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Department Speaker Series Resumes with Prof. Walter Wilcox (Baylor University)

Posted on March 18, 2022Updated: March 14, 2022

Prof. Walter Wilcox, friend of the department, colleague, and expert on nuclear and nucleon structure, will continue the Spring 2022 Department Speaker Series with a lecture entitled “Particle Polarizabilities and PDFs from Lattice QCD.” This talk comes right after Spring Break at SMU. Please find more information below!

As techniques are refined and computer power and algorithms improve, a greater number of physical observables are being formed and measured using lattice QCD (LQCD) techniques. A unifying approach to many of these evaluations involves the use of lattice four-point functions. Using these, a set of evaluations called electric and magnetic polarizabilities for pions and nucleons can be measured with LQCD techniques. Although polarizabilities are in themselves interesting fundamental properties, the set of diagrams involved are common to many other hadronic observables, including important quantities called parton distribution functions (PDFs). After some ancient history is discussed, the lattice methods used to extract such quantities will be explained, including specialized techniques for so-called disconnected diagrams.

Snacks are served in FOSC 16 (The Hyer Ed Cafe) beginning at 3:45 and the talk begins promptly at 4:00pm in FOSC 123. All are welcome!