Physics & Astronomy Colloquium

3:30 PM, Friday, September 28, 2007
Room 155, Chem-Phys Building

Dr. Daniel Phillips
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Ohio University

" The Same, but Different: What the Neutron Can Teach Us About Strong Interactions ''

I will describe continuing efforts to measure and understand differences between the low-energy dynamics of protons and that of neutrons. I will begin with a brief review of the concept of isospin symmetry---the symmetry that relates protons and neutrons to each other---the idea of which is almost as old as nuclear physics itself. I will then discuss the modern understanding of this symmetry---and its breaking---within Quantum Chromodyamics. At low energies effective field theories of QCD can be used to propagate the consequences of this understanding through to predictions for neutron dynamics. These theories can also be used to make predictions for experiments in which the neutron's structure and interactions manifest themselves. I will close with two examples of such analysis.

Refreshments will be served in CP 179 at 3:15 PM