DUNEDIN EVENT: Use the Force (… of Light)

Use the Force (… of Light) | Tūhura Otago Museum

Professor Alex Fainstein

Centro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro, Bariloche, Argentina

What do LASIK, the beginning of the universe, and the world’s smallest tweezers have in common?

They are all connected by the fact that particles of light – called photons – can exert enough force to move matter. Through the study of this phenomenon, scientists have uncovered why comets have tails, developed lasers, detected the shockwaves left over from the Big Bang, and even manipulated single atoms at will – and that’s just the beginning.

Professor Alejandro Fainstein joins us from the Balseiro Institute of Argentina for a special visit to share the fascinating story of this force of light and the surprising applications it has inspired, including his work developing a type of laser that emits sound, instead of light!

Tūhura and our partners at Te Whai Ao – Dodd-Walls Centre are excited to offer this talk free of charge, in celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

Date: January 21st

Time: 5.30pm – 6.30pm
Venue: Barclay Theatre, Tūhura Otago Museum
Free

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