Leopold Infeld Colloquium
2006/2007 | 2007/2008 | 2008/2009 | 2009/2010 | 2010/2011 | 2011/2012 | 2012/2013 | 2013/2014 | 2014/2015 | 2015/2016 | 2016/2017 | 2017/2018
Nuclear Science and Technology in National Centre for Nuclear Research after first 5 years
The National Centre for Nuclear Research commenced operations on September 1, 2011. The Polish Government's decision to merge POLATOM Institute for Atomic Energy (IEA) and the Sołtan Institute for Nuclear Studies (IPJ) has ended an almost 30-year-long period, during which the Swierk Research Center remained fragmented. The former Institute for Nuclear Research has been brought back to life under a new name and with a new set of tasks to accomplish.
NCBJ conducts pure and applied research in broadly understood nuclear physics, elementary particle physics, astroparticle, plasma physics. The Institute specializes in accelerator physics and technology, material research with nuclear techniques, the development of spectrometric techniques, nuclear electronics. The Institute operates the multifunctional nuclear research reactor MARIA. Radioisotope Centre POLATOM is located in the structure of NCBJ. POLATOM develops techniques for practical application of radioisotopes in various sectors, among them the majority of products and services is used in health care.
I will present the current scientific activity of NCBJ, plans, and vision for the future development.
Beautiful Amplitudes
In high energy scattering processes, nature is probed at very short, subatomic distances. Quantum field theory, in particular gauge theories, provide theoretical foundations of the standard model of particle physics and offer powerful tools for computing scattering amplitudes in perturbation theory.
Much less is known about quantum gravity, but the recent discovery of gravitational waves prompts us to consider scattering processes involving gravitons, hypothetical quanta of gravitational radiation. At this point, the scattering processes involving gravitons are of purely academic interest, but it is hoped that understanding such processes will provide some clues to quantum gravity. Indeed, the structure of scattering amplitudes indicates some deep connection between gauge theory and gravity.
Transverse migration of polyelectrolytes in microfluidic channels: Concentrating and purifying DNA?
I will describe recent microfluidics experiments using DNA as a model polyelectrolyte. The DNA is introduced into the channel by a pressure driven flow, and simultaneously subjected to an axial electric field.
Epifluorescent and confocal microscopy have been used to show that, under opposing fields, the DNA migrates to the walls of the microfluidic channel. An interesting consequence is that DNA then rapidly accumulates near the channel inlet, suggesting a possible means to both concentrate and purify DNA.
Unlike a number of electrokinetic-based separations, the trapping of the DNA does not depend on complex flows or fields. Rather, it exploits (we think) a little studied aspect of polyelectrolytes; namely that an electric field can generate a long-range (1/r^3) flow around the molecule. When combined with symmetry breaking, induced (for example) by a shear flow, this leads to novel length-dependent motions of the polymer.
In this talk I will summarize the results of our experiments, present the outline of a theory to describe the migration, and suggest possible biotechnology applications.