November 2016
Karelle Siellez (Georgia Institute of Technology): Light on the brightest events of the universe: The Gamma-Ray Bursts
Gamma-Ray Bursts are the most extremely energetic explosions in the Universe. High-energy gamma-ray jets travel at the speed of light to reach the Earth and inform us about their sources. They are thought to be released during the core collapse of a massive stars or the merging of neutron stars. What kind of information can we get from those events? How do we detect them? What would happen if one of those "explosion" was close to the Earth? These are some of the questions we will try to answer together.
November 15, 2016, 6pm - 7pm Lusa Bakery Bistro and Bar, 1120 North Lamar Blvd, Oxford
October 2016
Arne R. Diercks (University of Southern Mississippi): Perpetual Snow - Sedimentation in the Deep Sea
Sedimentation in the deep ocean is a slow and steady supply of material to the deep sea via small particles. Once glued together by organic matrices into larger aggregates, they become a main source of energy, food and sediments in the deep sea and the seafloor. Sedimentation rates in the deep ocean are small, ranging from a fraction to a few millimeters per year in the abyssal ocean. Anthropogenic impacts can alter the sedimentation even in remote areas. Following the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico, anthropogenic oil marine aggregates that had formed in the water column near the wellhead, were deposited as an unprecedented large amount of material on the seafloor within a few months following the spill.
October 11, 2016, 6pm - 7pm Lusa Bakery Bistro and Bar, 1120 North Lamar Blvd, Oxford
September 2016
Michael Turner (University of Chicago): Einstein's Outrageous Universe: Gravitational Waves, Black Holes and the Big Bang
Dr. Michael Turner, Bruce V. & Diana M. Rauner Service Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Kavli Institute at the University of Chicago will discuss the biggest mysteries of modern cosmology. Is the universe finite or infinite? What is speeding up the expansion of the universe? Turner will present the current state of knowledge about modern cosmology, from the discovery of cosmic expansion to dark matter and dark energy.
September 13, 2016, 6pm - 7pm Lusa Bakery Bistro and Bar, 1120 North Lamar Blvd, Oxford
April 2016
Breese Quinn (University of Mississippi): Particle Physics: The Sledgehammer and the Tweezer
Particle physics is the field of research that seeks to discover and understand the most fundamental building blocks of the universe, and how they interact to form everything around us. One way to do this type of research is using the biggest machines in the world to smash particles together as hard as possible, and see what new comes out. We will take a look at the discovery of the Higgs Boson to examine this sledgehammer approach. Another method is using very sensitive tools to make high precision measurements of extremely rare processes. An introduction to the new Muon g-2 experiment will demonstrate this tweezer approach. We will discuss Ole Miss' role in both of these efforts, as well as why it all matters.
April 26, 2016, 6pm - 7pm Lusa Bakery Bistro and Bar, 1120 North Lamar Blvd, Oxford
March 2016
Joel Mobley (University of Mississippi): The Physics of MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of a broad spectrum of medical conditions. Since its clinical debut in the 1980's, it has evolved to provide a level of anatomical detail not possible with any other imaging modality, all without the focus of an ultrasound probe or the directionality of an x-ray beam. The fundamental principles at work in MRI include quantum physics, spinning tops, flipping magnets and simple patterns of bright and dark. The aim of this talk is to remove some of the mystery of how the manipulation of the weakest magnets in the atom leads to the MR image and to look at emerging medical treatments enabled by MRI.
March 22, 2016, 6pm - 7pm Lusa Bakery Bistro and Bar, 1120 North Lamar Blvd, Oxford
February 2016
Marco Cavaglià (University of Mississippi): Observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger.
On September 14, 2015 at 03:50:45 a.m. CST the two detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory simultaneously observed a transient gravitational-wave signal. The signal matches the prediction of general relativity for the coalescence of two black holes weighting about 30 Suns into a single black hole at a distance of over one billion light years from Earth. This is the first direct detection of gravitational waves and the first observation of a binary black hole merger.
February 16, 2016, 6pm - 7pm Lusa Bakery Bistro and Bar, 1120 North Lamar Blvd, Oxford
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