The W. D. Phillips’s Public Lecture will feature exciting experimental demonstrations and a straightforward account of the hottest (and coldest) modern physical science.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Einstein changed the way how we look at time. Now, in the early 21st century, timekeeping has brought on a revolution due to the ability to cool atom gases to temperatures millions of times lower than any naturally occurring temperature in the Universe. Atomic clocks, the best timers ever made, are one of the wonders of modern science and technology. These ultra-precise clocks are indispensable in industry, commerce, and science. They are at the heart of satellite navigation systems that guide cars, planes, and travelers to their destinations.
While today’s best initial atomic clocks using ultracold atoms will neither gain nor lose a second in 300 million years, the next-generation atomic clocks are forcing us to redefine what time means. Extremely cold atoms, which can be less than a billionth of a degree above absolute zero, allow for testing some of Einstein’s wildest predictions and theories.
The lecture is organized by the Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University.
The public and free lecture will be held in English. No registration is required.
Sponsors: European Physical Journal, Vilnius University Foundation, Light Conversion UAB, Gediminas Kuprevičius.
Partner - Go Vilnius.
