ESP Biography



VITALY ANDREEV, Visiting Fellow at Harvard GSAS in Physics




Major: Physics

College/Employer: Harvard

Year of Graduation: G

Picture of Vitaly Andreev

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I did my undergraduate studies in physics at the Technical University of Munich and wrote my Bachelor's Thesis in the theory of strong interactions (QCD). Although I really appreciate theory, my passion became experimental physics. I worked at the electric dipole moment of the neutron experiment, at antimatter experiments at CERN but also at the LHCb (Large Hadron Collider Beauty) experiment. As an european exchange student I spent half a year at ETH Zurich studying cosmology and astrophysics, but at the same time got some insight into the positronium spectroscopy experiment. As a graduate student in Munich I worked at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics before I came as a Visiting Fellow to Harvard in Sept 2015 to work at the electron electric dipole moment experiment.

In addition to my university studies I have been the chairman of the "Orpheus e.V." (Organization group Physics for European Students) association for four years. "Orpheus e.V." is dedicated to the promotion of talented young
people in physics and preparation for
the International Physics Olympiad. I have been tutor and head organizer of the Orpheus-Association seminars and therefore discovered how much fun it is to teach physics to high-school students!



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S9838: Big Bang, Dark Matter & Co.: Introduction to Cosmology in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
This is a very brief introduction to physical cosmology! For example, I will cover following questions: - What does the General Theory of Relativity tell us about spacetime? - How do we know that the visible universe expands and that it must have been very hot and very small around 13.7 billion years ago? - What is the Cosmic Microwave Background and why is it so essential for cosmology? - How can we determine the parameters of our universe? - What do physicists mean by "dark matter" and "dark energy"? - How do we know that there is something like "dark matter" and "dark energy" in our universe? - Is there any conflict between science and religion when talking about the Big Bang? Of course, these questions involve very deep and complex concepts in physics, but I will give a small overview and a first insight into them. I think that complex concepts can be explained in a simple way!


S9869: The Story of 8 Nobel Prizes: Historical Development of Quantum and Atomic Physics in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
An introduction to Quantum and Atomic Physics with the emphasis on its historical beginnings. We will discuss the following topics: - Blackbody radiation - Photoelectric effect - Discrete energy level structure of atoms - Scattering of photons by charged particles - Diffraction of electrons and neutrons - Wave-particle duality These topics were worth eight Nobel Prizes and you will learn which physicists were involved in it! Moreover, this was the basis for the development of modern physics, in particular the proper formulation of quantum mechanics by Schrödinger or Heisenberg. This course (or equivalently the basic knowledge of the concepts listed above) is a prerequisite for my second course on quantum physics, where I will introduce the Schrödinger equation and discuss the wave-particle duality more deeply.


S9878: Wave-Particle Duality, Uncertainty Principle and Schrödinger Equation in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
In this course I would like to show the first insight into the formulation of modern quantum mechanics. The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the wave-particle duality. I will first introduce the concept of a "wave function", "operator" or "observable" and show how it leads to the general uncertainty principle between physical quantities. This brings us to the Schrödinger equation, where we will discuss its solution for the hydrogen atom. Finally, I will give a very brief outlook for the development of quantum mechanics after the Schrödinger equation, e.g. its relativistic description which leads to Antimatter and Quantum Field Theory.


S9892: Antimatter at CERN and shortly after the Big Bang ...or the Truth about the "Angels and Demons" movie in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
A trap for antimatter? Antimatter as a way of studying the origin of our universe? Antimatter at the Large Hadron Collider? Antimatter bomb? And what the hell is antimatter after all? If you want to know the answers to these questions, please join my presentation! Despite the truth about the "Angels and Demons" movie, you will also learn some physics!