CALENDARIZAÇÃO DOS COLÓQUIOS DO DEPARTAMENTO DE FÍSICA

2º Semestre, ano letivo 2020/2021

Cada Colóquio desta série faz parte de um dos ciclos seguintes:

1.       The end of Nature

2.       Trends and frontiers in Physics

3.       Physics at the core of Technology

4.       Paths and ways for a graduate in Physics

Docentes responsáveis: Bruno Gonçalves, Amaro Rica da Silva e Marta Fajardo

O próximo Colóquio do Departamento de Física realiza-se no dia 02 de Junho às 16h00.

"The Revolution of Quantum Technologies"

Abstract: "Encoding information in quantum systems, such as electrons, photons, or atoms, opens the possibility of new and disruptive technologies, with the prospect of reaching the ultimate limits of speed in computing, the ultimate limits of privacy in communications, and the ultimate limits of precision in sensing. Furthermore, this novel informational perspective of quantum mechanics has deepened our understanding of quantum physics, and in particular of the key role of quantum entanglement. In this colloquium, I will introduce the key aspects of quantum physics in a non- technical way, and I will discuss how they are at the origin of emerging technologies such as quantum computation, quantum cryptography, and quantum sensing, as well as their role in elucidating our understanding of quantum physics at a more fundamental level."

Short Bio: "Yasser Omar studied Physics at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), and obtained his PhD in Physics at the University of Oxford. Currently, he is associate professor at the Mathematics Department of IST. He is the founder and leader of the Physics of Information and Quantum Technologies Group at Instituto de Telecomunicações. His research interests are centered in quantum information theory, namely covering quantum computing, quantum networks, quantum thermodynamics, and quantum sensing. Since the creation of his Group in 2013, he was won 1 American and 7 European research projects, including currently, among others, the Quantum Internet Alliance, as well as QuantHEP - Quantum Computing Solutions for High-Energy Physics, which he coordinates. In 2019, he founded the QuTe Lab - Quantum Technologies Laboratory, where free-space quantum communications were demonstrated for the first time in Portugal, and where a system for satellite quantum communications is currently being developed. He is also the founder and coordinator of the Doctoral Programme in the Physics and Mathematics of Information at IST, of the Gulbenkian Programme New Talents in Quantum Technologies, and of the new Minor in Quantum Science and Technologies at IST. Furthermore, he has been involved in a number of scientific outreach activities in the domain of quantum science and technologies. Recently, he has been involved in the creation and leadership of the Flagship in Quantum Technologies, a multi-billion Euro ten- year programme from the European Commission to make Europe one of the leaders in Quantum Technologies."

Home Page: Yasser Omar

JÁ REALIZADOS, ANO LETIVO 2020/2021

19 de Maio de 2021

"Radiation Protection and Dosimetry in the applications of ionizing radiation"

Abstract: "Ionizing radiation is ubiquitous, due to the applications of particle beams, radioactive sources and radioactive materials in, /inter alia/, Medicine, industry, Environment, Research, Energy, Security. Besides, existing natural sources of ionizing radiation impact, among others, aviation and Space-related activities. Therefore, uses of and exposures to ionizing radiation strongly impact lifestyle and have strong societal impacts. Radiation Protection aims at protecting the individuals and the environment against undue exposures to ionizing radiation. Dosimetry, as a discipline aiming at determining and quantifying the ionizing radiation doses for the different exposures will be touched upon. The International system of Radiation Protection will be succinctly described, its shortcomings and pitfalls will be identified. The radiological risk in the different exposures to ionizing radiation will be assessed. Aspects of Radiation Protection and Radiation Safety in the design and operation of emerging Nuclear Technology concepts and facilities will be addressed."

Short Bio: "Pedro Vaz, Ph.D. in Physics, is Coordinator Researcher at IST (Instituto Superior Técnico, the leading Portuguese School of Engineering, Science and Technology, at the University of Lisbon). His main areas of research include Radiation Protection, Shielding, Dosimetry and Nuclear Technology. Is the nominated Portuguese expert at the EURATOM Programme Committee - Fission of the European Union (2021-2015). Is member of the Group of Experts (GoE) under Article 31 of the EURATOM Treaty (2020-2025). He was the President of the Center for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies (C2TN) of IST (2017-2020) and Coordinator of the Radiological Protection and Safety Group at IST. He served as the National Liaison Officer (NLO) of Portugal for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), from July 2017 until August 2018. He has participated in several European projects in the fields of transmutation of nuclear waste, radiological and nuclear emergencies, Radiation Protection and Dosimetry, medical applications of ionizing radiation and Education and Training in Radiological Protection. Furthermore, he has been Administrator at the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the OECD, at the Computer programs Service of the Data Bank. During that time has acquired extensive experience in Monte Carlo, deterministic and hybrid computational methods and nuclear data, in support of peaceful applications of nuclear energy and nuclear technology and served as Scientific Secretary of international Expert Groups such as SATIF (Shielding of Accelerators, Targets and Irradiation Facilities). He participates in international scientific consortia Collaborations at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, undertaking nuclear data experiments and performing Radiation Protection, Radiation Safety, Dosimetry and Shielding assessment of Nuclear Technology facilities. Pedro Vaz is/has been Portuguese Representative in several high-level Technical Committees of the European Union (namely the Group of Experts in Radiological Protection of the EURATOM Treaty and the Consultative Committee on Energy Fission of the European Union) and of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Science Committee, Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health). He is the Portuguese or institutional representative in the Boards of different European Union Technology Platforms such as MELODI (Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative) and EURADOS (European Radiation Dosimetry Group). He is a member of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and has served as member of the Executive Committee of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division (RPSD/ANS) and as vice-Chair of the Computational Medical Physics Working Group (CMPWG). Likewise, he is author/co-author of approximately 400 articles published in international journals with peer reviewing and in Conference Proceedings. Is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal European Journal of Radiology (EJR, Elsevier), section "Radiation Protection and Physics" and Associated Editor of the journal "Radiation Physics and Chemistry" (RPC, Elsevier). Pedro Vaz teaches Radiation Protection and Dosimetry topics in different Portuguese Universities."

Home Page: Pedro Vaz

28 de Abril de 2021

"Spontaneous and directed-assembly of polymers from the molecular to macroscales" (Educast Video)

Abstract: "As the "discovery" of macromolecules turns 100, this lecture will review some fundamental concepts of chain conformation, thermodynamics, phase transitions, and directional solidification (e.g. drying) that are central in polymer physics. Based on ideas of wave-propagation and network formation, I will discuss the design and fabrication of functional, sustainable (or "green") polymeric materials of various classes. These include ubiquitous capsules and particles fabricated by spray drying, which we examine in acoustic levitation and in microfluidics; nano- and microparticles with prescribed external and internal morphology and thus function are demonstrated, with extensive application in consumer goods and pharma industries. In a related approach, we describe fundamental aspects of 3D printing by photo-polymerisation, and how the emergence of travelling fronts and instabilities can give rise to a plethora of fascinating topographies, including some with uses as photonic and anti-microbial skins. Overall, we seek to emphasise that soft matter physics at the interface of chemistry and engineering can be both scientifically challenging and societally impactful."  (Presentation Slides)

Short Bio: "João Cabral obtained his first degree in Physics Engineering (IST Lisbon), followed by a stay at the Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (Saclay, France) and PhD in polymer thermodynamics at Imperial College London (ICL). After a postdoc at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Maryland, USA, he joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial as a lecturer, becoming full professor in 2018. He has been a visiting professor at Fudan University (Shanghai) and at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago. He serves on the advisory board of several international neutron scattering facilities, and is Hon. Secretary to the Polymer Physics group of the Institute of Physics (UK). João holds a Royal Academy of Engineering (UK) Research Chair and leads an interdisciplinary research group focusing on designing sustainable and functional soft materials, with applications in membranes for water treatment, solar cells and photonics, anti-bacterial/viral technologies, and complex formulations for commodity products."

Home Page: João T. Cabral

14 de Abril de 2021

"Pierre Auger Observatory and SWGO: a window to the extreme energy Universe" (Educast Video)

Abstract: "Ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and very high energy gamma-rays are the highest energy known particles and radiation, respectively. Their study allows us to probe some of the most extreme phenomena in our Universe and to investigate its fundamental physics properties. Both can only be indirectly detected through the analysis of the huge extensive air showers that they induce upon their entry into the Earth atmosphere. The Pierre Auger Observatory and the future Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO) are two of the largest and more ambitious experiments to study UHECRs and VHE gamma-rays. In this seminar, I shall present both experiments and the employed techniques to scrutinize the showers and learn about the nature and origin of the particles inducing them. I will also discuss the tests to fundamental physics that these experiments can conduct, some of which impossible to be reproduced by any present human-made laboratory." (Presentation Slides)

Short Bio: "Ruben Conceição is a high-energy physicist working in the astroparticle field. He is currently a researcher at LIP (Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas) and invited professor at the physics department of Instituto Superior Técnico. He is an active member of the Pierre Auger collaboration, dedicated to the study of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, and he has a leading role in the SWGO collaboration, which plans the next-generation wide-field observatory in the Southern Hemisphere to detect and study high-energy gamma-rays. His original scientific contributions have been mostly related to the study of high-energy hadronic interactions, understanding and modelling extensive air showers, and the conceptual development of innovative detection techniques and cosmic ray physics methods. In Auger, he coordinates the Air Shower Physics task, and in SWGO, he is the coordinator of the Analysis and Simulation working group."

Home Page: Ruben Conceição

CALENDARIZAÇÃO DOS COLÓQUIOS DO DEPARTAMENTO DE FÍSICA

1º Semestre, ano letivo 2020/2021

Cada Colóquio desta série faz parte de um dos ciclos seguintes:

1.       The end of Nature

2.       Trends and frontiers in Physics

3.       Physics at the core of Technology

4.       Paths and ways for a graduate in Physics

Docentes responsáveis: Teresa Peña, Amaro Rica da Silva e Pedro Assis

16 de Dezembro de 2020

(Add to Calendar)

Additionally Livestreaming on Youtube

IST Distinguished Lecture:

"Testing the Massive Black Hole Paradigm and General Relativity with Infrared Interferometry: A forty-year journey" (Educast Video Recording)

Abstract: "The GRAVITY near-IR beam combiner allows very sensitive (K~19), phase-referenced milliarcsec K-band imaging and polarimetry, 20-100 micro-arcsecond broad-band astrometry, and micro-arcsecond differential spectro-astrometry with the combined 4 UT telescopes of the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory. GRAVITY is a game changer in studying the massive black hole in the Galactic Center, and in active galactic nuclei."

Short Bio: "Reinhard Genzel, born in Bad Homburg in 1952, is a German astrophysicist, co-director of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of a supermassive compact object in the center of our galaxy, which he shared with Andrea Ghez and Roger Penrose. Genzel works in infrared and submillimetric astronomy. He and his group are active in the development of terrestrial and space instruments for astronomy, which they used to track the movements of the stars in the center of the Milky Way, around Sagittarius A *, and show that they orbit a supermassive object like a black hole. Genzel also conducts studies on the formation and evolution of galaxies. He studied physics at the University of Bonn and received his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute of Radio Astronomy in 1978. He joined the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was a Miller Fellow from 1980 to 1982 and became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley in 1981. In 1986, he was appointed a scientific member of the Max Planck Society and director of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching near Munich. Since 1999, he is professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. Reinhard Genzel received many awards, including the German Research Foundation?s Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award in 1990, the Balzan Award in 2003 for his work in infrared metrology, the Shaw Award in 2008 and the Crafoord Award in 2012."

Home Page: Reinhard Genzel

Apresentação no dia 27 de Novembro às 11h00 para a Semana de Ciência e Tecnologia.

Link Zoom : Presentation for a 2020 Science & Technology Week event of the Physics Dept, - IST.

27 de Novembro de 2020

"Unconscious bias: how it impacts careers in science and how to mitigate this influence." (Educast Video Recording)

Speaker: Petra Rudolf, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen,

Abstract: "We all are subject to unconscious bias - if you don?t know how biased you are, test yourself on https://implicit.harvard.edu/ implicit. Therefore bias severely conditions our own career and that of others, and knowing about it is crucial to become better professionals in science. The aim of this talk is to give everyone the means to recognize unconscious bias in their professional environment and recipes to work against it. I shall discuss how the four most common forms of unconscious bias impact the careers in science: performance bias, performance attribution bias, maternal bias and the competence/likeability trade-off. "

Short Bio: "Petra Rudolf was born in Munich, Germany. She studied Physics at the La Sapienza, University of Rome, where she specialized in Solid State Physics. In 1987 she joined the National Surface Science laboratory TASC INFM in Trieste for the following five years, interrupted by two extended periods in 1989 and 1990/1991 at Bell Labs in the USA, where she started to work on the newly discovered fullerenes. In 1993 she moved to the University of Namur, Belgium where she received her PhD in 1995 and then quickly moved from postdoctoral researcher to lecturer and senior lecturer before taking up the Chair in Experimental Solid State Physics at the University in Groningen in 2003. Her principal research interests lie in the areas of condensed matter physics and surface science, particularly molecular motors, 2D solids, organic thin films and inorganic-organic hybrids. She has published >240 peer-reviewed articles and 32 book chapters. Dr. Rudolf is the President of the European Physical Society; she was the President of the Belgian Physical Society in 2000/2001 and was elected member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering, honorary member of the Italian Physical Society, Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Lid van verdienst of the Dutch Physical Society and Fellow of the American Physical Society. For her work on molecular motors she received the 2007 Descartes Prize of the European Commission. In 2013 she was appointed officer of the Order of Orange Nassau by H.M. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. "

Home Page:https:// www.rug.nl/staff/p.rudolf/

25 de novembro de 2020

"The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020: Black holes, from dawn to glory" (Educast Video Recording)

Speaker: José Sande Lemos, Physics Department - Instituto Superior Técnico / CENTRA

Abstract: "The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics was given to Roger Penrose from Oxford for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity, and to Reinhard Genzel from the Max Planck Institute, Munich, and Andrea Ghez from Los Angeles for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy. Black holes, being vacuum solutions of the general theory of relativity, are the spacetime geometrical objects par excellence. Since general relativity was formulated by Einstein in 1915 it took two decades to understand that black holes were a real theoretical possibility and several more to confirm beyond any doubt that they were found in nature. Indeed, in 1939, Oppenheimer and Snyder, working in Berkeley at the time, discovered black holes by idealizing a model of a star collapsing under its own gravitational weight and found that the ultimate state of such a collapse would be a black hole, with the formation of an event horizon, the surface that defines the boundary of the black hole, and a singularity, a place where the known laws of physics break down. Several physicists, notably Penrose, picked up the subject in the 1960s and through a series of outstanding works and epoch-making ideas, showed that if a collapsing star passes a certain point, namely if a trapped surface is formed where light rays cannot expand, than the formation of a black hole will inevitably happen, thus showing that rather than being improbable, black hole formation was a universal phenomenon, under precise realizable conditions. Penrose also taught how to extract energy from a rotating black hole, an advance that ended in the celebrated discovery in 1974 by Hawking, the famous Cambridge physicist, that black holes, when quantum mechanics is taking into account, radiate at a given specific temperature, displaying for the first time that a quantum theory of gravitation should be in sight, a hint that we are still exploring nowadays. The name black holes was only permanently adopted in 1968 when Wheeler, a brilliant physicist from Princeton, began to spread it consistently. On the observational side supermassive black holes started to be a real possibility with the definite discovery in 1963 of quasars, objects in the center of galaxies at cosmological distances that release colossal amounts of energy. It was then proposed in 1969 by Lynden- Bell, a distinguished Cambridge astrophysicist, that all galaxies are dead quasars, they have a supermassive black hole in their center but are not fed anymore by the surrounding matter that has been exhausted, claiming also that a particular interesting case would be the center of our own galaxy. All this has been confirmed, by a direct admirable image of a black hole at the center of the far away Galaxy M87 taken recently by the Event Horizon Telescope, and remarkably by Genzel and Ghez by following up through the years the orbits of the stars around the black hole in the galactic center. In addition, in our relative neighborhood, a stellar black hole candidate, with about 10 solar masses, was observed in 1971, and many more stellar mass black hole candidates were found after. Decisively, the first detection ever of a gravitational wave in 2015, and the concomitant inference that it had been originated in a collision of two black holes of about 30 solar masses each, clinched the black hole as a real object. There were no more doubts. All this adventure of human thought and endeavor, from the dawn of the black hole concept to the glory of a Nobel prize, together with the physics and astrophysics of black holes for the next fifty years, namely, the understanding through them of what is gravitation in the strong field regime and what is gravitation in the quantum regime, will be talked in this colloquium. " (Read additonal info/paper)

Short Bio: "José Pizarro de Sande e Lemos, was born in Lisbon in 1957. He was a student in Colégio São João de Brito and Liceu Camões in Lisbon and Colégio São Vicente in Rio de Janeiro. He obtained the Master in Physics in 1982 from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro and the PhD in 1987 in Astrophysics and Gravitation from the University of Cambridge. He Worked in Observatório Nacional in Rio de Janeiro from 1988 to 1996 where he was Full Investigator. He did his Agregação in 1996 at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon in which he his Professor in the Physics Department and president of Centro de Astrofísica e Gravitação - CENTRA. He is a founding member and acting president of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Relatividade e Gravitação. The core of his investigation is in physics and astrophysics of black holes. He has about 200 hundred papers published in major international journals in the areas of relativistic astrophysics, gravitation, black holes, gravitational waves, cosmology, and fundamental physics, with a total of more than 6000 citations. His paper of 2018 on fifty years of the black hole name was cited by the Swedish Academy of Sciences in its scientific substantiation for attributing the 2020 prize to black holes. He obtained distinction in the famous Part III exam of the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos and was elected Senior Scholar of the Trinity College, the college of Newton. He received the 2009 prize UTL/Santander, given to the professor or investigator of the University of Lisbon that stood out in the respective scientific area by the number and international impact of the published papers, and in 2010 was awarded with the lifelong prize of Outstanding Referee da American Physical Society by the quality of his analyses. He has organized a great number of scientific conferences and schools, notably the international conference From Einstein and Eddington to LIGO: 100 years of gravitational light deflection, that occurred in 2019 in Principe Island, in commemoration of the 100 years of the historic solar eclipse."

Home Page:https://centra.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/team/?id=8

18 de novembro de 2020

"What is Social Physics?" (Educast Video Recording)

Speaker: Joana Sá, Physics Department - Instituto Superior Técnico / LIP

Abstract: "Understanding complexity has always been a hallmark of physics research and, through theory, experiments, and models, physicists have made fundamental contributions to many different complex fields, including biology, ecology, economics, neurosciences or medicine. Such cross-talks have enabled wide-ranging advances in these fields and promoted the development of mathematics, statistics and, indirectly, even physics. The ongoing Digital Revolution is offering a great opportunity to the study of complexity as this combination of large-scale data sources and a growing toolbox from machine learning and big data analytics, is making it easier to extract patterns and offer some predictions. In fact, many of the methods developed by statistical (and particle) physics are now being applied to societies and there is a growing perception that physics will be fundamental to study sociology and even psychology. During the talk, I will argue that this new science, "Social Physics", will study the physics of human interactions and offer some examples of possible applications, using epidemics as a case study."

Short Bio: "Joana Gonçalves de Sá is an Invited Associate Professor at the Physics Department of Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa and the leader of the Social Physics and Complexity (SPAC) research group at LIP. Before that, she was an Associate Professor at Nova SBE and a Principal Investigator at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), where she remains as the Coordinator of the Science for Society Initiative and as the Director of the Graduate Program Science for Development (PGCD), aiming at improving science in Africa. She holds a degree in Physics Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico - University of Lisbon, and a PhD in Systems Biology from NOVA - ITQB, having developed her thesis at Harvard University, USA. In 2019, she was the recipient of an ERC Starting Grant to study human behavior using the online spread of "fake news" as a model system."

Home Page: http://scienceandpolicy.eu/ 

4 de Novembro de 2020

"COVID-19, Delphi, IX-XI, and Plato: A data-driven epidemiological model to explain the COVID-19 pandemic" (Educast Video Recording)

Speaker: Pedro Sebastião , Physics Department - Instituto Superior Técnico / CeFEMA

Abstract: "Accurate models are fundamental to understand the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate different mitigation strategies. Here, we present a multi-compartmental model that fits the epidemiological data for eleven countries, despite the reduced number of fitting parameters. This model consistently explains the data for the daily infected, recovered, and dead over the first six months of the pandemic. The good quality of the fits makes it possible to explore different scenarios and evaluate the impact of both individual and collective behaviors and government- level decisions to mitigate the epidemic."

Short Bio: "Pedro José Sebastião is an experimental physics professor with the Department of Physics of Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa. Following the work for his PhD thesis, in 1993, on molecular dynamics in liquid crystals with peculiar polymorphisms by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry, he has investigated a large number of condensed matter systems using NMR. His aim has been to understand the interdependence between molecular organisation and molecular dynamics. Since NMR relaxometry can provide information about molecular motions in different time and length scales, P.J. Sebastião has been always concerned in being able to cover a broad range of NMR frequencies from hundreds of MHz to kHz in NMR relaxometry studies. Fast Field-Cycling relaxometry has proved to be crucial to obtain information below the MHz range and, on the past 20 years, he has devoted some of his efforts to the development of new, more efficient, FFC NMR relaxometry equipment. P.J. Sebastião on his research activity has investigated molecular order and dynamics in liquid crystals (i.e. materials that present thermodynamically stable phases between the isotropic and the solid phases, where properties, like fluidity, characteristic of liquids, are found simultaneously with properties characteristic of crystals, like birefringence), dendrimers, polymers (e.g. in-bulk, membranes, nano composite systems), electrolytes (e.g. pure ionic liquids, polymer electrolytes, salt solutions), heterogeneous systems (e.g. liquid crystals in nano-porous glasses, small molecules dispersed in porous membranes). As examples, in the liquid crystals area he has investigated blue phases, nematic phases: N, N*, Ntb; smectic phases: A, Ad, A2, C, B, chiral phases C* (e.g. ferroelectric, anti-ferroelectric), TGBA*, and TGBC*. All these systems present different types of molecular organisation that affect molecular dynamics, for which the development of relaxation models has proved to be essential. In order to achieve an efficient analysis of experimental data in general and of NMR data in particular, P.J. Sebastião developed an open access web interface to his model fitting software package made available in 2009 (fitteia.org). The interface can be used not only to fit simple models (e.g linear or otherwise polynomial equations), but more importantly the complex models used to interpret the spin-lattice relaxation data obtained in NMR relaxometry studies (e.g. models for collective motions, motions restricted by walls, paramagnetic relaxation, molecular entanglement, etc..). The full power of the developed software has been put into evidence in many different studies, in particular those where global multidimensional fits are required taking into account dependences on frequency, temperature, molecular alignment, nuclear spin, etc.. The functions' library already includes models suited for many of the systems addressed by the author in previous studies but new user defined models can be easily added to the library for the benefit of other users or private use alone."

Home Page:https://fenix.ist.utl.pt/homepage/ist12744

21 de Outubro de 2020

"Molecular Motors and Switches at Surfaces" *

* Distinguished Lecture of the IST

Speaker: Petra Rudolf , Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen

Abstract: "Molecular motors and switches form the basis of many important biological processes. In contrast to these solutions chosen by Nature for achieving complex tasks, mankind's present day technologies function exclusively through their static or equilibrium properties. On can therefore easily anticipate that the controlled movement of molecules or parts of molecules offers unprecedented technological possibilities for the future. In this presentation I shall show how to build molecular engines that allow movements at the molecular level to be coupled to the macroscopic world, e.g. to transport macroscopic objects like drops of liquid over a surface. I shall also discuss self-assembled monolayers of switches that can be addressed with light and charge transfer and demonstrate how such systems can be employed for “read and write” functions."

Short Bio: "Petra Rudolf was born in Munich, Germany. She studied Physics at the La Sapienza, University of Rome, where she specialized in Solid State Physics. In 1987 she joined the National Surface Science laboratory TASC INFM in Trieste for the following five years, interrupted by two extended periods in 1989 and 1990/1991 at Bell Labs in the USA, where she started to work on the newly discovered fullerenes. In 1993 she moved to the University of Namur, Belgium where she received her PhD in 1995 and then quickly moved from postdoctoral researcher to lecturer and senior lecturer before taking up the Chair in Experimental Solid State Physics at the University in Groningen in 2003. Her principal research interests lie in the areas of condensed matter physics and surface science, particularly molecular motors, 2D solids, organic thin films and inorganic-organic hybrids. She has published >240 peer-reviewed articles and 32 book chapters. Dr. Rudolf is the President of the European Physical Society; she was the President of the Belgian Physical Society in 2000/2001 and was elected member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering, honorary member of the Italian Physical Society, Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Emeritus Member of the Dutch Physical Society and Fellow of the American Physical Society. For her work on molecular motors she received the 2007 Descartes Prize of the European Commission. In 2013 she was appointed officer of the Order of Orange Nassau by H.M. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands."

Home Page:https://www.rug.nl/staff/p.rudolf/ 

14 de Outubro de 2020

"Planetary Radiation Environments and the Exploration of the Solar System" (Educast Video Recording)

Speaker: Patrícia Gonçalves, IST/LIP

Abstract: "At Earth's surface, the atmosphere, together with the geomagnetic field, provide considerable protection against cosmic rays and solar particle events. In other solar system planetary environments, energetic particle radiation can be responsible for damage to spacecraft and surface vehicles electronic systems, sub-systems and EEE components, and for imposing strict constrains on human space exploration, due to biological hazards of radiation exposure. The radiation environment in space is the combination of several sources: in addition to the solar wind consisting of protons and electrons emitted continuously by the sun with speeds of the order of hundreds of km/s and to the galactic cosmic radiation consisting of protons and ions coming from outside the solar system, the sun emits sporadic and intensely electrons, protons and ions with energies up to 1 GeV. Additionally, planets with magnetosphere, such as Earth, Jupiter, or Saturn, are surrounded by radiation belts of trapped charged particles. The energetic particle radiation environment caused by these different particle sources varies depends on the specific location of the planet in the solar system and on the specific composition and density of their atmospheres, soils and on the presence or absence of planetary magneto-spheres. In particular, the environment of hostile radiation in interplanetary space, and on planets such as Mars or the Moon, is one of the greatest constraints for future manned missions, also conditioning the possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system. The detailed knowledge of the radiation environment in space, on other planets and in-orbit is therefore essential to establish radiation hazards mitigation strategies in space mission planning and operation. In this seminar the relevant factors for the modelling of the radiation environment in Mars and at the Moon will be discussed and the existing data and model predictions for Radiation Hazards in manned Exploration missions will be presented."

Short Bio: "Patrícia Gonçalves is an Associate Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and a researcher at LIP, /Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas/, where she is the coordinator of the "Space Radiation Environment and Effects" Group. Her research interests include the study of Particle and Radiation Environment in Space and of its Effects, including the modeling of planetary and interplanetary radiation environments, development of energetic particle radiation detectors for space missions, instrument data analysis, the test of EEE components and the modeling of their response, and the study and prediction of the effects of different radiation environments for human spaceflight. She has been developing applications for Space in collaboration with the industry and European research institutions, mostly in the framework of contracts with the European Space Agency, for the past 15 years."

Home Page:http://www.lip.pt/~patricia

JÁ REALIZADOS, ANO LETIVO 2019/2020

CALENDARIZAÇÃO DOS COLÓQUIOS DO DEPARTAMENTO DE FÍSICA

2º Semestre, ano letivo 2019/2020

"Heavy Ions in Therapy and Space" *

* Distinguished Lecture IST

Speaker: Marco Durante, GSI Darmstadt, Germany

Venue: Anfiteatro PA1, piso -1, Pavilhão de Matemática, IST - Alameda

Abstract: "Research in the field of biological effects of heavy charged particles is needed for both heavy-ion therapy (hadrontherapy) and protection from the exposure to galactic cosmic radiation in long-term manned space missions. Although the exposure conditions (e.g. high- vs. low- dose rate) are different in therapy and space, it is clear that a substantial overlap exists in several research topics, such as individual radio-sensitivity, mixed radiation fields, and tissue degenerative effects. Late effects of heavy ions are arguably the main health risk for human space exploration, and with the increasing number of cancer patients treated by heavy-ion therapy, including young adults and children, this issue is now becoming the main source of uncertainty for the success of hadrontherapy as well.Reducing uncertainty in both cancer and non cancer late risk estimates is therefore the first priority in heavy-ion radiobiology. In addition, researchers involved either in experimental studies on space radiation protection or heavy-ion therapy often use the same accelerator facilities. Several heavy-ion therapy facilities are now under construction or planned in Europe, USA, and Japan. Beam time will be available at these facilities for clinical radiobiology and basic heavy-ion effects experimental research, as already happens since several years at the HIMAC in Japan. The NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) in Brookhaven (Long Island, NY) provides beams of very heavy ions at energies around 1 GeV/n which are of specific interest for space radiobiology. In Europe, these very high energy beams are available at GSI in Germany, where the new Facility for Anti-protons and Ion Research (FAIR) is currently under construction. It is foreseeable that the availability of beam time and the presence of many dedicated research programs will lead to great improvements in our knowledge of biological effects of heavy ions in the coming few years."

Short Bio: "Prof. Dr. Marco Durante is Director of the Biophysics Department at GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research (Darmstadt, Germany) and Full Professor of Physics at the Technical University of Darmstadt. He is also Professor of Physics at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, and at the Gunma College of Medicine in Japan.

Dr. Durante got his Ph.D. in physics in 1992 and has dedicated his research efforts to the biophysics of high-energy charged particles, with applications in cancer therapy and space radiation protection. He is generally recognized as world leader in the field of particle radiobiology and medical physics and is co- author of over 300 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals (h-index=44) and one patent on proton therapy (EU patent WO2013083333). He is currently chair of the ESA Life Sciences Advisory Group and of the ESA Topical Team on Space Radiation, vice-chair of the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG), member of the technical-scientific Committee of the Italian Hadrontherapy Center (CNAO) and of the Program Advisory Committee of the GANIL (Caen, France), KVI (Groningen, The Netherlands), iThemba (South Africa), and Rez (Czech Republic) accelerators. Dr. Durante was President of the International Association for Radiation Research (IARR) 2011-15, and is Associate Editor in several International scientific journals (Br. J. Radiol., Int. J. Particle Ther., Int. J. Radiat. Biol., Phys. Med., Radiat. Environ. Biophys., J. Radiat. Res., Life Sci. Space Res., JINST, Front. Oncol.).

He has been awarded several prizes for his contributions to charged particle biophysics, including the 2004 Galileo Galilei Award in Medical Physics, the 60th Timofeeff-Ressovsky medal by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the 8th Warren K. Sinclair Award of the US National Academy of Sciences, the 2013 IBA-Europhysics Award for Applied Nuclear Science and Nuclear Methods in Medicine (European Physics Society) and the 2013 Bacq & Alexander award of the European Radiation Research Society (ERRS)."

Home Page:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Durante_(physicist)

Cada Colóquio desta série faz parte de um dos ciclos seguintes:

1.       The end of Nature

2.       Trends and frontiers in Physics

3.       Physics at the core of Technology

4.       Paths and ways for a graduate in Physics

Docentes responsáveis: Teresa Peña, Amaro Rica da Silva e Pedro Assis

CALENDARIZAÇÃO DOS COLÓQUIOS DO DEPARTAMENTO DE FÍSICA

2º Semestre, ano letivo 2019/2020

JÁ REALIZADOS, ANO LETIVO 2019/2020

CALENDARIZAÇÃO DOS COLÓQUIOS DO DEPARTAMENTO DE FÍSICA

1º Semestre, ano letivo 2019/2020

**  Jointly organized with CENTRA

*** Jointly organized with CFTP

11 de dezembro de 2019

27 de novembro de 2019

13 de Novembro de 2019

30 de Outubro de 2019

16 de Outubro de 2019

Speaker: Pedro Gil Ferreira, Department of Physics, University of Oxford

Venue: Anfiteatro PA2, Piso -1 do Pavilhão de Matemática, IST - Alameda

Abstract: General Relativity is at the heart of modern cosmology. It is an assumption that explains the expansion of space-time and is crucial to our understanding of the large scale structure of the Universe. Modern cosmological data is becoming sufficiently accurate and we can test this assumption. I will explain how we go about doing this, what the current constraints are and what we might expect from future cosmological surveys.

Short Bio: Licenciatura in Physical Engineering, Technical University of Lisbon, (1991), Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, Imperial College, London (1995),Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford (2008). "My main interest is in Physical Cosmology and spans from the very early Universe to current measurements of structure formation. One of my foci of research is in the Cosmic Microwave Background and I have worked on the BOOMERanG, MAXIMA, CBI, Clover, QUIET and PLANCK experiments. I also work on the dark sector, on theories of dark matter and modified gravity, scalar field theories of dark energy and possible tests of the Copernican principle. I continue to work on the theory and observations of large scale flows and methods for measuring cosmic magnetic fields."

HomePage: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~dpmp0062/Pedro_Ferreira/Research.html

9 de Outubro de 2019

Speaker: Jorge Vieira, Departamento de Física, IST

Venue: Anfiteatro PA2, Piso -1 do Pavilhão de Matemática, IST - Alameda

Abstract: The high accelerating fields in plasmas are paving the way towards miniaturized accelerators and light sources that could become invaluable for scientific advancement. The incredible potential of plasma accelerators and light sources has been leading to experiments in major accelerator laboratories, which include CERN, DESY and SLAC. I will describe some of my most recent results in the context of these experiments, focusing on fundamental aspects such as the intrinsic stability of the acceleration structures. I will then focus on a distinctive feature of plasma-based accelerators that remains nearly unexplored: the tremendous flexibility on the plasma topology. Unlike conventional accelerators, the accelerating structures in the plasma can assume nearly arbitrary topologies. This topological freedom may be at the core of a new generation of accelerators and light sources delivering customized relativistic particle beams and attosecond X-ray radiation bursts with unprecedented properties, beyond the current possibilities of both conventional and plasma based approaches. I will describe how a new class of intense laser pulses, often denoted by structured light, can control the plasma accelerator topology, and show how the tremendous topological flexibility of plasma accelerators can address some of the major open questions in the field. Finally, I will outline what are my near-future research plans in plasma acceleration and light sources, and how my research may contribute to address major open scientific questions of our time.

Short Bio: Licenciatura em Engenharia Física Tecnológica at IST (2005). Junior researcher at the GoLP/Group of Lasers and Plasmas (2003-2005). PhD in Physics at IST (2010). Stayed at the UCLA plasma simulation group under the supervision of Prof. Warren Mori in 2006 and 2008. Post-doc at IST from 2010-2012 with a post-doctoral fellowship from the Portuguese Science Foundation, and an Humboldt Fellow at Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich (Germany) future accelerators group with Dr. Patric Muggli in 2012-2013. In 2016 Jorge Vieira was awarded with an FCT researcher fellowship (development level) at GoLP and is currently an assistant professor at the physics department at IST.

HomePage: http://web.ist.utl.pt/jorge.vieira

25 de setembro de 2019

Speaker: Filomena Nunes, Department of Physics and Astronomy, National Superconducting Cyclotron Lab, Michigan State University

Venue: Anfiteatro VA6, Piso -1 do Pavilhão de Civil, IST - Alameda

** Note: Exceptionally at his time and place

Abstract: From halos to clustering, from exotic radioactive decays to superheavy nuclei, there are many interesting phenomena in the limits of stability of matter. A new rare isotope facility is being constructed in the U.S. with the aim of producing these exotic forms of matter: the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams will provide access to the largest variety of isotopes ever produced in a laboratory.  Along with experiment, theory plays an important role in unveiling the mysteries of exotic nuclei. An overview of the overarching questions our community is addressing will be presented, highlighting the theoretical opportunities that lie ahead. Also, a few concrete examples of my own research in reaction theory will be discussed, demonstrating the importance of coupling theory and experiment for the advancement of the field.

Short Bio: Graduated in Physics Engineering Instituto Superior Técnico (1992) and obbtained a PhD in Theoretical Nuclear Physics at the University of Surrey (1995). Professor and FRIB Theory Alliance Managing Director, Department of Physics and Astronomy, MSU. “I study direct nuclear reactions and structure models that are useful in the description of reactions. Unstable nuclei are mostly studied through reactions, because they decay back to stability (often lasting less than a few seconds). My work focuses on developing models for reactions with exotic unstable nuclei. Reaction theory is very important because it makes the connection between experiments such as the ones performed at National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), and the nuclear structure information we want to extract. Within the realm of direct reactions, my contributions have been toward understanding inelastic excitation, breakup and transfer reactions.”

Home Page: https://nscl.msu.edu/directory/nunes.html