Date

Talk

Thursday
Sept 18

Sparks and Wiggles

Thomas B. Greenslade
Kenyon College

The talk will deal with the apparatus used to demonstrate the phenomena of Electrostatics and Simple Harmonic Motion in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The path from shocking discoveries to modern physics will be explored, as well as the connection between physics and art. And, there is a lot of good physics amid the history.

Thursday
Sept 25

Student Summer Research Poster Session

Union College Summer Research Students

Students will present posters about their summer research projects.

Thursday
Oct 2

No Colloquium

Thursday
Oct 9

Meteorites, Asteroids, and the Structure of the Solar Nebula

Guy Consolmagno
Vatican Observatory

A terrestrial geologist can take rock samples in the field, recognizing the stratigraphic relationship between neighboring samples, and then measure their chemical and physical properties in the lab. An analog of a stratigraphic sequence for the solar system can be found in the compositions and orbital locations of small solar system bodies, which represent the relatively unprocessed material from which the major planets were formed. Meteorites represent an invaluable resource of 'free' geological material from these small bodies that sample their mineralogy, geochemistry, and small-scale structure. Their physical properties, in particular density and porosity, can be tied to recently determined asteroid physical properties. We find that both meteorite and asteroid porosity appears to increase as one travels further from the Sun. Thus one can envision a solar nebula where distance from the sun not only controls the composition of the material accreting into planets, but the physical nature of that material.

Thursday
Oct 16

Determining ion properties with high-angular momentum Rydberg states

Erica Snow
SUNY Fredonia

As the field of atomic and molecular physics moves to cold and ultracold studies, the understanding of long-range interactions plays a significant role. Theoretical models and calculations don't necessarily have a smooth transition between short and long-range regions. Very precise measurements are required to provide necessary benchmarks to check and in many cases instigate improved theory. I will describe a method to probe ion properties based on analysis of high-angular momentum Rydberg states (states in which an electron is highly excited but still weakly bound to a positive ion core). Known as Resonant Excitation Stark Ionization Spectroscopy (RESIS), this method has proven an excellent tool in the measurement of properties of several atoms, molecules and ions. The experimental techniques and a coarse overview of the theoretical model will be presented.

Thursday
Oct 23

The Global Energy Challenge

Roel Snieder
Colorado School of Mines

A stable and sustainable energy supply is one of the major issues of this Century. World-energy demand is expected to increase by about 70% in the coming 20 years, while the production of petroleum - our main source of energy - is likely to peak in this period. The combination of rising demand and declining production of conventional oil raises the question: "What is the plan?" In the absence of a plan for a sustainable energy supply, coal and non-conventional oil are likely to become the main source of energy. These energy sources lead to much higher CO2 emissions per unit energy than than the sources currently used. Combined with the expected increase in energy use, this aggravates global warming. We face the challenge to develop a strategy to develop a sustainable energy system with acceptable environmental impact. In my presentation I give examples what one can do as a teacher, student, consumer, businessman and as a citizen to make progress towards a more sustainable energy system.

Thursday
Oct 30

Halloween Potluck

Thursday
Nov 6

Life Experiences After Union Physics: The Grad Student, the Company Employee, and the Teacher

Union Physics Alums Fatima Mahmood '06 , Peter Tomasi '00, and Chris Delano

Fatima (The Grad Student), Peter (The Company Employee), and Chris (The Teacher) will describe life after a Union Physics BS.
All students are especially encouraged to come and ask questions!