Distinguished Lecture Series

Professor George Pickett

Lancaster University

will give a series of lectures on

Superfluid 3He in the Zero-Temperature Limit: “Pure” Quantum Behaviour

Topic: Condensed Matter & Materials Physics

3He is the light isotope of helium. At low pressure helium remains liquid down to absolute zero. At around one millikelvin the 3He atoms form Cooper pairs and become superfluid (in analogy with the formation of electron Cooper pairs in a superconductor). In a superconductor, however, the electrons are trapped in a lattice, whereas in superfluid 3He at very low temperatures the Cooper pair condensate comprises the whole system. Thus we can describe the whole material with a single wavefunction. This is the simplest system for which we have “the theory of everything” and provides an ideal model (playground) for simulating other physics from cosmology, turbulence, magnetism and many more. Professor George Pickett is a leader in the field of low temperature physics. In recognition of his achievements he was awarded the Simon Prize. He is Fellow of the Royal Society.

Program of Lectures

Type Title Date Time Location Presentation
Colloquium Superfluid 3He in the Zero-Temperature Limit: “Pure” Quantum Behaviour 10-Mar-2014 14:30 Lidow Rosen Auditorium (323)
Condensed Matter Seminar Flow in a Coherent System: Pure Quantum turbulence in Superfluid 3He 11-Mar-2014 14:30 Lidow Nathan Rosen (300)
Condensed Matter Seminar Coherent Nuclear Spin Dynamics: NMR in Superfluid 3He 12-Mar-2014 13:30 Lidow Nathan Rosen (300)