Henry S. Carhart Collegiate Professor Lecture

December 3, 2009 - 4:00 pm

R. Paul Drake, Henry S. Carhart Collegiate Professor of Space Sciences, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan

"Science for the fun of it: chasing ionized matter around the lab and the universe"

This talk will be a tour of some of the high points of my travels through a few intellectual neighborhoods, and of things I found fun along the way. Having begun college with the intent to become a philosopher, I was lured away by the joy of doing physics. Then I discovered that in physics I could also get paid! This got me into grad school at Johns Hopkins, where I connected with a planetary spectroscopist (Warren Moos) who was applying his instruments in new ways to plasmas (ionized gasses). This led to work on magnetic fusion plasmas at Livermore lab, where unfortunately big decreases in funding closely followed my departure to go play with lasers. Laser fusion was fun until I got tired of my boss and took an opportunity to begin applying big lasers to basic science. A few years later the focus of this science became astrophysics – using big lasers to simulate exploding stars (in some sense). Michigan has been a great place to work with outstanding students while exploring the implications for astrophysics of the high-pressure dynamics we can create with big lasers. Henry Smith Carhart was likewise a meanderer – trained as a physicist, he got involved in electricity and ended up founding the electrical engineering department at Michigan.

Reception to follow