IFT Fellesseminar
Hovedinnhold
Fellesseminarene på IFT skal dekke et vidt spektrum av relevante temaer innen forskning og undervisning i fysikk. Seminarene er åpne for studenter og ansatte på IFT. Seminarene avholdes vanligvis på utvalgte fredager kl 14:15 i Auditorium B (Allégaten 66). Det er mingling med kaffe og noe søtt 15 minutter før seminaret starter
The joint seminars at IFT cover a wide spectrum of relevant topics within research and teaching in physics. The seminars are open to students and staff at the department. The seminars are usually held on selected Fridays at 14:15 in Auditorium B (Allégaten 66). There is mingling with coffee and something sweet 15 minutes before the seminar start.
2024
23. august – What We Can Learn from Algorithms: Insights from Parameterized Complexity
Abstract: In this talk, we’ll look at a few problems that seem simple at first but turn out to be surprisingly complex. We’ll focus on two real-world problems, examining them both from a traditional view and through the lens of parameterized complexity. We’ll discuss what makes a problem "easy" or "hard" and how algorithms can show us when brutef orce is the only option. We’ll also see how parameterized complexity can provide efficient algorithms that are exponential only in a small parameter, making them practical to use. This approach helps us better understand and solve tough computational problems.
13. september – CERN 70 år mini-symposium
See mini-symposium program here.
25. oktober – The Importance of Laboratory Instruction in Physics
Abstract: As laboratory instruction comes under increasing pressures due to budgetary issues and overfilled curricula, how do we justify the time and expense of laboratory instruction? Often, the justification is rather tautological: physics is an experimental subject, so physics students must do experiments. While this is true, it is not sufficient. I will discuss what I think are better justifications of laboratories in the physics curricula together with some examples of how one can transform traditional laboratory exercises into genuine scientific investigations.
1. november – Diffraction of atomic matter waves through crystalline materials
Abstract: Matter-wave diffraction is widely used for precision measurements, in fundamental sciences, and materials research. For investigating materials in transmission, both electron and neutron diffraction are common and well-established solutions. However, there are some limitations, for instance, in the study of radiation-sensitive materials. To overcome these, we aim to complement these techniques by coherent diffraction of atomic matter waves through crystalline materials [1]. Within this talk, we show first experimental results. Using atoms with a kinetic energy in the keV-range, we observe detailed patterns that result from interaction with the natural lattice of the crystalline gratings. This observation is remarkable as the atoms have sufficient energy to excite the membrane, which is expected to lead to decoherence and thus prevent coherent diffraction. We will discuss possible applications in the fields of materials research and fundamental science.
[1] Brand et al., New J. Phys. 21, 033004 (2019)
