Molecules, Mysteries, and the Matter of Existence - Nick Hutzler

Everything that we understand about the material universe is built from matter––particles that make up everything from atoms to galaxies. However, we do not know where this matter came from. The big bang should have created equal amounts of matter and antimatter, but we don't find antimatter anywhere apart from laboratories designed to create and study it.  While the details of the process that generated the known universe remain a mystery, it should leave tiny, residual signatures on regular matter that we can study in the laboratory.  Nick Hutzler (BS '07), assistant professor of physics, discusses how molecules can be used to search for these signatures by combining ideas from nuclear physics, quantum science, and physical chemistry.

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Since 1922, The Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series has brought Caltech's most innovative scientific research to the public. The series is named for Earnest C. Watson, a professor of physics at Caltech from 1919 until 1959. Spotlighting a small selection of the pioneering research Caltech's faculty is currently conducting, the Watson Lectures are geared toward a general audience, as part of the Institute's ongoing commitment to benefiting the local community through education and outreach.

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