Colloquia This Term

Electrons in materials can interact in ways that lead to remarkable behaviors, from magnetism to metal–insulator transitions. Simulating these correlated dynamics is a major challenge, since they unfold across many time and length scales. In this talk, I will describe how machine learning can help overcome these barriers. By training neural networks to act as “force fields” that capture the influence of electrons on slower degrees of freedom, we can perform large-scale dynamical simulations of functional electron materials with both speed and accuracy. These simulations reveal new types of nonequilibrium relaxation processes that lie beyond conventional theories. I will also discuss recent progress in extending this framework to nonequilibrium settings, where machine learning enables us to model nonconservative forces such as spin-transfer torques that underlie spintronic devices. Finally, I will touch on how these ideas generalize to the dynamics of emergent order-parameter fields, opening new directions for the study of quantum materials.

One of the most surprising predictions of the immensely successful Standard Model of particle physics is the strict conservation of baryon number B. This seemingly accidental symmetry ensures the stability of protons and, by extension, of all matter. Simultaneously, B must be broken to explain the apparent dominance of matter over antimatter in our universe. This forces us to investigate the possibility – and necessity – of baryon number violation. In many well-motivated Standard-Model extensions, such as grand unified theories or supersymmetry, B is indeed violated, inducing a slow decay of protons. These models have dominated the theoretical and experimental investigations of baryon number violation for 50 years. In this talk, we will explore alternative signatures by carefully constructing B-violating models that have been overlooked thus far, and how they could be observed at the next generation of deep-underground detectors: JUNO, Hyper-Kamiokande, and DUNE.

The Sigma Pi Sigma Annual Physics and Astronomy Undergraduate Research Symposium highlights research carried out by undergraduate students pursuing a physics and/or an astronomy major. The poster presentations will be held from 2:30-3:30 in the Physics atrium. Eight oral presentations will be held from 3:30-4:45pm during the standard colloquium time. Faculty and graduate students are welcome to the refreshments and are invited to engage with both the poster and oral presenters. 

Please follow this link for a list of talk titles and abstracts: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H8Tfw4-Mn1X1qTr6IP0l0VgfQ-qtkosujgfDsbUg4dg/edit?usp=sharing

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