Due to unforeseen circumstances, this lecture has been cancelled. We hope to reschedule Dr. Weiss’ visit to Spring 2019.

Dr. Rainer Weiss, Professor of Physics Emeritus at MIT and 2017 Nobel Laureate, will discuss “Probing the Universe with Gravitational Waves.” The observations of gravitational waves from the mergers of compact binary sources opens a new way to learn about the universe, as well as test General Relativity in the limit of strong gravitational interactions — the dynamics of massive bodies traveling at relativistic speeds in a highly curved space-time.

Holographic Heat Engines For Fun and Profit

Abstract:   New work has shown how to complete the correspondence between the physics of black holes and the laws of thermodynamics by incorporating volume and pressure into the formalism. This results in a change in the thermodynamic interpretation of the black hole’s mass, and may give a new handle on understanding aspects of theories of gravity with non-vanishing cosmological constant. The concept of the “holographic heat engine”, where a black hole acts as the working substance for a heat engine, arises naturally in this framework, and further connects ideas from traditional thermodynamics, quantum gravity, and field theory. This talk will try to motivate and explain some of these developments and show some potential applications.

April 11 at 4:00 in Chapman Hall 201

Dr. Clifford Johnson, professor of physics & astronomy at the University of Southern California, will take us on a whirlwind tour of Black Holes, Space & Time while sharing his experiences as a science adviser to television and movies, including Marvel superhero movies. His graphic novel Dialogues: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe, will be available for sale with a book signing following questions and answers. The event will take place April 10 starting at 5:30 at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. This talk is part of the NC Science Festival and reservations available through the Morehead‘s site.

The Capra meetings have brough together relativists interested in the problem of radiation reaction in general relativity and its application to extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) as astrophysical sources of gravitational waves. This year’s meeting will be held June 19-23, 2017 at UNC.

Chapel Hill, April 27, 2016; Great Room at Top of the Hill

Cosmic phenomena, including the origin of the universe, stellar explosions on the surface of white dwarfs, and the evolution of our galaxy, cannot be understood without a proper knowledge of thermonuclear reaction rates. This CoSMS workshop is designed to build a bridge between these phenomena (big bang, classical novae, and globular clusters) and their underlying nuclear physics processes. We will pursue two specific goals: first, to initiate a new program of computing new stellar models for novae that could impact the evolution of globular clusters; second, to build a significantly improved foundation for estimating thermonuclear reaction rates. Presentations will be given by selected faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students. A poster session will accompany the scientific program.

Prof. Jordi José

Department of Physics, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona

Abstract: At the turn of the 21st Century, new tools and developments, at the crossroads of theoretical and computational astrophysics, observational astronomy, cosmochemistry, and nuclear physics, have revolutionized our understanding of the physics of stellar explosions. The use of space-borne observatories has opened new windows to study the cosmos through multifrequency observations. In parallel to the elemental stellar abundances inferred spectroscopically, cosmochemists are now providing isotopic abundance ratios from micron-sized presolar grains extracted from meteorites. Encapsulated in those grains is pristine information about the suite of nuclear processes that took place in their stellar progenitors. The dawn of supercomputing has also provided astrophysicists withe appropriate tools to study complex physical phenomena that require a multidimensional approach. Last but not least, nuclear physicists have developed new techniques to determine nuclear interactions close to stellar energies. In this talk, a number of breakthroughs from all these different disciplines will be presented, with emphasis on the physical mechanisms that operate during nova explosions.

Prof. Allen Caldwell will visit CoSMS from the Max-Planck Physics Institute in Munich to discuss the Advanced Wakefield Experiment (AWAKE).

Abstract:  New acceleration technology is mandatory for the future of high energy particle physics. A promising approach is to exploit the properties of plasmas. An experimental program has started at CERN, the AWAKE experiment, where proton bunches will be used for the first time ever to drive plasma wakefields. The information gained from this suite of experiments will provide the basis for designing next-generation accelerators. In the presentation, the ideas behind plasma wakefield acceleration will be explained, as well as the pros and cons of different approaches. The goals and status of the AWAKE experiment will then be described.

Please see the flyer here.

On March 3, 2016 CoSMS  hosted a colloquium discussing LIGO’s observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger. The talk can be viewed below.

Read about the CoSMS Institute in the UNC Department of Physics and Astronomy Spring 2015 newsletter! Also featured, Nobel Laureate Peter Higgs is presented with an honorary degree by UNC Chancellor Carol Folt.

The Institute for Cosmology, Subatomic Matter & Symmetries is partnering with the Sanford Underground Research Laboratory and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences Astronomy and Astrophysics Laboratory to bring Neutrino Day–an annual celebration of neutrino science in Lead, South Dakota–to the triangle. Join us at the Daily Planet as we venture nearly a mile underground the Homestake mine.