Eugene KimPhysics professor Eugene Kim will explain the science behind this year’s Nobel Prize in physics in a free lecture Thursday aimed at a general audience.

Lecture to explain Nobel Prize-winning physics

While the work behind the Nobel Prize and its significance in science is usually obvious, that isn’t the case with this year’s award in physics, says UWindsor professor Eugene Kim.

He will explain the science behind the prize Thursday in a free public lecture entitled “Pretzels, Bagels and Cinnamon Buns: Why Kosterlitz, Thouless and Haldane were awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics.”

The committee named J. Michael Kosterlitz, Duncan Haldane, David J. Thouless for their “theoretical discoveries of phase transitions and topological phases of matter.” Dr. Kim has aimed his talk at a general audience, accessible to high school students, members of the campus community and the general public.

“I will explain the physics behind this year’s Nobel Prize, namely what phase transitions and topological phases are,” he says. “I will put the work of the recipients in context and explain why the committee deemed their contributions worthy of the prize.”

The event, hosted by the physics department, is set for 4 p.m. November 17 in the Oak Room, Vanier Hall.

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