Day 11 - Lights! Camera! Actions!

"On a lighter note: Helium."

So today was the Campuslichter! It was basically a fun festival of lights full of food, drinks, and of course, lights! I had wanted to get a good group shot of us in front of a few of these spotlights illuminating the trees, as having a source of back-light seemed like an awesome idea for my non-photographer brain. I had just told everyone to act natural and they did awesome. Posed shots look nice, but are so boring and lacking in emotion. Something like this just captures the fun everyone was having, and I really do hope it shows.

Weindorf

So I thought about writing about our recent adventures in the Fortress and the Residenz, but Numa already did! Click on her name on the right side of the page to see what she's posted here. :)

n-1 at Weindorf, pic by Thomas

What else have we done? Well, we are finally all settled in and have tackled all the logistical/legal requirements for being here all summer. Germany is very particular about these things; whenever anyone takes up residence in a new city, they have to register with the city...even if they're from another country. But nine of us are officially residing here--and in a few short weeks, Victoria will make us a perfect ten. I wish I could show you a picture of all of us, but we've actually been unable to all be in the same place at the same time since we've arrived! We consistently peak at n-1, where n is the number of people here. So here is a picture of a time at Weindorf when we thought we might have n people.

Krautschupfnudeln

What is Weindorf? It is like nothing I've ever seen. It is giant, week+-long, open-air...bar. Except it's not a bar. It's, well...it's a Wine Fest. They use two huge sections of the city square and set up tents and tables, complete with tablecloths, flowers, and menus. The menus are only for wines {and Apfelschorle (Mineralwasser + apple juice) and Mineralwasser (carbonated water)}, though. If you want food, you go to one of the concession stands scattered throughout and order things like Bratwurst mit Brötchen {a Bratwurst kolache} or Krautschupfnudeln {a very good and very filling dish made of a traditional Bavarian dish containing Spätzle (a thick noodle), Sauerkraut, and a bacon-like meat}.

I wouldn't bother mentioning Weindorf at all {I suck at the whole wine-tasting thing}, except that it is such a HUGE deal to the people of the city. Our tutors were so excited to see them setting up the wine fest when we arrived, and they informed us that we must go. Our research groups have all gone or made plans to go this week. It is a BIG DEAL to the people of Würzburg...and especially their physics department. What do Germans do for fun? It is not a lie to say that wine is on that list and possibly at the top {or a close second to German soccer}. There are local wineries featured at the festival, and everyone goes and enjoys a large table with wine and friends. It is another one of those things that I've seen here that I can't compare to anything in America. We do outdoor food festivals, but not with nice tables and waiters and waitresses.

Not to mention the Pfand. It literally means "deposit," but what it is is your freedom to walk out of a restaurant--or throughout Weindorf--with your glass of wine. Or your plate. Here's how it works:

1. Order a glass of wine and pay €0.50 more than the menu price.
2. Enjoy your wine. Walk across the Weindorf, or through the city, or all the way up to the Fortress!
3. Return to the original vendor or restaurant and give them your wine glass.
4. They give you €0.50! Someone in our group said it felt like getting paid to eat {they give you back €2.00 for a plate}.

After navigating a couple of Pfand situations--I tried to order one the first time I saw a menu, haha--I made a startling observation: they don't use disposable plate-ware here. No paper plates, no Styrofoam cups, or plastic forks. The people of Würzburg prefer to stay classy with real dishes {though I have seen people drinking wine with a straw, over on the Main Bridge}. See--I told you we had nothing like this in the states. When was the last time you went to any sort of festival--a free festival!--featuring real dishes. Class and environmental stewardship. {I know all you TX people are groaning at the amount of water will be required to wash all those dishes...but trust me, there is no lack of water here. They actually landscape. More on that later.}

Day 10 - I should have taken a picture of the cheese burger.

"You sure you don't want to take a picture of the cheese burger? It seems like exactly the type of thing you'd do."

So I've come to the realization that it's a lot harder to take meaningful pictures everyday when everyday is filled with a lot of the same going to lab, going to the Mensa to eat, going back to the lab, and going back home. I really need to start capitalizing on interesting situations and take pictures like the Asian tourist I am.

Like, today the astronomy department had a barbecue! An amazing, and delicious barbecue! And I didn't take any pictures! There was literally a cheese burger. That's right, a cheese burger. Not a cheeseburger, but a cheese burger. It was a vegetarian burger made of cheese. I ate that right up when I heard what it was! Okay, I only took a bite, but the point still stands that I really enjoyed the pun! So instead, I took a picture of my workstation in my office I share with a post-doc (?). If you're wondering, that green bottle over there isn't anything bad. It's mineral water. The water over here is kind of full of limestone and other metallic things, so people over here tend to buy large cases of water to drink. So overall, it's a simple desk, but it's my desk!

Quantum Dots: An Introduction

I have read more papers about quantum dots in the past four days than was probably necessary, but here is some brief background.

Wikipedia defines a quantum dot as “a nanocrystal made of semiconductor materials that are small enough to exhibit quantum mechanical properties.” The semiconductor nanostructure confines the motion of conduction band electrons, valence band holes, or excitons in all three spatial directions. A quantum dot contains a small finite number of elementary electric charges and has a discrete quantized energy spectrum.

Quantum dots can be ‘tuned’ to release photons of light at a given frequency

What does this all mean? Semiconducting quantum dots are very appealing for a variety of applications and new technologies because of their unique size and composition tunable electronic and optical properties. Quantum dot applications range from photovoltaic/light emitting/photodetector devices to quantum computing and quantum information processing to medicine. If you ever have ten minutes to spare, google the applications of quantum dots (cancer treatment, LEDs, solar cells – the possibilites are endless!).

I’m spending my summer doing very detailed measurements of large quantum dots using spectroscopic techniques (in other words, fourier transforms and a whole bunch of lasers). I’m also going to learn about the production of quantum dots and a few techniques on how to grow them.

My first official day in lab was on Monday. Working here makes me feel so official and important – it’s absolutely wonderful. My name is on my office door! I’ve never had my name on a door before, so this is all very exciting. I also have a German keyboard and as fun as German keyboards can be, it makes it a struggle to type correctly with all the alphabets being in the wrong place.

My research group was attending a seminar by a visiting professor from UK on “Quantum Materials and Devices for Future Photonics and Electronics.” I tagged along in hopes that the lecture would be in English, but of course, he was a German native. Quantum Physics seminars are already fairly difficult to follow along. In fact, there were often times where I would sit in my introductory Quantum Physics class not knowing what was going on. So trying to follow a lecture on a subject that I can barely grasp in German was an absolute nightmare. I literally sat there with a blank expression on my face for two hours. Side note: the German word for molecule is moleküle. Can we all agree that moleküle sounds/looks more fun and start using that instead?

Then, I got a tour of the reinraum1, which my professor described as a “physicist’s playground,” and indeed, I felt like I was a 3 year old experiencing the joy of a tire swing for the very first time. To enter the reinraum, a cleanroom suit is required, which is a more extensive (and classier) version of the bunnysuit found in Chemistry labs at UT Austin, along with boots, gloves, goggles, and a face mask. I got my very own cleanroom suit with a tag that says, “Dhamani.” Like I said, so official! The reinraum is HUGE. In fact, all the laborataries here are a lot bigger and more equipped than the ones at UT Austin. I work at the Center of Nonlinear Dynamics in Austin, which is the entire 14th floor of the Physics/Astronomy/Math building. The reinraum is probably twice the size of CNLD! Inside the reinraum, there is more fancy equipment than I have ever seen in such close proximity. They have everything from solid-state lasers to molecular beam epitaxy.

I was given a brief lesson on working the MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) to grow quantum dots. There is an excessive use of gallium in MBE, which makes me so incredibly happy. Side note: gallium is my favorite element. If you have never seen a MBE machine, I suggest you look one up one right now. Later that day, I preformed some very basic spectroscopic measurements on the quantum dots. In other words, I played with green lasers in a dark room.

Despite being in Experimental Physics, I have spent the past two days working on theoretical calculations and reading/learning about quantum dots. The physics may be theoretical, but the fun is real. At this point, you could probably quiz me. I am supposed to start running experiments towards the end of this week, and I can’t wait!  Theoretical physics is great and all, but it ain’t no lasers or gallium.

Random thoughts/scattered observations:

1. The lack of girls in Physics is universal. During our group meeting on Monday, I soon realized that not only was I the only American in my research group, but also the only undergraduate, and the only girl. For some reason, I find comfort in the lack of girls around here – it feels like home.

2. Instead of taking lunch breaks, everyone in the research group eats together, and often the professor joins us for lunch. I am so used to eating lunch by myself or running errands during my lunch break, so this is weird, but in a good way.

3. Coffee after lunch seems to be a sacred ritual in the Physics department.

Sorry about the lack of pictures and german words this time, but happy readin’ y’all!

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Translation of German words:

1. Cleanroom

Day 9 - Language is Hard.

"I know just enough German to just get frustrated by everything!"

Something I've noticed these past few days is that people are willing to switch languages whenever the confused American is around. That's a good thing! The bad thing is that it feels like people are forced to switch languages whenever the confused American is around. I've had this happen quite a bit in both the astronomy department and in a few other places I've been around. People will have small talk in English whenever I'm there, but they all look uncomfortable doing so, even when it doesn't concern me. The same group would be having the same conversation in German, but would be much more comfortable around each other. Maybe it's just because I'm the new guy, but it's kind of frustrating to know that so many people have been accommodating for me, but I can't really do much to meet them half way.

I found this poster walking through the physic's building here on campus and thought it a cute example of language barriers. It describes most people's experience with English here very well. Some speak is perfectly and have no worries speaking it to foreigners while others... Well it's more like the pink box above. But they're offering a way to communicate with me, so however they speak it, I'm completely grateful for it.

Würzburger Residenz

Grüß Dich!1

The weather in Würzburg has been absolutely gorgeous lately. I took advantage of this beautiful weather and went to see the Würzburger Residenz2 on Sunday. Until the early eighteenth century, the prince-bishops in Würzburg resided in the Marienberg Fortress. The court was then moved to a palace: the Würzburger Residenz. In 1981, Würzburger Residenz with its Court Gardens and Residence Square was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This palace is, by far, the most beautiful piece of Baroque architecture that I have ever seen.

The Würzburger Residenz

View from the Residence Square

As breathtaking as this palace is, the Court Gardens were my absolute favorite part. My first thought upon walking into the gardens was, “I’m late, I’m late! For a very important date.” They literally looked like something out of Alice in the Wonderland. I was willing to spend all day there – it was just so beautiful.

Random observations/scattered thoughts:

1. Germans are tall. The average German is probably a good few inches taller than the average American. Being in Würzburg makes me feel shorter than usual.

2. The gummy bear store has some really interesting gummy bears. Playboy gummies, anyone?!

3. Will someone explain to me why German book covers are so much prettier than any book cover found in the United States? Despite not being able to understand a single word, I am so tempted to buy the LOTR trilogy and the Game of Thrones solely because I’m obsessed with their book covers.

4. Würzburg has really sassy statues. I really hope that when the statues were rebuilt after their destruction in World War II, the sass was intentional, as if to say, “we’re back, bitch.“

Herzliche Grüße von Numa3

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Translation of German words:
1. Hello
2. Würzburg Residence
3. Love from Numa

Day 8 - I almost did not have a picture for today, but I didn't want to leave y'all hanging.

"I'm going to leave you with some nightmares. So Wurzburg was an American Army base, right? They used to hang people in Galgenberg."

I'm not going to lie to you, I only took two photos today. I just started work today in the astronomy department here, and the day has been full of meeting new people, learning new things, and finding a new pair of pants. I really wasn't sure what I was going to post, but one of the graduate students happened to be on the same bus as Robby, Thomas, and I. This graduate student was the one that I shared my office with (that's right. I get an office. Be jealous.) and was helping me transition to German culture all day. He even taught me the word Servus which is a common greeting here in Baravia. It literally means slave, but it translates to something along the lines of "I'm at your service". Really awesome guy!

Anyways, back to the story. So he gets onto the bus with us, and stirs up a conversation about the department and about Mexico and about the states and Germany, but my stop soon approached. He wanted to leave me with some nightmares for the night by sharing a bit of Wurzburg's history with us. Apparently, Wurzburg was an American army base until a few years ago until the building got remodeled to the school I'm attending now. The dorm I'm staying at, Galgenberg, was apparently used to hang people back in the day. That's lovely. I didn't think too much about it until walking home and seeing this sign on the main building. I'm not exactly sure what Galgenfete is, but it sure reminds me of some hangings that used to go on here. This was literally a sign that I had to use this story for today.

First Research Day

First day with the research group. I still haven't gotten everyone's names. There are thirty or forty people in our group, and half of them are named Andreas.

I'm not kidding, not really. There are so many Andreas' {at least 3} that they introduce themselves to me as, "Andreas, but since there are so many of us here, you can call me ___."

I have yet to be assigned to a project, but I'm reading a paper by my professor and will probably be given more stuff to read tomorrow. I love everything we're doing, though! I'm discovering that what I loved about Raman spectroscopy was actually just a love of experimental physics. There is a rush of creating and accomplishing something that will have real-life results and application.

Already I have mentioned the open window policy here in Germany, yeah? Not only does my flat {yes, it has been so christened--I take my British when I can get it} have windows that open, so does my office. And we open windows. In the office!

When was the last time you encountered an office with big, open windows? The natural light is enough that we don't even use actual ceiling lights. The German summer breeze wafts in and is a fresh breath of relaxing. After all that rain and cold last week, we've hit the weather jackpot. It is what I describe as perfect. It is also what Andreas describes as perfect. Or he says it will be tomorrow. {If his name is Andreas. I'm playing the odds, here. He introduced himself to me on Friday, and I've forgotten what he said. Now that it's too late for me to ask without an insane amount of awkward...I wait for someone to address him most loudly.}

This evening some of us met up in the city for grocery shopping and ice cream/gelato {we call it gelato, though the direct translation here of eis is ice cream; I'm actually quite confused about this} at a cafe. We sat at an outdoor table on a cobblestone street at dusk. In Europe. After a day staring at a screen and trying to make sense of way too many big words...it was just about bliss.

Day 7 - Much to contrary belief, I won't be talking about my hat this post.

"It's like I'm in Alice in Wonderland!" 

I will spare y'all the much more interesting story about our group's trip to the Wurzburg Cathedral, and instead talk about the Wurzburg Residence! Curious why? Spoilers for Monday, that's why.

But when if you come to Wurzburg, one of the places you can't miss is the Wurzburg Residence. It's just so huge and noticeable, that you can't help but to be in awe when looking at it. Today we just explored the royal garden, and that was an adventure in itself. As both Thomas and Numa put it, the garden was highly reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. We first entered and the trees were perfect cones, the bushes were squares and the fountain was running in the middle. It was almost surreal, almost like a scene from a movie or a video game. Some of the girls thought this to be the perfect place to be proposed in. Some of the guys thought of this as the stage for the last boss of a video game where the big boss would pop out from the hill where this photo was taken. In either case, this place screamed magical.

Reasons for Albino Squirrels

So you may have noticed that the title of this blog is the Albino Squirrels. This name was chosen for a few reasons. Firstly, at UT Austin, seeing the albino squirrel is a sign of good luck, which we realized is something that we really needed for this trip to work out. Another reason is that the word "squirrel" is apparently difficult for many Germans to say, and there are many funny youtube videos of their attempts. Also, the word for "squirrel" in German is "eichhörnchen", which is a fun word to us to say! We took a while trying to come up with a group name, and discarded ideas such as "gemütlichkeit", which is the German word meaning "a situation that induces a cheerful mood, peace of mind, with connotation of belonging and social acceptance, coziness and unhurry." We finally were able to agree on "The Albino Squirrels" for the reasons above, and since we're physicists we ended up with a fancy squirrel writing physics on a chalkboard as our logo! So know you know, (and as my calculus teacher used to say) and knowing is half the battle! (the other half is doing!)