Colloquium

Upcoming Colloquium

Metamagnetic Materials as Switchable MRI Cell Tracking Micro-Labels
Dr. Barbic Mladen, Caltech

September 21, 2026
11:00am-12:00pm in HSCI-102

Abstract

Development of novel contrast mechanisms and labeling agents for MRI is critical for further advancements in non-invasive cell imaging and sensing of physiological conditions in-vivo. Recent advances in metamagnetic materials, typically associated with the research fields of magnetocaloric refrigeration and spintronics, provide an exciting opportunity to apply these materials as tunable and switchable contrast agents for MRI. More specifically, the extremely sharp first-order magnetic phase transitions these materials have at typical physiological temperatures and in the presence of large DC magnetic field values associated with MRI scanners provide an ideal match to the requirements for the design of switchable MRI labels. I will present results that clearly demonstrate significant contrast changes in the MRI induced by temperature or magnetic field and describe the progress in microfabrication and functionalization of these materials for cellular imaging. Such demonstrations provide the impetus for further development and functionalization of these materials and open new avenues for research.

MRI images of metamagnetic particles
Fig.: Temperature sweep sequence of MRI images of individual 100μm diameter metamagnetic particles.

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

The schedule for Fall 2026 is posted below.

Fall 2026 Schedule
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
September 21, 2026Metamagnetic Materials as Switchable MRI Cell Tracking Micro-LabelsDr. Barbic Mladen, Caltech
September 28, 2026Faculty Presentationsdepartment faculty, CSU Long Beach
October 5, 2026(topic: condensed matter theory)Dr. Elizabeth Peterson, Los Alamos National Laboratory
October 12, 2026(topic: mid-infrared spectroscopy)Dr. Karine Le Bris, CSU Los Angeles
October 19, 2026(topic: biophysics)Dr. Alex Klotz, CSU Long Beach
October 26, 2026(topic: quantum materials experiment)Dr. Jing Xia, UC Irvine
November 2, 2026(topic: astrophysics)Dr. Brad Hansen, UCLA
November 9, 2026(topic: bose-einstein condensation)Dr. Maren Mossman, University of San Diego
November 16, 2026(topic: quantum sensing techniques)Dr. Darmindra Arumugam, JPL
November 30, 2026(topic: AI in mathematics)Dr. Michael Mulligan, UC Riverside
December 7, 2026Student Presentationsstudents, CSU Long Beach
December 9, 2026Student Presentationsstudents, CSU Long Beach

Previous Colloquia

Fall 2026 Schedule
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
September 14, 2026Unravelling the hidden state of a kagome magnetDr. Yona Soh, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland

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!