2013 Tsinghua University Chia-Chiao Lin Distinguished Lecture
Speaker: Michael Berry
Professor of University of Bristol
Winner of Wolf Prize
Member of the European Academy
Foreign member of U.S. National Academy of Science
Fellow of the Royal Society of London
Time: 16:30-17:30pm, May 28 (Tue.), May 30 (Thu.)
Place: Lecture Hall, Floor 3, Jin Chun Yuan West Building, Tsinghua University
Titles and Abstracts
Lecture 1 Title: Making light of mathematics
Abstract: Many “mathematical phenomena” find application and sometimes spectacular physical illustration in the physics of light. Concepts such as fractals, catastrophe theory, knots, infinity, zero, and even when 1+1 fails to equal 2, are needed to understand rainbows, twinkling starlight, sparkling seas, oriental magic mirrors, and simple observations on interference, polarization and focusing. The lecture is intellectual but nontechnical, and strongly visual.
Lecture 2 Title: Superoscillations and weak measurement
Abstract: Band-limited functions can oscillate arbitrarily faster than their fastest Fourier component over arbitrarily long intervals. Where such “superoscillations” occur, functions are exponentially weak. In typical monochromatic optical fields, substantial fractions of the domain (one-third in two dimensions) are superoscillatory. Superoscillations have implications for signal processing, and raise the possibility of sub-wavelength resolution microscopy without evanescent waves. In quantum mechanics, superoscillations correspond to weak measurements, suggesting “weak values” of observables (e.g photon momenta) far outside the range represented in the quantum state. A weak measurement of neutrino speed could lead to a superluminal result without violating causality, but the effect is too small to explain the speed claimed in a recent experiment.
Introduction of Speaker
Sir Michael Berry is a mathematical physicist at the University of Bristol, England. Prof. Berry received a BSc in physics from the University of Exeter and a PhD from the University of St. Andrews.
Professor Michael Berry is famous among other things for the Berry phase, a phenomenon observed e.g. in quantum mechanics and optics. He specializes in semi classical physics (asymptotic physics, quantum chaos), applied to wave phenomena in quantum mechanics and other areas such as optics. He is also currently affiliated with the Institute for Quantum Studies at Chapman University in California. From 2006 he has been Editor of the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society.
Professor Michael Berry achieved a lot of prizes and awards. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1982, member of the European Academy in 1989 and foreign member of US National Academy of Science in 1995. He was knighted and became Sir Michael Berry in 1996 and won the Wolf Prize for Physics in 1998.
