Society of Physics Students

hbar@phys.columbia.edu

Columbia University in the City of New York

Spring 2007

 5 April 2007, postponed to 26 April 2006

Speakers: Dr. Boris Keyser, Fermilab Neutrino Theorist

Talk Title: Neutrinos Get Under Your Skin

Abstract:

After pointing out the place of neutrinos in the universe and in elementary particle physics, we will explain the physics of "neutrino oscillation" -- the observed spontaneous morphing of a neutrino of one "flavor" into one of a different flavor. We will show that this morphing implies that neutrinos have nonzero masses. The MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab will tell us next week whether it observes FAST neutrino oscillation. As we will explain, the implications of fast oscillation would be far reaching.

The discovery of neutrino masses has raised a number of very interesting questions. We will close by considering the question of whether neutrinos are their own antiparticles, and the question of whether they interact with antimatter differently than they do with matter -- a difference that could explain the observed preponderance of matter over antimatter in the universe.

 13 February 2007

Speaker: Dr. Hael Collins, University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Talk Title: The light from beyond the stars

Abstract:

Nearly eighty years ago, Edwin Hubble made the starting discovery that the universe is expanding. His observation implied that the universe at early times must have been a much denser and much hotter place than it is today. It was in fact once so hot that it was filled with fire---a hot opaque plasma. The light left over from when this fire first cooled into a transparent gas can still be detected, although it has since grown extremely faint and cold during the universe's expansion. This lecture will describe the relic glow of that much earlier era: just what it is, how it was first discovered and how even today it continues to enlighten and to surprise us.

 13 February 2007

Speaker: Prof. Phillip Kim, Columbia University

Talk Title: Electrical and Thermal transport in Small Systems

Abstract:

When the size of a system reduced, the electrical, thermal and thermoelectric transport properties change drastically due to the effectively reduced dimensionality. In low-dimensional systems, quantum mechanics plays an important role due to the reduced dimensionality. Recently available carbon based nanoscale materials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, a single atomic sheet of graphite, provide us ample opportunities to explore unique electric transport phenomena in low dimensional systems. Novel transport phenomena based on enhanced quantum physics in these nanoscaled structures may lead to new device applications. In this presentation, I will discuss exotic electric transport phenomena in nanometer scaled materials including nanotubes, nanowires and a single atomic sheet of layered materials.

 1 February 2007

Speakers: Panel of grad and undergrad students with REU experience

Talk Title: The joys, lessons, and logistics of REU summer reseach

Abstract:

A panel of undergrads and graduate students will speak about the REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) federal grant program for summer science research. Please come with questions. If you have participated in an REU and are interested in sitting on the panel, please write to Melinda Han . This event is co-sponsored by SPS and WISC.

 25 January 2007

Speaker: Thomas Dumitrescu, physics junior undergrad, Columbia University

Talk Title: Kepler, Newton and the Birth of Theoretical Physics

Abstract:

I will present a streamlined version (in part due to Maxwell and Feynman) of Newton's original argumenet in the Principia in which he uses two of Keplers three laws to infer the law of universal gravitation, which is used in turn to prove the remaining Keplarian law. The beauty of Newton's argument is that it relies only on elementary Euclidian geometry and makes no reference to calculus, and as such can be undersood with a basic background in high-school geometry. Historically, the importance of Newton's argument cannot be overestimated: it was here that the Newtonian system of mechanics - based only on three simple axioms (or laws of motion, as they are more commonly called) - first displayed its awsome predictive and explanatory power, marking the coming into existence of theoretical physics as we know it.