The Department of Physics invites you to the annual
PHYSICS PIZZA PARTY
(for students in all physics programs)
on
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15th, 2016
at 3:30 p.m.
in the first year lab - CB2010
The Department of Physics invites you to attend mid-term presentations
by PHYS 4501 YA students:
JORDAN LOVIS
“Monte Carlo Simulation of Clinical Linear Accelerators”
(Supervisor: Dr. P. McGhee)
and
DEVIN VAN ELBURG
“Solid State Radiation Survey Meter for Advanced MRI-Guided Radiotherapy”
(Supervisor: Dr. A. Reznik)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1st
3:00 p.m.
CB 4058
The Department of Physics invites you to attend a seminar
by guest speaker:
PROF. ANDREI KLIMOV
Universidad de Guadalajara
"Picturing Quantum Fluctuations"
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th
10:30 a.m.
CB 4104
In Celebration of the International Year of Light
The Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies and the Department of Physics
presents:
"A Light Tour of Optics in 20 Milestones"
Prof. Luis L. Sánchez-Soto
Max Planck Institut für Physik des Lichts Erlangen, Germany
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015
ATAC 1001
1:30-2:30 pm
Thesis Defense Presented By:
AVNER FITTERMAN
"Theory and Production of Hyperpolarized Xenon Gas for Lung and Brain
Magnetic Resonance Imaging"
Thursday, August 27th, 2015
12:00 noon
In CB 4104
Abstract:
Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality is based on the magnetization that is formed by the influence of a strong polarizing magnetic field on the spin of protons, typically those of water molecules within the body. In Hyperpolarized (HP) gas MRI, a dramatic increase in spin polarization is achieved using spin-exchange optical pumping (SEOP), which allows images to be obtained with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Batch-mode custom-built polarizers can serve to produce the HP gas, however, such custom-built systems require optimization in terms of pressure and temperature parameters. This study is comprised of three objectives: i) Gaining understanding regarding the physics of the nuclear polarization process of 129Xe; ii) Examining experimentally the pressure and temperature dependences of the polarization, similarly to the way it was done in previous studies; iii) Exploiting this knowledge for the benefit of the optimization of the custom-built polarizer in our lab.
The Department of Physics invites you to attend a seminar by:
DR. ARAM TEYMURAZYAN
Scientist, Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute
Assistant Professor of Physics
Fedoruk Centre Research Chair in Nuclear Imaging Technologies
University of Regina
"PET technology: Novel detectors for applications in human and plant imaging"
MONDAY, JUNE 29th
at 1:00 p.m.
in ATAC 5035
THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS PRESENTS
The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) Lecture Series Speaker:
DR. LINDSAY LEBLANC
University of Alberta
"Exploring the Secrets of Many-Particle Quantum Systems Using Laser-Cooled Quantum Gases"
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015
at 11:00 a.m.
in RC 1003
Abstract:
Though it's counterintuitive at first, lasers can be used to make things cold -- colder, in fact, than almost anything else in the universe. By eliminating the randomness associated with thermal kinetic energy, laser cooling techniques let us explore the fundamental quantum mechanical properties of matter. In my research, I am especially interested in studying how individual quantum particles act together, almost as if in community, to exhibit effects that benefit the whole system. In ultracold atomic systems, arbitrary control over the interactions and potential energies open up possibilities for implementing "quantum simulation," where a nearly ideal quantum system can be engineered to model systems that are either too difficult to calculate or too complicated to create. Recently, techniques that selectively transfer momentum from laser light to these ultracold atoms have been developed and used to mimic the effects of magnetic fields and "spin-orbit coupling" (where the spin and the motion of the atoms are correlated). I will discuss several experiments in which these techniques have been used to simulate magnetic and superfluid systems, and explain how we can push these techniques in new experiments to explore otherwise inaccessible systems. Here, we can learn about the relationships between different types of communal behaviour, and the mechanisms by which this "many-body order" is created and preserved.
Short Bio
Lindsay LeBlanc is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta's Department of Physics. In 2014, she was named the Canada Research Chair in Ultracold Atoms for Quantum Simulation and the Alberta Innovates Strategic Chair in Hybrid Quantum Systems. After growing up on the Prairies, Lindsay was first came to the University of Alberta as an undergraduate student, then moved on to the University of Toronto for her graduate studies. Just before moving back to Alberta, Lindsay spent three years as a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the Joint Quantum Institute in Gaithersburg, MD. Throughout her research, she's studied systems of laser-cooled ultracold atoms to explore the fundamental mechanisms leading to many-body physics; when she's not in the lab, she spends time on her bike, baking bread, and figuring out how to make a teapot that doesn't drip.
The Department of Physics invites you to attend a seminar by:
DYLAN MAHLER
PhD Candidate
University of Toronto
"Quantum Tomography with Limited Resources"
Thursday, November 13, 2014
1:00 p.m.
CB 4056
Abstract:
Quantum computation --- the use of quantum systems as bits, or qubits, to perform computation --- has been proven to be exponentially faster than what is thought possible with classical computation for several tasks. Quantum computers have the unique ability to store an amount of information that is exponential in the number of constituent particles used to encode that information. This property, which is arguably where quantum computers derive their power, makes it very difficult to characterize quantum systems. In order to fully characterize an unknown quantum state, a series of measurements must be performed on it and the state deduced from the results of those measurements. This process, called quantum tomography, is known to require exponential resources in the number of qubits. Both the number of measurements --- the measurement complexity --- and the number of times each measurement must be repeated --- the sample complexity --- present serious challenges when performing tomography. Here, I will present an experiment which uses the polarization degree of freedom of photons generated by spontaneous parametric downconversion as a logical qubit. In this experiment, optimal sample complexity for quantum state tomography is obtained using adaptivity: the ability to change measurement settings part way through an experiment.
The Department of Physics invites you to the annual
PHYSICS PIZZA PARTY
(for students in all physics programs)
on
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24th
at 4:30 p.m.
in the first year lab - CB2010
The Department of Physics invites you to attend a seminar by
ZACHARY CHABOYER
Ph.D. Candidate
Centre for Ultrahigh-Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS)
MQ Photonics - Department of Physics and Astronomy
Macquarie University, Australia
"3D, laser-inscribed photonics for quantum information science and metrology"
Abstract:
Quantum effects like entanglement and squeezing may be harnessed to gain advantages in computation and measurement over classical methods. Photons are ideal carriers of quantum information due to their low decoherence. For this reason, photonic approaches to quantum computing and metrology have attracted significant attention. Integrated photonics promises to address the issues of size, scalability and stability encountered with bulk, table-top and fiber set-ups. Three-dimensional platforms such as circuits fabricated using the femtosecond laser direct-write (FLDW) technique combine the stability of planar photonics with the ability to manipulate optical modes in an arbitrary fashion. This has opened the way toward unique experimental investigations in quantum simulation and highly sensitive multi-arm interferometry.
In this talk I will discuss the fabrication of waveguide devices in glasses using the FLDW technique and their application. The mechanism of material modification by femtosecond laser radiation will be detailed, and the device fabrication process will be explained. I will close with a discussion of the design and quantum characterization of a 3D multi-arm interferometer fabricated at Macquarie. An enhanced visibility and reduced periodicity of measured two-photon interference fringes in the quantum case suggests the utility of the device for quantum-enhanced phase measurement.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2014
10:00 am
CB 4056
