High Energy Theory Seminar: "A Toy Model of Axion Gauge Field Inflation"

Robert Caldwell (Dartmouth College)
David Rittenhouse Laboratory, 2N36

We present a toy model of an axion gauge field inflation scenario that yields viable density and gravitational wave spectra. The scenario consists of an axionic inflaton in a steep potential that is effectively…



*Special Condensed Matter Seminar*: "Self-organization and Self-assembly in Bio-molecular Systems"

Prof. Erwin Frey (University of Munich)
David Rittenhouse Laboratory, A2

Active matter is a fascinating new field in soft matter physics aiming to understand how interacting active particles self-organize into an intriguing set of patterns and collective non-equilibrium states.…



Dissertation Defense: "Singlet Oxygen Dosimetry for Pleural Photodynamic Therapy"

Michele Kim (U of Penn)
- LRSM, Reading Room



Physics Department Colloquium: "Cal-Bridge and CAMPARE/CHAMP: Engaging Underrepresented Students in Physics and Astronomy"

Alex Rudolph (Cal Poly Pomona) hosted by: James Aguirre
- David Rittenhouse Laboratory - A8

The level of participation by underrepresented minority (URM) and female students in physics and astronomy PhD programs is shamefully low (2-4% for URM v. 30% in the general population; 20% for women v. 50% in the…



Dissertation Defense: "Rate and State Friction Laws for Interfacial Chemical Bond-induced Friction at the Nanoscale"

Kaiwen (Kevin) Tian (U of Penn)
- David Rittenhouse Laboratory, 3W2



HET & HEE Joint Seminar: "Digging Deeper for New Physics in the LHC Data"

David Shih (Rutgers University)
Center for Particle Cosmology



PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY CAREER SEMINAR: 10 Essential Steps to Successful Job Hunting for Physics PhD Students

Dr. Joseph Barber, Senior Associate Director (Penn Career Services)
David Rittenhouse Laboratory, 3W2

Whether you are applying for faculty positions or for jobs in the broad range of other industries/fields that value a STEM PhD, there is plenty you can and should be doing throughout your PhD to position yourself for…



Condensed Matter Seminar: "The Case for an Exciton Metal in Bilayer Graphene"

Michael Zaletel (Princeton University)
- David Rittenhouse Laboratory, A4

Graphene based heterostructures have emerged as a pristine platform for exploring the interplay of symmetry, topology and non-Abelian excitations in the quantum Hall regime. I will begin with a theoretical review of…



High Energy Theory Seminar: (TBA)

Mukund Rangamani (UC Davis)
David Rittenhouse Laboratory, 2N36



Joint Mathematics & Physics Seminar: 6D SCFTs and Group Theory

Tom Rudelius (IAS)
David Rittenhouse Laboratory, 4C2

Certain classes of superconformal field theories in six dimensions (6D SCFTs) are in one-to-one correspondence with certain classes of group homomorphisms.  In this talk, we will see that this correspondence allows…