Professor
Department of Physics
Hometown: Karlsruhe, Germany
Uwe Bergmann is a Professor in the Physics Department of UW-Madison. He specializes on the development and application of novel X-ray techniques based on the most powerful x-ray sources. He has studies ancient manuscripts including the Archimedes Palimpsest, fossils, water, and how plants split water to produce the oxygen we breath.
Uwe’s talks can also be offered in German.
Talks:
Making X-ray Movies of Molecules
Powerful new X-ray lasers are now able to capture movies of atoms and molecules as they carry out their functions in real-time. We describe these powerful new machines and some of the most exiting research that has emerged in the last decade.
Archimedes Brought to Light
The Archimedes Palimpsest contains the oldest copy of work by the Greek genius. We describe some of Archimedes’ biggest accomplishments and how modern X-rays have helped to learn more about one of the greatest mathematicians of all times.
Water Under X-ray Vision
Water is our life elixir and the most important substance on earth. Yet it is one of the least understood liquids with many anomalies. We describe some of water’s most peculiar properties and how X-ray spectroscopy is trying to reveal the molecular structure of water and how it might be related to these properties.
Bringing Dino-Birds to Life
Birds have captured every corner of our planet. Long before modern birds appeared, some dinosaurs started to show feathers rather than scales. With the help of powerful X-rays, we are trying to disentangle the chemical remains in some of the most iconic dino-bird fossils, including the famous Archaeopteryx, and what we can learn about the life of these amazing creatures.