Out of this world: the smallest and most surprising liquid in the Universe
Join Dr David Krofcheck for a journey into space and time as he sheds light on the smallest and most surprising liquid in the universe. High energy density quark-gluon plasma was discovered by scientists at the CERN Large Hadron Collider when they smashed together two ions at nearly the speed of light.
The plasma, which existed in the first few microseconds following the Big Bang, arises from cracking open protons and neutrons to release subatomic particles – quarks and gluons – which then move around like a liquid. The plasma lives for such a short time that scientists need probes generated by the ion collisions themselves to learn about the liquid. But many questions remain following this surprising discovery, such as is the liquid an “emergent” state, acting under the strong nuclear force?
In this talk, David will discuss New Zealand’s role in researching this fascinating phenomenon and why scientists believe quark-gluon plasma is the smallest and most perfect liquid in the universe.
Bio
Dr David Krofcheck is an American physicist married to a Kiwi woman he met on a blind date. David grew up in Pittsburgh and obtained a PhD in physics from the Ohio State University. He has done postdoctoral research at Michigan State University, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the University of San Francisco and has worked at the University of Auckland since 1995.
Event
8:00pm @The Conservatory, E1/17 Jellicoe Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010
Also speaking at this location at 6:00pm is Simon Young
