Events

This isn't about solid state or optical physics, but should be of interest to current and prospective graduate students, and those who interact with them in any capacity. People who attended this conference promised to report back to their departments, and I'd like to take this opportunity to do so. An APS/AAPT-sponsored conference to focus national attention on graduate education in physics took place at the American Center for Physics (ACP) in College Park, MD from January 30 � February 2, 2008.

Solar energy has by far the largest potential of all renewable energy sources and photovoltaics is the key technology to utilize this potential. At present photovoltaics technology ranges from widely employed first generation silicon wafer based solar cells to third generation multijunction cells used in space.

Helimagnets are magnetically ordered materials in which the spin-orbit interaction leads to a spiral structure of the magnetization. I will review the phenomenology of MnSi as the prototypical and best studied helimagnet, in particular various phases or suspected phases identified by neutron scattering and other techniques. The most spectacular feature is a pronounced T^(3/2) behavior of the resistivity in a large region of parameter space. I will then review theoretical efforts to understand the observed effects.

Cosmological distance measurements are challenging but fundamental to our understanding of the expansion history of the Universe. With the more precise techniques developed in the last decade, we have determined that the expansion rate is accelerating. This strange and unexpected result is attributed to a new force dubbed �Dark Energy,� for lack of any deeper understanding. I will discuss a new method for measuring cosmic distances, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, and an experiment that will bring this technique to a new level of precision in the ongoing effort to understand Dark Energy.

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Both liquid and ice clouds in the atmosphere form on small aerosol particles, which are produced by various sources. The effects of aerosols on cloud properties are complex and one of the most uncertain factors in predicting climate change. Some aerosol sources and how they act as cloud condensation nuclei (for liquid clouds) and ice nuclei (for ice clouds higher in the atmosphere) will be presented. Much of the data presented will be from in-situ cloud measurements taken from atmospheric research aircraft in different parts of the world.

In order to help understand the wide scatter in the reported fatigue properties reported for bulk metallic glasses, the roles of free volume and residual stress in affecting the fracture and fatigue behavior of a Zr44Ti11Ni10Cu10Be25 bulk metallic glass were examined. Different residual stress and free volume states were achieved by annealing below the glass transition temperature.

A significant untapped renewable energy source exists in the world's oceans: it is estimated that if 0.2% of the oceans' untapped energy could be harnessed, it could provide power sufficient for the entire world. This presentation discusses the opportunities for ocean wave power to become a new, reliable and clean source of affordable renewable energy. Wave energy research and developments at Oregon State University (OSU) will be presented, in addition to the developing opportunities for the State of Oregon to become a leader in wave power.

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