Quantum Institute: Visitor Schedule

The Quantum Lunch is regularly held on Thursdays in the Theoretical Division Conference Room, TA-3, Building 123, Room 121.

The organizing committee includes Malcolm Boshier (P-21), Adolfo del Campo (T-4 & CNLS), Michael Di Rosa (C-PCS), Armin Rahmanisisan (T-4 & CNLS), Changhyun Ryu (P-21) , Nikolai Sinitsyn (T-4), Rolando Somma (T-4), Christopher Ticknor (T-1), and Wojciech Zurek (T-4).

For more information, or to nominate a speaker, contact Adolfo del Campo.

To add your name to the Quantum Lunch email list, contact Ellie Vigil.

Thursday January 23, 2014
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Speaker: Marc Smiciklas (Princeton University)

Technical Host: Malcolm Boshier

TOPIC: Atomic Physics at the South Pole: A Fundamental Test of Space-Time Symmetry

Abstract
The Standard Model of Particle Physics and General Relativity, both of which are built on the foundation of Lorentz Invariance, comprise our best understanding of the world around us. However, their incompatibility with each other has remained one of the biggest unsolved problems in Physics. Theories of Quantum Gravity which attempt to resolve this can lead to breaks in Lorentz Symmetry, thus inspiring renewed interest in the experimental search for Lorentz Violation. We develop an alkali-noble gas co-magnetometer mounted on a rotatable platform for frequent reversals in search of a background Lorentz Violating field. In recent years, our Princeton based rotating co-magnetometer has set the most stringent limits on CPT-odd and CPT-even Lorentz violating effects for fermions. During the 2012-2013 Austral Summer, we installed a Rb-21Ne based co-magnetometer at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to eliminate the gyroscopic pickup of the Earth's rotation as a major limiting background, thus enabling further improvements.