LECTURE SERIES

THE RELATIVISTIC QUANTUM WORLD

WED 1, 8, 15, 22 AND 29 NOV – 19:30 TO 21:30
Karl Dittrich Hall, Student Services Centre, Bonnefantenstraat 2

Prof. Marcel Merk
Professor of gravitational waves and fundamental physics, UM and research physicist Nikhef

This lecture series of ten 1-hour lectures on five evenings will focus on the central concepts of two theories, while keeping mathematics to a minimum. The first part deals with Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, culminating in the recent discovery of gravitational waves. The second part includes the counter-intuitive concepts of quantum mechanics and their interpretation: the relativistic quantum world is fundamentally different from our macroscopic world. On the final evening, we will end with an overview of elementary particle physics and recent discoveries of the LHC collider at CERN.

The individual lectures
1. The Principle of Relativity / Lorentz Contraction and Time Dilatation (1 Nov)
2. Relativistic Paradoxes / General Relativity and Gravitational Waves (8 Nov)
3. The Early Quantum Theory / Feynman's Double Slit Experiment (15 Nov)
4. Wheeler's Delayed Choice Experiment / Quantum Reality (22 Nov)
5. Particle Physics: Antimatter and Higgs in Colliders / Particle Physics: Antimatter and Higgs in Cosmology (29 Nov)

Cost of the whole series
UM students €10
UM employees and students from other schools €25
Others €50

Registration
www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/sg