Colloquium
Upcoming Colloquium
A New Approach to the Flavor Puzzle
Dr. Michael Ratz, UC Irvine
September 15, 2025
11:00am in HSCI-102
Unlike the masses of elements, there is currently no fundamental understanding of the mass pat-terns exhibited by elementary particles. This constitutes part of the so-called Flavor Puzzle. The masses, mixing angles, and CP phases of elementary particles represent more than two-thirds of the parameters that must be specified to describe our Universe. Recently, a new approach has emerged that utilizes modular symmetries. These symmetries play a key role in mathematics and string theory, and when applied to the Flavor Puzzle, they enable us to solve decades-old problems.
About the Colloquium
The Colloquium is a unique opportunity for students to learn about new developments in physics and what physicists do after they graduate. Hosted by the Physics and Astronomy Department at California State University, Long Beach, the weekly meetings invite guests from universities, research laboratories, and industry to present and discuss current topics in physics. All students are encouraged to attend for a well-rounded experience and training in physics.
Colloquium Coordinator
For information and suggestions about the colloquium please contact the colloquium coordinator:
Dr. Sarah Grefe
Sarah.Grefe@csulb.edu
Schedule
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| September 15, 2025 | A New Approach to the Flavor Puzzle | Dr. Michael Ratz, UC Irvine |
| September 22, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Eduardo Garcia Padilla, Harvey Mudd College |
| September 29, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter experiment) | Charlotte Evans, Sandia National Laboratory |
| October 6, 2025 | TBA | TBA |
| October 13, 2025 | (topic: dark matter detection) | Alvine Kamaha, UCLA |
| October 20, 2025 | Physics of Anime | Kristjan Stone, Roman Gomez, Caleb Baker; Jet Propulsion Laboratory / NASA |
| October 27, 2025 | (topic: plasma experiment) | William Heidbrink, UC Irvine |
| November 3, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Clare Yu, UC Irvine |
| November 10, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter experiment) | Nicholas Dale, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| November 17, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Elizabeth Peterson, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| December 1, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Gil Refael, Caltech |
| December 3, 2025 | Student Presentations | CSULB physics students |
| December 5, 2025 | Student Presentations | CSULB physics students |
Previous Colloquia
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| September 8, 2025 | Department Meet 'n Mix | Department Faculty, Staff, and Student Leaders |
The Colloquium Archive has the Colloquia from previous semesters.
Sponsors
We acknowledge with gratitude donations and support from the following present sponsors:
- H.E. and H.B. Miller and Family Endowment
- Benjamin Carter
- Mary L. Bresnan
- K. Y. Shen
- American Physical Society
- Anonymous
We also acknowledge with gratitude our past donors: The Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., The Northrop Grumman Foundation, Sandra Dana, Anonymous.
If you wish to support the Colloquium, please contact the colloquium coordinator or the department chair. Thank you!
