Atoms and Molecules
Category archives for Atoms and Molecules
What’s So Interesting About Extreme Lasers?
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 30, 2011 The second in the DAMOP research categories I talked about is “Extreme Lasers,” a name I was somewhat hesitant to use, as every time I see “Extreme [noun],” I get a flash of Stephen Colbert doing air guitar. It is, however, the appropriate term, because these laser systems push the limits of what’s possible both…
What’s So Interesting About Ultracold Matter?
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 29, 2011 The first of the five categories of active research at DAMOP that I described in yesterday’s post is “Ultracold Matter.” The starting point for this category of research is laser cooling to get a gas of atoms down to microkelvin temperatures (that is, a few millionths of a degree above absolute zero. Evaporative cooling can…
What’s So Interesting About AMO Physics?
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 28, 2011 That’s the title of my slightly insane talk at the DAMOP (Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics of the American Physical Society) conference a couple of weeks ago, summarizing current topics of interest in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. I’ll re-embed the slides at the end of this post, for anyone who missed my…
DAMOP Day 3
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 17, 2011 Alternate, More-Interesting Post Title: Attack of the Vampire Physicists. I realized today that the only time I have been outside during daylight hours on this trip to Atlanta was during the brief walk down the platform to the airport entrance. This is only a little unusual for a DAMOP– the Marriott Marquis is connected to…
DAMOP Day 2
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 16, 2011 One of the odd things about going to conferences is the unpredictable difference between talks and papers. Sometimes, when you go to a talk, you just get an exact repetition of what’s in the paper; other times, you get a new angle on it, or some different visual representations that make something that previously seemed…
DAMOP Day 1
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 15, 2011 Tuesday at DAMOP was dominated by my talk. Well, in my mind, at least. I suppose people who aren’t me saw other interesting things. OK, fine, I did go to some other sessions. I would link to the abstracts, but the APS web site is having Issues this morning. In the Prize Session that always…
What’s So Interesting About AMO Physics?
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 14, 2011 That’s the title of my talk this morning at DAMOP, where I attempt the slightly insane feat of summarizing a meeting with over 1000 presentations in a single 30-minute talk. This will necessarily involve talking a little bit like the person reading the legal notices at the end of a car commercial, and a few…
ResearchBlogging by Proxy: Physics on “Coherent Light Scattering from a Two-Dimensional Mott Insulator”
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 13, 2011 You may or may not have noticed that I’ve been making a concerted effort to do more ResearchBlogging posts explaining notable recent results. I’ve been trying to get at least one per week posted, and coming fairly close to that. I’ve been pretty happy with the fake Q&A format that I’ve settled into, and while…
Undergraduate Institutions at DAMOP Reception
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 9, 2011 One of the many things I’ve been occupied with the last few weeks has been arranging a reception at next week’s Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP) meeting. I was late in asking about the possibilities for this, so it won’t make it to the printed program, which means I need to advertise…
Commanding the Power of Thor…ium: “Wigner Crystals of 229Th for Optical Excitation of the Nuclear Isomer”
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 7, 2011 I have to admit, I’m writing this one up partly because it lets me use the title reference. It’s a cool little paper, though, demonstrating the lengths that physicists will go to in pursuit of precision measurements. I’m just going to pretend I didn’t see that dorky post title, and ask what this is about.…
