Fantastic Physics Pro-Dand where to find it

Joe Muise

St. Thomas More Collegiate

Email: joe.muise@stmc.bc.ca

Twitter: @jm_muiseCMS DetectorAugust 2019

Surrey Teachers Association Convention – May 1st, 2020

BC Association of Physics Teachers

• Local branch of the American Association of Physics Teachers

• 3 Meetings / year (October, February, May)

• Listserve to communicate with other BC teachers

• Membership: $16/year

• https://bcapt.ca/

• Hosts TRIUMF Pro-D events.

• Saturday morning physics lectures

• Available for tours

• Atlas masterclasses

PERIMETER INSTITUTE

http

s://resou

rces.perim

eterinstitu

te.ca/

https://perimeterinstitute.ca/outreach/arts-and-culture/einsteinplus

• Cost: $300

• Perimeter covers air travel costs, accommodations & meals

• Applications open in December, close in April

• CLS Teacher Workshop

• August 12 – 14, 2020

• Cost: $250 + GST + Get yourself to Saskatoon

• Limited travel funding available

STUDENTS ON THE BEAMLINES

• Attending the CLS Workshop• Qualifies teachers to bring students for

Students on the Beamlines

• Opportunity for students to design and conduct research at a synchrotron

INSTITUTE FOR QUANTUM

COMPUTING

https://uwaterloo.ca/institute-for-quantum-computing/programs/schrodingers-class

• Workshop in late November

• Free + travel stipend (for Canadian teachers)

• Applications open in July and close early October

Single-Photon Mach-Zehnder

Path Difference

Ind

ivid

ual

Ph

oto

n D

etec

tio

ns

Replace the laser with a single-photon source.

What do expect to measureas we change the path difference?

Conclusion

Exercises

Page 7

1. If only one photon is ever sent into the interferometer, which path does it take afterthe first beamsplitter? Can you relate this to the concept of quantum superposition?

2. Consider an interferometer balanced such that the photon always ends up at D1.Suppose you place a detector, D2, on the bottom path just before the second beam splitter.If you send a single photon through the interferometer, but D3 does not fire,which of D1 or D2 will fire?

3. Discuss how the Mach-Zehnder is related to the double slit experiment.

• CMOS selects to 1 Canadian teacher/year for two workshops run by the AMS, NOAA & NASA: https://www.cmos.ca/site/summerworkshops• Project Atmosphere (late July) – Kansas City, Missouri

• Project Ocean (mid July) – Annapolis Maryland

• Applications through CMOS – due March 15th annually

• Travel subsidy provided; workshop cost covered

International Physics & Astronomy Educator Program

Time: 7 days in July

Cost: $300 USD + transport to Richland, WA

Online application includes a video relating to modern physics

Applications close on January 31st of a given year

Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity

d = infinitesimal

change

dT2 = gttdt2 + gxxdx2

dT2 = gdxdx

)(2

1

;

2

1

84

gggg

R

RgRRR

RgRG

Tc

GG

Einstein’s Field Equations

In GR the components of

a 4x4 symmetric matrix

called the metric tensor

define the curvature of

spacetime.

UUgdT

dU

UgUUdT

dx

2

1

; U = 4-Vel.; T = Proper Time

Geodesic Equation

Gravitational Waves

Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime, stirred up by the changing motions of matter and energy.

The waves are extremely weak by the times they

reach Earth.

GW’s are created by massive moving objects.

Enormous Range of Physics Required to Detect & Understand Gravitational Waves• General Relativity: black holes; gravitational waves;

• Fluid Mechanics & Plasmas: neutron star collisions; supernovae

• Optics: the interferometers

• Statistical physics: noises of all sorts; data analysis

• Elasticity: mirrors; suspensions

• Quantum physics: quantum fluctuations and their control

• (Adapted from Rai Weiss’ AAPT Talk – January 2019

5/11/2018 Dwyer G1800941 24

LIGO is limited by many noises

LIGO is limited by many noises

• Discussion point: A major obstacle in physics research is reducing noise so that you can find a signal.

• How does this apply to the labs we do in our classes?

• Over 20 different sources of noise accounted for

• LIGO detects changes in distance on the scale of 10-18 m.• Equal to change of one atom in the distance between the Earth and Sun.

TEMPLATE ACTIVITY[Modelling gravitational waves]

http://cgwp.gravity.psu.edu/outreach/activities/template_activity/

https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/WA/page/lho-ipa-pd

High School Teacher (HST) Programme – 2 weeks in July

International Teacher Weeks (ITW) Programme – 2 weeks in August

Parallel programs for high school teachers. Applications close January 13th.

Cost – free if accepted!

Teachers are responsible to get themselves to Geneva and for meals. Funding is provided by CERN to help cover these costs.

Canadians can directly apply, or qualify as a CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching winner.

CERN – ITW 2019

• Program included:• Lectures on particle physics and how it

can be related to high school physics

• Tours of the Large Handron Collider• CMS & Alice detectors; anti-matter facility;

https://teacher-programmes.web.cern.ch/international-teacher-programmes

• Evidence based lessons and strategies to help change the culture in Physics.• Fewer females in physics than males

• ‘Careers in Physics’ & ‘Women in Physics’ Lessons

• Ambassador Program

https://engage.aps.org/stepup/home

European Space Agency (ESA)• Teacher Workshops:

• https://www.esa.int/Education/Teachers_Corner/Current_opportunities

• Summer & Fall Teacher Workshops (4 days) [Netherlands]

• Robotics & Automation Teacher Workshops (2-3 days) [Belgium]

• Workshops are free, including hotel & meals; small travel subsidies may be available.

American Modelling Teachers Association

• Summer workshops on modelling physics (and other subjects) instruction.

• Physics workshop in Portland in June of most years (cancelled this year).

• Virtual sessions available for this summer.• Mechanics

• Electricity & Magnetism

• Waves

• Introduction to Modelling

• https://www.modelinginstruction.org/

Twitter

• #iteachphysics

• @jm_muise

Thank you for listening!

Questions?

Comments?