WHAT: University of Nebraska at Kearney Science Café
HOSTED BY: Sigma Xi The Scientific Research Society
TITLE: “Cold Atomic Gases & Harmonic Oscillators”
SPEAKER: Jeremy Armstrong, assistant professor in UNK’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.
BIO: Armstrong received his bachelor of science degree from Santa Clara University, where he majored in chemistry and physics. He earned his Ph.D. in theoretical nuclear physics from Michigan State University, where he wrote his dissertation about a theoretical study of the halo nucleus, helium-6. He then did a post-doctoral at Lund University, Sweden, where he switched fields from nuclear physics to cold atomic gases. He continued his work on cold gases at Aarhus University, Denmark. After four years in Europe, he returned to the United States and worked as a visiting professor at Winona State University in Minnesota for four years.
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
DATE: Monday, Jan. 29
PLACE: The Loft, Cunningham’s Journal, 15 W. 23rd St., Kearney
QUOTE: “Since the laboratory realization of Bose-Einstein condensation in 1995, cold atomic gases have been an exciting area of research,” said Armstrong. “We adapt the harmonic oscillator to cold atom systems. The quantum harmonic oscillator is both one of the first textbook examples of quantum mechanics and a widely employed theoretical tool. We use matrix diagonalization to solve the coupled harmonic oscillator equation. This talk will look at our application to a system of layers of cold, dipolar molecules. We calculate energies, normal modes and discuss how to improve the treatment of repulsive forces in this system.”
CONTACT: Allen A. Thomas, assistant professor of chemistry, 308.865.8452, thomasaa@unk.edu
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Writer: Todd Gottula, Director of Communications, 308.865.8454, gottulatm@unk.edu
Source: Allen A. Thomas, assistant professor of chemistry, 308.865.8452, thomasaa@unk.edu
