Physical Attraction: The Mysteries of Magnetism

Most people have intuitive associations with the word 'magnetism' based on everyday life: refrigerator magnets, the compass, north and south poles, or someone's 'magnetic personality'. Few people, however, realize how complicated the phenomenon really is, how much research still deals with the topic today, and how much it penetrates our modern industrialized world - from electricity, wireless communication at the speed of light to magnetic sensors in cars and data storage in computers. Stohr's lecture will provide a glimpse at the magic and science behind magnetism: its long history, scientific breakthroughs in its understanding, and its use in our modern society. In the process Stohr will show how research at SSRL/SLAC is addressing some of the forefront issues in magnetism research and technology today.