Previous Events

To see the upcoming events and seminars, please check the Events page.

Event Name Date, Time and Host Summary
Entangled Pauli Principles
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place
Physics 223A
group
Pavlo Sukhachov
Abstract: One of the enduring questions in the study of strongly correlated electrons is how to read the universal, long-distance physics directly from a microscopic Hamiltonian. In fractional quantum Hall systems, certain solvable models achieve this through… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Alexander Seidel, Department of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis

Gravitational Wave Astronomy: Celebrating a Decade of Discovery
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place
Physics 216

Speaker: Prof. Sergei Kopeikin

Spintronics with Antiferromagnets
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place
Physics 120
group
Dr. Pavlo Sukhachov
Abstract: Spintronics is a field of research and technology that exploits the electron’s spin—a quantum property responsible for magnetism—along with its charge, as used in conventional electronics. In spintronic devices, information can be stored, processed, and… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Evgeny Tsymbal, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Electron Transport and Topological Hall Effect in Skyrmion Crystals
event
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place
Physics Library
group
Guang Bian
Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected spin configurations that have gained enormous interest as building blocks for next-generation spintronic devices. A distinctive feature of skyrmion systems is the topological Hall effect (THE): when electrons… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Sashi Satpathy, University of Missouri

Exams with More Learning and Less Stress with a Computer-based Testing Facility
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place
Physics 120
group
Prof. Wouter Montfrooij
Abstract: Exams are an important tool for summative assessment, whose utility has only grown with the advent of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, because they can be implemented in a trustworthy manner.  But exams are generally not well liked by either… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Craig Zilles, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Multiferroic phase transitions in polar magnets
event
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place
Physics 223A
group
Tom Heitmann
Multiferroics refers to compounds where more than one ferroic order such as (anti)ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, ferroelasticity etc. coexist. The coupling between the various ferroic orders allows for cross-control of the related order parameters, the most… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Narendirakumar Narayanan, MURR

A New Population of Point-like, Narrow-line Objects Revealed by the JWST
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place
Physics 216

Speaker: Prof. Haojing Yan

From Electrons to Planets: Bridging the Scale Gap between Electronic Structure Theory and Macroscopic Systems
event
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place
Physics 120
group
Dr. Keith Cassidy
Abstract: Understanding the structure and evolution of planets requires a precise quantitative understanding of how matter behaves under extreme conditions (millions of atmospheres of pressure, thousands to millions of Kelvin).  To make progress given the dearth… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Raymond Clay, Sandia National Labs

Designer Flat Bands and Emergent Quantum Properties of Moiré Systems
event
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place
Physics 223A
group
Pontus Laurell
Moiré patterns are well known in the visual arts and textile industries—the term comes from the textured patterns seen in mohair silk fabrics. It arises whenever two periodic structures are superimposed, giving rise to new periodicities. Remarkably, applying these… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Shaffique Adam, Department of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis

The co-evolution between galaxies and dark matter halos
event
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place
Physics 216 (Speaker online)

Speaker: Prof. Aldo Rodríguez-Puebla (National Autonomous University of Mexico)

Galaxy Evolution in the Cosmic Web: from Large to Small Scales of Cosmic Ecosystems
event
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place
Physics 216 (Speaker online)

Speaker: Dr. Farhanul Hasan (STScI)

Undergraduate Summer Research Showcase
event
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place
Physics 216
Speakers (Talks)

Mathieux Harper (Supermassive Black Holes)
Ellie Dugdale (Low-mass Galaxies)
Zack Borowiak (Machine Learning Baseball)
Carter Meyerhoff (Star Formation)

Speaker: Undergraduate Students

Exploring Carrier Transport Regimes in Solids Using Transient Absorption Microscopy
event
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place
Physics 223A
group
Pontus Laurell
Transient absorption microscopy (TAM), based on femtosecond lasers, has emerged as a powerful tool for investigating the ultrafast excitation dynamics of photoexcited carriers, particularly their real-space transport properties, in solid-state materials. In this… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Hui Zhao, Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Kansas

Deep-Sky Astrophotography from a Dark Site in New Mexico
event
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place
Physics 216

Speaker: Bangzheng (Tom) Sun

Cosmic very small dust grains as a natural laboratory of mesoscopic physics
event
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place
Physics 216

Speaker: Dr. Kenji Amazaki (Tohoku University, Japan)

First-principles real-time dynamics of charge current and spin current in the study of topological & geometrical natures of condensed matter band states
event
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place
Physics Library, room 223a
group
Carsten Ullrich
First-principles real-time dynamics of charge current and spin current in the study of topological & geometrical natures of condensed matter band states Noejung Park (noejung@unist.ac.kr)Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Department… Show more

Speaker: Noejung Park

Dissertation Defense: Investigating Bursty Star Formation and Interstellar Medium Conditions in Low-Mass Galaxies
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place
Physics Library (223A)

Speaker: Teja Teppala

Computational insights into long-range charge transfer processes in redox proteins
event
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place
Physics Library, room 223a
group
Pavlo Sukhachov
 Long-range charge transfer processes - transmission of electrons and protons over long distances - play a fundamental role in cellular metabolism. In my research, I employ multi-scale computational methods to track charge transfer processes in complex… Show more

Speaker: Dear Dr. Oleksii Zdorevskyi, University of Helsinki

Bioprinting and 3D-Cell Assays Using Microgel Support Baths
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place
Physics room 223a
group
Pontus Laurell
At relatively low polymer concentrations, granular hydrogel particles, commonly called microgels, undergo a jamming transition and behave like a soft elastic solid with reversible yielding. Over the past decade, these microgel packings have been utilized as… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Christopher S. O'Bryan, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, MU

Dissertation Defense: Motion of Test Particles around a Black Hole in the Hubble Universe
event
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place
Physics Library (223A)

Speaker: Vishal Jayswal

Discovery with the computational microscope: from molecules to phenotypes
event
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place
Physics 120
group
Dr. Keith Cassidy
Abstract: The essential conundrum of modern biology, namely the question of how life emerges from myriad molecules whose behavior is governed by physical laws alone, is embodied within a single cell—the quantum of life. The rise of scientific supercomputing has… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Juan Perilla, University of Delaware

Quantum-Enhanced Sensing via Squeezed Light and On-Chip Optical Resonators
event
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place
Physics Library
group
Guang Bian
Quantum sensing enables precision measurements beyond classical limits by exploiting quantum properties such as entanglement and squeezing. These resources allow us to detect extremely weak signals—such as minute magnetic fields, subtle forces, or small phase shifts—… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Fu Li, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis

Host material incorporated into biofilm matrices has the potential to provide a pathogen-agnostic approach to treating biofilm infections.
event
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place
Physics 223A
group
Pontus Laurell
Abstract: Biofilms are aggregates of single-cell organisms that are stuck to each other by a matrix of polymer and protein. Establishment of a biofilm infection creates a reservoir of pathogens that tolerate antibiotics and evade the immune system, can prevent… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Vernita Gordon, The University of Texas at Austin

Dissertation Defense: Star-Forming Clumps and Their Host Galaxies: Insights from HST and JWST Observations
event
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place
Physics Library (223A)

Speaker: Alec Martin

Being Human in Physics; Or, the class I taught on how not to be a jerk.
event
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place
Physics 120
group
Dr. Pontus Laurell
Abstract: In 2019, the physics department at UT Austin learned that women undergraduates were leaving the physics major at roughly twice the rate of men leaving the major. Through interviews with current and former students we learned that this was largely the result… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Vernita Gordon, The University of Texas at Austin

MU Department of Physics and Astronomy Open House
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place
Physics Building First Floor
group
Yun Zhang
Computational design of optimal heterostructure materials for monoclinic Ga2O3
event
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place
Physics room 223a
group
Pontus Laurell
Ga2O3, a wide-band gap semiconductor, is of interest for high-power devices and deep-UV photodetectors. Many of these applications require the formation of heterostructures to create a conduction-band offset to confine charge carriers. This is commonly achieved… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Hartwin Peelaers, Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Kansas

Some updates of PAH in nearby galaxies and dust discovery on the Moon!
event
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place
Physics Library (223A)

Speaker: Bo Yang

Revealing the topology of Fermi-surface wave functions from magnetic quantum oscillations
event
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place
Physics 120
group
Dr. Pavlo Sukhachov
Abstract: In the quantum theory of solids, a metal is distinguished from an insulator by having a Fermi surface - a surface (in momentum space) where "the drama of the life of the electron is played out". Understanding how electrons behave on the Fermi surface is… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Aris Alexandradinata, UC Santa Cruz

Spectrum of Insight in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Moiré Superlattices
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place
Physics room 223a
group
Pontus Laurell
Abstract: Moiré superlattices in two-dimensional (2D) materials represent a highly promising platform for uncovering and controlling novel quantum phenomena. The robust excitonic responses observed in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) provide a powerful means… Show more

Speaker: Xi Wang, Department of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis