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Physics Table
Join us for Physics Table Tuesday at noon in the LDC!
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DCC Meeting
OMH 107 at noon on Thursday, February 13
If you’re on the DCC, we’ll see you there! If you aren’t on the DCC, but would like to bring something up to the department, talk to a DCC member to have them put it on the agenda!
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Interesting spring term course:
Cowling Distinguished Professor Laura Ruetsche, a Carleton alum who is now the chair of philosophy at Michigan and the author of this book will be teaching a 300-level seminar in the Philosophy department during Spring term, 2/3c.
Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics
Quantum theories are astonishingly successful…and deeply mysterious. Niels Bohr remarked that “those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it.” Richard Feynman said “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” Some quantum weirdness is unavoidable — it appears, for instance, that nature is disturbingly non-local. Other weirdnesses are features of some ways of understanding quantum mechanics but not others: indeterminism, randomness, branching worlds, surprising connections between the physical and the mental. We will examine contemporary approaches, including: Bohm’s deterministic theory, spontaneous collapse theories, and many-worlds/minds theories.Pre-reqs: a course in philosophy OR physics OR mathematics, or permission of the instructor.
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Upcoming Comps Presentation Abstracts
Marshall Basson
Wednesday, Feb 12th 2020
3:10 pm in Anderson 036Physics of a Classic Rock Album
The mixture of mechanical and electric audio processing techniques used in mid-20th century rock music recordings both transformed the aural landscape of popular music and provide unique physical insight into wave generation and signal processing. In this presentation, I investigate physical models of sound and the construction of instruments. I then discuss methods of recording and processing of audio soundwaves through the framing of rock music production, including transduction, audio effects, and sampling.
Yueheng Shi
Friday Feb 14th 2020
3:30 pm in Anderson 036Laser Cooling
Laser cooling is a groundbreaking technology that manipulates the interaction between light and atoms to decrease atoms’ temperature to nanokelvins. In 1997, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three scientists who had developed the foundations for laser cooling and since then, laser cooling has been widely implemented in laboratories around the world to explore exhilarating physics laws at a microscopic scale. I will explore the fundamental theories of light-atom interactions in both classical and quantum pictures. Additionally, I will introduce the Doppler cooling technique which harnesses Doppler effects at an atomic scale to greatly decrease the speed of atoms. A theoretical temperature limit for Doppler cooling and how experimental results violate this theory will be discussed. I’ll also demonstrate how multilevel atomic structures and polarization of light could be manipulated to further decrease the temperature of atoms. Some of laser cooling’s applications such as Bose-Einstein Condensate and quantum simulator will be discussed.
Alex Kiral
Monday, Feb 17th 2020 8:30 am in Anderson 036Quantum Hall Effect
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Work during Reunion 2020!
Reunion 2020, June 18-21! Alumni Relations is seeking a diverse group of student workers with a variety of skills and interests. They’re looking for students to work as Class Hosts, Children/Teen camp counselors, Shuttle Drivers, Reunion Photographers, Registration/Information Desk Attendants, Reunion Assistants, and Social Media Assistants.Housing is provided during Reunion. If you want to stay on campus between the end of term and Reunion, you can apply to work for a department on campus in order to purchase housing. Graduating seniors have their housing covered between commencement and Reunion.Applications are due May 1st. If you are interested and want to learn more, come to an info session on Tuesday, April 7th at 5 PM in Sayles 251.The link for the application and more information on the positions and housing is: bit.ly/workreunionIf you have questions, email amalecha@carleton.edu.