Prof. Daniel Kleppner from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and recipient of the 2017 APS Medal for Exceptional Achievement in Research, will present a talk entitled “Three Seeds in the Flowering of Quantum Science,” April 10 at 2pm.

Prof. John Lattanzio, from the School of Physics and Astronomy at Monash University, Victoria, Australia, will give a colloquium about data from the Kepler spacecraft.

Has Kepler Found Aliens?

Abstract:  The Kepler spacecraft has revolutionized the search for exo-planets and provided asteroseismology data for thousands of stars. But it probably gathered more publicity from observations of one single star. This star does not look like anything predicted – with one exception: It looks very much like predictions made for the signature alien megastructures around a star. In this talk I review the Kepler data for this star and look at possible explanations.

See flyer here

A Light refreshments will be served on the 3rd floor of Chapman from 3:30pm.

Colloquium at 4pm in Chapman Hall 125.

A reception will be held at 5pm outside of Chapman Hall 125.

Prof. Mark Hannam, from the School of Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University, will give a talk on

Numerical Relativity and the Future of Gravitational-Wave Astronomy

Abstract:  Gravitational waves have been directly detected for the first time, from the collision of two black holes. Measuring the properties of the black holes (their masses and spins) required theoretical models of the signal, calculated by combining analytic approximation techniques with numerical solutions of the full Einstein equations for the last orbits and merger. I will discuss how the models were produced that were used in measuring the properties of the first black-hole-binary observed, and the challenges ahead as we enter the era of gravitational wave astronomy.

See flyer here

This talk follows a UNC Astrophysics lecture by Dr. Subinoy Das of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, “Astrophysical Small Scale Signatures of Non-WIMP Dark Matter” in 277 from 3-4pm.

A reception will be held at 5pm in Phillips 277.