Colloquium
Upcoming Colloquium
A New Approach to the Flavor Puzzle
Dr. Michael Ratz, UC Irvine
September 15, 2025
11:00am in HSCI-102
Unlike the masses of elements, there is currently no fundamental understanding of the mass pat-terns exhibited by elementary particles. This constitutes part of the so-called Flavor Puzzle. The masses, mixing angles, and CP phases of elementary particles represent more than two-thirds of the parameters that must be specified to describe our Universe. Recently, a new approach has emerged that utilizes modular symmetries. These symmetries play a key role in mathematics and string theory, and when applied to the Flavor Puzzle, they enable us to solve decades-old problems.
About the Colloquium
The Colloquium is a unique opportunity for students to learn about new developments in physics and what physicists do after they graduate. Hosted by the Physics and Astronomy Department at Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹State University, Long Beach, the weekly meetings invite guests from universities, research laboratories, and industry to present and discuss current topics in physics. All students are encouraged to attend for a well-rounded experience and training in physics.
Colloquium Coordinator
For information and suggestions about the colloquium please contact the colloquium coordinator:
Dr. Sarah Grefe
Sarah.Grefe@csulb.edu
Schedule
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| September 15, 2025 | A New Approach to the Flavor Puzzle | Dr. Michael Ratz, UC Irvine |
| September 22, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Eduardo Garcia Padilla, Harvey Mudd College |
| September 29, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter experiment) | Charlotte Evans, Sandia National Laboratory |
| October 6, 2025 | TBA | TBA |
| October 13, 2025 | (topic: dark matter detection) | Alvine Kamaha, UCLA |
| October 20, 2025 | Physics of Anime | Kristjan Stone, Roman Gomez, Caleb Baker; Jet Propulsion Laboratory / NASA |
| October 27, 2025 | (topic: plasma experiment) | William Heidbrink, UC Irvine |
| November 3, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Clare Yu, UC Irvine |
| November 10, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter experiment) | Nicholas Dale, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| November 17, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Elizabeth Peterson, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| December 1, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Gil Refael, Caltech |
| December 3, 2025 | Student Presentations | Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ physics students |
| December 5, 2025 | Student Presentations | Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹ physics students |
Previous Colloquia
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| September 8, 2025 | Department Meet 'n Mix | Department Faculty, Staff, and Student Leaders |
The Colloquium Archive has the Colloquia from previous semesters.
Sponsors
We acknowledge with gratitude donations and support from the following present sponsors:
- H.E. and H.B. Miller and Family Endowment
- Benjamin Carter
- Mary L. Bresnan
- K. Y. Shen
- American Physical Society
- Anonymous
We also acknowledge with gratitude our past donors: The Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., The Northrop Grumman Foundation, Sandra Dana, Anonymous.
If you wish to support the Colloquium, please contact the colloquium coordinator or the department chair. Thank you!
