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Astronomy Colloquium presentation Tom Quinn

Title: From Planets to Cosmology: research highlights from the N-Body Shop.   The N-body problem, i.e. the orbits of N particles interacting under their mutual gravity, is foundational to a large range of astrophysical phenomenon.  The size scales range from meter size objects in Saturn's rings to the large scale structure of the Universe on Gigaparsec scales.  The numbers of particles to be modeled runs from a few for determining the stability of planetary systems to as many as computationally feasible for modeling large scale structure. The ``N-Body Shop'' research group at the University Washington and its alums have contributed to a wide range of these models.  I will present some highlights of these contributions as well as prospects for future work. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Auditorium (PAA). Campus room: PAA A102. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Thursday, October 22, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.

Astro Lunch DiRAC Talk by Benjamin Zhang

Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Building (PAB). Campus room: B305. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.

What Haven’t We Asked Quantum Computers to Do? Jeff Henshaw Senior VP, Quantum Compute Products at IonQ

When people talk about quantum computing, the focus is usually on a small set of well-known applications. But an equally interesting question is whether we’re asking the right questions in the first place. What kinds of problems might benefit from quantum approaches that we simply haven’t recognized yet? This talk offers a brief introduction to the ideas behind quantum computing and a snapshot of where the field stands today. It then explores a broader challenge: discovering new applications by bringing together people who approach problems from very different perspectives. Researchers in fields ranging from chemistry and biology to public policy, history, literature, and religious studies may see opportunities that physicists and computer scientists overlook. Not every problem will be a good fit for quantum computing. But expanding the conversation beyond the traditional quantum community may be one of the best ways to discover what these technologies will ultimately be useful for. All disciplines welcome… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Student Union Building (HUB). Campus room: 250. Accessibility Contact: casevents@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Target Audience: Open to all UW faculty, students, and staff. Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.

Astronomy Colloquium presentation TBD

Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Auditorium (PAA). Campus room: PAA A102. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Thursday, October 29, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.

Astro Lunch DiRAC Talk by Milan Pesta

Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Building (PAB). Campus room: B305. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.

Astronomy Colloquium presentation Lachlan Lancaster

Title: Astrophysics at the Interface: The Dynamical and Observational Roles of Phase Transition Layers Abstract: Astrophysical fluid dynamics is the study of inherently large scale flows, which are naturally high Reynolds number (the momentum of the fluid is large compared with viscous stresses) and therefore turbulent. The sources of energy in astrophysical systems are highly structured in space and time (supernovae, stars, and black holes) and the dispersal of that energy is slow (microphysical heat diffusion is weak) so that astrophysical fluids are also inherently multi-phase. The facts of turbulence and phase structure mean that often the most efficient way of moving energy through an astrophysical system is by turbulent mixing between these phases. The intermediate phases created through mixing at interfaces between phases are often strongly thermally unstable and can therefore result in prodigious radiative emission from the layers, with profound dynamical and observational consequences. A similar… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Auditorium (PAA). Campus room: PAA A102. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Thursday, November 5, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.

Astro Lunch DiRAC Talk by Tara D.

Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Building (PAB). Campus room: B305. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.

Astronomy Colloquium presentation Calvin Leung

Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Auditorium (PAA). Campus room: PAA A102. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Event sponsors: Title From Radio Interferometry to Astrophysics and Cosmology using Fast Radio Bursts   Abstract: Since their discovery, Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) have captivated the astrophysics and cosmology communities due to their diverse origins and broad utility as diffuse-gas probes. I will outline the breakthroughs in low-frequency radio VLBI pioneered by CHIME/FRB Outriggers, and how this has translated into progress in understanding the sources and their local environments. Through standardization of the… Thursday, November 12, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.

Astro Lunch DiRAC Talk by Niusha Ahvazi

Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Building (PAB). Campus room: B305. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.

Astronomy Colloquium presentation Mandy Chen

Title: Turbulence in Circumgalactic Gas Abstract: Turbulence plays a central role in the thermodynamic evolution of the circumgalactic medium (CGM), yet measuring its properties from observations remains difficult. Integral field spectrographs (IFS) such as VLT/MUSE, Keck/KCWI, and JWST/NIRSpec IFU are now detecting extended emission-line nebulae around quasars and massive galaxies, opening a window to scale-dependent, two-point statistical characterization of gas motions in the diffuse CGM. In this talk, I will present empirical measurements of CGM turbulence using IFS data, highlighting the new kinematic constraints these observations provide on diffuse gas and the emerging insights they offer into AGN feedback and the baryon cycle. I will also discuss our efforts to build a robust interpretive framework by combining simulations with forward modeling to connect these observations to the underlying physical processes. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Auditorium (PAA). Campus room: PAA A102. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Thursday, November 19, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.

Astronomy Colloquium presentation Abby Lee

Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Auditorium (PAA). Campus room: PAA A102. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Thursday, December 3, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.

Astro Lunch DiRAC Talk by Viraj Karambelkar

Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Building (PAB). Campus room: B305. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Tuesday, December 8, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.

Astronomy Colloquium presentation Courtney Dressing

Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Physics-Astronomy Auditorium (PAA). Campus room: PAA A102. Accessibility Contact: Liza Young. Event Types: Academics. Thursday, December 10, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.