Visualization of Quantum Phenomena

Speaker(s): Wilson Ho

The unique capabilities of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) enable new opportunities for the control and investigation of matter and its transformation at the atomic and molecular scales. Some of the problems that are routinely used in the introduction to quantum mechanics, such as the particle tunneling, Brownian motion of molecules, and particle in a one-dimensional box, can be realized by combining real-space imaging, atomic and molecular manipulation, and spatially resolved spectroscopy with the STM. It has also become possible to measure quantum phenomena arising from coupling of photon radiation and tunneling electrons with the molecular electronic states and vibrational motions. Results from these experiments provide a basic understanding of the behavior of matter at the nanoscale and the roles of electron and energy transfers in chemical and physical processes that are uniquely revealed by probing single atoms, molecules, and artificial nanostructures.

Colloquium

Junior and senior physics majors attend our biweekly colloquium series, held on Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. in Shanahan B460. The talks are open to all students and to the public, and are frequently attended by scientists from the other Claremont Colleges, Cal Poly Pomona, and others. The series features speakers from a broad range of institutions and fields of physics.