Higgs Boson Researcher Al Goshaw To Speak At Frontiers In Optics 2012 Plenary Session
Al Goshaw, a James B. Duke Professor at Duke University in North Carolina, will give a keynote presentation at the plenary session of the Optical Society’s (OSA) Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO) 2012, taking place in Rochester, N.Y., Oct. 14-18. Goshaw is a member of one of the two independent research teams that announced the likely discovery of the elusive Higgs boson particle last month.
Goshaw’s presentation, titled “The History of the Higgs boson and recent discoveries at the CERN Large Hadron Collider,” will take a look back at the nearly 50-year hunt for the “God particle” and the experiments by ATLAS and CMS that ultimately allowed researchers to present evidence for the production of a new massive boson that is a strong candidate for the Higgs particle.
“We are very excited to have Al Goshow of Duke University participate in the FiO plenary session this year,” said FiO General Co-Chair Colin McKinstrie of Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs. “The discovery of a Higgs-like particle by CERN is one of the most important accomplishments in modern physics. Al is a leading member of one of the teams that made this discovery. Arie Bodek of the University of Rochester is another leading member of the same team. We are excited to offer FiO attendees a first-hand account of this discovery and look forward to hearing Al’s insights into where Higgs research will go from here.”
Goshaw’s work at Duke University is primarily in experimental high energy physics. He is currently focused on studying the production of W and Z bosons to search for phenomena beyond those predicted by the Standard Model, using precision measurements of the production of high energy photons, leptons and penetrating neutral particles such as neutrinos. Goshaw has been with Duke University since 1973 and currently serves as the chair of ATLAS’ Institutional Board.
Goshaw will also be joined by FiO plenary session keynote speakers Paul Corkum, the director of the Joint Attosecond Science Laboratory at the National Research Council and University of Ottawa, and David R. Williams, the William G. Allyn Professor of Medical Optics at the University of Rochester. More information on the plenary session is available on the FiO website.
High-resolution images of Goshaw, Corkum and Williams are available to members of the media upon request. Contact Sarah Cogan at scogan@osa.org.
About the Meeting
Frontiers in Optics 2012 is OSA’s 96th Annual Meeting and is being held together with Laser Science XXVIII, the annual meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Laser Science (DLS). The two meetings unite the OSA and APS communities for five days of quality, cutting-edge presentations, fascinating invited speakers and a variety of special events spanning a broad range of topics in physics, biology and chemistry. FiO 2012 will also offer a number of Short Courses designed to increase participants’ knowledge of a specific subject while offering the experience of insightful teachers. An exhibit floor featuring leading optics companies will further enhance the meeting.
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About OSA
Uniting more than 130,000 professionals from 175 countries, the Optical Society (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.
Source: The Optical Society