I think the most interesting thing I learned this week was that we can use lie groups to represent particle physics.
I think the best presentation this week was Gregory’s presentation on Geometrical Phases. I felt that he made the concepts easily accessible. His example on the board, where he transported a vector across the surface of a sphere, was easy to understand. I also think his slides were clear, not relying on too many crazy equations. I felt his argument that the geometric phases are connected to EM physics was clear and concise during his presentation.
caroyse
April 15, 2018 — 23:40
Yeah dude the role of symmetry groups in the Standard Model is pretty trippy. From what I understand, the suspicion of a symmetry can lead to the prediction of new particles/fields, which as been successful in the past.
aliman
April 15, 2018 — 19:51
I agree with you in the fact that Greg took a topic that is rather complex and explained it in a way that was easily understandable. I picked up quite a bit of the concept despite having little to no prior knowledge in the field of particle physics or lie group. Kudos to Greg!