Events During the Week of April 5th through April 12th, 2026
Sunday, April 5th, 2026
- Academic Calendar
- Spring Recess
- Abstract: *Note: actual end time may vary.* March 28-April 5. CONTACT: admin@secfac.wisc.edu
Monday, April 6th, 2026
- Academic Calendar
- Classes Resume
- Abstract: *Note: actual end time may vary.* CONTACT: admin@secfac.wisc.edu
- Plasma Physics (Physics/ECE/NE 922) Seminar
- Explosive Instability in Fusion and Astrophysical Plasmas
- Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
- Place: Engineering Hall - 1227
- Speaker: Professor Steven Cowley, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
- Abstract: Magnetized plasmas—whether in nature or in the laboratory—often undergo sudden, dramatic eruptions that release large amounts of energy and disrupt confinement. Edge localized modes (ELMs) in Tokamaks are a good example. Why some plasmas erupt while others remain limited by turbulence is still not fully understood. In this talk, I will examine the instability mechanisms that drive eruptive behavior and show that many plasmas are metastable, i.e. stable to small perturbations but unstable to large perturbations. When triggered, this metastable state can lead to explosive events. I will highlight how this phenomenon manifests in both edge localized modes in fusion devices and in solar flares. Following such eruptions, the plasma must settle into a new equilibrium. I will present key examples where these relaxed equilibrium states can be calculated accurately.
- Host: Stephanie J. Diem
- Theory Seminar (High Energy/Cosmology)
- A simple, UV-complete model for neutrino decoherence
- Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
- Place: Chamberlin 5280
- Speaker: Pedro Machado, Fermilab
- Abstract: In this blackboard talk I will discuss where neutrino decoherence could actually come from. Yes, I will have a Lagrangian. I will make connections to the common approach of using open quantum systems framework, and establish a mapping between a complete model and phenomenological decoherence approaches.
- Host: Joshua Foster
Tuesday, April 7th, 2026
- Outreach
- IceCube on the Larry Meiller Show
- Time: 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
- Speaker: Justin Vandenbroucke and Delaney Butterfield, UW–Madison Physics, WIPAC
- Abstract: Listen to grad student Delaney Butterfield and professor Justin Vandenbroucke as they discuss the IceCube experiment on the Larry Meiller Show on WPR Tuesday from noon-12:45.
Wednesday, April 8th, 2026
- No events scheduled
Thursday, April 9th, 2026
- R. G. Herb Condensed Matter Seminar
- Strongly correlation and topology in Kondo lattice systems
- Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Sheng Ran, Washington University in St Louis
- Abstract: Quantum materials with both strong correlations and nontrivial band structure topology can have novel physics properties that do not exist in the non-correlated counterparts. Recent theoretical work has proposed that combination of Kondo physics and nonsymmorphic crystal symmetries can give rise to such strong correlated topological systems. In this talk, I will present our recent experimental exploration this direction. In one case, we found intrinsic anomalous Hall effect that seems to break the Fermi liquid scaling relation. In another case, we have discovered a candidate for topological Kondo insulator with high temperature metallic surface state.
- Host: Tiancheng Song
- Graduate Program Event
- Physics-Math-Chemistry Graduate Student Appreciation Week edition of recess
- Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Place: Bascom Hill (if the weather is nice!) or 911 Van Vleck (if the weather is not nice!)
- Abstract: Chemistry, Math and Physics are joining together to appreciate our graduate students during Graduate Student Appreciation Week! Feel free to bring your lunch – we’ll bring the cookies and lemonade.
Open to all Math, Physics and Chemistry Graduate Students!
?s - ask Sharon or Alice - Host: Grad Coordinators from Physics, Math and Chemistry
- Astronomy Colloquium
- The SPHEREx Space Mission: Preliminary Results
- Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Place: 4421 Sterling Hall
- Speaker: Dr. Roberta Paladini, IPAC
- Abstract: The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) is a Medium-Class Explorer (MIDEX) NASA mission launched on March 11th 2026. SPHEREx has just completed the second full sky coverage in 102 spectral bands from 0. 75 to 5 micron at 6.15" spatial resolution. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of both the technical aspects of the mission and the L1 Science requirements. I will also describe how the astronomical community at large can access the SPHEREx data and the tools that are made publicly available for their scientific exploitation. Finally, I will discuss early results from the mission.
- Host: Nicholas Stone
Friday, April 10th, 2026
- Physics Department Colloquium
- Neutrinos: A window into the unknown
- Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Place: Chamberlin 2241
- Speaker: Justin Evans, University of Manchester
- Abstract: Whilst the Standard Model of Particle Physics has been spectacularly successful, it leaves some of the most profound questions unanswered. Why does the Universe contain more matter than antimatter? What is the nature of dark matter? How do the forces of nature unify? Neutrinos offer a uniquely powerful probe of new physics. Their ability to oscillate between flavours is already clear evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model. But the mechanism behind the neutrino’s tiny mass remains unknown, making the neutrino sector one of the most promising frontiers for discovery. I will explore how we use neutrinos as probes of the unknown, with a particular focus on the search for sterile neutrinos: hypothetical new states that do not interact via the Standard Model forces. I will highlight how advances in detector technology, especially liquid-argon time projection chambers, have transformed our ability to image neutrino interactions with unprecedented precision. Drawing on results from the MicroBooNE experiment, the first large-scale liquid-argon detector in the United States, I will show how we are resolving long-standing anomalies and opening new windows into hidden sectors. I will then look ahead to the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a next-generation facility spanning 1,300 km from Fermilab to South Dakota, which will be the world’s most comprehensive facility for understanding neutrinos and using them to reveal the physics shaping our Universe.
- Host: Brian Rebel
Saturday, April 11th, 2026
- Wonders of Physics
- The Wonders of Physics
- Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Place: 2103 Chamberlin
- Abstract: An encore performance of The Wonders of Physics 2026 annual show, The Physis in Wonderland. The show will feature many demonstrations and is family-friendly. Free and open to the public, no tickets required.
- Outreach
- Science Expeditions
- Time: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
- Place: Chamberlin Hall, Lobby, Museum, 2103
- Abstract: Chamberlin hall will be a destination for exploration as part of Science Expeditions. There will be several activity tables, museum tours, and encore performances of The Wonders of Physics 2026 annual show.
- Wonders of Physics
- The Wonders of Physics
- Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
- Place: 2103 Chamberlin
- Abstract: An encore performance of The Wonders of Physics 2026 annual show, The Physis in Wonderland. The show will feature many demonstrations and is family-friendly. Free and open to the public, no tickets required.