Intellectual Activities at the
Department of Physics and Astronomy
The proximity of our department to world-class research institutions such
as the Los Alamos National Laboratory
and Sandia National Laboratories,
the intensity of the research atmosphere that has been part of the life
of New Mexico for the last forty years, and most significantly, the research
activities and international collaborations of our faculty make for exciting
and intellectually stimulating environment. The area is particularly conducive
to research in astrophysics, condensed matter physics and materials science,
and optics. In addition to strong research thrusts in these directions,
we also have active work being conducted in almost every area of physics.
Some of this work is reflected in conferences on a national and international
scale that are held here. For example, UNM is a participant in the annual
Rocky Mountain Southwest Theoretical Physics Conference. Under a NATO sponsorship,
UNM recently organized an Advanced Study Institute on "Frontiers on Nonequilibrium
Statistical Physics." The distinguished lecturers included two Nobel laureates,
and the proceedings have been published as a book by Plenum Press. To convey
an idea of some of this exciting environment we describe below the seminars
and colloquia that are held and the centers and institutes that are part
of the department.
Seminars and Colloquia at the
Department of Physics and Astronomy
A particularly exciting aspect of student life in our Department
of Physics and Astronomy is the opportunity to attend a large variety
of talks almost every day of the week. The talks deal with the latest research
work in physics and are given by invited visitors from all over the world.
Students have an opportunity to participate in the stimulating atmosphere
in which ideas and results are exchanged by our faculty and students with
distinguished scientists from other institutions, to meet with the speakers
on a personal basis, and to discuss science with them. The speakers spend
at least a day or two in the Department but in some cases their stays are
prolonged for weeks and even months. In such cases they often give mini-courses
on their specialties. Recent examples of such long-term visitors are Professor
Julian Schwinger from the University of California at Los Angeles and Professor
David Pines from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The following
are brief descriptions of five of our regular series of talks, of which
one focuses on astrophysics, one on condensed matter physics, one on material
science, one on quantum optics, and one spans all areas of physics.
These are held weekly and are highly useful to our students as a result
of their direct participation in them. The speakers are astronomers and
astrophysicists from a variety of observatories and universities.
These average from once to twice a week. The speakers are often internationally
known researchers, usually in quantum optics, but also in other fields
of theoretical physics such as general relativity and many-body physics.
Mini-series consisting of several talks on a given subject are also held.
In some cases speakers stay at the CAS
for a month or more, giving extended lecture series and collaborating on
research.
These are weekly and are held in the Engineering Complex. The speakers
are from various universities and industries and the topics usually deal
with materials science, in particular optoelectronic materials and optical
probes to study matter. They have normally an experimental or applied bent.
Condensed Matter Series
These are held weekly. The speakers often come from universities and research
institutes all over the world including the two active laboratories close
to us: Los Alamos and Sandia.
The topics usually deal with condensed matter and statistical physics but
other fields such as solid state optics, chemical physics, and nonlinear
physics are also represented. Mini-series are held often.
Colloquia
Held every Friday, these constitute the weekly meeting place for all faculty
and graduate students of the Department. Speakers visit from all over and
present their work at a level understandable to physicists who are not
specialists in their area as well as to graduate students. The topics are
diverse and span essentially all of physics and astrophysics. Small scale
festivities including doughnuts and beverages are attached to the colloquia.
Funded Research Projects
CONTACT:
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of New Mexico
800 Yale Boulevard NE
Albuquerque, NM 87131-1156 USA
Phone: (505) 277-2616
FAX: (505) 277-1520
Problems or comments about this web site? bel@unm.edu