hello
Welcome to the web site of Dr. Mark P. Silverman, Jarvis Professor of Physics at Trinity College. I am a physicist whose scientific interests and contributions fall broadly in the areas of quantum physics, atomic & molecular physics, optics & electromagnetism, and gravitation. I am also a teacher who has developed humane and effective educational methods for teaching science at all levels of instruction. At this site you can find books and papers in which I discuss my scientific research and educational experiments.
Recently released
Quantum Superposition
Springer, 2008
"Explained by a physicist with a concern for clarity and experimental achievability, the extraordinary nature of quantum superposition will fascinate the reader not only for its apparent strangeness, but also for its comprehensibility."
Inside:
- The enigma of quantum interference and the "most beautiful experiment in physics"
- Correlations and entanglements of quantum particles
- Quantum boosts and quantum beats
- Quantum systems, entropy, & information
- Developments in electron interferometry
- Role of symmetry in the laws of nature
- Role of topology in the laws of nature
- Forces, fields, and potentials
- The quantum behaviour of circulating electrons
- The quantum behaviour of left & right handed photons & electrons
- Neutron stars, black holes, and the quantum stabilisation of collapsing stars
Lectures
I am available for lecturing on a variety of topics related to my research of which the following are some examples. Also, see Lectures for more details.
- The strange behaviour of quantum particles (coherence, interference, fluctuations, spin & statistics, entanglement, nonlocal magnetic interactions).
- New directions in electron microscopy and interferometry.
- Tests of quantum processes (e.g. nuclear decay) for randomness.
- Seeing through turbid media using polarised light.
- The amplification of light by means of reflection.
- The interaction of light with chiral (i.e. left-right asymmetric) media.
- Symmetry, gravity, and the nature of dark matter.
- Quantum stabilisation of stellar black holes.
- Causes and consequences of global climate change.
- Testing a radical hypothesis concerning the collective intelligence of groups.
- Self-directed learning: a heretical experiment in the teaching of physics.