[PAST EVENT] Physics Colloquium

September 16, 2011
4pm
Location
Small Hall, Room 111
300 Ukrop Way
Williamsburg, VA 23185Map this location
Abstract: The nanoscale provides a fascinating testing ground not only for fundamental concepts in quantum mechanics, but also for our understanding of how complex physical phenomena emerge on the way from single atoms to macroscopic systems. In this talk, I will discuss some of the most intriguing and unique phenomena that are observed at the nanoscale, such as quantum imaging and quantum invisibility. The nanoscale also provides fundamentally new venues for studying the unconventional (and still poorly understood) physical properties of many strongly correlated (macroscopic) materials, such as the heavy-fermion materials or high-temperature superconductors. Using the former as an example, I will demonstrate how the creation of nanoscopic replicas can provide insight into the question of how complex physical properties evolve on different lengthscale, thus addressing one of the most important problems in condensed matter physics.