Special Events

Guest Speaker: Dr. David Meyer, Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego

Quantum computing offers the possibility of efficient solutions to problems that may be classically intractable. Recently, these problems have included sampling from a probability distribution and inferring a relation from partial information (e.g., a recommender system), both of which fall into the class of data science or machine learning problems. An important characteristic of such problems and their solutions is the model for the data generating process, specifically whether it is classical or quantum. In the second part of the talk, we’ll analyze some data from a simple human behavior, answering survey questions, and discuss whether or not to model it quantum mechanically. I will (re)introduce all the quantum mechanics necessary for our analysis.

Public Lecture by Dr. Bharat Ratra, Distinguished Professor of Physics at Kansas State University.

Dark energy is the leading candidate for the mechanism that is responsible for causing the cosmological expansion to accelerate. Dr. Bharat Ratra will describe the astronomical data which persuade cosmologists that (as yet undetected) dark energy and dark matter are by far the main components of the energy budget of the universe at the present time. He will review how these observations have led to the development of a quantitative "standard" model of cosmology that describes the evolution of the universe from an early epoch of inflation to the complex hierarchy of structure seen today. In this non-technical talk, he will also discuss the basic physics, and the history of ideas, on which this model is based.

World Quantum Day
Public Event at Creighton
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Hixson-Lied Science Building, Room G-59
https://worldquantumday.org/events/world-quantum-day-public-event-at-cr…

Physics Field Day 2024 is taking place in the HIxson-Lied Science Building at Creighton University on Saturday April 10, 2024 starting at 9:00 a.m. Arrive earlier to get registered and ready for the events!

Open to all Omaha area high school physics classes. Come for a fun day of physics!

All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend our annual Department of Physics Retreat on February 1 - 2, 2024. The theme of the retreat is the ethical issues presented by the movie Oppenheimer.

See you there!

We're excited to announce the 2023 Physics Field Day at Creighton University.

High School physics classes are invited to enter their team the roughly half-day competition taking place on April 1, 2023 on the Creighton University Campus.

Contact Society of Physics Students President Joe Klomp for more information.

Physnic

The Physnic is an annual Physics Picnic hosted by the Creighton Physics Department.

What?

Jimmy John’s catering, games, and a chance to get to know others in the Physics department and those interested in Physics

When?

Sunday Oct. 2 2:00-4:00

Where?

Anderson Plaza a.k.a. the grassy knoll outside of HLSB on the Burt Street side

Any Questions? Contact Joe Klomp at joeklomp@creighton.edu

All physics students, staff, faculty, family and friends are invited to join us for our annual Evening of Reflection.

We will induct new members into the physics honor society Sigma Pi Sigma, celebrate our graduating students, and enjoy dinner together.

Sunday May 1, 4-6:30 p.m. in Lower St. John's Church

The annual physics department retreat took place on Friday April 8th from 5-8 p.m. in HLSB G04.

The theme of the retreat was "Lost in Space" and featured a rocket-building competition, dinner, a panel discussion with upper-division physics majors and graduates students, guest speaker Fr. Larry Gillick, and a student vs. faculty trivia game.

It was a fun time for everyone!

Special Department of Physics Seminar
Dr. Tianlu Yuan
Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center (WIPAC) and the University of Wisconsin Madison

Abstract: Neutrinos are weakly interacting particles, making them uniquely difficult to detect and at the same time surprisingly useful probes of fundamental physics at the largest and smallest scales. To detect astrophysical neutrinos, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory transforms a cubic-kilometer of ice at the South Pole into a weak-force telescope. Since its completion a decade ago, IceCube has discovered the existence of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos, found the first evidence of the Glashow resonance, probed neutrino interactions at the highest energy scales and is beginning to unveil individual sources of neutrinos from outer space. In this talk, I will highlight these results, discuss the technical challenges involved, and provide an outlook for the future with IceCube-Gen2.