Title: The Gendered History of Quantum Physics Abstract: The book Women in the History of Quantum Physics: Beyond Knabenphysik presents original analyses of the lives and work of sixteen women who, throughout the twentieth century, from various locations and in diverse ways, participated in the development of quantum physics. By focusing on lesser-known figures and…

Title: Gaia in Technicolor: Mapping Stellar Variability Through H-R Diagram Motions Abstract: Most people think of the famous H-R diagram in stellar astrophysics as being essentially static over human lifetimes, changing only on timescales of millions or billions of years. However, some pulsating stars and eclipsing binaries exhibit photometric and color variations strong enough that their…

Title: Mathematical Foundation and Extension of Statistical Mechanics Abstract:  How can simple macroscopic laws emerge from the chaotic motion of astronomically many microscopic degrees of freedom? Statistical mechanics answers this question with a mathematical structure of striking simplicity, built around entropy, Boltzmann weights, and free energy. In this colloquium, I will revisit why that structure…

Title: Rethinking Superfluorescence: A Window into Macroscopic Quantum Order Abstract: Macroscopic quantum coherence is typically associated with low temperatures, where thermal fluctuations do not rapidly destroy phase correlations. In solids, however, electronic coherence is strongly influenced by lattice dynamics, making it unclear how collective quantum states can persist at elevated temperatures.  In this talk, I…

Join us Monday, April 20nd, 3:00 pm for our annual celebration of undergraduate excellence in Physics! The poster session will begin at 3:30 in the Riddick Hearth. The formal presentation will take place in Riddick 301 beginning at 4:00. Graduating Senior Awards Wesley Doggett Award for Scholarly Achievement: Richard Patty Award for Leadership: Rodney McCormick…

Title: Making a Splash and Mixing It Up in Active Matter Abstract: Living matter, such as biological tissue, can be viewed as a nonequilibrium hierarchical assembly in which self-driven components consume energy to organize into increasingly complex structures across scales. These living, or “active-matter,” systems exhibit remarkable properties such as adaptability, self-healing, and self-organization, raising…