Fall 2024 Colloquia
October 15, 2024 – NO PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM
October 22, 2024 - Physics colloquium – title and speaker to be announced
October 29, 2024 - Michael Mooney, Colorado State University
November 5, 2024 - Physics colloquium – title and speaker to be announced
November 12, 2024 - Erica Nelson, University of Colorado
November 19, 2024 - Dave DeMille, University of Chicago
November 26, 2024 - No Physics colloquium
December 3, 2024 - PhysicsFest!
Join Mines Physics Department faculty, students, and alumni for the grad student poster session, food, and drink! Event held in CoorsTek atrium. Contact Barbara for more information (bpshellen@mines.edu).
August 20, 2024 – NO PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM
August 27, 2024 - Hazardous Waste Generator Training Refresher
September 3, 2024 - No Physics colloquium
September 10, 2024 – NO PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM
September 17, 2024 - Yulia Maximenko, Atomically Resolved Studies of Unconventional Quantum Phases in 2D Materials and Heterostructures
Yulia Maximenko
Atomically Resolved Studies of Unconventional Quantum Phases in 2D Materials and Heterostructures
Abstract: The search for novel quantum phases in 2D materials is rapidly expanding: It is driven by the interest in robust quantum anomalous Hall insulators, topological superconductivity, correlated electronic states, and fractional statistics and by the prospect of quantum simulation in solid state. Unconventional, inherently quantum behavior has been observed in layered and twisted graphene heterostructures, multilayered homo- and heterobilayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), in surface and quasi-2D layers in 3D materials, and nanopatterned devices. To progress further, the field relies on tunable systems to study phase transitions and on atomic resolution to correlate the phases with local physical and electronic properties. In this colloquium, I will showcase recent developments in the field of tunable 2D platforms, highlighting twisted moiré systems, topological 2D materials, and atomic manipulation. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has proved crucial for untangling competing quantum phases and deeply understanding the foundational elements driving their physics. Through high-resolution magnetic-field scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we have demonstrated the importance of the fine details of quantum geometry in these novel 2D platforms. Specifically, I will report on our discovery of the emergent anomalously large orbital magnetic susceptibility in twisted double bilayer graphene, along with the orbital magnetic moment. I will also discuss the potential in the field of quantum materials of combining STM, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), and stacked 2D devices. As an example, I will present STM data on a back-gateable MBE-grown thin film of the quantum spin Hall insulator WTe2.
September 24, 2024 - Corey Rae McRae, Improving the Performance of Superconducting Qubits
Corey Rae McRae
Improving the Performance of Superconducting Qubits
September 26, 2024, 11AM-12PM, Alderson Hall 368, Special Optics Seminar
October 1, 2024 - No Physics colloquium (scheduled on 10/2)
See joint event held on Wednesday, October 2
October 2, 2024 - Ren Cooper, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, Multi-Modal Sensing for Radiation Detection and Imaging
Hill Hall 203 at 4pm with Nuclear Engineering
Ren Cooper
Multi-Modal Sensing for Radiation Detection and Imaging
Abstract: The detection, identification, and localization of radiological/nuclear material in real-world environments is a key component of nuclear safety and nuclear non-proliferation efforts around the world. In this presentation, I will describe how combining radiation detection systems with contextual sensors such as video, Lidar, GPS/INS and more enables new and improved capabilities for radiation detection and imaging. I will also discuss how the integration of these multi-modal sensing systems with robotic platforms is paving the way for autonomous radiation detection, imaging, and mapping in a range of applications.
Bio: Ren Cooper is a Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) where he is the Head of the Applied Nuclear Physics Program and the Deputy Director of the Nuclear Science Division. Ren received B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees from The University of Liverpool, UK and joined LBNL in November 2011 following three years of postdoctoral research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he developed new High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors and signal processing algorithms for nuclear structure physics and neutrino double beta decay studies. Ren specializes in the development of novel radiation detection and imaging systems and algorithms for fundamental physics, nuclear safeguards, nuclear safety, and nuclear security. He currently leads research projects that include the development of new HPGe detectors, advanced technologies for vehicle-based radiation detection and imaging, radiological data fusion, and the exploration of new systems and methods for networked radiation detection.
October 4 2024 - Chipps Speaker Series
October 8, 2024 - Dennis Soldin, University of Utah, Particle Physics with Air Showers at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory
