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Previous Events

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

Event Name Date, Time and Host Summary
Special Colloquium: Vision for National Neutron Scattering Center at the Future NextGen MURR Reactor
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Physics 120
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Dr. Keith Cassidy
Abstract: The University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) has long been recognized as a crucial resource on the MU campus for a wide range of nuclear science and technologies. It has been a major driver for research in archaeometry, radiochemistry, analytical… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Tom Heitmann, MU Research Reactor

Supercooled liquids and glasses: a many-body perspective
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Physics Library
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Pontus Laurell
Abstract: The "glass problem" is nontrivial in a unique sense: unlike many other problems in physics, there is no established theoretical framework in which to pose it cleanly. In daily life, amorphous solids and glasses are no less (and arguably more) prevalent than… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Zohar Nussinov, Department of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis

O.M. Stewart Colloquium: How superconducting qubits work
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Physics 120
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Dr. Pavlo Sukhachov
Abstract: This talk will cover the physical principles behind the winning qubit design -- the transmon -- and its derivatives. I will review the factors that limit the qubit coherence, and the ongoing efforts to mitigate them. We will also explore… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Leonid Glazman, Yale University

Phonon Thermal Hall Effect in Quantum Materials
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Physics Library
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Dr. Pontus Laurell
Abstract: As a thermal analog of the electrical Hall effect, the thermal Hall effect has emerged as a powerful probe in detecting charge-neutral excitations in insulating materials. Phonons, unlike magnons, were long believed to be incapable of generating a thermal… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Lu Chen, Department of Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Inverting Biophysics: From Function to Ensembles
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Physics 120
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Dr. Keith Cassidy
Abstract: Most of computational biology is predicated upon the sequence → structure → function → phenotype paradigm. Thanks to artificial intelligence and the availability of data at various scales, researchers have been trying to bridge gaps between the… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Abhishek Singharoy, Arizona State University

Electrons Going Nonlinear: Second-order Corrections to Ohm’s Law in 2D Materials
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Physics Library - Room 223A
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Pavlo Sukhachov
Abstract: The history of nonlinear responses in physics is long and rich. Although they were first considered as early as 1968, only recently quadratic-in-electric-field corrections to Ohm’s law begun to regain attention. In the age of topology in condensed matter… Show more

Speaker: Dmitry V. Chichinadze, Edwin Thompson Jaynes Postdoctoral Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis

Emerging Opportunities in 2D Ferroic and Multiferroic Materials and Devices
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Physics 120
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Dr. Guang Bian
Two-dimensional (2D) layered van der Waals (vdW) ferroics (e.g., ferromagnets [1,2] and ferroelectrics [3]) are atomic-thin crystalline flatlands with long-range ferroic order. Given that these functional materials are mechanically flexible, optically transparent,… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Cheng Gong, University of Maryland

Strong Correlations in 2D Anisotropic Moiré Superlattices
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Physics Library
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Dr. Guang Bian
Abstract: Electrons in many solid materials, despite of their Coulomb interactions, can be qualitatively treated as non-interacting quasiparticles, a concept central to Fermi-liquid theory, established by Lev Landau in the 1950s. However, an increasing number of… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Pengjie Wang, Department of Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Controlling Adsorption: From Free Energy Landscapes to Materials Design
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Physics 120
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Prof. Carlos Wexler
Abstract: Phase transitions, metastability, and hysteresis in porous materials remain some of the most elusive phenomena in adsorption science — difficult to predict, and even harder to control. Yet controlling them is essential: hysteresis limits the efficiency of… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Filip Formalik, Northwestern University

Precision semiconductor technology from molecular vapors and machine learning
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Physics Library - Room 223A
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Guang Bian
This talk examines the use of deposition processes involving molecular vapors in precision control of materials for semiconductor applications. Recent work from our group has employed (1) oxidative molecular layer deposition (oMLD) to synthesize sequence-controlled… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Matthias Young, Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Missouri

Controlling quantum states in materials with light
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Physics 120
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Dr. Pontus Laurell
Abstract: Recent advances in laser technology allow for higher levels of quantum state control in materials. After a survey of recent experimental results, I will describe recent theoretical studies from my group exploring different mechanisms of quantum state… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Gregory Fiete, Northeastern University

Non-Equilibrium and Entropy-Driven Transport Physics in Multicomponent Materials under Extreme Conditions
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Physics Library 223a
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Suchi Guha
Non-Equilibrium and Entropy-Driven Transport Physics in Multicomponent Materials under Extreme Conditions  Chaochao Dun (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)Abstract: Functional stability under extreme thermal, chemical, mechanical, and irradiation… Show more

Speaker: Chaochao Dun, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Light across space and phase: creating spin-photon interfaces and probing single-photon emitters
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Physics Library 223a
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Suchi Guha
Light across space and phase: creating spin-photon interfaces and probing single-photon emitters Feng PanDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University Abstract:In quantum technologies, room-temperature photonic devices—such as quantum… Show more

Speaker: Feng Pan Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University

Novel phases and dynamics of highly frustrated quantum systems
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Physics 120
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Dr. Pontus Laurell
Abstract:
We know from everyday life that a collection of atoms organizes itself into a solid, liquid, or gas, depending on the external conditions. But how do many interacting electrons organize themselves, and collectively evolve with time? This question has… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Hitesh Changlani, Florida State University and National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Unlocking New Pathways for Translational Biophotonic Diagnostics: From Static Plasmonic and Stochastic Colloidal Assays to Quantum Polaritonic Sensing
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Physics Library - Room 223A
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Suchi Guha
Abstract: Biological systems function through intricate yet well-balanced biomolecular processes. Probing critical bioanalytes, such as protein biomarkers, therapeutic drugs, and metabolites, provides a powerful lens into human health and bioprocess performance, as… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Peng Zheng, Johns Hopkins University

SPT-selected protoclusters and the early emergence of the hot intracluster gas
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Physics 216 (Speaker online)

Speaker: Dazhi Zhou (University of British Columbia, Canada)

Tuning Charge and Ion Transport in Polymer Blends for Bioelectronic and Electrochemical Systems
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Physics Library - Room 223A
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Suchi Guha
Abstract: Functional polymers provide a versatile platform for engineering materials in which ionic, 
electronic, and mass transport can be tuned through controlled nanostructure. Yet achieving 
predictive performance in these systems requires… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Masoud Ghasemi, Penn State University

Advancing Ultrafast Optical Microscopy Imaging to Visualize Nanoscale Photophysics
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Physics Library - Room 223A
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Suchi Guha
Abstract: Key functional phenomena - from vision and photosynthesis to advanced optoelectronics and photonics - originate from ultrafast microscopic photophysical dynamics. Macroscopic properties emerge from electronic and structural evolution, often occurring on… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Elham Ghadiri, Wake Forest University

The saga of the Hall effects
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Physics Library
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Carsten Ullrich
One hundred and forty seven years after Edwin Hall's discovery of the classic effect in which an electric potential difference is generated across an electric current, different versions of the Hall effect continue to fascinate and are at the very heart of… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Giovanni Vignale, University of Missouri

Prospect of detecting supernovae at high redshifts
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Physics 216

Speaker: Prof. Haojing Yan

Electronic Correlations and Topology in 5f-electron Systems
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Physics Library
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Tom Heitmann
Abstract:
The concept of strongly correlated topological insulators is extremely attractive, not only because their surface states host massless helical carriers protected from backscattering, but because in 5f-electron systems these surface states can become more… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Krzysztof Gofryk (Idaho National Laboratory)

Emergent phases in quantum magnets: fractionalization, fragmentation and new particles
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Physics 120
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Dr. Pavlo Sukhachov
Abstract: In recent years, bilayers and moire superlattices of van der Waals materials have surfaced as new tunable quantum platforms for the realization of emergent phases. While moire-induced electronic phases have been extensively explored over the past few years… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Onur Erten, Arizona State University

What are JWST's Little Red Dots? Evidence for Young Supermassive Black Holes
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Online

Speaker: Dr. Vadim Rusakov (University of Manchester, UK)

Nobel Prize in Physics 2025: macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization
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Physics 120
Abstract: In this talk, I will provide a brief overview of the recent Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in an electric… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Pavlo Sukhachov, University of Missouri

GALEX + JWST: An investigation of star-forming galaxies in the low-z universe
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Speaker: Harold Diaz-Quiroz

Quantum Geometry: How to Picture Bound Electrons in Periodic Lattices
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Physics 120
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Dr. Pavlo Sukhachov
Abstract: The concept of quantum geometry has been at the forefront of condensed matter physics, starting from how quantized Berry curvature leads to quantized Hall conductivity, anomalous velocities in Dirac metals, or other topological responses in a growing list… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Raquel Queiroz, Columbia University

Engineering Topological Properties via Spin-Orbit Coupling
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Physics Library
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Guang Bian
In this talk, I will present our two recent studies on realizing topological properties via Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in exotic quantum materials. First, I will introduce twisted type-II Rashba homobilayers as a new platform for achieving… Show more

Speaker: Prof. Li Yang, Washington University in St Louis

A Comparative Study of Methods for Calculating the Figures of Rotating Giant Planets
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Speaker: Kishlay Singh

Photoelectron Spectroscopy and First-Principles Studies of 2D Topological Semimetals and Interfacial Topological Superconducting States
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Physics Library
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Guang Bian
Two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as a central focus in condensed matter physics since the discovery of graphene, owing to their atomic-scale confinement, mechanical flexibility, and tunable electronic structures. The interplay between reduced… Show more

Speaker: Dr. Johnson Lu, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

New Insight from the James Webb Space Telescope on Variable Active Galactic Nuclei
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Speaker: Bangzheng (Tom) Sun