Fall 2004

10/16/2004 | The Cooleset Place in the Universe: Cooling and Trapping Atoms with Lasers -- Paul Haljan (U-M Physics)

The behavior of atoms and light played a central role in the birth of Quantum Theory, developed to explain the physics of the "very small" - the atomic and subatomic worlds. The ability to trap and cool atoms to unbelievably low temperatures is stimulating a new explosion of activity in atom and laser physics. We'll look at how to make an atomic refrigerator and how this is opening a new window on quantum mechanics, maybe bringing it a little closer to "human scale."

10/23/2004 | Quantum Tornadoes Near Absolute Zero -- Paul Haljan (U-M Physics)

Vortices are everywhere in Nature - hurricanes, tornadoes, and eddies in your bathtub. This is also the hallmark of some remarkable forms of matter in quantum physics, namely the "super" systems including super-fluid helium and superconductors. In 1995, scientists succeeded in making another unusual form of “super” matter called a Bose–Einstein condensate by cooling atoms to a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero. What is so unusual about these condensates? What happens when you stir one up?

10/30/2004 | Harnessing Quantum Weirdness: Quantum Computing with Cold Atoms -- Paul Haljan (U-M Physics)

Now over 100 years old, quantum mechanics still continues to tease us because it defies everyday classical expectations. Remarkably, the weirdness of quantum mechanics offers applications for unbreakable cryptography and fast computing. We will explore how Michigan Physicists are striving to build a computer of the future - a quantum computer - atom by atom. This requires exquisite control over ultra-cold atoms and will push the limits of quantum mechanics itself.

11/06/2004 | A Particle Physicists Toolbox -- Dan Levin (U-M Physics)

Particle physicists attempt to comprehend Nature by cracking subatomic matter to see what fundamental elements lie hidden within. In the process, they routinely create, observe, and measure particles whose fleeting existence defies common intuition. Specialized instrumentation and techniques evolved over many decades augment our senses as we probe the innermost secrets of nature. These technologies comprise the experimentalist's repertoire of tools and are used in one form or another, in virtually all current particle experiments. Here we will open the toolbox and explore its contents.

11/13/2004 | Heff Heff, A Herrible Higgsalump! (In Which a Trap is Set to Capture a Higgs) --  Dan Levin (U-M Physics)

In a cavern deep below the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland, construction crews are busy erecting the foundations of the ATLAS experiment. ATLAS is an international consortium with some 2,000 researchers, including a number of U-M physicists. When completed in 2007, the ATLAS detector will surround a collision point of intense, high energy proton beams. It will cross into a new frontier of inner space, probing dimensions smaller than a thousandth the size of a proton in the hunt for the Higgs boson--an important ingredient in our modern conception of particles and forces. We will examine the motivation and inner workings of ATLAS and describe how it could observe the elusive Higgs.

11/20/2004 | The Future of Particle Physics -- Dan Amidei (U-M Physics)

Since the early 1930’s invention of the particle accelerator, physicists studied phenomena at ever increasing energies, revealing ever deeper layers to the structure of matter, provoking ever more comprehensive theories of the physical world. Seventy-five years into this journey, accelerators have grown from 5 inches to 5 miles in diameter, and our understanding has grown to encompass phenomena ranging from the heart of the proton to the origin of the universe. It has been a fantastic journey, but as accelerators grow ever larger and expensive, can we continue this path? We will explore the connection between accelerators, the microscopic and the cosmological; peering toward the horizons of particle physics to see what the future holds.

12/04/2004 | What is Memory? -- Rhonda Dzakpasu (U-M Physics)

The brain is a complex network of over 100 billion interconnected neurons and other supporting cells. How do the cells communicate? How does the brain perceive the outside world and how does the brain remember what it perceived? Dr. Rhonda Dzakpasu will demonstrate how the brain makes sense of it all and what happens if something goes wrong.

12/11/2004 | Can You See a Thought? -- Rhonda Dzakpasu (U-M Physics)

Do we understand how the many pieces of the brain work together? Learning the way we see inside the brain, we can locate and diagnose neurological disorders; we can illuminate the anatomy and function of brain regions. Novel optical imaging methods permit us to understand neurons and their networks. Dr. Rhonda Dzakpasu will show us examples of these applications including their benefits and disadvantages.

12/18/2004 | Fired Up Neurons: Brain Oscillations and Synchronization -- Rhonda Dzakpasu (U-M Physics)

We know that different information about the same object is hidden in many places within the brain. How does the brain make sense of it? How does the brain “listen” to many neurons “talking” at the same time? When are “talking together” neurons good and when are they bad? Dr. Rhonda Dzakpasu will outline the ideas and motivations behind her U-M Physics research.