Bulletin of the American Physical Society
20th Annual Meeting of the APS Northwest Section
Volume 64, Number 9
Thursday–Saturday, May 16–18, 2019; Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington
Session B1: Plenary Session I |
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Chair: Ruprecht Machleidt, University of Idaho Room: Old Main Theater |
Friday, May 17, 2019 8:00AM - 8:10AM |
B1.00001: Welcome Reception |
Friday, May 17, 2019 8:10AM - 8:45AM |
B1.00002: Probing Physics Beyond the Standard Model with ab initio Nuclear Theory Invited Speaker: Jason Holt Long considered a phenomenological field, breakthroughs in many-body methods together with our treatment of nuclear and electroweak forces are rapidly transforming modern nuclear theory into a true first-principles, or ab initio, discipline. In this talk I will discuss recent advances which expand the scope of such calculations to essentially all properties of light, medium-mass nuclei and beyond. When based on consistently derived two- and three-nucleon forces, this allows first predictions of the limits of nuclear existence and the evolution of magic numbers far from stability. In particular I will focus on recent extensions to fundamental problems in nuclear-weak physics, including a proposed solution of the long- standing quenching puzzle in beta decays, calculations of neutrinoless double-beta decay for determining neutrino masses, and WIMP-nucleus scattering cross sections relevant for dark matter direct detection searches. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 17, 2019 8:45AM - 9:20AM |
B1.00003: Quantum defects in solids for quantum information networks Invited Speaker: Kai-Mei Fu Defects in crystals are leading qubit candidates for quantum entanglement networks, but progress in developing practical devices depends on the feasibility of device integration. We introduce our photonics platform which integrates near-surface nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond into gallium phosphide (GaP) photonic circuits for photon-mediated spin-spin entanglement. We present our results in efficient single photon collection and routing, quantum emitter frequency control, and frequency conversion as well as paths forward which may include adopting new defect platforms. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 17, 2019 9:20AM - 9:55AM |
B1.00004: An online HW-based intervention to promote proportional reasoning facility in physics contexts Invited Speaker: Andrew Boudreaux A hallmark of physics is mathematization, the use of mathematics to describe and support insights into physical phenomena. Proportional reasoning is foundational for mathematization – physicists use ratio quantities to characterize systems and describe processes. Unlike experts, students may struggle to interpret ratios in context or construct ratio measures from given values. These students may be overwhelmed by the rapid succession of ratio and product quantities introduced in a physics course. After speed at the beginning of mechanics, students are faced with acceleration, spring constant, momentum, angular velocity, electric field, and so on – about 100 new ratio and product quantities over a year-long course. Instead of making physical sense of these quantities, students may revert to algorithmic manipulation as a survival strategy. This talk describes common difficulties with ratio reasoning, as well as an intervention intended to promote facility. The intervention, implemented in introductory mechanics, consists of three online sessions in which students practice with feedback on a variety of modes of reasoning about ratio quantities in physics contexts. Pre- and post-course assessments will be presented as evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 17, 2019 9:55AM - 10:25AM |
B1.00005: Break |
Friday, May 17, 2019 10:25AM - 11:00AM |
B1.00006: Progress in Fusion Invited Speaker: Michael Delage In the face of climate change, fusion has the potential to provide clean, safe, economically viable, and on-demand energy, that could help address the world's energy needs. Paired with renewables and energy storage, a 100\% zero-carbon grid could become economically feasible, creating a practical energy mix that dramatically reduces emissions. Traditionally, fusion research has taken place inside the domain of national laboratories and multi-national government projects. Private companies, including General Fusion, are now exploring solutions to fusion energy across a wide range of previously unexplored plasma parameters. Building on decades of plasma physics research, private companies are now turning to technologies which may offer a more rapid pathway to commercially-viable fusion systems. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, May 17, 2019 11:00AM - 11:35AM |
B1.00007: The role of interfacial electronic landscapes in converting light to charge in organic photovoltaic materials Invited Speaker: Sarah Burke Organic semiconductors offer advantages for photovoltaic devices, yet their entry into the clean energy market has been limited to niche applications, largely hampered by low efficiencies compared to competing technologies. As excitonic solar cells, the generation of electrical energy occurs only when the optically generated bound electron-hole pair is separated into free charges, usually at an interface between an acceptor and donor material. This energetic landscape at interfaces drives exciton separation but also gives rise to loss pathways and is crucial to device function: the interface is the device. To gain a molecular-scale picture of the energetic landscapes that drive charge separation at organic heterojunctions, we have applied low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy to determine the local structure and energy level alignment at interfaces. By examining a variety of interface types and morphologies, we have found that the energies relevant for charge separation and transport are dramatically influenced by the local molecular structure and surroundings. I will describe our work on these different types of junctions and the influence of the local electrostatic environment on these energetic landscapes. [Preview Abstract] |
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