UofT Physics: 2021 H.L. Welsh Lectures in Physics (ONLINE)
The Welsh Lectures in Physics have been held annually since 1975 in honour of H.L. Welsh, a distinguished former faculty member in the Physics Department. They are the major public event in the life of the Department of Physics and are intended to celebrate discoveries in physics and their wider impact. They are intended to be broadly accessible to an audience drawn from across the university, other academic institutions and the interested public.
6:00pm-7:30pm
A simple model of many-particle entanglement: how it describes black holes and superconductors
Subir Sachdev, Department of Physics, Harvard University
Entanglement is the strangest feature of quantum theory, often dubbed "spooky action at a distance." Quantum entanglement can occur on a macroscopic scale with trillions of electrons, leading to new forms of matter with properties of technological importance. Related entanglement structures arise across black hole horizons, giving rise to Hawking’s information puzzle. Prof. Subir Sachdev will describe a simple model of many-particle entanglement which has shed light on these distinct fields of physics.
7:30pm-9:00pm
Nuclear recoils: little things that go bump in the dark
Juan Collar, Department Physics, University of Chicago
Some forms of radiation and in particular electrically-neutral elementary particles, often interact with matter through a subtle, peculiar mechanism very similar to the opening of a game of pool: they strike a nucleus, which recoils and in turn creates a microscopic ruckus of secondary nuclear recoils nearby. The energies involved can be at the limits of detectability for modern radiation sensors. The practical use of this mechanism of interaction goes back to the discovery of the neutron. Many recent technologies have concentrated on nuclear recoil detection, driven by an interest in exploiting these tiny cataclysms in areas at the forefront of particle physics: the search for dark matter and the miniaturization of (typically huge) neutrino detectors. Prof. Juan Collar will review this subject, looking at its past and foreseeable future.
Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Free
Reservations: Not required
Organized by: University of Toronto Department of Physics
Link: https://zoom.us/j/99474949134?pwd=UFFTYjh2NkpQNHpDZThLQkFiYWVEZz09
Webinar ID: 994 7494 9134
Passcode: 774855