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The Saturday Physics Series consists of five to seven scheduled talks oriented toward adults and high school students. Lectures occur on specific Saturdays afternoons throughout the school year, typically in Duane G1B30. Unless otherwise noted, lectures begin at 2:30 p.m., and usually last about one hour. Material is aimed at the level of high school juniors and seniors. The series is free, open to the public, and no reservations are required. Simply show up and enjoy the show!��

To join our mailing list, please contact Veronica Lingo.

Fall 2025

Saturday October 4��— The Strongest Glue in the Universe

• Presented by: Professor Ed Kinney
• 2:30 p.m.
• Abstract:��The tiny particles that comprise almost all the mass in our bodies as well as the stars and planets are held together by a force so strong that it is nearly impossible to break away from it. It’s so strong that if you try to break the glue bond, you’ll create anti-matter particles!
  Many people are surprised to learn that our mass is not just the sum of the mass of the particles we’re made up of but also the energy held in these glue forces. It is challenging to study these glue forces in the laboratory and observe their effects on the tiny particles known as quarks that the glue forces act on. In this talk we’ll learn about the basics of the glue force and how it holds matter and anti-matter together insides us and how physicists attempt to understand and study it.
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Saturday December 6 — Clocks and navigation through the ages

• Presented by: John Kitching, National Institute of Standards and Technology
• 2:30 p.m.
• Abstract: From planting crops to making trains run efficiently, clocks have been an important tool throughout most of human history. Atomic clocks, based on quantum-mechanically-defined transitions in atoms, are currently the most accurate realizations of the second and underlie important technologies such as the global positioning system (GPS) and high-speed communications. This lecture will describe how atomic clocks work and their history, with a focus on compact clocks and the applications in which they are used.

Spring 2026

Saturday January 31 — Quantum Mineralogy

• Presented by: Professor Markus Raschke
• 2:30 p.m.
• Abstract: Mineralogy has established the foundational principles of crystal structure, symmetry, and chemical bonding that underpin contemporary materials science and enable technologies ranging from semiconductors to photonic devices. Yet nature is not only a source of these principles; it is also an experimentalist in its own right, assembling minerals that host remarkably rich quantum phenomena. This presentation will examine selected examples of naturally occurring quantum materials—including superconductors, strange metals, and quantum spin liquids—whose properties arise from the coupled behavior of electronic quantization, spin degrees of freedom, and lattice geometry. The discussion will conclude with a broader consideration of how naturally formed minerals serve as instructive model systems, offering insight into emergent quantum behavior and informing the design of novel materials.

Saturday February 28 — The Wavefunction turns 100: A look back at Erwin Schrödinger's 1926 quantum revolution

• Presented by: Professor Colin West
• 2:30 p.m.
• Abstract: Almost exactly 100 years ago, in the early months of 1926, Erwin Schrödinger published a series of four papers that would transform not only the prevailing theories of physics but also mankind’s very understanding of the nature of reality. ��Though his work indisputably built upon the ideas of countless others, these papers crystalized the central and most astounding claim of what has become modern quantum mechanics: that at its heart, nature can be understood not as a collection of particles interacting in space but as the endless oscillation of an unseen “wavefunction,” which silently tallies and updates the probabilities of future events. In this talk, we will discuss the historical backdrop of these four transformative papers and then unpack the mathematical and physical innovations they contain (no background knowledge of math or physics is assumed). Finally; we will trace their centennial trajectories through the ensuing years, to reveal the enduring importance of these timeless papers, whose insights—and mysteries—have both only deepened with age.��

Saturday April 25 — Time and Frequency With Stars, Clocks, and Organ Pipes

• Presented by: Professor Judah Levine
• 2:30 p.m.
• Abstract: I will discuss the standards of time and frequency and how these standards have evolved over the centuries. I will present the current definitions of time and frequency and how these definitions are likely to evolve in the coming years.

Getting to Campus

The University provides a��Campus Map.

For more information please contact Veronica Lingo.