What is Research Safari?
In many past CUWiP conferences students have been offered the chance to to go on “lab tours,” meaning that they can visit research laboratories and get a sense of what it is like to work in a lab as a graduate student. However, not all physics researchers work in a lab, some are theorists, observational astronomers, or even experimentalists that spend a large percentage of their time analyzing big data and run experiments abroad. The purpose of the “Research Safari” event is to give the CUWiP attendees the opportunity to get a taste of all flavors of University physics research and not just labs, although lab tours are an option. We have given the event the name “Safari” because we are offering undergraduate students a chance to see research physicists in their natural habitat, be it the laboratory or in an office with a powerful computer.
Below you will find a list of Northwestern research professors that will be participating in the Research Safari along with a few sentences about their research taken directly from their research group websites or faculty bios. The professors are sorted by discipline and we have included a short description of each research area as well as a link to each professor’s website or faculty bio. If you are interested in attending the Research Safari please read through the following list and note which research you want to learn more about. Each student can attend up to four research showcases.
Condensed Matter Physics
Condensed matter physics is the study of materials on length scales that border the microscopic and macroscopic (larger than atoms but smaller than tennis balls). Some examples of condensed matter research areas include charge transport in semiconductors or superconductors, magnetic properties of solids, and nanometer scale electronics.
Nathaniel Stern
“The Stern Group studies quantum interactions in nano-scale photonic and spin systems. We primarily develop hybrid optical and electrical tools with spatial and temporal resolution to probe emergent quantum states in engineered photonic and material systems.”
The Stern Research Group – Quantum Nanophotonics and Magnetism
Venkat Chandrasekhar
“Our lab uses a wide range of fabrication techniques to make novel devices using normal metals, superconductors, ferromagnets, carbon nanotubes, graphene, complex oxides and a variety of two-dimensional materials. With a host of new physical phenomena only realizable at the nanoscale, mesoscopic research lies not only at the intersection of the classical and the quantum, but at the nexus of basic physics research and cutting-edge technology as well.”
Northwestern University Mesoscopic Physics Group
Jens Koch
“In our theory research, we explore the potential of superconducting circuits for quantum computation, and quantum simulation. In particular, we study interacting photons in circuit QED arrays, their nonequilibrium steady-states, dissipative phase transitions, open-system quantum simulation, and help devise new ways for enhancing quantum coherence in superconducting qubits.”
Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics
Atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics is the study of interactions between atoms as well as interactions between atoms/ molecules and light. Some examples of AMO research topics include interactions of atoms with lasers, trapping and manipulating atoms and molecules, and building atomic clocks.
Brian Odom
“We are an experimental group that works with trapped molecular ions. By laser-cooling co-trapped atomic ions, we can sympathetically cool the molecular ions to milliKelvin temperatures, where velocities and environmental interactions are reduced and where novel molecular control becomes possible. Potential applications of our research range from particle physics to chemistry to astrophysics.”
The Odom Research Group – Molecular Ion and Atom Trapping
Tamar Seideman
“We are a theoretical and numerical research group at the fascinating interface between chemistry, physics, and material sciences. Problems of specific interest include coherent control and coherence spectroscopies in isolated molecules and in dissipative media; quantum transport, current-driven dynamics and molecular machines; ultrafast nanoplasmonics and information guidance in the nanoscale; the interaction of matter with intense laser fields; and mathematical method development.”
The Seidman Research Group – Theoretical Chemistry and Physics
Tim Kovachy
“We are an experimental group that works with atom interferometers. Using ultracold atoms and advanced atom optics techniques, we can make very precise measurements of gravitational and inertial forces. We aim to apply these interferometers to gravitational physics, searches for new interactions beyond the Standard Model, and gravitational wave detection.”
The Kovachy Research Group – in the Center for Fundamental Physics
High Energy/ Particle Physics
High energy/particle physics is the study of all subatomic particles that make up matter and light. This is the branch of physics responsible for the experimental discovery of the Higgs Boson 2012 and the physics that is studied with particle colliders.
Eric Dahl
“Prof. Eric Dahl and his group build particle detectors for the direct detection of dark matter.”
Dahl Research Group – High Energy Physics Group
Mayda Velasco
“Her [Prof. Velasco’s] current research involves experimental studies of fundamental particles and their interactions using colliding particle beams. As a member of the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, she leads the effort of searches for very rare decays of the heaviest quark and the newly discovered Higgs boson.”
Andre de Gouvea
“Prof. de Gouvêa concentrates his research efforts on theoretical high-energy physics, more specifically on the phenomenology of the physics that lies beyond the standard model of particle physics.”
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy and astrophysics is the study of celestial bodies such as galaxies, planets, stars, moons, comets and so on. Common phenomena include supernovae and black holes.
Alexander (Sasha) Tchekhovskoy
“As a computational astrophysicist, I [Prof. Tchekhovskoy] focus on how black holes and neutron stars interact with their environment. They devour stars, eject relativistic jets, affect star formation and galaxy evolution, and enrich the Universe with heavy elements. To study these processes, I perform large-scale numerical simulations as well as algorithm and code development.”
More on Alexander (Sasha) Tchekhovskoy
Raffaella Margutti
“My research focuses on the biggest explosions that occur in our Universe: Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts. Both phenomena signal the catastrophic death of stars, leading to the birth of exotic compact objects like neutron stars and black holes.”
More on Raffaella Margutti
Aaron Geller
“I’m an astronomer jointly appointed at Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and the Adler Planetarium. The focus of my research is the study of gravitational dynamics, and particularly how dynamical encounters between stars influence the evolution of multiple-star systems, planetary systems, and star clusters. My tools combine detailed multi-wavelength observations (primarily optical stellar spectroscopy) with sophisticated numerical simulations.”
More on Aaron Geller
Giles Novak
“Giles Novak works in observational astrophysics and astronomical instrumentation. His research group is currently contributing to three instrumentation projects: called HAWC+, BLAST-TNG, and TolTEC. All three are aimed at key questions in star formation research: What sets the rate at which new stars and planets are born? What factors determine the masses of stars and the architectures of the associated planet-forming disks?”
Complex Systems
Complex systems are systems with many interacting components that are difficult to model theoretically due to complicated interactions within the system and between the system and its environment. Example of complex systems include the human brain and living cells.
Michelle Driscoll
“We focus on trying to understand emergent structures in a variety of soft matter systems, and how to use this structure formation as a new way to probe non-equilibrium systems. By developing a deeper understanding emergent patterns and structures, we can learn not only how these structures can be controlled, but also how to use them to connect macroscopic behavior to microscopic properties.”
Driscoll Research Group – Junction of Soft Matter Physics and Fluid Dynamics