10/17/2022
By Joanne Gagnon-Ketchen

Please join our Physics Colloquium, on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. in Ball 210. Prof. Ronald Fernando Garcia Ruiz from MIT will give a talk on "Radioactive atoms and molecules for nuclear science."

Abstract:
Precise knowledge of the interaction between the atomic nucleus and the electrons that are bound to it allows the exploration of physical phenomena relevant to a wide range of energy scales. Atoms and molecules containing nuclei with extreme proton-to-neutron ratios can be artificially created to enhance and study particular nuclear phenomena. Hence, precision measurements of these systems can offer unique and complementary insights into the properties of the atomic nucleus, nuclear matter, and the fundamental particles and forces of nature. In this colloquium, I will present recent highlights and perspectives from laser spectroscopy experiments of these exotic species.

Bio:
Prof. Ronald Fernando Garcia Ruiz is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics at MIT. His research actives are focused on the development of laser spectroscopy techniques to investigate the properties of subatomic particles using atoms and molecules made up of short-lived radioactive nuclei. His experimental work provides unique information about the fundamental forces of nature, the properties of nuclear matter at the limits of existence, and the search for new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.

​Ronald grew up in a small town in the Colombian mountains. As a teenager he moved to Bogota, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in physics in 2009 at Universidad Nacional de Colombia. After earning a Master’s degree in Physics in 2011 at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, he moved to Belgium to start his PhD degree at KU Leuven. Ronald was based at CERN during most of his PhD working on laser spectroscopy techniques for the study of short-lived atomic nuclei. After his PhD, he became a Research Associate at The University of Manchester (2016-2017). In 2018, he was awarded a CERN Research Fellowship to lead the local CRIS team. At CERN, he has led several experimental programmes motivated by modern developments in nuclear science, atomic physics and quantum chemistry.