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When
Oct. 9, 2026, Noon – 1 p.m.
Where
Meinel 410
Join the Student Optics Chapter for our next Community Speaker talk!
Some Fundamental Physics of Light
Speaker: Richard (Rick) L. Shoemaker, Emeritus Professor of Optical Sciences, Chemistry, and Radiology
When: Friday, October 9, 12:00–1:00 PM
Where: Meinel Building, Room 410
Speaker: Richard (Rick) L. Shoemaker, Emeritus Professor of Optical Sciences, Chemistry, and Radiology
When: Friday, October 9, 12:00–1:00 PM
Where: Meinel Building, Room 410
In this talk, Prof. Shoemaker will explore some fundamental physics of light treated as a classical electromagnetic wave. We'll start by considering what electric (and magnetic) fields really are, then try to understand Maxwell's equations and their implications using (almost) no math. Finally, we'll see how light has momentum even though it has zero mass.
About the speaker: Rick Shoemaker joined the UA faculty in 1971, where he was professor of Optical Sciences, Chemistry, and Radiology and associate dean of the College of Optical Sciences. He is a Fellow of Optica, has served twice on its board of directors, and created an endowed graduate student scholarship in Optical Sciences with Jim Wyant. His research includes developing (with Richard Brewer at IBM) a laser spectroscopic technique for observing optical coherent transients such as the photon echo and designing a 60-processor computer system for nuclear medicine.
This event is open to all, so bring a friend! See the attached flyer for details.