Events

Colloquium: David Black, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Pepin Memorial Lecture

Professor Pepin, a longtime member of the faculty of the School of the Physics and Astronomy, passed away on January 6, 2023 I will be speaking to honor and recognize the many contributions that Professor Robert Pepin made to our lives: as students, fellow staff members, and members of society, while leading a life of research devoted to studying the evolution of our solar system. As his first graduate student, I have been given the honor of offering some insight into those contributions. A measure of his impact on his students is the Robert O. Pepin Fellowship that was established by his former students in collaboration with the University. That program now provides summer support for two PhD students every year.


Professor Pepin’s academic career took him from Harvard University for his undergraduate work, to the University of California Berkeley for his doctorate, with a three-year break at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and then to the University of Minnesota to take over leadership of the noble gas research laboratory. While on sabbatical from the University, he served as Director of the Lunar Science Institute in Houston on from 1974 until 1977. Professor Pepin’s research spanned all of the noble gases, which he used as a probe the geology of our solar system. He worked with samples from bodies ranging from the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon, to Mars, meteorites, and comets. He was one of lead investigators in the Apollo sample return program, both as a researcher and advisor to NASA. His work with nitrogen isotopes led to the discovery that some meteorites found on Earth came from Mars. He was also involved in spacecraft missions that were exposed to solar and cosmic radiation with a focus on the noble gas content and the story they told about the history of the Sun.
 

Although I ended up as a theorist in planetary science and astrophysics, Bob was always available to provide personal and professional guidance. Home visits with him and his wife Lillian by students were a key part of our evolution as scientists and people. He will be missed.

https://umn.zoom.us/j/99621284022

Colloquium: Leonid Glazman, Yale University

The quest for a quantum phase transition in a chain of Josephson junctions has led serendipitously to the invention of a new type of superconducting qubit, which became known as fluxonium. The technology built around it, combined with theoretical efforts, has enabled progress in resolving two puzzles in the physics of superconductors that have persisted for decades.

Colloquium: Dr. Jane Wang (Cornell University)

Abstract: Why do animals move the way they do? Bacteria, insects, birds, and fish share with us the necessity to move so as to live. Although each organism follows its own evolutionary course, it also obeys a set of common laws. At the very least, the movement of animals, like that of planets, is governed by Newton’s law: All things fall. On Earth, most things fall in air or water, and their motions are thus subject to the laws of hydrodynamics. Through trial and error, animals have found ways to interact with fluid so they can float, drift, swim, sail, glide, soar, and fly. This elementary struggle to escape the fate of falling shapes the development of motors, sensors, and mind. Perhaps we can deduce parts of their neural computations by understanding what animals must do so as not to fall.
We have been seeking mechanistic explanations of the complex movement of insect flight.. Starting from the Navier-Stokes equations governing the unsteady aerodynamics of flapping flight, we worked to build a theoretical framework for computing flight and for studying the control of flight.  I will discuss our recent computational and experimental studies of the balancing act of dragonflies and fruit flies:  how a dragonfly recovers from falling upside-down and how a fly balances in air. In each case,  the physics of flight informs us about the neural feedback circuitries underlying their fast reflexes.

"I am fascinated by the physics of living organisms, with a focus on understanding insect flight. How does an insect fly, why does it fly so well, and how can we infer its ‘thoughts’ from its flight dynamics? The movement of an insect is not only dictated by the laws of physics, but also by its response to the external world."

-Jane Wang

 

Colloquium: Dr. Saurabh Jha (Rutgers University)

Abstract: Observations of type Ia supernovae (SN Ia), a class of exploding stars, ushered in a cosmological revolution: the expansion of the Universe is accelerating, driven by dark energy. I will describe current cosmological applications of SN Ia to measure the expansion rate of the Universe and constrain the nature of dark energy. Despite the cosmological utility of SN Ia, we still lack a detailed understanding of their progenitor systems and explosion physics. I will present advances in our knowledge of white dwarf supernovae through observations, including new data from JWST, that reveal both surprising homogeneity and diversity. Finally, I will preview SN Ia cosmology with upcoming flagship projects like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

Diving into Mathematics with Emmy Noether

Emmy Noether was one of the twentieth century's most important mathematicians.  Her contributions, spanning invariant theory, the calculus of variations, abstract algebra, and number theory, combined with her mathematical philosophy have had a profound impact in mathematics, physics, and beyond. 

In this session, supplementing the evening's performance of the play Diving into Math with Emmy Noether, the presenters will give short general audience talks on various aspects of Noether's life, contributions, and impact, to be followed by time for questions and a panel discussion.  

Agenda

3:00-3:30  Refreshments and socialization, Vincent Hall 120 (Commons room)

3:30-4:30  Presentations and questions, Vincent Hall 16

David Rowe (Institut für Mathematik, Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany) — Emmy Noether: from Invariant Theory to Physics to Abstract Algebra

Peter Olver (Mathematics, University of Minnesota) — The Curious History of Noether's Two Theorems

Peter Webb (Mathematics, University of Minnesota) — Noether's Impact in Algebra

Fiona Burrell (Physics, University of Minnesota) — Noether's Impact in Modern Physics

4:30-5:00  Panel discussion, Vincent Hall 16

7:00 p.m. Performance of Diving into Mathematics with Emily Noether

Coffman Union Theater

Emmy Noether (1882-1935) was one of the most influential mathematicians of the last century. Her works and teachings left a lasting mark on modern algebra, opening new avenues for a new structural perspective in mathematics. Noether was also one of the first women to gain the right to teach at a German university. She acquired that certification (Habilitation) on June 4, 1919, after submitting a thesis in which she solved one of the central problems in Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Her two celebrated theorems relating symmetries of variational problems and conservation laws of the field equations form the cornerstone of modern physical theories and beyond.

To celebrate the centenary of this event and the career of a unique personality in the history of mathematics, the ensemble Portrait Theater Vienna has produced a biographical play, directed by Sandra Schüddekopf and starring Anita Zieher as Emmy. The play is based on historical documents and events, and was written in cooperation with the historians Mechthild Koreuber and David E. Rowe. Further information can be found on the play’s website.

The University of Minnesota is pleased to announce that an English-language version of the play will performed on Sep 26, 2023 at 7 p.m. in Coffman Memorial Theater. Associated events are being planned to showcase the mathematical, scientific, and philosophical impact of Emmy Noether’s legacy.

Colloquium: Ramamurti Shankar, Yale University

Abstract: This talk will detail the emergence of Ramanujan from an obscure village in South India to his entering the most select circles of the mathematical world. The true nature of his stunningly original work is still being uncovered. The talk will provide both mathematical and personal details of this extraordinary genius.

Misel Colloquium: Francis Halzen, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Abstract: Below the geographic South Pole, the IceCube project has transformed one cubic kilometer of natural Antarctic ice into a neutrino detector. IceCube detects more than 100,000 neutrinos per year in the GeV to 10 PeV energy range. From those, we have isolated a flux of high-energy neutrinos originating beyond our Galaxy, with an energy flux that is comparable to that of the extragalactic high-energy photon flux observed by the NASA Fermi satellite. With a decade of data, we have identified their first sources, which point to the obscured dense cores associated with the supermassive black holes of some active galaxies as the origin of high-energy neutrinos (and cosmic rays!).



 
Zoom: https://umn.zoom.us/j/99621284022

2023 Misel Family Lecture: Francis Halzen

Research: 

The William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute (FTPI) at the University of Minnesota is pleased to announce Professor Francis Halzen as the 16th Annual Misel Lecturer.  Dr. Halzen is a Vilas and Gregory Breit Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  This lecture is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Questions? Please contact us at ftpi@umn.edu or 612-625-6055. We look forward to seeing you there!

Abstract:  The IceCube project at the South Pole melted 86 holes 2.5 kilometer deep in the Antarctic icecap to construct an enormous astronomical observatory. The experiment discovered a flux of neutrinos from deep space with energies more than a million times those of neutrinos produced at accelerator laboratories. These cosmic neutrinos are created in some of the most violent processes in the universe since the Big Bang and originate in the cosmic particle accelerators that are still enigmatic sources of cosmic rays. This lecture will discuss the IceCube neutrino telescope and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of cosmic origin. It will highlight the recent discovery that high-energy neutrinos—and cosmic rays—originate in sources powered by rotating supermassive black holes.

See more information on our 2023 Misel Lecture webpage.
Read more about Professor Halzen on his University of Wisconsin webpage.

Please register through the UMN Events Calendar (registration is encouraged but not required).

Colloquium: Fiona Burnell

Symmetry is powerful principle in physics, allowing us to make exact statements even in regimes where controlled calculations are challenging or impossible.  Thus understanding the ways in which different types of symmetries can constrain phases of matter is an important component of understanding what nature is capable of.  In this talk, I will describe how exploring new types of symmetries, including symmetries with unusual spatial structure, or symmetries that act on particles in exotic ways, has expanded our understanding of these possibilities, including identifying new classes of phases of matter, and new platforms with which to realize these.  
 
This colloquium will have a remote option via zoom:
https://umn.zoom.us/j/94831171860

Labor Day: University Closed

Federal Holiday

School News

Alexander McLeod, Nitzan Hirschberg and Alyssa Bragg

Inside Professor McLeod’s Nano-Imaging Laboratory

Professor Alexander McLeod’s nano-imaging lab creates novel ways to study materials as well as looking for new physics in those materials. Nano-spectroscopy is a technique that attaches conventional
Zhen Liiu smiling man in glasses and a blue polo shirt

Liu receives prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship for early-career researchers

School of Physics and Astronomy Assistant Professor Zhen Liu is one of only 126 early-career researchers who will receive a prestigious 2024 Sloan Research Fellowship.
Michael Coughlin and Alexander Criswell

Coughlin and Criswell part of comprehensive UV light survey

Assistant Professor Michael Coughlin and graduate student Alexander Criswell of the School of Physics and Astronomy are part of a new NASA mission that has just been selected to conduct a
Three School Alumni elected to engineering society

Three School Alumni elected to National Academy of Engineering

Three alumni of the School of Physics and Astronomy:  Martha C. Anderson (Ph.D., Astrophysics ‘93), Kei May Lau (B.A.,’76, M.S. ‘77), and Jeffrey Puschell (Ph.D., Astrophysics ‘79) have been elected
Michael Coughlin smiling man wearing glasses

Coughlin receives McKnight Professorship

School of Physics and Astronomy Assistant Professor Michael Coughlin has been awarded a 2024 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship.
Wall of Discovery shows the plot for the Humphreys-Davidson Limit, Professor Humphreys stands near it with Prof. Davidson.

Humphreys Awarded Medal from Royal Astronomical Society

Professor Emerita Roberta Humphreys of the School of Physics and Astronomy will receive the 2024 Herschel Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society for her discovery of the empirical upper luminosity
John Broadhurst

John Broadhurst, 1935 - 2023

Professor Emeritus John Broadhurst of the School of Physics and Astronomy passed away on October 17 th , 2023. He was 88 years old. John was born in England in 1935 and received all of his degrees
Fiona Burnell

Burnell elected APS Fellow

Associate Professor Fiona Burnell of the School of Physics and Astronomy has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. 
Michael Wilking

Moving Target: New Faculty member does neutrino research with a twist

Professor Michael Wilking is a new faculty member in high energy physics. Wilking’s research is focused on neutrinos and he is a member of several international neutrino collaborations, including
Professor Lindsay Glesener presenting a lecture

Three faculty positions open at the School

The School of Physics and Astronomy invites applications for three tenure track or tenured faculty positions in Experimental Particle Physics, Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics, and Experimental

School of Physics and Astronomy Seminar Calendar