Lapham 160

"Detectable Changes in Astronomy"
Federica Bianco, Center for Cosmology & Particle Physics, Center for Urban Science & Progress, NYU
The way we do science in general, and astronomy in particular, is changing rapidly. I will talk about the future of astronomy at the verge of the LSST survey. As the (newly elected) LSST Science Collaborations Coordinator, I will discuss how the whole science community is preparing for this revolution: the largest astronomical survey ever planned, which starting in 2022 will image the entire southern hemisphere sky once every 3 nights to depth and spatial resolution that approach that of the Hubble Space Telescope.

"Topologically Protected Fermi Surfaces"
Daniel Agterberg, UW-Milawukee Department of Physics
The recent rapid development in understanding quantum materials has been shaped by the concept of topological stability: topology ensures robustness of physical properties even when the underlying interactions change substantially

"Scaling Down the Laws of Thermodynamics"
Christopher Jarzynski, University of Maryland - College Park
Thermodynamics provides a robust conceptual framework and set of laws that govern the exchange of energy and matter. Although these laws were originally articulated for macroscopic objects, it is hard to deny that nanoscale systems, as well, often exhibit “thermodynamic-like” behavior. To what extent can the venerable laws of thermodynamics be scaled down to apply to individual microscopic systems, and what new features emerge at the nanoscale?

"Cosmology, Cell Phones & Video Games: Mapping Dark Energy with CHIME"
Keith Vanderlinde, University of Toronto
Among the great surprises of modern cosmology was the discovery of Dark Energy, which dominates the energy budget of the Universe and is driving the acceleration of its expansion rate . . .

"Atomic Scale Imaging of Molecular Dynamics" Martin Centurion, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Physics Understanding and controlling conversion of light into mechanical and chemical energy at the molecular level can have an impact across many fields, from biology to solar …

The Local Black Hole Occupation Fraction

"All That Glitters is Not Necessarily Gold: the accurate identification of metals in metalloproteins and post X-ray diffraction structural remediation"

Homotransfer FRET Sensors for Biological Exploration

Quasar Absorption Lines: From Reionization to Dark Matter George Becker, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, UC-Riverside Absorption patterns in the spectra of distant quasars are one of our most powerful probes of cosmic structure. The rich “forest” of lines produced …