Hegeman 102 In 1807, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier's study of the theory and flow of heat led to the publication of his "Mémoire sur la propagation de la chaleur dans les corps solides" (Treatise on the propagation of heat in solid bodies). This work, which introduced the notion of representing continuous functions in terms of sums of trigonometric functions, continues to be celebrated today as a foundational collection of ideas for the modern mathematical field of harmonic analysis. With applications ranging from signal processing to medical imaging, Fourier theory remains an active area of research to this day. In this talk we will give a brief introduction to Fourier series, their convergence properties, and the beautiful mathematics they helped create. No background beyond a second semester calculus course will be assumed.Sponsored by: Mathematics Program.
Hegeman 107 According to the standard model of physics, the neutron which is made up of quarks should have a finite electric dipole moment (edm). However, precision measurements of the neutron's edm place a vanishingly small upper bound on it. This is referred to as the strong CP problem. The axion is a new particle that was proposed to solve the strong CP problem. The possible mass range for the axion spans about 20 orders of magnitude. In certain circumstances, the axion can also explain dark matter.
In my talk, I will describe a new experiment under development to look for the axion in the 10^-5 - 10^-2 eV mass range. This experiment, ARIADNE, will look for a spin-dependent force between an unpolarized source mass and a highly polarized ^3He gas mediated by the axion. The effect is equivalent to a fictitious magnetic field applied to the ^3He gas. In order to make this measurement, we need to be able to measure magnetic fields as small as 10^-21 T. This experiment requires bringing together multiple cutting-edge technologies into one system. I will describe the challenges in integrating these technologies towards achieving the required precision as well as our progress towards mitigating them.Sponsored by: Physics Program.
For more information, call 845-752-4391, or e-mail akontos@bard.edu.
Maica Clavel, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Friday, November 12, 2021 12–1 pm
Hegeman 107 The supermassive black hole at the Galactic center, Sagittarius A*, is the least luminous known supermassive black hole, but relics in its surroundings show that it has not always been so quiet. X-ray observations of the diffuse emission at the Galactic center performed over the last two decades have revealed an intense and highly variable nonthermal component, spatially correlated with dense molecular clouds present in the central three hundred parsecs. This reflection signal has been identified as echoes created by the past activity of Sagittarius A*. However, using these reflection features to reconstruct its precise history over the last centuries has been challenging. Through dedicated X-ray variability and spectral analyses, we are now able to derive an increasing number of constraints on two past outbursts from Sagittarius A* that occurred in the last centuries. However, what caused these events is still an open question. I will review how and what we have learned about Sagittarius A*'s past activity.Sponsored by: Physics Program.
For more information, call 845-758-4391, or e-mail akontos@bard.edu.
Hegeman 102 Tina Giorgadze "Building an Agent-based Computational Model of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Immunotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Using Binary Distribution of Antigens"
Hannah Kaufmann "Minimal Presentation Sizes of Numerical Semigroups" A numerical semigroup is a subset of integers closed under addition, while a minimal presentation is a choice of minimal relations between generators of the numerical semigroup. It is a well-known fact that if m is the smallest positive element, then the size of the minimal presentation is at most m choose 2. Finding the possible minimal presentation sizes of numerical semigroups whose smallest positive element, or multiplicity, is m has been a long-standing open problem. In this talk, we introduce the role of embedding dimension in determining the attainable minimal presentation sizes. For each pairing of multiplicity and embedding dimension, we present multiple classes of numerical semigroups and pose upper and lower bounds. Our methods are not only combinatorial, but also involve posets and betti elements.
Verity Scheel "Embedding Dimensions of Simplicial Complexes on Few Vertices" As the result of summer research with Steve Simon (Bard) and Florian Frick (CMU), we found a straightforward characterization of simplicial complexes on few vertices that embed into the d-sphere. Simplicial complexes can be studied both as geometric objects embedded into space and as combinatorial set systems, and our result provides a simple combinatorial property that corresponds to topological characteristics of the same object. In particular, a simplicial complex on d+3 vertices embeds into the d-sphere if and only if its non-faces do not form an intersecting family. Like the case of planar graphs, we show in addition that such complexes satisfy the rigidity property that continuous and linear embeddability are equivalent.Sponsored by: Mathematics Program.
Helene Tieger, '85, Bard College Library Archivist
Friday, November 19, 2021 12–1 pm
Hegeman 107 Using archival documents and from conversations with former faculty and students, the college archivist will share physics stories from Professor Stryker's Recitation room to Zog 4. (And beyond.)Sponsored by: Physics Program.
For more information, call 845-758-4391, or e-mail akontos@bard.edu.
Hegeman 102 In 1807, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier's study of the theory and flow of heat led to the publication of his "Mémoire sur la propagation de la chaleur dans les corps solides" (Treatise on the propagation of heat in solid bodies). This work, which introduced the notion of representing continuous functions in terms of sums of trigonometric functions, continues to be celebrated today as a foundational collection of ideas for the modern mathematical field of harmonic analysis. With applications ranging from signal processing to medical imaging, Fourier theory remains an active area of research to this day. In this talk we will give a brief introduction to Fourier series, their convergence properties, and the beautiful mathematics they helped create. No background beyond a second semester calculus course will be assumed.Sponsored by: Mathematics Program.
Hegeman 107 According to the standard model of physics, the neutron which is made up of quarks should have a finite electric dipole moment (edm). However, precision measurements of the neutron's edm place a vanishingly small upper bound on it. This is referred to as the strong CP problem. The axion is a new particle that was proposed to solve the strong CP problem. The possible mass range for the axion spans about 20 orders of magnitude. In certain circumstances, the axion can also explain dark matter.
In my talk, I will describe a new experiment under development to look for the axion in the 10^-5 - 10^-2 eV mass range. This experiment, ARIADNE, will look for a spin-dependent force between an unpolarized source mass and a highly polarized ^3He gas mediated by the axion. The effect is equivalent to a fictitious magnetic field applied to the ^3He gas. In order to make this measurement, we need to be able to measure magnetic fields as small as 10^-21 T. This experiment requires bringing together multiple cutting-edge technologies into one system. I will describe the challenges in integrating these technologies towards achieving the required precision as well as our progress towards mitigating them.Sponsored by: Physics Program.
For more information, call 845-752-4391, or e-mail akontos@bard.edu.
Maica Clavel, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Friday, November 12, 2021 12–1 pm
Hegeman 107 The supermassive black hole at the Galactic center, Sagittarius A*, is the least luminous known supermassive black hole, but relics in its surroundings show that it has not always been so quiet. X-ray observations of the diffuse emission at the Galactic center performed over the last two decades have revealed an intense and highly variable nonthermal component, spatially correlated with dense molecular clouds present in the central three hundred parsecs. This reflection signal has been identified as echoes created by the past activity of Sagittarius A*. However, using these reflection features to reconstruct its precise history over the last centuries has been challenging. Through dedicated X-ray variability and spectral analyses, we are now able to derive an increasing number of constraints on two past outbursts from Sagittarius A* that occurred in the last centuries. However, what caused these events is still an open question. I will review how and what we have learned about Sagittarius A*'s past activity.Sponsored by: Physics Program.
For more information, call 845-758-4391, or e-mail akontos@bard.edu.
Hegeman 102 Tina Giorgadze "Building an Agent-based Computational Model of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Immunotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Using Binary Distribution of Antigens"
Hannah Kaufmann "Minimal Presentation Sizes of Numerical Semigroups" A numerical semigroup is a subset of integers closed under addition, while a minimal presentation is a choice of minimal relations between generators of the numerical semigroup. It is a well-known fact that if m is the smallest positive element, then the size of the minimal presentation is at most m choose 2. Finding the possible minimal presentation sizes of numerical semigroups whose smallest positive element, or multiplicity, is m has been a long-standing open problem. In this talk, we introduce the role of embedding dimension in determining the attainable minimal presentation sizes. For each pairing of multiplicity and embedding dimension, we present multiple classes of numerical semigroups and pose upper and lower bounds. Our methods are not only combinatorial, but also involve posets and betti elements.
Verity Scheel "Embedding Dimensions of Simplicial Complexes on Few Vertices" As the result of summer research with Steve Simon (Bard) and Florian Frick (CMU), we found a straightforward characterization of simplicial complexes on few vertices that embed into the d-sphere. Simplicial complexes can be studied both as geometric objects embedded into space and as combinatorial set systems, and our result provides a simple combinatorial property that corresponds to topological characteristics of the same object. In particular, a simplicial complex on d+3 vertices embeds into the d-sphere if and only if its non-faces do not form an intersecting family. Like the case of planar graphs, we show in addition that such complexes satisfy the rigidity property that continuous and linear embeddability are equivalent.Sponsored by: Mathematics Program.
Helene Tieger, '85, Bard College Library Archivist
Friday, November 19, 2021 12–1 pm
Hegeman 107 Using archival documents and from conversations with former faculty and students, the college archivist will share physics stories from Professor Stryker's Recitation room to Zog 4. (And beyond.)Sponsored by: Physics Program.
For more information, call 845-758-4391, or e-mail akontos@bard.edu.
Save this event: