Let there be light: electromagnetism to illuminate the invisible, big and small

Hari Padmanabhan, PhD: Postdoctoral Scholar - Harvard University, PhD - Pennsylvania State University

Sushia Rahimizadeh, PhD: Electrical Engineer - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, PhD - University of Colorado at Boulder

Tuesday, January 25 - 7 PM. Register in advance: https://bit.ly/sot-jan22

Electromagnetic radiation is critical to how we perceive the universe. Radiation can exist in mnay forms depending on it's wavelength: from visible light that we can see, to x-rays at the dentist office, to microwaves we use to heat our food. While the human eye can detect only a narrow range of the electromagnetic spectrum, we can access other frequencies with laboratory instruments, allowing us to use radiationas a tool to make better sense if the world around us. This month's Science on Tap explores how we can use light as a probe to understand nanoscale phenomena in materials, or lower frequency radiation to learn about the evolution of our universe. Dr. Hari Padmanabhan and Dr. Sushia Rahimizadeh will take us on a journey through the history and current landscape of controlling radiation in the pursuit of science. Though their perspectives are different:studying magnetism in materials, and engineering micowave technologies for deep-space spacecraft, both of their work involved manipulating different ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum to explore our world and beyond.