Rochester Science Cafe - Pulsars
Pulsars: Fundamental Physics with Nature's Best Celestial Clocks
Dr. Michael Lam
Assistant Professor
School of Physics and Astronomy, RIT
Abstract:
Pulsars are the remnant cores of dead massive stars. Spinning up to hundreds of times per second, their rotation is both stable and predictable, allowing us to use these as giant celestial clocks. In turn, we can use pulsars as a laboratory for fundamental physics, from tests of gravity to the composition of extreme nuclear matter. I will discuss a number of these different tests and my role as part of the NANOGrav Collaboration.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Lam is an astrophysicist in the School of Physics and Astronomy. He is a member of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves, whose goal is to detect and characterize low-frequency gravitational waves coming from a variety of sources such as supermassive black hole binaries at the centers of merging galaxies. He is co-chair of the Noise Budget Working Group, whose task is to characterize noise sources in the pulsar timing array detector, optimize the sensitivity of that detector, and correct/mitigate the various sources of noise. One large component of this work is the study of the ionized interstellar medium and as such he also uses the pulsars as tools to study a wide range of small- and large-scale phenomena in the Galactic electron content. He has recently extended this work on the interstellar medium to using Fast Radio Bursts as probes of the intergalactic medium. He also works on pulsar timing observations, gravitational wave detection methods, and cyber-infrastructure development for the collaboration. In addition, he is a heavy contributor to education and public outreach efforts and is a member of NANOGrav's Equity and Climate Committee.
Intended Audience:
No background knowledge needed. All are welcome.
Pittsford Plaza Barnes and Noble
(3349 Monroe Avenue)
Upstairs Community Room
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
Interpreter Requested?
No