Wolf Sigal

Primary Category:

Graduate Students

Discipline:

Condensed Matter Physics

Office:

Bergmann Bldg.

Phone:

02 6584 811

E-Mail:

Upcoming Events

Monday, December 16th

Physics Colloquium : "IS EARTH EXCEPTIONAL?"
- Start time: 12:00pm
- End date: Monday, December 16th
- End time: 01:30pm
- Lecturer: Mario Livio ( Rosenblum Prize )Abstract:The questions “How did life on Earth begin?” and “Are we alone in the universe?” are arguably two of the most intriguing in science. While until recently these questions tended to be relegated to the “too difficult” box, the attempts to answer them have now become extraordinarily vibrant and dynamic frontiers of science.I will describe how the quest for cosmic life follows two parallel, independent lines of research: cutting-edge laboratory studies aimed at determining whether life can emerge from pure chemistry, and advanced astronomical observations searching for signs of life on other planets and moons in the solar system and around stars other than the Sun. I will examine how using knowledge acquired through ingenious chemical experimentation, geological studies, advanced astronomical observations, and imaginative theorizing researchers have managed to delineate a plausible pathway leading from the formation of the Earth to the appearance of the early biological cells.
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Tuesday, December 17th

Astrolunch: David Chay Benisty
- Start time: 12:30pm
- End date: Tuesday, December 17th
- End time: 01:30pm
- Multiscale Constraints on Dark Energy: From Pulsars and the Local Group to CosmologyIn this talk, I will explore constraints on dark energy beyond the standard cosmological frameworks, incorporating insights from binary motion and galactic dynamics. I will present a method to constrain the cosmological constant, Λ, using binary galaxy systems. The ratio between the Keplerian orbital period and TΛ≈35 Gyr determines the significance of cosmological constant effects on binary motion. For systems with periods approaching this timescale, the influence of Λ becomes significant. The Milky Way–Andromeda (M31) system, with an orbital period of ∼17 Gyr, requires the inclusion of dark energy effects. Utilizing the latest mass estimates for the Milky Way and M31, combined with proper motion data from HST and Gaia, I will demonstrate that the value of Λ inferred from Local Group dynamics is less than 5.44 times the Planck value. Furthermore, I will discuss a general framework for applying constraints to galaxy groups and clusters in the local universe.Contact: Zhaozhou Li
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Wednesday, December 18th

Nonlinear Physics seminar: "Mobility Enhancement in Scale-Free Disordered Systems with Geometrical Constraints"
- Start time: 12:00pm
- End date: Wednesday, December 18th
- End time: 01:30pm
- Lecturer: Stas Burov, Physics department, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Abstract: Understanding transport in systems with strong, scale-free disorder is essential for explaining anomalous diffusion in amorphous materials, glasses, and living cells. In this talk, I will present how the interplay between quenched disorder and geometrical constraints generates unconventional single-particle mobility behavior. Focusing on a two-dimensional channel with width w, we demonstrate that reducing w—introducing tighter constraints—surprisingly enhances mobility under external driving forces. This counterintuitive effect is analyzed in the low-temperature regime, where localization times follow a scale-free distribution. Employing the double-subordination framework within the quenched trap model, we derive an explicit response function that reveals the underlying mechanisms of mobility enhancement. These findings challenge traditional transport paradigms, offering fresh insights into dynamics in constrained, disordered systems.
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