Welcome
OPTICA - Texas A&M University Student Chapter
“Our goal is to promote a community dedicated to the education and advancement of optics and photonics. We aim to foster an environment that supports collaboration, learning, and the professional growth of all participants”
We host biweekly seminar sessions (once every two weeks) focusing on topics across optics and its related applications in both theoretical and experimental research. The seminar series takes place on Thursdays at 11:30 am in the IQSE Seminar Room (5th floor, Physics and Astronomy Building). Participants are also welcome to join us for a pizza lunch following the talk.
In addition to our seminars, we actively engage in outreach activities such as the Texas A&M Physics and Engineering Festival, and we celebrate special events like joint IQSE seminars, doctoral defenses, and other community gatherings.
Please find information about upcoming seminars in the section below. If you are interested in giving a contributed talk, feel free to contact us, we would love to hear from you!
Upcoming Seminars
Speaker: Nicholas Schnoor
Title: Laser Spectroscopy Meets Nuclear Physics: Searching for Symmetry Breaking in Radioactive Molecules
Date: Thursday, Apr 09, 2026 | 11:30 am
Abstract: With modern laser equipment and revolutionary techniques, a wave of new-generation nuclear precision measurement experiments using Atomic, Molecular and Optical (AMO) techniques is emerging. Notably, the Karthein Lab is commissioning one such experiment at the Cyclotron Institute at Texas A&M. This multidisciplinary project aims to probe nuclear deformations in radioactive molecules using kHz-precision laser spectroscopy. This work explores parity violation in the weak force and will provide insight towards the source of this asymmetry and potential Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics. Additionally, the acquired spectra may grant astronomers new molecular fingerprints to help identify new sources of unstable isotopes in our universe. Along the way, I will present a timeline that traces a path from very early work on hyperfine splitting and nuclear moments up to the current plans of integrating “low energy research” with laser spectroscopy into the Cyclotron Institute. This timeline is heavily inspired by the two phases of my PhD; first under late Professor Hans Schuessler, and now under Professor Jonas Karthein.