Department of Physics & Astronomy
Welcome!
Our department is driven by an engaged faculty pursuing fundamental research and eager to develop the next generation of scientists.
Our physicists helped put our state on the periodic table, study multi-messenger astronomy and explosive stellar events, and search for new physics at CERN. They describe the properties of nuclei and neutrons and test the limits of superconductivity with new models and novel materials. They merge physics and biology at the cellular level with lab-on-a-chip devices. They’re building an interdisciplinary approach to lead transformative research on quantum materials and devices, information science, and artificial intelligence.
Our students have a breadth of research opportunities on campus, at nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and at facilities all over the world to set them on the path to promising careers.
Colloquium Schedule
Majorana Zero Modes and Topological Quantum Computation: What, Why, How, When?
November 18, 2024
Speaker: Sankar Das Sarma, University of Maryland
Host: Ruixing Zhang
Abstract
Topological quantum computing involves using non-Abelian Majorana zero modes for carrying out error-free fault-tolerant quantum computing. This is the preferred quantum computing platform of Microsoft. I will discuss the current status of the search for non-Abelian Majorana zero modes in solid state systems, discussing both theory and experiment. I will also provide my personal prognosis on what the future holds for the subject.
No Colloquium
November 25, 2024
From Chirps to Gold: Nuclear Astrophysics with Colliding Neutron Stars
December 2, 2024
Speaker: Francois Foucart, University of New Hampshire
Host: Sherwood Richers
Abstract
The collision of extremely dense objects such as neutron stars and black holes provides us with a remarkable laboratory to study the laws of physics in extreme environment. Through the study of merging neutron stars, we learn about gravity, the properties of dense matter, the formation of heavy nuclei (gold, platinum, uranium) and neutrino physics. In this talk, I will review the physical processes at play in neutron star mergers and discuss what numerical simulations of colliding neutron stars tell us about the ways in which these systems can be used to better understand cold nuclear matter and astrophysical nucleosynthesis.
