Monday, April 28, 2008
Electropolymeric Display and Window Technology
Dr. Elliott Schlam, New Visual Media Group, LLC
Eatontown, New Jersey (Materials / Device Physics, Host: Levy)
Room: 373 Tiernan

Time: 3-4 pm with 2:30 pm tea time *** NOTE SPECIAL TIME ***

Abstract:
Thin metallized polymer foils can be made to function as large scale
MEMS devices. Distinct from traditional Si MEMS devices, the moving
element is actually the polymer foil itself. The polymer can be
fabricated into an array of small pixel-like shutters to create large
flat panel displays for low cost digital billboards or can be
incorporated between the panels of a thermal window to create a
dynamic window shade for considerable energy savings in residential
and commercial buildings.

Monday, March 31, 2008
Title: Solar Coronal Magnetic Fields: Source of Space Weather
Dr. Thomas Weigelmann, Max Planck Institute, Germany
(Solar & Terrestrial Physics, Host: Wang)
Room: 373 Tiernan

Time: Noon-1 pm with 11:30 am tea time

Abstract:

Instabilities in the solar corona like flares and coronal mass ejections can cause harmful effects, e.g., power cut-offs, damage to satellites and thread exposure of astronauts to energetic particles. It is therefore important to investigate these processes, in particular with aim of a better prediction of eruptive phenomena. The key for these processes is the magnetic field, which couples the solar interior with the solar atmosphere and dominates all other forces by several orders of magnitude in the corona. As high accuracy direct measurements of the coronal magnetic field are not available, we extrapolate ground based and space-born measurements of the photospheric magnetic field vector into the corona. Time series of the reconstructed 3D-magnetic field and plasma equilibria are analysed, for example regarding the amount of free energy available to trigger coronal eruptions, which are the cause of space weather.