecules. Our work comprises (1) designing transiently confining effective one-electron potentials in field-dressed molecules, (2) performing quantum chemistry calculations to validate the enhancement of nuclear tunneling by laser-modified electron screening dynamics, and (3) testing pulse shapes in the laser lab by coupling ultrafast spectroscopy techniques with nuclear radiation detection and spectrometry. In this regard, “quantum-controlled fusion” is a coherent, under-the-barrier process that does not require plasma ignition. Our goal is to repurpose the modern suite of commercial femtosecond laser amplifiers and pulse-shaping techniques to achieve compact and scalable fusion generators using quantum control.
Prof. Mingda Li, Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT
Exploring Potential Roles of Machine Learning in Quantum Materials Research
In recent years, machine learning has achieved great success in chemistry and materials science, but quantum materials face unique challenges. These include the scarcity of data (volume challenge), high dimensionality and computational costs (complexity challenge), elusive experimental signatures (experimental challenge), and unreliable ground truth (validation challenge).
In this Physics Colloquium, we present our recent efforts to support the study of quantum materials with machine learning. For scenarios with high data volumes, such as density-functional-theory (DFT) level studies with weak correlation, machine learning can predict lower-dimensional properties. We introduce a convolutional neural network classifier predicting band topology class based on X-ray absorption (XAS) signals [1]. This approach can also be applied to experimental data, demonstrated by an autoencoder-based protocol to study the magnetic proximity effect with polarized neutron reflectometry, improving fitting resolution [2].
For lower data volumes due to higher computational costs, incorporating symmetry into neural networks can reduce data volume needs. Using the O(3) Euclidean neural network, we predict phonon density-of-states [3], dielectric functions [4], and quantum weight [5] directly from crystal structures. Machine learning without data can also be performed by using differential equations as constraints [5].
For high output dimensions and low input data volumes, such as phonon dispersion relations, we introduce additional approaches like virtual nodes in a graph neural network [6], showing improved efficiency compared to machine-learning potential without losing accuracy.
To address unreliable ground truth, we use machine learning to distinguish Majorana zero modes in scanning tunneling spectroscopy for topological quantum computation [7]. For cases like quantum spin liquids, where experimental signatures are unclear and computational costs are high, we generate materials with potential geometrical frustration. Our latest work, SCIGEN, produces eight million materials belonging to Archimedean lattices, with over 50% passing DFT stability checks after pre-screening [8].
Despite progress, applying machine learning to quantum materials is still in its infancy. We reflect on the out-of-distribution problem, aiming to generate genuine surprises and new features rather than merely recognizing patterns. Additionally, we must address accuracy limitations in many machine learning approaches, especially with complex quantum systems and phase diagram studies.
Monica Vidaurri, Stanford University and NASA Goddard
Ethics and Aliens: the need for an ethical approach to space science
The progress of space science and exploration has seemingly inevitably fallen to private companies, to the concern of private citizens and scientists, who are directly impacted by private actions in space. Additionally, academia has reached a critical limit in terms of unchecked features that promote elitism and exclusionism, including increasingly competitive admissions to programs and fellowships, scarcity in jobs, prevalent sexual harassment, and others. As individuals, it is difficult to imagine what a truly ethical framework for our work looks like, let alone how we alone can influence laws and policy to change the actions of individuals with seemingly unlimited wealth and resources. This talk will introduce 3 main facets of what ethics means with respect to space science and exploration, including introducing space science as a historically oppressive institution, and how we can begin to move past this as individuals, labs, departments, and institutions. The norms we allow and ignore ultimately shape these broader laws, policies, and workplace culture. As a result, our science cannot be detached from the social and political framework it exists in, and the custom of early and regular collaboration with ethicists and planetary protection specialists (and other social scientists) is critical for not only mission safety, but mission and science integrity, as well as the well-being of those contributing to the mission and who gets to be included in such work. Creating a safe, responsible, and ethical space for peaceful purposes cannot wait for the international space community to create these practices de jure, but must be started at the individual level and regarded as custom for integration into international law, de facto, and require an uncomfortable self-assessment in the true goals of space science, as well as the ways that the academic structure has failed certain groups of students. By creating a new framework that prioritizes ethics, only then can we responsibly go into the unknown.
Everyone is welcome to attend (undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty at the physics department). This big event is part of our efforts to foster a welcoming work environment and solidify our physics community.
Unveiling the Physics of Galaxy Formation and its Large-Scale Effects at Cosmic Dawn
Cosmic Dawn, loosely defined here to be the first billion years of cosmic time, is an ever-intriguing era that witnessed the formation of the first generations of galaxies. Toward the end of it there was also the last major phase transition of our Universe, the epoch of reionization (EoR), which is believed to be driven by the hydrogen-ionizing background emerged from the early galaxies formed. In this talk, I will explain how Cosmic Dawn becomes a real exciting epoch for unveiling the physics of galaxy formation thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as well as several forthcoming facilities such as SPHEREx, Roman Space Telescope, Square Kilometer Array, and LiteBIRD focusing on the large-scale effects. I will discuss the theoretical landscape galaxy formation at Cosmic Dawn informed by new JWST observations, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of bursty star formation. I will introduce methods and ideas to shed light on different aspects of early galaxy formation, including the star formation history, stellar feedback, outflows, and the ionizing output, using both individual galaxies and their effects on the large-scale structure and cosmic background radiations. With a few case studies, I will demonstrate how to harness the power of the aforementioned facilities and their synergies for these purposes.
Prof. Cara Battersby, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
The Milky Way Laboratory
Galaxy centers are the hubs of activity that drive galaxy evolution, from supermassive black holes to feedback from dense stellar clusters. While the bulk of our Milky Way Galaxy is a prime example of present epoch “normal” star formation, our galaxy’s center has gas properties that are more reminiscent of star formation during its cosmic peak. In our research group, the Milky Way Laboratory, we capitalize on both the “normal” and “extreme” star formation in our own cosmic backyard in order to resolve the interplay of physical processes in detail. In this talk, I will discuss efforts to measure how stars gain their mass and how the star formation process may vary across the Galaxy. In our galaxy’s central molecular zone, the process of star formation is complicated by constant gas inflow, high levels of turbulence, and more. I will present both simulations and observations toward this region that aim to understand the role of the gas inflow, the 3-D geometry of the region, properties of the gas, and incipient star formation.
Prof. Carlos Trallero, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Quantum times
The uncertainty principle for a free electron provides one of the most fundamental time scales known as the Coulomb time scale, that ranges from 3 to 8 zeptoseconds (10-21s). I will discuss about experimental developments in our lab with this temporal resolution and it’s application to fundamental measurements as well as applied research.
We discuss the anharmonic oscillator in quantum mechanics using exact WKB methods in a ‘t Hooft-like double scaling limit where classical behavior is expected to dominate. We compute the tunneling action in this double scaling limit, and compare it to the transition amplitude from the vacuum to a highly excited state. Our results, exact in the semiclassical limit, show that the two expressions coincide, apart from an irreducible and surprising instanton contribution. The semiclassical limit of the anharmonic oscillator betrays its quantum origin as a rule showing that the quantum theory is intrinsically gapped from classical behavior. Besides an example of a resurgent connection between perturbative and nonperturbative physics, this may provide a way to study transition amplitudes from tunnelling actions, and vice versa.
Graduate student Debadarshini Mishra, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Photo-Induced Ultrafast Dynamics in Molecules
Imaging electronic and molecular dynamics at ultrafast timescales is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of chemical reactions, which are of fundamental importance in fields ranging from materials science to biochemistry. Furthermore, gaining insights into these processes at the atomic and molecular levels can enable precise control over reaction dynamics, leading to significant technological advancements through the development of efficient catalysts, innovative materials, and targeted drugs. In this dissertation talk, I will present my work on imaging time-resolved dynamics in molecular systems, using various light sources and ultrafast spectroscopy techniques. First, I will discuss a method for the direct visualization of neutral fragments in roaming reactions, which involve an unconventional dissociation process, using coincident Coulomb explosion imaging. Next, I will explore ultrafast electron diffraction as a different yet complementary imaging technique to identify the competing non-radiative relaxation pathways for a UV-excited molecule. Finally, I will briefly discuss our recent work on relaxation and fragmentation dynamics in large molecules, particularly C60, and isomerization and excited-state dynamics in small molecules.
Astrophysical observations give overwhelming evidence for the existence of dark matter. Several theoretical particles have been proposed as dark matter candidates, including weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), axions, and, more recently, their much lighter counterparts. However, there has yet to be a definitive detection of dark matter. For years, one group, the DAMA collaboration, has asserted that they observe a dark matter-induced annual modulation signal in their NaI(Tl)-based detectors. Their observations are inconsistent with those from other direct detection dark matter experiments under most assumptions of dark matter. In this talk, I will describe how I came to work on this topic and the debate’s current status, the worldwide experimental effort to test this extraordinary claim, and our progress toward resolving the current stalemate in the field.
Note: The pre-colloquium reception will be 3-4pm in the Gant Light Court
Graduate student Mitchell Bredice, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Kinetics, Nucleation, and Relaxation Dynamics of Ion-Seeded Nanoparticles
The recent interest in studying the adsorption and emission spectra of the hazy atmospheres of exoplanets stimulates the interest in clusters, small aggregates of atoms or molecules. The nucleation and dynamics of nanoparticles in the Earth’s atmosphere and their impact on the global climate and environment is another important area of research stimulating investigations of nucleation processes. However, how these small aggregates form is not wholly understood. Traditionally, nucleation of clusters or other phases is described through Classical Nucleation Theory. Although this theory has many discrepancies in describing the nucleation of submicron particles. In this work, we have performed molecular dynamics simulations of the nucleation of ion-seeded nanoparticles, specifically ArnH+ clusters, to investigate the microscopic mechanisms of nucleation from a gas or liquid phase. From these simulations, we have studied the stages of the nonequilibrium and equilibrium growth of ArnH+ clusters and analyzed the size distribution and internal energy relaxation of nascent clusters during different stages of their growth. The fundamental impact of the internal energy relaxation on the nonequilibrium nucleation of small ArnH+ clusters has been demonstrated. This analysis has generally been avoided in previous investigations due to assumptions of the equilibrium nature of the nucleation process. The results of our simulations showed that nanoparticles are formed in highly excited states, thus the cluster growth and relaxation are concurrent processes, and that relaxation of the cluster internal energy can delay cluster growth processes. To further investigate the internal energy relaxation, an ensemble of molecular dynamics simulations was performed for the detailed analysis of the average time evolution of kinetic, potential, and total energies of small ArnH+ clusters, and their kinetic energy relaxation. The results of the performed simulations have been explained through the use of a collisional Boltzmann equation describing the energy relaxation processes. Lastly, the general relationship between nonequilibrium growth and internal energy relaxation is discussed.
Dr. Esteban Goetz, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Interferometric Harmonic Spectroscopy for Electron Dynamics Imaging and Attosecond Pulse Train Phase Characterization
The advent of ultrashort light pulses has opened the possibility of investigating atomic and molecular processes on their natural time scales. In particular, Attosecond Transient Absorption Spectroscopy (ATAS) [1], a technique that allows to time-resolve the quantum dynamics of electrons by monitoring the absorption of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation by an atomic or molecular system when the latter is dressed by an infrared (IR) laser source.
Motivated by recent experimental advances in self-referenced interferometric harmonic spectroscopy [2], we theoretically investigate an alternative approach to ATAS for electron dynamics imaging and attosecond pulse train (APT) phase characterization. In contrast to ATAS, which gives access to the imaginary part of the refractive index through an absorption measurement, an interferometric phase measurement gives information of its real part. In this talk, I will discuss the link between the XUV phase measurements of Ref. [2] and the different photoexcitation pathways occurring at the atomic level which are imprinted in the real part of the macroscopic refractive index. As an application, we show how such an interferometric approach can be used for phase retrieval of attosecond pulse trains based on two-arm harmonic spectroscopy and an optimization algorithm. Finally, I will highlight the impact of spin-orbit couplings and macroscopic and field propagation effects on the phase measurements and APT phase retrieval. Our theoretical description is based on numerical solution of the scalar Maxwell equations beyond Beer’s Law for the macroscopic field propagation coupled to the time-dependent Schroedinger equation for the quantum dynamics.
[1] M. Holler et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 123601 (2011)
[2] G. R. Harrison et al., arXiv:2305.17263 (2023)
Circuit complexity and functionality: a thermodynamic perspective
We explore a link between complexity and physics for circuits of given functionality. Taking advantage of the connection between circuit counting problems and the derivation of ensembles in statistical mechanics, we tie the entropy of circuits of a given functionality and fixed number of gates to circuit complexity. We use thermodynamic relations to connect the quantity analogous to the equilibrium temperature to the exponent describing the exponential growth of the number of distinct functionalities as a function of complexity. This connection is intimately related to the finite compressibility of typical circuits. Finally, we use the thermodynamic approach to formulate a framework for the obfuscation of programs of arbitrary length – an important problem in cryptography – as thermalization through recursive mixing of neighboring sections of a circuit, which can viewed as the mixing of two containers with “gases of gates”. This recursive process equilibrates the average complexity and leads to the saturation of the circuit entropy, while preserving functionality of the overall circuit. The thermodynamic arguments hinge on ergodicity in the space of circuits which we conjecture is limited to disconnected ergodic sectors due to fragmentation. The notion of fragmentation has important implications for the problem of circuit obfuscation as it implies that there are circuits with same size and functionality that cannot be connected via local moves. Furthermore, we argue that fragmentation is unavoidable unless the complexity classes NP and coNP coincide.
Quantum acoustics and the physics of the strange metals
ABSTRACT:
Quantum acoustics is the analog of quantum optics, with phonons playing the role of photons. The classical fields (electromagnetic, acoustic) are reached by virtue of coherent states in both cases. Quantum acoustics leads to two time dependent, interacting wave fields, one lattice, one quantum. The electron diffuses at a Planckian rate, independent of electron-lattice coupling and temperature, and the calculated resistivity is linear in temperature. Mott-Ioffe-Regel and Drude peak mysteries are also resolved. A rather different carrier transport scenario emerges for the strange metals.
Tunable moire sublattices in twisted square homobilayers: exploiting fundamental principles for new technologies
Stacking and twisting atomically thin bilayers at small angles produces an approximate periodic pattern, due to the overlap of the crystal layers. These devices, dubbed “moire” bilayers, exhibit a high degree of tunability and variability: through choice of twist angle, constituent layers, and gating. To date, a number of such devices have been built which have demonstrated a plethora of novel phases, including non-trivial topology and Mott physics. Despite this explosion in moire research, moire bilayers have been almost exclusively formed from layers with triangular/hexagonal crystal geometry, and where the valence bands are centered on the Gamma or K/K’ high symmetry points. Here we theoretically demonstrate that moire devices formed from square bilayers can be used to simulate the ground state of the Hubbard model, but where the ratio of the nearest-neighbor (t) and next-to-nearest neighbor (t’) tunneling can be tuned between zero and infinity, in situ via an electric field. If experimentally realized, such a device would be the first of its kind, and would open a pathway toward the testing of a number of proposed exotic phases, such as a spin-liquid and d+id superconductivity. Most importantly, the square Hubbard model is a quintessential model for high-Tc in cuprates, where numerics has demonstrated the absence of superconductivity when t’=0.
Graduate student Geoff Harrison, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
ITAS: A Technique for Complete Quantum Measurements on a New Timescale
Transient absorption spectroscopy is a well-established technique used to study electron dynamics in atomic and molecular systems but typically can only measure the magnitude of the electronic wavefunction. We have integrated interferometric methods into this technique to allow complete quantum measurements of both the magnitude and phase of electronic wavefunctions. A spatial light modulator (SLM) is used to separate the interferometric arms in an extremely stable way, enabling the measurement of effects on the zeptosecond timescale (with a jitter of 3zs). In this talk, I’ll describe how we’ve utilized SLMs to make these measurements possible and share some initial data we’ve taken looking at phase effects in argon.
Dr. Fatma Aslan, Jefferson National Laboratory and UConn
Hadron structure-oriented approach to TMD phenomenology
We present a first practical implementation of a recently proposed hadron structure oriented (HSO) approach to TMD phenomenology applied to Drell-Yan like processes. We compare and contrast general features of our methodology with other common practices and emphasize the improvements derived from our approach that we view as essential for applications where extracting details of nonperturbative transverse hadron structure is a major goal. These include the HSO’s preservation of a basic TMD parton-model-like framework even while accounting for full TMD factorization and evolution, explicit preservation of the integral relationship between TMD and collinear PDFs, and the ability to meaningfully compare different theoretical models of nonperturbative TMD parton distributions.
The Superconducting Diode Effect And Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking In Multi-Layer Graphene
The superconducting diode effect, defined as nonreciprocity in the critical supercurrent, provides a unique window into the nature of the superconducting phase. It has been argued that a zero-field diode effect in the superconducting transport requires inversion and time-reversal symmetries to be simultaneously broken. Along this vein, the zero-field superconducting diode effect in multi-layer graphene provides direct evidence of the microscopic coexistence between superconductivity and time-reversal symmetry breaking. In this talk, I will discuss our recent efforts that utilize the angle-resolved measurement of transport nonreciprocity to directly probe the nature of spontaneous symmetry breaking in the normal phase. By investigating the interplay between transport nonreciprocity, ferromagnetism, and superconductivity, our findings suggest that the exchange-driven instability in the momentum space plays a key role in the zero-field superconducting diode effect.
Title: A comprehensive insight into nucleons at the Electron-Ion Collider
Abstract: Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the theory governing the strong interactions that bind quarks and gluons, collectively known as partons, to form nucleons - the fundamental building blocks of visible matter. Achieving a profound understanding of the partonic structure of nucleons stands as a crucial milestone, and the forthcoming Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory is poised to be the ultimate tool in nuclear physics for this purpose. In this talk, I will explore a few of my research endeavors, aiming to address key questions such as, “How can we measure the orbital motion of partons within nucleons?” and “How can we uncover quantum anomalies in the distributions of partons within nucleons, and what can we learn from them?” The state-of-the-art theory discussed in this talk plays a pivotal role in providing comprehensive insight into nucleons, exploring the origins of spin, mass, and symmetry breakings - all of which form the bedrock of QCD and the EIC.
Graduate student Debadarshini Mishra, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
Imaging ultrafast dynamics in molecular systems
Imaging electronic and molecular dynamics at the attosecond and femtosecond timescales is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of chemical reactions, a fundamental aspect in fields ranging from materials science to biochemistry. This in-depth understanding of chemical processes may allow for precise control over reaction dynamics, thereby paving the way for advancements in technology and medicine, for example, by guiding the development of efficient catalysis, innovative materials, and targeted drugs. In this talk, I will describe our work on imaging time-resolved molecular dynamics using two distinct and complementary techniques.
In the first part of my talk, I will discuss the use of coincident Coulomb explosion imaging for the direct visualization of roaming reactions. These reactions represent unconventional pathways that allow fragments to remain weakly bonded, leading to the formation of unexpected final products. Typically, the neutral character of the roaming fragment and its indeterminate trajectory make direct experimental identification challenging. However, I will demonstrate that by leveraging the power of coincidence imaging, we can reconstruct the momentum vector of the neutral roamer and thus identify an unambiguous signature for roaming.
In the second part of my talk, I will discuss the imaging of UV-induced ring-opening and dissociation dynamics using ultrafast electron diffraction. I will demonstrate that by harnessing the superior temporal and structural resolution of this technique, we can explore the competition among different molecular pathways as well as their wavelength-dependent behavior.
Dr. Andrey Tarasov, North Carolina State University
Title: Hadron as a many-body parton system: from parton interactions to non-perturbative phenomena
Due to the phenomenon of confinement, the hadron cannot be understood as a compound state of independent quarks and gluons but rather represents a strongly bounded many-body parton system. The dynamics of this system gives rise to such fundamental properties of the hadron as spin and mass. How the spin and mass of the hadron arise from the parton dynamics is an outstanding question of modern nuclear science. The parton dynamics can be probed in high-energy scattering experiments using the factorization approach. However, there is a wide class of observables that cannot be described within the conventional factorization schemes due to various reasons, including non-perturbative phenomena. In my talk, I will give several concrete examples and propose a solution based on applying the background field techniques, which provide a unified treatment of parton interactions. I will argue that the application of such techniques allows us to obtain a complete picture of the multi-parton dynamics in QCD and shed light on the origin of the proton spin and mass.
Title: Relativistic mass densities: from the light front to generalized parton distributions
Abstract: The dynamical generation of mass is one of the most fascinating aspects of quantum chromodynamics. Partonic imaging allows us to probe where this generated mass is, and to break it down into contributions from quarks and gluons. In particular, imaging gives us access to generalized parton distributions, which provide a relativistic three-dimensional picture of the proton’s internal structure, in terms of two spatial dimensions and a momentum faction x. In this talk, I examine how the light front provides a means of rigorously describing spatial distributions for relativistic systems (such as the proton), how the energy-momentum tensor provides distributions of energy and momentum, and how x-weighted moments of generalized parton distributions give us the most promising empirical means of accessing the mass distribution in the proton. I will review challenges in empirically accessing the GPDs, as well as ongoing efforts to address these challenges.
Novel Strongly Correlated Phases in Stacked TMD Bilayers
Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as an exciting platform to stack and twist bilayers to engineer strongly correlated quantum phases. Here we present a theory to describe the recent realization of a heavy fermion state in stacked MoTe2/WSe2 bilayers. An extension of this theory that allows for the formation of unconventional superconductivity through repulsive nearest neighbor interactions will be used to show how to realize the p-wave BEC to BCS transition.
Title: Probing Proton’s Identity using the Electron-Ion Collider
Abstract:
The Electron-Ion Collider, being constructed at the Brookhaven National Lab, is the “dream machine” for nuclear physics studies for the upcoming decades. The diverse capability in the accelerator design offers physicists a unique opportunity to study quark and gluon structures within nucleons and nuclei. Furthermore, the production and detection of the rare isotopes is a possibility.
In this seminar, we will dive into two examples of many creative ways to use the EIC. 1. Probing the proton’s identity (baryon number), and determining who carries the baryon number within its wavefunction: gluon? quark? Both? 2. EIC can collide the electron beam on an ion beam with any atomic mass, could we use it to create and study the rare isotope (via eA collision) to complement the low-energy studies at FRIB?
Dr. Jaspreet Singh Randhawa, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Title: Nuclear reaction studies to decode the observations from neutron stars in binary systems
Abstract: Neutron stars are ideal astrophysical laboratories to test theories of dense matter physics as they may exhibit most exotic forms of matter, and are pivotal in driving nucleosynthesis in various explosive astrophysical environments; e.g X-ray binaries, neutron star mergers. Breath-taking multi-messenger observations of explosive astronomical events are generating exciting new challenges for nuclear physics and force a rethinking of old paradigms. For X-ray binaries, surface nuclear burning proceeds through extremely proton-rich nuclei powering the X-ray bursts, whereas in neutron star mergers nucleosynthesis proceeds through very neutron-rich nuclei. Therefore, to understand the energy generation and nucleosynthesis in these extreme environments, new nuclear data on very exotic nuclei is required, e.g. nuclear reaction rates or detailed nuclear structure/properties of exotic nuclei. Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), a newly developed world’s leading radioactive ion beam facility, will provide an unprecedented access to the very exotic proton-rich and neutron-rich nuclei. In this talk, I will highlight the need for new nuclear physics data to decode observations from X-ray binaries and neutron star mergers, and how FRIB is opening up a new window to explore the most exotic nuclei on earth, to provide much-needed data to facilitate model-observation comparison of various astrophysical environments. I will present the new results from on-going reaction studies at FRIB, and will discuss planned measurements, which will help us to answer some of the most important questions in nuclear astrophysics.
Dr. Riccardo Longo, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Title: Probing Hot & Cold QCD Phenomena Using Jets
Abstract:
The LHC Heavy Ion program offers unique opportunities to study Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) phenomena at various length and temperature scales. In particular, dijets are fantastic probes for exploring emergent QCD properties in different regimes. Hadronic Pb+Pb collisions create a hot and dense medium composed of quarks and gluons, the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). Dijets produced by a hard-scattering can be used to investigate the microscopic properties of this nearly perfect fluid. Conversely, measuring dijets in p+Pb collisions allows for studying different proton size configurations and cold nuclear effects that modify the nucleon Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs) when bound into atomic nuclei. Studies to inform nuclear PDF (nPDF) parametrization can also be carried out by analyzing dijets produced in photo-nuclear events, allowing for investigating a unique kinematic regime. Other aspects of the nucleon structure, such as its spin composition, are studied at CERN fixed target experiments by performing polarized DIS and Drell-Yan measurements. In my talk, I will discuss selected aspects of hot and cold QCD addressed by the ATLAS Heavy Ion and COMPASS experiment programs. In particular, I will present recent dijet measurements in p+Pb and Pb+Pb collisions at ATLAS and recent COMPASS polarized Semi-Inclusive DIS and Drell-Yan results.
Finally, I will show how the cold QCD effort will naturally continue in the research avenues that the Electron-Ion Collider will open.
Dr. François Légaré, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Energy Materials Télécommunications center
Ultrafast IR/mid-IR laser technologies and their applications at ALLS
The Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS) is a unique user facility located at INRS-EMT (Varennes, Canada) counting on 40M CDN$ of investment since 2002. Since 2019, this facility has jointed the LaserNetUS network and is now funded as a national research infrastructure by the Canada Foundation for Innovation – Major Science Initiatives. These fundings ease access to the facility for academic and government users. In the first part of my talk, I will give an overview of the facility’s capabilities including the most powerful laser in Canada with 750 TW. In the second part, I will discuss novel approaches developed by my team for the generation of ultrashort pulses in the IR and mid-IR spectral range. This includes multidimensional solitary states in hollow core fibers [1,2] as well as using the frequency domain optical parametric amplification for the generation of tunable CEP stable mid-IR laser pulses [3,4]. Pulse characterization in the mid-IR spectral range will be presented [5]. Finally, I will present recent results on the generation of high-dose MeV electrons from tight focussing in air [6].
References
[1] R. Safaei, G. Fan, O. Kwon, K. Légaré, P. Lassonde, B. E. Schmidt, H. Ibrahim, and F. Légaré (2020), High-energy multidimensional solitary states in hollow core fiber, Nature Phot. 14, 733-739.
[2] L. Arias, A. Longa, G. Jargot, A. Pomerleau, P. Lassonde, G. Fan, R. Safaei, P. Corkum, F. Boschini, H. Ibrahim, and F. Légaré, Few-cycle Yb laser source at 20 kHz using multidimensional solitary states in hollow-core fibers, Opt. Lett. 47, 3612-3615 (2022).
[3] A. Leblanc, G. Dalla-Barba, P. Lassonde, A. Laramée, B. Schmidt, E. Cormier, H. Ibrahim, and F. Légaré (2020), High-field mid-infrared pulses derived from frequency domain optical parametric amplification, Opt. Lett. 45, 2267-2270.
[4] G. Dalla-Barba, G. Jargot, P. Lassonde, S. Tóth, E. Haddad, F. Boschini, J. Delagnes, A. Leblanc, H. Ibrahim, E. Cormier, and F. Légaré, Mid-infrared frequency domain optical parametric amplifier, Opt. Express 31, 14954-14964 (2023).
[5] A. Leblanc, P. Lassonde, S. Petit, J.-C. Delagnes, E. Haddad, G. Ernotte, M. R. Bionta, V. Gruson, B. E. Schmidt, H. Ibrahim, E. Cormier, and F. Légaré (2019), Phase-matching-free pulse retrieval based on transient absorption in solids, Opt. Express 27, 28998.
[6] S. Vallières, J. Powell, T. Connell, M. Evans, M. Lytova, F. Fillion-Gourdeau, S. Fourmaux, S. Payeur, P. Lassonde, S. MacLean, and F. Légaré, High Dose-Rate MeV Electron Beam from a Tightly-Focused Femtosecond IR Laser in Ambient Air (2024), Laser Photonics Rev. 18, 2300078.
François Légaré is a chemical physicist who specializes in developing novel approaches for ultrafast science and technologies, as well as biomedical imaging with nonlinear optics (Ph.D. in chemistry, 2004 – co-supervised by Profs. André D. Bandrauk and Paul B. Corkum). Full professor (2013 - …) at the Energy Materials Telecommunications center of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS-EMT), he was the director of the Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS) until 2023. Since 2022, he is the director of the INRS-EMT center and CEO of ALLS. Under his scientific leadership, INRS has received in 2017 a grant of 13.9M CDN$ from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Quebec government, with 11.9M CDN$ to upscale the ALLS facility with high average power Ytterbium laser systems and advanced instrumentation for time-resolved material characterization. He is a Fellow and senior member of OPTICA and Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is a member of The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada (2017). He was awarded the Herzberg medal from the Canadian Association of Physics in 2015 and the Rutherford Memorial Medal in physics of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016. He has contributed to about 200 articles in peer reviewed journals including prestigious ones such as Nature, Science, Nature Photonics, Nature Physics, Nature Communications, and Physical Review Letters. According to Google Scholar, his h-index is 59 with more than 13,000 citations.
High Power Commercial Laser Markets and Applications
Abstract: Ubiquitous and familiar applications for lasers include telecom data transmission, laser surgery (LASIK), information processing (DVD/Blue Ray), supermarket scanners, laser pointers and a multitude of laser sensing applications (LIDAR, range finders, facial recognition, etc.). Sophisticated laser technology is also well-recognized as a key, enabling research tool.
Perhaps less well known are the “unsung” commercial applications and markets for higher power lasers. Often out of public view, these laser applications drive diverse and massive commercial markets and are supported by extensive industry-based research and development investments. And are generating increasingly abundant STEM based career opportunities.
The presentation will highlight the laser technologies and applications used in materials processing to mark, engrave, cut, and join everything from shoe leather to sheet metal. Also covered are laser applications supporting the manufacturing of microelectronics-based consumer technology, enabling higher performing devices and ever larger displays. The laser technology and developments that support emerging Directed Energy military applications will be also be reviewed.
Bio:
Andrew Held has recently retired as Senior Vice President of Coherent’ s Aerospace and Defense business. Andrew has over 30 years’ experience in General Business Management, Research, Sales and Marketing of lasers and photonics into a broad range of markets and applications. He received his B.S. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Laser Spectroscopy from the University of Pittsburgh and was an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the Technical University in Munich.
I will discuss experiments and calculations that demonstrate long lived electronic coherences in molecules using a combination of measurements with shaped octave spanning ultrafast laser pulses, 3D velocity map imaging and calculations of the light matter interaction. Our pump-probe measurements prepare and interrogate entangled nuclear-electronic wave packets whose electronic phase remains well defined despite vibrational motion along many degrees of freedom. The experiments and calculations illustrate how coherences between excited electronic states survive even when coherence with the ground state is lost, and may have important implications for light harvesting, electronic transport and attosecond science.
A new platform for quantum science: programmable arrays of single atoms inside an optical cavity.
Recently, programmable arrays of single atoms have emerged as a leading platform for quantum computing and simulation with experiments demonstrating control over hundreds of atoms [1]. Interfacing an atom array with a high-quality optical cavity promises even greater control and new capabilities. By coupling atoms to an optical cavity, we can more efficiently collect light from each atom improving detection. In addition, an optical cavity can be used to efficiently entangle many atoms in a single step relying on a novel technique called counterfactual carving [2]. I will describe our progress towards the goal of detecting and correcting errors on a register of Rubidium atoms selectively coupled to a large-waist optical cavity. Beyond detecting errors, applying corrections requires real-time feedback, and I will present a simple experiment demonstrating that fast feedback on microsecond timescales can already improve measurement fidelity. Finally, I will describe our accidental realization that we can use our cavity to directly observe collisions between pairs of trapped atoms in real time.
Fully Consistent NLO Calculation of Forward Single-Inclusive Hadron Production in Proton-Nucleus Collisions
We study the single-inclusive particle production from proton-nucleus collisions in the dilute-dense framework of the color glass condensate (CGC) at next-to-leading order (NLO) accuracy. In this regime, the cross section factorizes into hard impact factors and dipole-target scattering amplitude describing the eikonal interaction of the partons in the target color field. For the first time, we combine the NLO impact factors with the dipole amplitude evolved consistently using the NLO Balitsky-Kovchegov (BK) equation with the initial conditions fitted to HERA structure function data.
The resulting neutral pion cross section with all parton channels included are qualitatively consistent with the recent LHCb measurement. In particular, the NLO evolution coupled to the leading order impact factor is shown to produce a large Cronin peak that is not visible in the data, demonstrating the importance of consistently including NLO corrections to all the ingredients. Furthermore, the transverse momentum spectrum is found to be sensitive to the resummation scheme and the running coupling prescription in the BK evolution. This demonstrates how additional constraints for the initial condition of the BK evolution can be obtained from global analyses including both the HERA and LHC data. In light of the upcoming upgrades to the LHC, the dependence of our results on rapidity will also be discussed.
Dr. Jim Zickefoose and Dr. Gabriela Ilie, Senior Scientists, Physics Division, Mirion Technologies, Meriden CT
Mirion Technologies – Connecting Academia and Industry
Mirion Technologies is a world leader in the development and supply of nuclear instrumentation and supporting software. To accomplish its goals and objectives, Mirion has a diverse team of physicists holding various levels of degrees. In this seminar we will show our paths from graduate studies to joining Mirion, emphasizing how the skills we gained during our academic journeys have contributed or have been beneficial to our professional development in industry. Furthermore, we will highlight Mirion Technologies’ general areas of interest as well as revealing some interesting applications where we have partnered with academia.
Speakers’ bio:
Gabriela is the Product Line Manager for Specialty Detectors and a Senior Application Scientist at Mirion Technologies, focused on developing custom high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector solutions for challenging and unique applications. She joined Mirion in 2012 (formerly Canberra Industries) as a physicist and has worked on a variety of projects offering physics support and doing validation and testing for different products. Gabriela has a Ph.D. in Experimental Nuclear Physics from the University of Cologne, Germany. Before joining Mirion, Gabriela held a Postdoctoral Research position at Yale University where she helped maintain and use a large array of HPGe Clover detectors for nuclear physics measurements and experiments. In the last few years, she has played an active role in promoting new technologies that help customers select the best radiation detection and instrumentation for their applications.
Jim Zickefoose is a Sr. Scientist and R&D Physics Manager at Mirion Technologies in Meriden CT. In these roles he concentrates on driving new technology development across the various Mirion divisions and incorporating those technologies in new or existing products. He joined Mirion in 2010 directly after earning a PhD in physics from the University of Connecticut with a concentration in experimental nuclear astrophysics. During his PhD research Jim studied carbon fusion reactions at accelerator facilities in Caserta, Italy and Bochum, Germany. Prior to his time at UConn Jim earned an Honors Degree in physics from the University of Adelaide.
Note: coffee and cookies at 3:00 outside the lecture room.
Scattering amplitudes are the arena where quantum field theory meets particle experiments, for example at the Large Hadron Collider where the copious scattering of quarks and gluons in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) produces Higgs bosons and many backgrounds to searches for new physics. Particle scattering in QCD and other gauge theories is far simpler than standard perturbative approaches would suggest. Modern approaches based on unitarity and bootstrapping dramatically simplify many computations previously done with Feynman diagrams. Even so, the final results are often highly intricate, multivariate mathematical functions, which are difficult to describe, let alone compute. In many cases, the functions have a “genetic code” underlying them, called the symbol, which reveals much of their structure. The symbol is a linear combination of words, sequences of letters analogous to sequences of DNA base pairs. Understanding the alphabet, and then reading the code, exposes the physics and mathematics underlying the scattering process, including new symmetries. For example, the two scattering amplitudes that are known to the highest orders in perturbation theory (8 loops) are related to each other by a mysterious antipodal duality, which involves reading the code backwards as well as forwards. A third scattering amplitude, which contains both of these as limits, has an antipodal self-duality which “explains” the other duality. However, we still don’t know `who ordered’ antipodal (self-)duality, or what it really means.
Graduate student Dharma Basaula, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
This dissertation is focused on formulating, testing and validating a finite element method based computational framework for the evaluation and prediction of thermoelectric properties and performance of polycrystalline nanostructured materials and composites at mesoscale. The developed framework includes capabilities for building geometrical models of complex interfacial structures and, with the availability of appropriate input parameters, can be used predictively, providing new avenues for improvement of operational efficiency of nanoengineered thermo- electric materials and composites. The following benchmark problems were investigated on the first stage of this project, progressing from simple to more advanced cases: (a) effective Seebeck effect in a thermocouple; (b) Peltier heating and cooling at a single interface between two materials with different Seebeck coefficients; (c) coupled heat and electrical current transport through an anisotropic polycrystalline material. Excellent agreement with prior experimental or computational results was observed for the cases where such information was available. On the second stage, ‘digital twins’ for the experimental measurements of thermal and electrical conductivities, and Seebeck coefficient in a material sample were developed within the same computational framework, allowing one to evaluate its thermoelectric figure of merit ZT(T). This approach was tested on three popular nanocrystalline thermoelectric systems: n-type Si, n-type Si0.80Ge0.20, and p-type BiSbTe, providing excellent agreement with previously measured values of ZT(T) and highlighting the importance of interfacial properties for making accurate predictions of the material thermoelectric performance and efficiency. Finally, on the third stage, the sensitivity of sample thermoelectric properties and the resulting ZT(T) to variations in the system microstructure, morphology and input material parameters was elucidated.
Dr. Christopher Hayward, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute
Solving the puzzle of galaxy formation
Understanding the physics of galaxy formation has been a central goal of astrophysics for decades, but we have yet to solve this complicated problem. I will describe what makes understanding galaxy formation so challenging. I will detail how theorists work to decipher this puzzle using numerical simulations, highlighting the key physical processes involved. I will then discuss the idea of ‘forward modeling’, i.e. predicting synthetic observables from hydrodynamical simulations in order to more directly confront theory and observation, and highlight some recent important results of such work.
Prof. Erin Scanlon, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut
An Introduction to Physics Education Research
Physics education research (PER) is a subfield of physics that focuses on investigating questions such as: 1) how can we teach physics better?; 2) how do students learn physics?; and 3) how can we make the physics community more inclusive, equitable, and diverse? In this talk, we will give an introduction to PER, including common misconceptions, methods, and the PER happening at UConn.
Graduate student Bochao Xu, DEpartment of Physics, University of Connecticut
Scanning SQUID Investigation of Time-reversal Symmetry Breaking in Exotic Quantum Materials
Spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry in condensed matter systems arises from correlated electronic arrangements leading to various quantum phenomena, such as ferromagnetism, unconventional superconductivity, and topological states of matter. However, these underlying electronic orders are often difficult to detect experimentally if the magnetism associated with the time reversal symmetry breaking is weak. In such cases, the subtle magnetization and complex domain structure call for investigation by experimental techniques with both high magnetic sensitivity and high spatial resolution. In this dissertation talk, I will discuss my exploration of time-reversal symmetry breaking in two systems: a magnetic Weyl semimetal and a Kagome material detected using scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscopy. Both materials exhibit intriguing magnetic structures which were not detectable by the bulk measurements. We show that the Weyl semimetal hosts a tunable heterogeneous domain structure that is likely linked to its unconventional electronic properties. Additionally, our local probe reveals a ferromagnetic-like state in the Kagome material system, contributing evidence to the highly controversial problem within the community regarding the existence of time-reversal symmetry breaking and its underlying mechanism in this material. These results highlight the significance of quantum sensing in advancing the frontier of new correlated materials, and showcase these materials as an ideal playground for studying the magnetism-electrons interplay.
Multimode cavity control of ferroelectric fluctuations
Electromagnetic cavities and metamaterials have been used to great effect in the field of AMO physics and electrical engineering. By shaping the spatial, spectral, or polarization characteristics of the electromagnetic environment, the coherent interaction between light and matter can be focused and amplified, leading to phenomena such as lasing, the Purcell effect, the Casimir effect, and superradiance. In this talk I will show how these ideas may be extended and applied to solid state quantum materials. In particular, I will consider polarization fluctuations in a quantum paraelectric insulator, and consider their coupling to a Fabry-Perot type optical cavity. By using the full multimode continuum description of the system, I will show how the ferroelectric fluctuations respond in a local, spatially resolved manner. The presence of the cavity indeed is shown to renormalize the soft-mode frequency, with effects primarily confined to the surface, and thus for thin films this effect can be pronounced. The temperature dependence shows this effect only onsets at low temperatures, indicating its origin from quantum electrodynamics effects – in close analogy with the Casimir effect.