Contents
CHAIR’S WEEKLY MESSAGE
“Winterfall”
And just like that, it’s winter outside.
One of my colleagues remarked a few weeks ago, just as the high temperatures sank into the 70s, how marvelous the weather finally was. I retorted that it was important to be outside as much as possible in the coming days, because this is Texas. We always seem to go from raging high southern summer temperatures, suddenly to pleasant warm fall temperatures, and just as suddenly again to cold and unpleasant weather. All of this tends to happen in the span of just a few days.
And here we are. Arctic air plunged into North America this past week. This brought temperature crashes and precipitation that, luckily, didn’t lead to an ice storm here in Dallas (it never quite got cold enough for that). Our neighbors just north of us were not so lucky.
With the cold and the wet came a turn in our sense of the days. I became more aware of the sun setting earlier, even though that had been happening more and more since the summer solstice (of course). I became more attuned to the smells of autumn, as trees suddenly ejected their leaves in the span of just days and decomposition, mixed with cool and moist air, changed the character of a walk outside. Short sleeves and flip flops went into storage; fall coats and gloves suddenly mattered.
Normally, at this time of year, we’d be experiencing this while all living or working on our campus. But this is not a year for “normally.” While the social life of a university – the buzz of faculty, staff, and students striding across the campus, avoiding cold and rain – is damped, accomplishment and activity does go on. In this edition, we are pleased to report the latest research paper from one of our faculty that was accepted for publication in a major journal. We are also pleased to announce a small, virtual activity to mark “Dark Matter Day” on October 31 (also know, in some cultures, as “Halloween”). I am extremely grateful to the Society of Physics Students for working to organize this activity – you’re helping to make something semi-normal happen in abnormal times!
I hope all of you are staying socially distanced, safe, and warm. That is, until the weather swings into the 70s once more; then I hope you stay cool and find ways to enjoy northern summer in our southern autumn. Because … just like that … it’s bound to be winter outside again soon.
Sincerely,
Stephen Jacob Sekula Chair, Department of Physics |
DEPARTMENT VIEWS
Workshop: Opportunities with Heavy Flavor at the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC)
Next week (Wednesday-Friday, November 4-6, 2020) there will be a virtual workshop on “Opportunities with Heavy Flavor at the EIC” sponsored by the Center for Frontiers in Nuclear Science – Stony Brook University. This workshop involves a number of SMU faculty including Prof. Olness, one of the workshop organizers, as well as Profs. Pavel Nadolsky and Stephen Sekula, who will speak at the workshop.
The website is located at: https://indico.bnl.gov/event/9273/overview
Abstracts due October 31 for the Texas Section of the American Physical Society – Upcoming Joint Meeting with the Regional Sections of the Society of Physics Students and Association of Physics Teachers
See the October 16, 2020 newsletter for the original announcement of this meeting. It will occur on November 13 and 14. The deadline for submitting abstracts is October 31. Details about the meeting can be found at: https://tsapsf20.uta.edu/
REMINDER: Fast Machine Learning For Science (Virtual) Workshop at SMU, Nov. 30 – Dec. 3 – Register Today!
A four-day event, “Fast Machine Learning for Science”, will be hosted virtually by Southern Methodist University from November 30 to December 3. The first three days (Nov 30 – Dec 2) will be workshop-style with invited and contributed talks. The last day will be dedicated to technical demonstrations and coding tutorials.
As advances in experimental methods create growing datasets and higher resolution and more complex measurements, machine learning (ML) is rapidly becoming the major tool to analyze complex datasets over many different disciplines. Following the rapid rise of ML through deep learning algorithms, the investigation of processing technologies and strategies to accelerate deep learning and inference is well underway. We envision this will enable a revolution in experimental design and data processing as a part of the scientific method to greatly accelerate discovery. This workshop is aimed at current and emerging methods and scientific applications for deep learning and inference acceleration, including novel methods of efficient ML algorithm design, ultrafast on-detector inference and real-time systems, acceleration as-a-service, hardware platforms, coprocessor technologies, distributed learning, and hyper-parameter optimization.
Workshop Description
The organizing committee for this event consists of Prof. Allison Deiana, Prof. Tom Coan, Dr. Rohin Narayan, and Elizabeth Fielding from the Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute. More information, including registration information, is available at the workshop website: https://indico.cern.ch/event/924283/
Physics Speaker Series Continues with a Colloquium by Prof. Bonnie Fleming (Yale University): “R&D now and for the future in High Energy Physics”
The Physics Department Speaker Series continues on Monday, November 2 with Prof. Bonnie Fleming (Yale University). She will speak on “R&D now and for the future in High Energy Physics.” This more general-interest colloquium kicks off the November theme, “New Frontiers in Physics.” Dr. Fleming served as the co-chair of the Basic Research Needs (BRN) Study Panel, part of the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) effort to look ahead to the needs of high-energy physics in the coming years. The report is the culmination of a years-long effort exploring current and new paths in R&D in high energy physics, put into context with the physics questions driving the field. This process, the report, and it’s potential outcomes will be presented. The Zoom connection information is available to SMU-affiliated participants; the public YouTube stream is available for everyone.
https://www.physics.smu.edu/web/seminars/
Miss a Colloquium or Seminar? Don’t Panic … They’re Recorded!
If you missed an event in the Department Speaker Series, never fear! A positive side-effect of remote-only talks is easy recording. You can find all events so far this semester streaming online here:
Most Recent Talk: Dr. Tim Andeen (UT-Austin)
FACULTY NEWS
If you have something to share please feel free to send it along. Stories of your activities in research, the classroom, and beyond are very welcome!
Accepted for Publication in the Astrophysical Journal: “Significant Suppression of Star Formation in Radio-Quiet AGN Host Galaxies with Kiloparsec-Scale Radio Structures”
Prof. Krista Lynne Smith is pleased to report that her most recent paper, “Significant Suppression of Star Formation in Radio-Quiet AGN Host Galaxies with Kiloparsec-Scale Radio Structures,” has just been accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal. Prof. Smith and her co-authors report that…
We conducted 22 GHz 1″ JVLA imaging of 100 radio-quiet X-ray selected AGN from the Swift-BAT survey. We find AGN-driven kiloparsec-scale radio structures inconsistent with pure star formation in 11 AGN. The host galaxies of these AGN lie significantly below the star-forming main sequence, indicating suppressed star formation. While these radio structures tend to be physically small compared to the host galaxy, the global star formation rate of the host is affected. We evaluate the energetics of the radio structures interpreted first as immature radio jets, and then as consequences of an AGN-driven radiative outflow, and compare them to two criteria for successful feedback: the ability to remove the CO-derived molecular gas mass from the galaxy gravitational potential and the kinetic energy transfer to molecular clouds leading to vcloud>σ∗. In most cases, the jet interpretation is insufficient to provide the energy necessary to cause the star formation suppression. Conversely, the wind interpretation provides ample energy in all but one case. We conclude that it is more likely that the observed suppression of star formation in the global host galaxy is due to ISM interactions of a radiative outflow, rather than a small-scale radio jet.
Abstract of the paper, available from arXiv:2010.13806
Reminders for Faculty
We reprint these, because it never hurts to say important things twice.
- From the Provost: “Exams, tests and quizzes to be delivered exclusively online in fall 2020 – All exams, tests and quizzes will be delivered online this fall so that all students, regardless of mode of instruction, have equitable access to testing. We are discouraging in-class, paper-based testing because of the flexibility that everyone might need if case health issues arise. Consult SMU’s Keep Teaching website for additional information and support for this important interim requirement. You can also view this webinar on Online Exam Basics created by CTE and sent to all faculty by email in late September.”
- From the President: “As President Turner announced … we will start our spring 2021 semester a week later than originally planned, on January 25, and continuing straight forward without a spring break through the conclusion of exams on May 12. Good Friday will remain a University holiday. Jan Term classes will be also be available beginning January 7, 2021.”
STAFF NEWS
Staff In-Office Schedule for Week of November 2
The in-office staff schedule for the week of November 2 is as follows:
- Monday: Michele (Lacey is out-of-the-office entirely on this day, including virtually)
- Tuesday: Michele
- Wednesday: Michele
- Thursday: Lacey (Michele is out-of-the-office entirely on this day, including virtually)
- Friday: Lacey (Michele is out-of-the-office entirely on this day, including virtually)
Of course, both are always available on Microsoft Teams, by Email, or by phone.
Full staff in-office calendar for November:
STUDENT NEWS
If you have something to share please feel free to send it along. Stories of students in research, the classroom, internships or fellowships, awards, etc. are very welcome!
Congratulations to Peilong Wang on his successful PhD defense!
Graduate student Peilong Wang successfully concluded the oral exam portion of the doctoral process last Tuesday evening. His PhD committee consisted of Dr. Fred Olness (Committee Chair), Dr. Bob Kehoe, Dr. Stephen Sekula (Research Adviser), and Dr. Charles Young (External Member, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). He presented his contributions to the first observation of the process of a Higgs particle decaying to a pair of bottom quarks, the second-heaviest building block of baryonic matter. In addition, he explained his contributions to two hardware-related upgrade projects for the ATLAS Experiment. The department offers its congratulations to newly minted Dr. Wang on concluding this step. The final step for all doctoral candidates, which leads to graduation, is the submission of the final copy of the PhD thesis itself.
Society of Physics Students hosts a Virtual Dark Matter Particle Hunt on October 31, “Dark Matter Day”!
(Reprinted from the SMU SPS blog)
October 31 has been designated as international “Dark Matter Day” (https://www.darkmatterday.com/) to help raised engagement and awareness about the search for the nature of dark matter. The Society of Physics Students at SMU is organizing a “Virtual Dark Matter Particle Hunt” for October 31, 2020, from 8am-5pm (US Central Time).
During those hours, you can join in the hunt for what makes up dark matter. Just visit the main website of the SMU Department of Physics, https://www.physics.smu.edu, and click around the site, being on the lookout for dark matter particles embedded in the web pages! You will know them when you see them … we hope!
Students, faculty, staff, and members of the SMU community are encouraged to participate in searching for Dark Matter and learn about the importance of Dark Matter to our universe. Each dark matter particle will be uniquely labeled and accompanied by a curious fact about dark matter, based on what is known so far. Currently enrolled students who find one of the Dark Matter particles will be eligible to win a virtual $10 Amazon Gift Card. A prize goes to the first currently enrolled student who enters the unique code for that dark matter particle on an accompanying Google Form (a link to the form will be available from each of the dark matter particles on the website). If a dark matter particle is listed on the Google Form as “already found,” record anyway that you found it – the people who found it before you may not have been currently enrolled students!
There is a limit of 1 gift card per currently enrolled student. Feed your curiosity on October 31 about the unseen universe – and maybe win a prize in the process!
ALUMNI NEWS
If you are an alum of the doctoral, masters, majors or minor programs in Physics at SMU, or have worked in our program as a post-doctoral researcher, and wish to share news with the community, please send your story to the Physics Department and we’ll work with you to get it included in a future edition.
THE BACK PAGE
Planning High-Energy Physics in the United States
In the above announcement of the next Colloquium, the “P5” organization was mentioned. To learn more about the long-range planning for the US High-Energy Physics (HEP) community, check out https://www.usparticlephysics.org/. This website collects resources for physicists, including the latest P5 strategy report to help in thinking about opportunities in the field in the coming years. Students, especially, are encouraged to check out this site to learn about the opportunities that might be available to them to make their mark in research in the near future.