The second in the DAMOP research categories I talked about is “Extreme Lasers,” a name I was somewhat hesitant to use, as every time I see “Extreme [noun],” I get a flash of Stephen Colbert doing air guitar. It is, however, the appropriate term, because these laser systems push the limits of what’s possible both… Continue reading What’s So Interesting About Extreme Lasers?
Category: Physics
What’s So Interesting About Ultracold Matter?
The first of the five categories of active research at DAMOP that I described in yesterday’s post is “Ultracold Matter.” The starting point for this category of research is laser cooling to get a gas of atoms down to microkelvin temperatures (that is, a few millionths of a degree above absolute zero. Evaporative cooling can… Continue reading What’s So Interesting About Ultracold Matter?
What’s So Interesting About AMO Physics?
That’s the title of my slightly insane talk at the DAMOP (Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics of the American Physical Society) conference a couple of weeks ago, summarizing current topics of interest in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. I’ll re-embed the slides at the end of this post, for anyone who missed my… Continue reading What’s So Interesting About AMO Physics?
Emmy in Ink and Pixels
“Hey, Dude, what’cha doin’?” “I’m checking out the dog drawings I commissioned for the book-in-progress. Here, take a look:” “Hey, wait just one minute. That looks like me!” “That’s the idea. Since you’re in the book, I thought it would be nice to have some pictures that look like you, rather than just a clip-art… Continue reading Emmy in Ink and Pixels
Non-Famous Non-Fiction
I kicked off the week with a grumpy post about the Guardian’s flawed list of great non-fiction, so let’s end the week with a slightly more upbeat take on the same basic idea. The New York Times did a slightly lighter list, asking their staff to pick favorite nonfiction. The lack of consensus is pretty… Continue reading Non-Famous Non-Fiction
The Bat Diet: Live Longer Through General Relativity
A scientific theory hasn’t really arrived until the cynical and unscrupulous find a way to use it to extract money from the credulous and gullible. This has posed a significant obstacle for general relativity, dealing as it does with gravity, which requires really gigantic masses to produce measurable effects. That makes it a little difficult… Continue reading The Bat Diet: Live Longer Through General Relativity
PNAS: Carl Knutson, Online Education Developer
(This post is part of the new round of interviews of non-academic scientists, giving the responses of Carl Knutson, who works for a company making online learning systems. The goal is to provide some additional information for science students thinking about their fiuture careers, describing options beyond the assumed default Ph.D.–post-doc–academic-job track.) 1) What is… Continue reading PNAS: Carl Knutson, Online Education Developer
Science, Statistics and the Supernatural
Josh Rosenau has a post about the supernatural, spinning off recent posts about a recent Calamities of Nature webcomic. Josh makes a point that I think is valid but subtle: The issue with the supernatural is not whether it’s part of the universe, but whether it is bound by the same laws as all the… Continue reading Science, Statistics and the Supernatural
I’ll Take “Hobbies Less Acceptable Than Blogging” for $1000, Alex
Via Inside Higher Ed, a professor in New Jersey took the whole social media thing to the next level: A Fairleigh Dickinson University physics professor is in custody for allegedly running a prostitution website involving about 200 women and more than 1,200 johns, police said Monday. David Flory of New York City, who teaches on… Continue reading I’ll Take “Hobbies Less Acceptable Than Blogging” for $1000, Alex
DAMOP Day 3
Alternate, More-Interesting Post Title: Attack of the Vampire Physicists. I realized today that the only time I have been outside during daylight hours on this trip to Atlanta was during the brief walk down the platform to the airport entrance. This is only a little unusual for a DAMOP– the Marriott Marquis is connected to… Continue reading DAMOP Day 3