Presenters:   Elio Caccavale   Dawn Danby   Olaf Dreyer   Juan Geuer   Rob Godman   John Hatch   Kenneth A. Huff   Mantissa   Miroslav Lovric   Sally McKay   Eric Raymond   S. David Rosner   Mariano Sardón   Frederic P. Schuller   Krister Shalm   Lydia Sharman &   Stephen Morris   Donald Spector   Joseph Thywissen   Marion Tränkle   Koala Yip Symposium Phase Transitions by Joseph Thywissen University of Toronto, Department of Physics http://www.physics.utoronto.ca/%7ejhtgroup/ Why do the same 100 web sites get the majority of hits on the web? Will we eventually be able to choose when it rains? Can matter ever be at zero temperature? The answers to these questions relate to phase transitions, the sudden change between configurations of matter. Phase transitions are among the most dramatic phenomena of the physical world. Rain, snow, ice, and steam are all water that is in the process of undergoing (or has undergone) various phase transitions: condensing, freezing, or boiling. What is remarkable is that this sudden structural change in the material results from a gradual or continuous change in temperature or pressure. I will discuss various phase transitions in the world around us, and apply the concept of phase transitions to topics as wide-ranging as quantum gases, networks, and human evolution. Biography: Joseph Thywissen is an experimental physicist at the University of Toronto. Educated at Harvey Mudd College (near Los Angeles), he received his doctorate from Harvard University, and post-doctoral training at l'Université de Paris XI-Sud. Dr. Thywissen is a Canada Research Chair, and a Senior Fellow at Massey College.   Page Top Copyright © 2004 Subtle Technologies Festival