Mathematical Physics
Seminar
March Schedule
Please join us for cookies and coffee in Hill 705
kitchen at 11:40am every Thursday before each seminar
Speaker: Kevin Jensen, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, University of Maryland
Date/Time/Place: Thursday, March 6, 2008 @ 12:00pm Hill 705
Title: Electron Emission Models and Applications
Abstract: High brightness, high current, and/or rugged electron
sources are sought for many applications used in basic physics
research as well as commercial and military devices. In this talk,
the fundamental basics required to understand how electrons may be
emitted from the surface of materials, on what parameters the emission
depends, and what the metrics are for judging beam quality, is
presented. A methodology that is suitable to derive the three
canonical equations of electron emission physics is given.
Speaker: Detlev Buchholz, Institute for Theoretical Physics,
Goettingen University, Germany
Date/Time/Place: Thursday, March 13, 2008 @ 12:00pm Hill 705
Title: Hot Bangs and the Arrow of Time: Local Equilibrium States
in Relativistic Quantum Field Theory
Abstract: Relativistic quantum field theory is the appropriate
formalism for the description of a multitude of physical systems,
ranging from elementary particles up to macroscopic features of our
universe, such as the thermal background radiation. In the present
talk an approach is reviewed which allows one to characterize and
analyze within this microscopic setting all states describing local
equilibrium situations. So far the method has been applied to several
basic models where comprehensive information on the macroscopic
space-time patterns of the local equilibrium states could be
established -- including transport equations and new types of singularity theorems. According to the latter, temperature singularities (hot bangs) must be present in local equilibrium states under quite general conditions. Moreover, the time direction can be read off from the spacetime structure of such states.
THERE WILL BE A BROWN BAG LUNCH FROM 1:00-2:00PM. PLEASE JOIN US
Speaker: Ward Struyve, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical
Physics, Canada
Date/Place/Time: Thursday, March 13, 2008 @ 2:00pm Hill 705
Title: Bohmian mechanics and quantum equilibrium
Abstract: In Bohmian mechanics systems of particles are not only
described by their wavefunctions, as in standard quantum theory, but
also by the positions of the particles. The wavefunction plays a role
in the dynamics of the particles. Bohmian mechanics reproduces the
predictions of standard quantum theory provided that the particles
have a special distribution, namely the "quantum equilibrium
distribution". From the point of view of Bohmian mechanics standard
quantum theory is merely an effective theory, describing the physics
of equilibrium. In this talk I want to present an overview of
explanations and justifications of quantum equilibrium. In particular
I want to report on a recent result, obtained with Shelly Goldstein,
on the uniqueness of quantum equilibrium.
There will be no seminar on Thursday March 20 (Spring Break)
Speaker: Robert Pego, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh,
PA
Date/Time/Place: Thursday, March 27, 2008 @ 12:00pm Hill 705
Title: Scaling dynamics in solvable models of coagulation
Abstract: We study limiting behavior of rescaled size
distributions in several models of clustering or coagulation dynamics,
`solvable' in the sense that the Laplace transform converts them into
nonlinear PDE. The dynamic scaling analysis that emerges has many
connections with the classical limit theorems of probability theory,
and a surprising application to the study of shock clustering in the
inviscid Burgers equation with random-walk initial data. This is joint
work with Govind Menon (Brown).
THERE WILL BE A BROWN BAG LUNCH FROM 1:00-2:00PM. PLEASE JOIN US
Speaker: Michael Loss, Georgia Tech, GA
Date/Time/Place: Thursday, March 27, 2008 @ 2:00pm Hill 705
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA