Title: The Origin of the Heaviest Elements Abstract: Understanding the origin of the elements remains one of the major challenges of modern astrophysics. I will introduce some of the open questions in the field and present several major advances from recent years. These advances include measuring the most complete heavy element chemical inventory beyond the…
Title: The Long Wait for T Coronae Borealis - How Nuclear Physics Informs Our Understanding of Astrophysical Phenomena Abstract: Classical novae are the result of hydrogen-rich matter exploding on the surface of a white dwarf. That matter is accreted from a nearby companion star in a binary system, building a dense layer that eventually explodes…
Title: Microscopic Insights into the Mechanics of Granular Materials Abstract: The widespread occurrence of granular materials in nature (like soil and beach sand) and industries (such as cement and pharmaceuticals) has spurred extensive research into their mechanical behavior. Key phenomena, such as stress saturation with depth, rate-independent shear stress, and large stress fluctuations, are well documented. Our study, based on…
Title: Connecting Molecules and Forces with Rings and Loops Abstract: Animal cell shape is dictated by the actomyosin cytoskeleton, including the membrane-apposed cortex. The molecular parts list of the cortex is well-characterized, and included the dynamic F-actin polymers, myosin family motor proteins, and myriad non-motor crosslinkers that scaffold the cytoskeleton, the membrane, and regulatory proteins.…
Title: Photothermal Heating with Nanoparticles: Enhancing Electrical Conductivity in Composites and Water Vapor Formation in Hydrogels Abstract: Photothermal heating is the conversion of light into heat. When nanoparticles are embedded in materials, we are able to precisely control localized heating in a sample using photothermal heating of the nanoparticles. We use this heating in two areas…
Development of a solid deuterium UCN source and associated components for studies of systematic effects in nEDM measurements
Experimental Studies of 24Mg States and Their Impact on Nucleosynthesis in Globular Clusters
Title: A New Generation of Millimeter and Submillimeter Observations for Cosmology and Astrophysics Abstract: In our exciting era of experimental cosmology, rapid developments in instrumentation and highly sensitive superconducting detectors have provided a wealth of arcminute-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. These measurements are transforming our understanding of the evolution of our cosmos. I will…
Photothermal heating with nanoparticles: enhancing electrical conductivity in composites and water vapor formation in hydrogels