October Seminar Tuesday, October 26, 2004 - 5:00 pm - 6:00pm

"Can We Make Atoms Sing and Molecules Dance? Using Fast Light Pulses to Observe and Control Them" Speaker: Professor Margaret Murnane, a member of the Department of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Colorado

This year Dr Murnane was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She was awarded a 2000 MacArthur Fellowship by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The MacArthur Fellows Program awards unrestricted fellowships to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication to their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction. "Murnane works at the leading edge of applied optical physics. She has made important strides in three aspects of laser pulse generation: brevity, power, and frequency. These advances hold significant implications for understanding the physical basis for the interaction of light and matter, as well as for practical engineering applications." During the past decade, there has been a revolution in the field of ultrafast lasers. Visible light pulses that flash for ten quadrillionths of a second can be used to literally rip atoms apart, generating x-rays in the process. Using computer algorithms, Prof. Murnane and her group, shape these pulses to make atoms radiate or molecules vibrate. Dr. Murnane is also the Chair of the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP) of the American Physical Society (APS). During her WIS seminar on Tuesday 26th October she will talk about her personal history, describe (at a high-school level) her award-winning research on ultrafast optics and bring us up-to-date on the activities of the CSWP.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004 refreshments 4:45 pm 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm ~ ORANGE ROOM, Central Lab SLAC, 2575 Sand Hill Rd., Menlo Park, CA