Mar. 24, 2026 (In person)

Dr.  Saurabh Vasant Kadam (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

Location: Swiatecki Lounge B70 annex - 228

Time: 4:00pm Pacific Time

ZOOM for those who are unable to come in-person: LINK

Host: Felipe Ortega-Gama

Title: Towards quantum computation of nuclear and hadronic scattering 

Abstract: Simulating nuclear and hadronic scattering processes requires representing dynamics in very large Hilbert spaces. With the advent of quantum computers, Hamiltonian simulation of dynamical processes has become a reality. In this talk, I will discuss our recent efforts to simulate hadronic scattering on a quantum computer using a wave-packet state preparation algorithm and Trotterized time evolution for a 1+1D Z2 LGT coupled to dynamical matter. We demonstrate the viability of our algorithm for NISQ devices by comparing classical simulations with results obtained on commercially available trapped-ion quantum computers. Finally, I will discuss aspects of quantum complexity for nuclear scattering and their implications for simulating dynamical nuclear scattering using quantum computers.

Mar. 31, 2026 (In person)

Dr.  Hao Chen (MIT)

Location: Room 328, Birge Hall, UC Berkeley Campus MAP

Time: 4:00pm Pacific Time

ZOOM for those who are unable to come in-person: LINK

Host: Feng Yuan

Title: Navigating Collider Phenomenology with Light-Ray Operators 

Abstract: This talk reviews recent advancements in the study of light-ray operators, highlighting their powerful applications in collider phenomenology. Inherently tied to the soft and collinear dynamics of QCD, these operators offer a robust framework for understanding collider physics. I will begin by introducing energy-energy correlators (EECs) and the connection between collinear factorization and the light-ray operator product expansion (OPE). Next, I will examine soft dynamics, detailing the construction of the BFKL detector and illustrating its role in charge-charge correlators and EEC power corrections. The talk will conclude by demonstrating how collinear and soft dynamics naturally intertwine through DGLAP/BFKL mixing. 

[postponed]

Prof. Jen-Chieh Peng  (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Location: Swiatecki Lounge B70 annex - 228

Time: 4:00pm Pacific Time

ZOOM for those who are unable to come in-person: LINK

Host: Keh-Fei Liu

Title: Evolution of Helicity Property of Relic Neutrinos and Implications 

on Their Detection

Abstract: Neutrinos in the early Universe decoupled essentially in helicity eigenstates.

As they propagate through the Universe, their helicities could be modified via

two effects. First, neutrinos with a finite magnetic moment would rotate their

spins with respect to their momenta as they encounter cosmic magnetic fields,

modifying their helicities. Second, the bending of neutrino's spin by a

gravitational field lags the bending of its momentum, again modifying its helicity. 

We study both effects and investigate the implications of the

helicity modification on the detection of relic neutrinos using the Inverse

Tritium Beta Decay (ITBD) reaction. We find that the ITBD rate depends

sensitively on the neutrino mass hierarchy and on the Dirac or Majorana nature

of the neutrinos. This talk is based on several papers in collaboration with 

Gordon Baym.