COLLOQUIUM
Department of Physics and Astronomy
California State University, Los Angeles
Charting a Course for an Alt-Ac Career in Outreach
Dr. Abbie Stevens
CoLab Studio Program Manager, Michigan State University Museum
Whether you call it outreach, public engagement, science communication, or informal education, the path from research to this realm of alternative-academia is far from linear. In this talk, I aim to illuminate this landscape by sharing the path I took, with a focus on transitioning expertise from academic research to informal education in a museum setting. I will offer insights into navigating the challenges and opportunities of an alt-ac career in outreach, ideas for designing engaging outreach programs, and some practical advice for communicating complex scientific concepts effectively. Ultimately, this talk aims to empower aspiring science communicators to embark on fulfilling careers that enrich public understanding of science, and to encourage everyone to foster a deeper connection between science and society.
Thursday, May 2, 3:05 - 4:20 PM
Zoom Link: https://calstatela.zoom.us/j/89996602860
UNDERGRADUATE HONORS TALK
Resolving the Pseudogap in the Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3O7-δ system
Francisco Canales
B.S. in Physics Undergraduate, Cal State LA
The mechanism underlying high-temperature superconductivity (HTS) has remained a mystery for over 30 years. One of the main reasons that HTS has remained an enigma is the complexity of competing orders within the cuprate system. These competing orders are close in energy and are dependent on doping thus any theory hoping to solve the problem of HTS is constrained by these competing orders. The obvious first step in solving the HTS problem is to tackle each of these competing orders, since describing the mechanism behind orders like the pseudogap will help us better understand the mechanism behind HTS. In this study, we focus on synthesizing polycrystalline samples of Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3O7-δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.40, δ ≈ 0) to better understand the mechanism behind the pseudogap in High Tc Cuprates. Analysis via X-ray diffraction confirms the nearly single-phase nature of the samples. Samples were subjected to resistance measurements over the temperature range of 10 K to 300 K. The obtained critical temperature (Tc) values align well with existing literature. Employing a linear fit method, we investigate deviations from linearity in the resistance-temperature data, particularly in the high-temperature regime, marking the onset temperature of these deviations as the pseudogap temperature (T*). The values of T* obtained align closely with those observed in thin film samples with analogous doping levels, as reported by our collaborators. This study culminates in an updated phase diagram delineating the influence of Praseodymium doping on the system. These findings contribute to our understanding of the pseudogap phenomenon and its manifestation in high-temperature superconductors, offering insights crucial for future research endeavors in this field.
Friday, May 3, 2024
Zoom Link: https://calstatela.zoom.us/j/85613469378
Login: 1:55 PM, Talk: 2:00 PM
Spring 2024 Department of Physics and Astronomy Colloquium Schedule
(All talks presented via Zoom unless otherwise stated. This schedule will be updated throughout the semester.)
- January 25: no colloquium
- February 1: Dr. Charlotte Olsen, CUNY City Tech, "Exploring the role of environment on galaxy evolution through galaxy star formation histories"
- February 8: Dr. Al-Amin Dhirani, University of Toronto, "Quantum “nanoengineered” materials using a building-block approach"
- February 15: Dr. Amruta Jaodand, Harvard & Smithsonian, "The Enigmatic Transitional Millisecond Pulsars"
- February 22: Dr. Katy Rodriguez Wimberly, CSU San Bernardino, "Ultra–faint Dwarf Galaxies: Their Evolutionary Histories & Galactic Correlations," in-person
- February 29: Dr. Joanna Piotrowska, Caltech, "Putting Breaks on Star formation in Galaxies: The Cosmological Impact of Supermassive Black Holes," in-person
- March 7: Physics & Astronomy Career Panel featuring Dr. Margaret Lazzarini, Carl Heft, Carey Weisberg, C.J. Salgado, and Bing Jiang, in-person & Zoom
- March 14: Dr. Natalie Nicole Sanchez, Carnegie Observatories and Caltech, "Connecting Cosmic Gas Flows, Supermassive Black Hole Growth, and Galactic Evolution," in-person
- March 21: Dr. Francisco Mercado, Pomona College and Caltech, "Nature vs. Nurture: How internal and external processes shape galactic interiors," in-person
- March 28: Dr. Cliff Johnson, Northwestern University and Adler Planetarium, "The Universe and the Zooniverse: Exploring the Cosmos with Millions of Citizen Scientists"
- April 4: Spring Break, no colloquium
- April 11: Dr. Ashmeet Singh, Whitman College, "A Quantum Fueled Universe: Toolkit for Scalar Fields in Universes with Finite-Dimensional Hilbert Spaces"
- April 18: Undergraduate Honors Talks featuring Jordan O'Kelley, "Simulating Organic Molecules in the Protostellar Disk to Understand the Origins of Life," and Cristian Reynaga Gonzalez, "Thermal Decomposition of Nickel(II) Tetraphenylporphyrin: Core-Shell Nanoparticle Synthesis, Characterization, and Magnetic Properties," in-person
- April 25: Dr. Sean Pike, UC San Diego, "The Compton Spectrometer and Imager: Principles of Compton Telescopes and Effects of Radiation Damage on Energy Reconstruction" (cancelled)
- May 2: Dr. Abbie Stevens, Michigan State University, "Charting a Course for an Alt-Ac Career in Outreach"
- May 3: Undergraduate Honors Talk featuring Francisco Canales, "Resolving the Pseudogap in the Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3O7-δ system"