George B. Arfken was a professor of physics from 1952 to 1983, and chair of the department from 1956 to 1972. Widely known for his college text, Mathematical Methods for Physicists, George was loved by his colleagues and generations of students. He endowed this fund in his name and that of his late wife, Carolyn, as a tribute to the closeness the couple felt to members of the physics department and their families, and to recognize her efforts on behalf of the department.

This program provides extended visits by distinguished physicists, providing significant opportunities for faculty and students to interact with the scholar. During the campus stay, the Scholar-in-Residence participates in one or more seminars with faculty and students, delivers a presentation to the university community, and works with undergraduate and graduate students on research and related topics.

If you would like to support this program, please send a contribution addressed to "Miami University Fund - George and Carolyn Arfken Physics Scholars-in-Residence Program."

Past Arfken Scholars-in Residence

David Cubero

November 26-December 10, 2018, University of Seville, Spain

Public Lecture: "Brownian ratchets: from statistical physics to bio and nano-motors"

Physics Seminar: "Brownian ratchets: from Brownian motors with hidden symmetries to sub-Fourier sensors"

Short Courses: "Introduction to stochastic processes," & "Vibrational mechanics in an optical lattice"

Carlton M. Caves

April 18-21, 2017, University of New Mexico

Public Lecture: "What the #$*! do we (k)now!? about quantum mechanics"

Physics Seminar: "Gravitational-Wave Detections: What did LIGO detect, and when and how did it do it?"

Short Courses: "Quantum Metrology: An information-theoretic perspective"

Shane Stadler

November 2-6, 2015, Louisiana State University

Public Lecture: "Magnetic Refrigeration...the New Cool"

Physics Seminar: "Giant Multicaloric Effects in a NiMnSi-based Alloy"

Short Courses: "Studying Magnetic Materials with Light-Sensitive Techniques, parts 1 & 2"

Ergin H. Ahmed

March 3-6, 2015, Temple University

Public Lecture: "Quantum Optics and Precision Measurements with Diatomic Molecules"

Physics Seminar: "Study and Control of Molecular States Using the Autler-Townes Effect"

Short Courses: "Analysis of Emission and Absorption Spectra of Diatomic Molecules," & "Modeling of Quantum Optics Experiments Using Density Matrix Formalism"

Noureddine Melikechi

November 5-8, 2013, Delaware State University

Public Lecture: "Exploring Martian Rocks and Soils With Single Laser Pulses: A Wonderful Journey of Remote Analysis of a Planetary Surface"

Physics Seminar: "Correcting for variable laser-target distances of ChemCam LIBS measurements using emission lines of Martian dust spectra "

Short Courses: "Photo-thermal laser spectroscopy and applications," & "Early detection of ovarian cancer using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy"

Daniel Steck

November 7-11, 2011, University of Oregon

Public Lecture: "Chaos, Quantum Mechanics, and Cooling Atoms with Laser Light"

Physics Seminar: "Controlling the Motion of Ultracold Atoms"

Short Courses: "Optical Lattices and the Casimir-Polder Effect," & "Dynamics Under Continuous Position Measurements"

Evgeny Tsymbal

February 15-18, 2011, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Public Lecture: "Magic of Magnetism: From Compass Needle to Data Storage"

Physics Seminar: "Ferroelectric Tunnel Junctions: Controlling Electron and Spin Transport by Ferroelectric Polarization"

Short Courses: "Physics of Spin Dependent Tunneling," & "Electronically-Driven Magnetoelectric Phenomena at Interfaces"

Julio Gea-Banacloche

November 2-6, 2009, University of Arkansas

Public Lecture: "Fate and the Physicists"

Physics Seminar: "Energy Restraints for Quantum Computation"

Short Courses: "Entanglement in Cavity QED," "The Giant Kerr Effect," & "Quantum Information Processing"

Eugenia Etkina

January 14 - 16, 2009, Rutgers University

Public Lecture: "Physics on Rollerblades"

Physics Seminar: "Can Students Develop Scientific Habits of Mind in an Introductory Physics Course"

Josef C. Frisch

March 24 - 28, 2008, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

Public Lecture: "Colossal Microscopes: The Technology of Accelerators"

Physics Seminar: "Electron Beam Diagnostics for SLAC Linac Coherent LIght Source"

Wei Zhong

February 26 - March 1, 2007, Harvard Medical School

Public Lecture: "Light and Molecules: Directions in Biomedical Imaging"

Physics Seminar: "The Quest to Beat the Resolution Limit of Light"

Short Courses: "Biomedical Microscopy" & "Photodynamic Therapy and Photodiagnosis"

Mark D. Havey

November 15 - 18, 2005, Old Dominion University

Public Lecture: "Order, Disorder and Discovery"

Physics Seminar: "Mesoscopic Electromagnetic Dynamics in Atomic Gases"

Short Courses: "Precision Measurements with Quantum Beat Spectroscopy" & "Electromagnetically Induced Transparency in Atomic Physics"

Derek C. Richardson

November 16 - 18, 2004, University of Maryland

Public Lecture: "Asteroids: Shedding New Light on Old Rocks"

Physics Seminar: "Gravitational Reaccumulation in the Solar System"

Short Course: "Numerical Methods in Planetesimal Dynamics"

Henry I. Smith

March 8 - 10, 2004, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Public Lecture: "The Role of Lithography in Nanoscale Science and Engineering"

Physics Seminar: "Lithography: the Key Enabler of Current and Future Research and Industries"

Short Course: "The Art & Science of Electron-Beam Lithography

William E. Evenson

November 3 - 8, 2002, Brigham Young University

Public Lecture: "The Discovery of Radioactivity and Randomness in Nature"

Physics Seminar: "Size-Dependent Melting of Indium Nanostructures"

Short Course: "PAC with Time-Dependent Perturbations"

Luis A. Orozco

March 24 - 29, 2002, SUNY Stony Brook

Public Lecture: "Waves and Particles in Quantum Optics"

Physics Seminar: "Spectroscopy of Laser Cooled Francium"

Short Course: "Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics"

Eric E. Fullerton

November 13 - 17, 2000, IBM-Almaden Research Center

Public Lecture: "Bits of the Future: What's in Store for Hard Drives?"

Physics Seminar: "Physical Limits of Magnetic Storage"

Short Course: "Magnetic Properties of Materials"

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