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Colloquium "120 Years of Atomic Spectroscopy at NIST"

Exactly 120 years ago, researchers at NIST (then National Bureau of Standards) published their first scientific papers on atomic spectra. Over the following six score of years, the NIST atomic spectroscopy research evolved into a vibrant, influential and highly productive scientific endeavor on development of atomic reference standards, precise measurements and thorough analysis of atomic spectra, and creation of crucial benchmarks for astrophysics, energy research, atomic clocks, lithography and many other fields of science and industry. From the early seminal works that helped to establish solid foundations of the quantum theory to the modern state-of-the-art databases containing unique standard reference data, atomic spectroscopy at NIST was and is providing highest quality results for the US and world scientific community.

To celebrate this milestone, we cordially invite you to join us for a one-day Colloquium "120 Years of Atomic Spectroscopy at NIST" to be held at NIST, Gaithersburg MD on December 13, 2024, Bldg. 101, Portrait Room. The esteemed speakers from various fields of science including Nobel Prize winners will address importance of atomic spectroscopy for their work, in particular, contributions of the NIST scientists. This will be a rather informal gathering where we will discuss the significance and value of atomic spectroscopy for the modern research and try to take an educated look at its future.

9:00 - 9:30Charles Romine (NIST Associate Director for Laboratory Programs), Yuri Ralchenko (Leader of the Atomic Spectroscopy Group), Welcome address and Introduction
9:30 - 10:00Bill Phillips (NIST), Precision spectroscopy, clocks, and laser cooling
10:00-10:30Gillian Nave (NIST), The history of the atomic spectroscopy group through three people - William F. Meggers, Charlotte E. Moore Sitterly, and William C. Martin
10:30 - 11:00Break
11:00 - 11:30Christopher Fontes (LANL), Radiative Opacity: A Link between Atomic Physics and Gravitational Wave Spectroscopy
11:30 - 12:00Paul Butler (CIS), Extrasolar Planets and NIST Atomic Spectroscopy Lab
12:00 - 1:30Lunch
1:30 - 2:00Marianna Safronova (Univ. Delaware), Atomic theory in the 21st century: breakthrough advances, new applications, and neural networks
2:00 - 2:30Jacob Ward (NIST), 120 Years and Counting: High-Precision Spectroscopy at NIST and Its impact on Modern Astrophysics
2:30 - 3:00Charles Clark (NIST), Core- and multiply-excited states of atoms and anions
3:00 - 3:30Break
3:30 - 4:00Joseph Fowler (NIST), Superconducting microcalorimeters and the metrology of atomic fluorescence x rays
4:00 - 4:30Endre Takacs (Clemson Univ.), Highly Charged Ions: Probing Strong Fields, Nuclear Physics, and Plasma Environments
4:30 - 4:45Conclusions

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Created November 8, 2024, Updated December 4, 2024