HIP NEWS March 31st 2014
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J.V. Snellman prize
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University of Helsinki has awarded the 2014 J.V. Snellman Prize to Syksy Räsänen. The prize is recognition for achievements in science out-reach.

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS / HIP JOINT COLLOQUIA / SEMINARS
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Tuesday 1 April 2014 at 10.15 in A315
Venus Keus (Southampton)
Multi Higgs doublet models

Abstract: Multi Higgs-doublet models (NHDMs) are amongst the simplest extensions of the Standard Model, motivated for instance by Supersymmetric scenarios. I will discuss NHDMs with various symmetry groups which contain viable dark matter candidates, preserved by the remnant of the symmetry after EWSB. I will describe the dark matter phenomenology of these models and look into new Higgs decay channels offered by the extra doublets and their effect on the Standard Model Higgs couplings.

Wondering where to publish your articles? Hear the tips of the publisher
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Time: April 10th, 2014 at 9 pm – 12
Further information:
https://flamma.helsinki.fi/portal/units/farmasia?_nfpb=true&_windowLabel=T18802259611379669329428&contentId=HY313996&lang=en&_pageLabel=P12000359611379669328883

VISITORS
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V. Keus 28.3. – 1.4. (OL)
O. Taanila 31.3. – 4.4. (AV)

HIP NEWS March 24th 2014
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DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS / HIP JOINT COLLOQUIA / SEMINARS
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Tuesday 25 March 2014 at 10.15 in A315
Mikko Möttönen (Aalto University)
Observation of Dirac monopoles in a synthetic magnetic field

Abstract: Magnetic monopoles–particles that behave as isolated north or south magnetic poles–have been the subject of speculation since the first detailed observations of magnetism several hundred years ago. Numerous theoretical investigations and hitherto unsuccessful experimental searches have followed Dirac’s 1931 development of a theory of monopoles consistent with both quantum mechanics and the gauge invariance of the electromagnetic field. The existence of even a single Dirac magnetic monopole would have far-reaching physical consequences, most famously explaining the quantization of electric charge. Although analogues of magnetic monopoles have been found in exotic spin ices and other systems there has been no direct experimental observation of Dirac monopoles within a medium described by a quantum field, such as superfluid helium-3. Here we demonstrate the controlled creation of Dirac monopoles in the synthetic magnetic field produced by a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate. Monopoles are identified, in both experiments and matching numerical simulations, at the termini of vortex lines within the condensate. By directly imaging such a vortex line, the presence of a monopole may be discerned from the experimental data alone. These real-space images provide conclusive and long-awaited experimental evidence of the existence of Dirac monopoles. Our result provides an unprecedented opportunity to observe and manipulate these quantum mechanical entities in a controlled environment.

Utrecht Network ?Academic English? Summer School
30.06.-11.07.2014 for posgraduate students
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https://flamma.helsinki.fi/portal/home/sisalto?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=content_view&contentId=HY313468&placeId=HY034203

Wondering where to publish your articles? Hear the tips of the publisher
————————————————————————–
Time: April 10th, 2014 at 9 pm – 12
Further information:
https://flamma.helsinki.fi/portal/units/farmasia?_nfpb=true&_windowLabel=T18802259611379669329428&contentId=HY313996&lang=en&_pageLabel=P12000359611379669328883

VISITORS
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V. Keus 28.3. – 1.4. (OL)

HIP NEWS March 17th 2014
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DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS / HIP JOINT COLLOQUIA / SEMINARS
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Tuesday 18 March 2014 at 10.15 in A315
Mohammad Mirkazemi (MPI, Garching)
Brightest X-ray clusters of galaxies in the CFHTLS wide fields: Red sequence finder, optical mass estimator, and stellar mass estimation

Abstract: Red sequence technique is one of the robust tool to identify galaxy clusters. This talk will introduce a new multi-color red sequence method. Using a spectroscopic sample of early-type galaxies and different stellar population models, I determined red sequence configuration parameters such as color model and a characteristic magnitude. I will show that our red sequence finder is a robust tool for determining the clusters redshift. Moreover, the correlation between z-band luminosity and total mass of clusters (derived from the X-ray luminosity) will be discussed. At the end, I will also present my recent work on the stellar mass estimation in CFHTLS and dependence of galaxy stellar mass function on the environment.

COSMO-Seminar
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Thu 20 March at 14:15 in Exactum B121 (NOTE exceptional time and place!)
Subir Sarkar (Oxford)
Title: TBA

Utrecht Network “Academic English” Summer School
30.06.-11.07.2014 for posgraduate students
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https://flamma.helsinki.fi/portal/home/sisalto?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=content_view&contentId=HY313468&placeId=HY034203

VISITORS
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S. Sarkar 20.3. – 21.3. (KE, SF)

HIP NEWS March 10th 2014
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DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS / HIP JOINT COLLOQUIA / SEMINARS
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Tuesday 11 March 2014 at 10.15 in A315
Germano Nardini (Desy)
Higgs sector and collider signatures in the triplet extension of the MSSM

Abstract: The MSSM can accommodate the observed Higgs mass m_h ~ 126 GeV at the price of some unpleasant amount of tuning. This problem can be alleviated in scenarios with an enlarged field content. By requiring minimality, only two options are allowed to extend the MSSM: either a singlet or a SU(2)_L triplet can be added. This talk focuses on the latter possibility. In particular, we will discuss its Higgs sector and signatures at collider. Comments on loop-induced Higgs decays, as well as on constraints coming from dark matter analyses, will be also provided.

COSMO-Seminar
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Wed 12 March at 14:15 in A315
Kjell Rosquist (Stockholm)
Evolution of cosmological models with discrete sources.

In this talk I will report on general relativistic cosmological models in which the sources are discrete. The distribution of the sources is assumed to be homogeneous and isotropic on large scales. Such models belong to the class of locally inhomogeneous models. One motivation for considering this kind of models is to obtain a closer correspondence with the actual universe as compared to models in which the matter is a fluid. The relation between the evolution of exactly homogeneous vs. locally inhomogeneous models is a nontrivial and difficult problem because of the nonlinear nature of the Einstein equations. In the talk I will give examples of discrete models in which the evolution is tracked by analytical and semi-analytical methods. Their relation to exactly homogeneous and isotropic (FLRW) models will also be discussed.

University of Helsinki and Aalto University:
Experiencing Finland Event, March 13, 2014
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Newly arrived international staff and their family members are welcomed to the next Experiencing Finland event, taking place in Thursday 13 March 2014, at 17.00-19.30 at Töölö Towers.

For more details and registration please follow the link to Flamma:
https://flamma.helsinki.fi/portal/home/fh?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=view&contentId=HY311656

Ms Tiina Kosunen
Head of Development, International Affairs, University of Helsinki
tiina.kosunen@helsinki.fi

PHYSICS DAYS
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Physics Days 2014 is organized in Tampere Hall, on March 11-13, 2014.
The theme of the event is Physics in human life – breakthroughs in nanotechnology, biological sciences, and energy production. Special emphasis is laid on physics in entertainment industry and on career prospects for young physicists.

HIP ANNUAL REPORT
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The second version of the Annual Report
(with language revision and updated links)
is available at
www.helsinki.fi/~chelmine/annual13
Please send corrections to
Christina.Helminen@helsinki.fi

VISITORS
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G. Nardini 7.3. – 13.3. (AV)
T. Koivisto 10.3. – 14.3. (KE)

HIP NEWS March 3rd 2014
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HIP Phone Directory
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Please check, if your contact information is OK on the HIP web pages. For any corrections, contact Mikko.

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS / HIP JOINT COLLOQUIA / SEMINARS
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Tuesday 4 March 2014 at 10.15 in A315
Laura Covi (Göttingen)
SuperWIMPs at the LHC

Abstract: We will review the status of SuperWIMP Dark Matter and then discuss recent bounds and prospects at the LHC especially in the case of stop NLSP. We will then discuss an intriguing idea of connecting SuperWIMP gravitino DM with baryogenesis at the weak scale through R-parity breaking.

Monday 10 March 2014 at 10.15 in E206. Note place and time!
Miklos Långvik (Marseille)
Aspects of Locally Conformal Spinnetworks

Abstract: Spinnetworks are a 3d geometry employed as the kinematical states of Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) and Spin Foam (SF) models, the covariant counterpart to the Hamiltonian formulation of LQG. In this talk we explore a particular representation (all 3 Casimirs proportional) of the cotangent bundle of the double cover of the conformal group T*SU(2,2) that sits inside T*SL(2, C). We find that the generator of dilatations changes the extrinsic curvature of the triangulation, something we interpret as curving the edges of the tetrahedra of the triangulation. This has previously been suggested to account for the cosmological constant in the SF-models, which is currently described by the quantum group T*SL_q(2, C). We also discuss a possible extension of the construction to locally conformal spinnetworks that take into account all possible values of the 3 Casimirs of the conformal group. This talk will be preceded by a relatively lengthy introduction to both LQG and SF-models to highlight the main ideas behind the quantization of geometry and the particular constructions.

University of Helsinki and Aalto University:
Experiencing Finland Event, March 13, 2014
——————————————–
Newly arrived international staff and their family members are welcomed to the next Experiencing Finland event, taking place in Thursday 13 March 2014, at 17.00-19.30 at Töölö Towers.

For more details and registration please follow the link to Flamma:
https://flamma.helsinki.fi/portal/home/fh?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=view&contentId=HY311656

Ms Tiina Kosunen
Head of Development, International Affairs, University of Helsinki
tiina.kosunen@helsinki.fi

HIP ANNUAL REPORT
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The first version of the Annual Report 2013
is available at
www.helsinki.fi/~chelmine/annual13.
Please send corrections and missing material
to Christina.Helminen@helsinki.fi asap.

VISITORS
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M. Bastero Gil 3.3. – 7.3. (SN)
L. Covi 3.3. – 5.3. (OL)
S. Yokoyama 24.2. – 7.3. (KE)