Events During the Week of March 22nd through March 29th, 2026
Monday, March 23rd, 2026
- Theory Seminar (High Energy/Cosmology)
- Title to be announced
- Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
- Place: Chamberlin 5280
- Speaker: Kimberly K. Boddy, University Texas, Austin
- Abstract: TBA
- Host: Dan Hooper
- Wisconsin Quantum Institute
- Engineering the Quantum Future — A Donald Kerst Lecture Series
- Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- Place: Shannon Hall, Memorial Union
- Speaker: John Martinis, QoLab, UCSB
- Abstract: The WUD Distinguished Lecture Series and College of Letters and Science are excited to welcome John Martinis. “John Martinis: Engineering the Quantum Future” is a Donald Kerst Lecture Series and will feature a 60-minute lecture followed by a 30-minute audience Q&A. This is a free event taking place in Memorial Union’s Shannon Hall at 7:00 pm on March 23rd.
John Martinis is a distinguished physicist and 2025 Nobel Laureate in Physics, renowned for his pioneering contributions to superconducting quantum computing. His research has been central to developing high-fidelity qubits and engineering the architectures needed for scalable quantum processors. He previously led Google’s quantum hardware team, where his group achieved the landmark 2019 quantum supremacy experiment — the first demonstration of a quantum computer outperforming the world’s most powerful classical supercomputer on a computational task. In 2022, he co-founded Qolab, where he now serves as CTO and continues to advance next-generation superconducting qubit technology and quantum system design.
Tickets are free but required. They will be available on March 16th at 2:00 pm.
CART captioning is provided with ASL interpretation upon request. - Host: Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series
Tuesday, March 24th, 2026
- Council Meeting
- Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
- Place: 2314 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Kevin Black
- Host: Kevin Black
Wednesday, March 25th, 2026
- Department Meeting
- Time: 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
- Place: B343 Sterling
- Speaker: Kevin Black, UW - Madison, Department of Physics
- Department Meeting
- Host: Kevin Black
Thursday, March 26th, 2026
- R. G. Herb Condensed Matter Seminar
- Quantum Information on Quantum Matter
- Time: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Dafei Jin, University of Notre Dame
- Abstract: Abstract: Noble-gas atoms, such as helium and neon, form condensed quantum liquids and solids at low temperatures. They are among the purest matters in nature, free of chemical contamination or usual two-level fluctuators. and can serve as ideal hosts for quantum information carriers. In this talk, I will present our development of noise-resilient, coherently interacting electron qubits on the surface of solid neon in a superconducting quantum circuit. I will also present our ongoing effort to deterministically trap atoms and ions in quantum solids for broader quantum information applications. Bio: Dafei Jin is an Associate Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. His research lies at the intersection of condensed matter physics and quantum information science. In recent years, he pioneered the development of quantum information platforms based on electrons trapped on quantum-solid surfaces. He is a recipient of the 2021 Julian Schwinger Foundation Award for Physical Research and the 2024 DOE Early Career Award.
- Host: Ilya Esterlis
- Astronomy Colloquium
- Toward Real Rocky Planet Interiors with Ideal Multicomponent Mixing
- Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Place: 4421 Sterling Hall
- Speaker: Dr. David Rice, UW-Madison
- Abstract: As observational precision improves, a leading uncertainty in exoplanet interior inference is no longer the data but our models of realistic, multicomponent interiors. I present a mixing framework focused on planets less than 10 Earth-masses that treats differentiated layers as chemically consistent mixtures rather than endmembers. We implement this framework in the open-source planet interior code Magrathea. We solve the mineralogy of rocky mantles in closed form from four elemental ratios, Ca/Mg, Si/Mg, Al/Mg, Fe/Mg, using stoichiometric relationships to keep the mantle in chemical equilibrium across upper and lower regions. The resulting phase proportions of Fe–Mg silicates and accessory Ca- and Al-bearing minerals are broadly consistent with mineralogy from Perple_X Gibbs free-energy minimization but are obtained with a much faster and auditable scheme. We then use ideal mixing to translate these assemblages into density and an adiabatic temperature gradient. We extend the same machinery to tests of light elements in metallic cores, rock–water mixing, and mixed atmosphere species. In each case, we highlight where composition inferences are most sensitive to mixing assumptions. These developments build on the modular equation-of-state and phase-diagram infrastructure of Magrathea v2, enabling reproducible model intercomparisons where differences can be traced to specific materials, phases, and mixing choices rather than hidden defaults.
- Host: Juliette Becker
Friday, March 27th, 2026
- Physics Department Colloquium
- Title to be announced
- Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Place: Chamberlin 2241
- Speaker: Cecilia Lunardini, Arizona State University
- Host: Ke Fang
Saturday, March 28th, 2026
- Academic Calendar
- Spring Recess
- Abstract: *Note: actual end time may vary.* CONTACT: admin@secfac.wisc.edu
Sunday, March 29th, 2026
- Academic Calendar
- Spring Recess
- Abstract: *Note: actual end time may vary.* CONTACT: admin@secfac.wisc.edu