Talk title: Light a path for quantum sensingTalk abstract:Lasers and quantum science have fueled revolutionary developments in atomic, molecular, and fundamental physics. Scaling up quantum systems to ever increasing sizes promises to revolutionize the performance of atomic clocks and open new discovery opportunities. Quantum technology has brought tens of thousands of atoms to minute-long coherence times, enabling the achievement of best measurement precision and accuracy. The combination of ultrafast optics and precision metrology has brought us new tools such as vacuum ultraviolet frequency combs that are knocking on the door of nuclear physics, giving rise to the recent breakthrough of quantum-state-resolved laser spectroscopy of thorium-229 nuclear transition. The permeation of quantum metrology to all corners of physics sparks new ideas for testing fundamental laws of nature and searching for new physics.Brief speaker bio:Jun Ye is a Fellow of JILA, a Fellow of NIST, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on the development of new tools for light-matter interactions and their scientific applications for precision measurement, quantum science, and frequency metrology. He is known for developing highly precise and accurate atomic clocks, first realization of quantum gas of polar molecules, and pioneering work on frequency combs and spectroscopy. He is a highly cited researcher for every year since 2014. He has received numerous honors include five Gold Medals from the US Department of Commerce, Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, Micius Prize, Herbert Walther Award, Vannevar Bush Fellowship, N.F. Ramsey Prize, and I.I. Rabi Prize. The group web page is [http://jila.colorado.edu/YeLabs/](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjila.colorado.edu%2FYeLabs%2F&data=05%7C02%7CDenise%40creol.ucf.edu%7Cab2c493e47834149e55108dd41f0b167%7Cbb932f15ef3842ba91fcf3c59d5dd1f1%7C0%7C0%7C638739224226758711%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Q4kaPsMIgMgRY%2FUDUTa92pQfbcDJ2MTm1RleLLC%2FKh0%3D&reserved=0).Virtual Location URL: https://ucf.zoom.us/j/91604617897?from=addon

Title: Pioneering Optical Coating Technology for Space Exploration with Gravitational Waves - Precision Metrology at the Thermodynamic LimitAbstract: The world-wide effort to detect gravitational waves has lifted the veil on a gravitational sky full of violent cosmic events with rich stories to tell. The sensitivities of the current observatories - marvels of precision engineering and optical metrology - have evolved to allow routine observations of binary mergers of black holes and neutron stars, revealing much about the history of our universe and becoming probes for fundamental physics in extreme limits. Future observatories are set to continue this trend, leading to new discoveries and improved observational constraints - through observations with higher signal fidelity and sampling larger volumes for source populations - on theoretical descriptions of gravity, progenitor physics of binary merger events, and the equation of state of highly degenerate neutron stars. Additionally, mature concepts for space-based gravitational wave detectors aim to use inter-spacecraft laser links across millions of kilometers. This will allow to probe mergers of supermassive black holes in colliding galaxies and extreme mass ratio inspirals, mapping complex space-times and populations at cosmological scales. On the experimental side, gravitational wave detection has been a major driver for the development of optical and photonic technologies, e.g. high-power low-noise lasers, quantum-enhanced readout with non-classical squeezed light, and ultra-low loss precision optics. A big hurdle towards the sensitivity improvement sought by next-generation ground-based facilities are thermal fluctuations in mirror coatings and substrates. A range of materials, deposition methods, and the use of cryogenics are being explored to reduce the impact of coating thermal noise and promise a leap in audio-band performance for future upgrades. I will give an overview of the concerted ground and space-based gravitational wave detection efforts and discuss mitigation strategies for thermal noise, showcasing promising avenues for research into novel coating materials and deposition techniques.About the Speaker: Dr. Johannes Eichholz is a Research Fellow at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia. He was awarded his Ph.D. at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL after receiving his Master's degree from the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Hannover, Germany, and spending a small portion of his PhD at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Following his PhD, he joined the LIGO Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA in 2016 as a Postdoctoral Scholar, before moving to ANU in 2018, where he now works at the Centre for Gravitational Astrophysics. He received a Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) Fellowship from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and is an Associate Investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery. He is a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration since 2012 and was involved in the coordinated effort that led to the first observation of gravitational waves from binary black holes (GW150914) and neutron stars (GW170817), for which he was co-awarded the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2016), the Gruber Cosmology Prize (2016), the Bruno Rossi Prize (2017), the Princess of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research (2017), and the RAS Group Achievement Award (2017). His work focuses on pathfinding optical technologies for future ground-based gravitational wave detectors, including optical coatings, thermal noise mitigation, cryogenic interferometry, and low-noise lasers. He is also the scientific lead for a newly established optical coating facility at ANU and is currently engaged in producing optics for the next hardware upgrade of the US LIGO detectors.

Join us for Coffee & Conversation at NeoCity!UCF is a partner in the NSF Florida Semiconductor Engine (FSE), headquartered at NeoCity in Osceola County. Learn more about the FSE in this Leadership Spotlight featuring Tawny Olore, P.E., FSE CEO. This event will be immediately followed by the ribbon cutting for the FSE's new office at NeoCity.This talk will take place on the 3rd floor of the OC Building in NeoCity: 194 NeoCity Way, Kissimmee, FL 34744.Register via email to: [EconomicDevelopment@Osceola.org](mailto:EconomicDevelopment@Osceola.org "Register via Email").

Host: UCF SIAM Graduate Student Chapter What: Weekly Seminar on Topics in Math or Applied Math When: 11 a.m. - Noon, Wednesdays Where: MSB 318Speakers vary by week

Live Workshop: The SBA became responsible for the Veteran Small Business Certification Program (VSBCP) in January 2023. Now that the dust has settled on the new portal, learn about the new program, the steps to apply and the eligibility criteria to be able to certify your business as a veteran-owned small business concern. Attendees will be briefed by the University of Central Florida APEX Accelerator regarding free technical assistance available to all small businesses in the government contracting arena.This event is sponsored by the Florida SBDC at UCF.Virtual Location URL: https://events.blackthorn.io/en/6g3Q8Wa7/g/x4W8BcsAj4/sba-workshop-veteran-small-business-certification-program-5a1eVO6iaVl Registration Link: https://events.blackthorn.io/en/6g3Q8Wa7/g/x4W8BcsAj4/sba-workshop-veteran-small-business-certification-program-5a1eVO6iaVl

Join us at the 2025 FSI Seminar Series-AprilDistinguished Guest Speaker: Dr. Emmanuel Urquieta, Vice Chair of Aerospace of Aerospace Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine at the UCF College of MedicineTopic: The Space Health Revolution: Innovations in space health and biotechLocation: Florida Space Institute, 12354 Research Parkway, Room 209Time: 10:30 a.m.-NoonVirtual Location URL: https://ucf.zoom.us/meeting/register/pRZ9dtntTEuaLLTaUd6kAw Registration Link: https://ucf.zoom.us/meeting/register/pRZ9dtntTEuaLLTaUd6kAw