omega tau - science & engineering [English only]

In this Episode, we talk about quantum computing. Our guest is Martin Laforest from the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, Canada. We start with some physics basics, and then cover topics ranging from how quantum computing works, which different models of quantum computing are explored, current and future uses of the approach as well as the current state of the art. This is one of the more propellerhead-oriented episodes, so make sure you listen carefully :-)

In this episode we take a look at microchip production, with a special focus on waferscanners. To do this, we talked with Wilbert Albers of ASML, the leading waferscanner manufacturer in the world. In the episode, we talk about the overall chip production process (from silicon sand over wafer cutting to lithography and etching), and then we talk about the challenges of building high-precision, high-throughput waferscanners.

This is a conversation with Brian Toon about the NASA TC4 project. TC4 stands for "Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling" and deals with the chemical, dynamic, and physical processes occurring in the tropical upper troposphere and tropopause transitional layer. In our conversation we cover some of the scientific goals of the project, the tools and technologies used (aircraft and satellites) as well as the general project organization. A later episode will cover the project from the perspective of an ER-2 pilot.

In this episode we talk with Duane "Digger" Carey about flying the US Space Shuttle. We cover all the major phases of a shuttle flight (countdown, launch, orbit insertion, on orbit, breaking, reentry and landing) and discuss the activities of the pilot and commander. We also cover briefly some of the Shuttle's systems. We conclude the episode with a brief look at Shuttle pilot and commander training.

This is an episode about electron microscopes with Bernard van Vlimmeren and Kees Kooijman of FEI Company. Among other things, we talk about the various kinds of electron microscopes, the components that go into electron microscopes, the important role of the sensors and a couple of example applications.

This episode is a conversation with Flavien Guderzo (First Officer) and Tom Zorman (Operations) about the 360 World Record, where a crew of three and a couple of journalists flew around the world in a North American Sabreliner, establishing a new world record. In the episode we talk about the preparations for the flight as well as the flight itself from the perspective of the flight crew, as well as from the perspective of the operations on the ground.

This episode is a conversation with NASA "space doctor" Jim Logan about space medicine and telemedicine. We start by defining the two concepts and how they relate. We then delve deeper into various specific medical issues in space (such as fluid shifts, bone mass loss and radiation). Next up is a discussion of the history of telemedicine and its relationship to space medicine, which leads us to looking astronauts can be treated for "normal" diseases from ground. We concluse the episode with an outlook on how telemedicine might develop in the future.

This episode is a conversation with John Chatterton about deep wreck diving. We cover some of the dangers and challenges, as well as the fascination of the sport. We also talk about the discovery of U 869, which was mainly John Chatterton's achievement (as documented in the book Shadow Divers).

This episode is a conversation with Volker Springel about the Millenium Simulation, which at the time was the largest simulation of the growth of cosmic structure, including a detailed model for the formation of galaxies and supermassive black holes. In the episode we talk about the physical/cosmological background, the simulation process and approach as well as some details about the hard- and software.

This episode is a conversation with CERN's Rolf Landua about the Large Hadron Collider. We start out by discussing the science and theory behind the LHC what the LHC aims to research, including the higgs boson, the standard model, super symmetry and extra dimensions. We then talked about how the LHC works (proton source, acceleration, superconducting magnets). We conclude the conversation by looking at the LHC experiments and discussing in some detail how the ATLAS detector works.

This episode covers neutron science at the Institut Laue Langevin in Grenoble. Helmut Schober and Ulli Köster cover what neutron science is used for, some interesting scientific experiments conducted at ILL as well as the physical fundamentals and the workings of the reactor and the detectors. We conclude the epsiode with a discussion of the ILL as a "research service facility" that offers all-around research support to visiting scientists.

This is an episode on how satellites work with James Penson from Surrey Satellite Technology. Specifically we talk about satellite buses, the infrastructure part of the satellite on which the (typically scientific) payload is mounted. The conversation covers structure, thermal protection, energy supply, communication, guidance and attitude control as well as propulsion. This will be the last episode on space related topics for the time being :-)

This episode is a bit different. I produced it together with Joe D'Eon from the wonderful Fly With Me podcast. Together, we explored the question of how aerodynamic lift really works - in other words: why airplanes fly. He went out and asked a fellow pilot about what he thinks how lift works. I went to the University of Stuttgart's Intitute for Aero- and Gasdynamics and talked with Thorsten Lutz. He explained the details of how it works. If his explanation still doesn't do it for you, take a look at Wikipedia. They have a couple of nice illustrations.

This is the third and final episode covering the interviews I did when I was visiting NASA Ames. It consits of two interviews. The first one is about Ames' involvement in the Ares/Orion projects which are part of the Constellation moon/mars exploration programme. I talk about this with Dr. George Sarver. The second part of the episode covers small satellites and why they are becoming more and more important (compared to traditional, larger satellites). In this part, my guest is Elwood Agasid.

This episode covers my visit to the Max Plack Institut for Plasmaphysik where I spent a couple of hours with Matthias Reich talking about nuclear fusion. The episode has three parts. In part one we talk about the scienfic and physical basics of nuclear fusion. Part two covers some of the ways the MPI facilities work, and part three discusses the ASDEX Upgrade experiment at IPP in Garching.