Dr. Erik Henriksen, Washington University, St. Louis

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

Dr. Deborah Ferguson, The University of Rhode Island

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

Dr. Steve Turley, Brigham Young University

Title: Using Physics in Unusual Places

Abstract: I would sometimes tell students that if they didn’t know what major to choose, they should choose physics because it is the basis of everything else. While this is perhaps a bit overstated, it is valuable for faculty members to keep in mind that most of our students will have careers that look different than our academic pursuits. 

I will discuss physics applications I have found outside typical academic settings. As part of an exotic weapons development program, I participated in some of the early development of ultra-cold atoms, the optical Stern-Gerlach Effect and the development of a coherent Lyman-alpha source. While studying efficient ways to compute radar cross sections of stealthy targets, I not only used my background in electromagnetic theory but also some machinery from General Relativity and quantum mechanics. 

Work on measuring lifetimes of parts in ion thruster satellite engines used results from astrophysics. After a 25-year academic career, I have been assisting as a volunteer at FamilySearch, an international nonprofit collaborative genealogical platform. To my surprise and delight, I’ve found ways my physics background can be applied to problems in computerizing and indexing genealogical records, preserving privacy, optical character recognition and matching records to family trees.

Dr. Sang Mo Yang, Sogang University, South Korea

Title: Ferroelectricity at the Nanoscale: Emerging Materials and Local Probes

Abstract: Ferroelectricity on the nanoscale has been the subject of considerable interest in condensed matter physics for over half a century. Beyond its fundamental importance, ferroelectricity provides essential functionality for advanced electronic devices, including nonvolatile memories, field-effect transistors and tunnel junctions. 

However, conventional perovskite-based ferroelectric oxides (e.g., Pb(Zr,Ti)O3) face significant challenges in achieving device performance that can compete with current dynamic random-access memories and flash memories. Over the past decade, novel ferroelectricity has been discovered in new material systems, including fluorite-structured HfO2-based thin films, two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials and 2D perovskite halides. These discoveries have brought about a renaissance in the ferroelectric research community. 

In this colloquium, I will present our group’s recent efforts to investigate and understand ferroelectricity across these emerging material platforms [1] using various scanning probe microscopy techniques.
[1] T. H. Jung et al., “Spatially Resolved Observation of Ferroelectric-to-Paraelectric Phase Transition in a Two-Dimensional Halide Perovskite,” Advanced Materials 37, 2506270 (2025)

Dr. Alec Tewsley-Booth

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Department of Physics and Astronomy

University of Kentucky

Host: Renee Fatemi and Tim Gorringe

Title: The Second Results from the Fermilab Muon g-2 Experiment

Abstract: On August 10th, 2023, the Muon g-2 Collaboration presented a new experimental value of the positive muon magnetic anomaly, a_μ = (g_μ - 2)/2. From this data set, the first analyzed since our release in 2021, we determine a_μ = 116592057(25) x 10^-11. This result dominates the new experimental world average, a_μ = 116592059(22) x 10^-11, which includes the 2021 result and the final result from Brookhaven in 2006. This talk will cover the experimental apparatus and analysis techniques used to produce the newest result, especially the improvements made that led to the factor of two improvement over the 2021 result. Additionally, we will cover the state of the theory and its tension with experiment, as well as the contributions from the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Alec Tewsley-Booth

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Department of Physics and Astronomy

University of Kentucky

Host: Renee Fatemi and Tim Gorringe

Title: The Second Results from the Fermilab Muon g-2 Experiment

Abstract: On August 10th, 2023, the Muon g-2 Collaboration presented a new experimental value of the positive muon magnetic anomaly, a_μ = (g_μ - 2)/2. From this data set, the first analyzed since our release in 2021, we determine a_μ = 116592057(25) x 10^-11. This result dominates the new experimental world average, a_μ = 116592059(22) x 10^-11, which includes the 2021 result and the final result from Brookhaven in 2006. This talk will cover the experimental apparatus and analysis techniques used to produce the newest result, especially the improvements made that led to the factor of two improvement over the 2021 result. Additionally, we will cover the state of the theory and its tension with experiment, as well as the contributions from the University of Kentucky.

Yuanyuan Su

Assistant Professor

Department of Physics and Astronomy

University of Kentucky

Host: Gary Ferland and Tom Troland

Title: Studying galaxy clusters in multiwavelength, multiscale, and multidisciplinary

Abstract: As the largest gravitational bound systems in the Universe, galaxy clusters are one of the most important probes for testing the standard cosmological models. A typical galaxy cluster contains hundreds to thousands of member galaxies. The space between these galaxies is filled with hot and diffuse plasma -- the intracluster medium (ICM), which constitutes 90% of the baryonic mass and emits strongly in X-rays primarily through bremsstrahlung. ICM provides unique laboratories to study many astrophysical processes, such as the interaction between the hot baryons and the supermassive black hole, the growth of large scale structure, and the enrichment processes of the Universe. In this talk, I will present our recent discovery on galaxy clusters from its centers to the outskirts including the multiphase gas at the brightest cluster galaxies, bow shock in merging clusters, and the chemical composition of the ICM. Our work on active galactic nuclei in cluster member galaxies and machine learning applications will also be discussed. 

Yuanyuan Su

Assistant Professor

Department of Physics and Astronomy

University of Kentucky

Host: Gary Ferland and Tom Troland

Title: Studying galaxy clusters in multiwavelength, multiscale, and multidisciplinary

Abstract: As the largest gravitational bound systems in the Universe, galaxy clusters are one of the most important probes for testing the standard cosmological models. A typical galaxy cluster contains hundreds to thousands of member galaxies. The space between these galaxies is filled with hot and diffuse plasma -- the intracluster medium (ICM), which constitutes 90% of the baryonic mass and emits strongly in X-rays primarily through bremsstrahlung. ICM provides unique laboratories to study many astrophysical processes, such as the interaction between the hot baryons and the supermassive black hole, the growth of large scale structure, and the enrichment processes of the Universe. In this talk, I will present our recent discovery on galaxy clusters from its centers to the outskirts including the multiphase gas at the brightest cluster galaxies, bow shock in merging clusters, and the chemical composition of the ICM. Our work on active galactic nuclei in cluster member galaxies and machine learning applications will also be discussed. 

Prof. Susan Gardner

Department of Physics and Astronomy

University of Kentucky

Host: Brad Plaster

Title: QCD for New Physics Searches at the Sensitivity Frontier 

Abstract: 

Questions that drive searches for physics beyond the Standard Model  include the physical origin of the cosmic baryon asymmetry and of dark matter. Quark dynamics, as realized through the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), can appear in these studies in very different ways. In this talk, I develop these possibilities explicitly, first describing the role of QCD in ultra-sensitive searches for new physics, particularly at low energies, and then turning to how its features could be exploited in describing the undiscovered universe, along with the essential observational and experimental tests that could confirm them.

Prof. Susan Gardner

Department of Physics and Astronomy

University of Kentucky

Host: Brad Plaster

Title: QCD for New Physics Searches at the Sensitivity Frontier 

Abstract: 

Questions that drive searches for physics beyond the Standard Model  include the physical origin of the cosmic baryon asymmetry and of dark matter. Quark dynamics, as realized through the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), can appear in these studies in very different ways. In this talk, I develop these possibilities explicitly, first describing the role of QCD in ultra-sensitive searches for new physics, particularly at low energies, and then turning to how its features could be exploited in describing the undiscovered universe, along with the essential observational and experimental tests that could confirm them.