[57north-discuss] Fwd: REMINDER - RV Jones Distinguished Lecture Series

[Robert McWilliam]

Looks like an interesting lecture at Aberdeen Uni next week.

Robert
--
Robert McWilliam      rmcw at allmail.net    www.ormiret.com
 
Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
 
 
----- Original message -----
From: University of Aberdeen Events <events at abdn.ac.uk>
To: Robert McWilliam <rmcw at allmail.net>
Subject: REMINDER - RV Jones Distinguished Lecture Series
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2015 16:55:03 +0000
 

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*The School of Engineering at the University of Aberdeen has established a distinguished lecture series – The RV Jones Lecture Series – named in honour of Professor RV Jones, one of the University’s most distinguished academics in the area of applied physics and engineering.*
 
*Nature’s Optics and our Understanding of Light*
 
Professor Sir Michael Victor Berry, FRS

Melville Wills Professor of Physics (Emeritus), University of Bristol


Wednesday 2nd December, 6.30pm

King's College Conference Centre

University of Aberdeen

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Optical phenomena visible to everyone have been central to the development of, and abundantly illustrate, important concepts in science and mathematics. The phenomena considered include rainbows, sparkling reflections on water, mirages, green flashes, earthlight on the moon, glories, daylight, crystals, and the squint moon. The concepts include refraction, caustics (focal singularities of ray optics), wave interference, numerical experiments, mathematical asymptotics, dispersion, complex angular momentum (Regge poles), polarization singularities, Hamilton’s conical intersections of eigenvalues (‘Dirac points’), geometric phases, and visual illusions.


Sir Michael Victor Berry FRS, Melville Wills Professor of Physics (emeritus) at the University of Bristol, is an internationally  renowned scientist for his research in the ‘borderlands’ between classical and quantum theories and ray and wave optics. His emphasis is on geometrical singularities such as ray caustics and wave vortices. He discovered the geometric phase (Berry phase), a phase difference arising from cyclically changing conditions with applications in many areas of wave physics, including polarisation optics and condensed matter. 


Professor Berry also delights in finding the arcane in the mundane: mathematical singularities in rainbows and the dancing lines at the bottom of swimming pools; the twists and turns of a belt that underlie the quantum behaviour of identical particles; a laser pointer shone through bathroom window glass to demonstrate abstract aspects of wave interference; and oriental magic mirrors, illustrating the mathematical Laplace operator. 


Sir Michael was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1982 and knighted in 1996. He has received numerous awards, including the Maxwell Medal and the Dirac Medal of the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society’s Royal Medal, the London Mathematical Society’s Pólya Prize, the Wolf Prize and the Lorentz Medal.


*We look forward to welcoming you to another fascinating lecture in the RV Jones series. The event will be followed by a drinks reception in James Mackay Hall, University of Aberdeen.*
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