Thomas Bersano

PhD in ultracold atoms, MS in shockwave physics, analyzed CAL data from ISS, now working on Rydbergs at LANL.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

I have the day off, so I'm going to do a little walk through Los Alamos to celebrate the release of Oppenheimer.

Also it's an excuse for me to try Threads: https://t.co/95eqWV0Aod

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

The first April fool's day with all these AI tools will either be wild, or seem tame because we are already daily victims to their deceptions.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

@BettySLai @PhD_Genie @OpenAcademics Not as widely known, but Reviewer 2 is the caricature of a bad academic the way a lawyer-joke Lawyer is an exaggerated member of that profession.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

Until Meow Wolf creates a working quantum transit station, we depend on DEN-SAF flights to connect quantum research hubs.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

Maybe I should retell my discovery of a repeating magnetic field jump in CAL's B-field sensor as a ghost story. #NASAHalloween

(It was just something electrical on ISS turning on and off at regular intervals)

[NASA Space Science @NASASpaceSci]

Studying ultracold atoms in the Cold Atom Lab gives us a glimpse into the strange world of quantum mechanics. This chilling space science aims to unlock insight into some of the universe’s greatest secrets, like dark energy & dark matter. #NASAHalloween https://t.co/WvzX1QCa22

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

@quantumsensing @derherbstistda @PhysRevA @QuantenTech @OpenAI Already grabbed our attention as an arXiv -- its final publisher doesn't change our interest in your work.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

@hbarw @SPSNational Or I assume there are some mu-s. It's as recognizable as chalkboard Greek to me.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

@hbarw @SPSNational You know the cow likes physics because it has physics tatt-mu-s.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

From "is this tape strong enough to hold this up?" to "this is now a permanent fixture of the lab" in 60 seconds.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

6% + 3.5% 401k match, vested
4.6-week PTO plus annual family compassionate care
9-80 schedules available
Top->down environment of respect
New expanded ma/paternity leave.

Keep this in mind when you think of "competitive" compensation.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

I know at least one national lab offers all these.

[Vikas Navratna @vikasnavaratna]

Postdocs need

At least, 20% hike in postdoc salary.
Sign on bonus that'll get a laptop.
Promising career prospects.
Healthy work environment.
Decent health insurance.
Relocation expenses.
Retirement benefits.
Proper leave plan.
5-day work week.
Better respect.
Child support.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

US Postdocs, happy labor day!

My national lab's benefits were updated for the upcoming calendar year.

New postdoc salary up'd to $92,000
Laptop can be provided by lab
Promising career prospects
Safety first mindset
Good health insurance
Relocation reimbursement

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

In about 12 weeks the question went from "Could AI ever create art?" to "Is it fair that AI creates better art than humans?"

[🇵🇸 Genel Jumalon @GenelJumalon]

TL;DR — Someone entered an art competition with an AI-generated piece and won the first prize.

Yeah that's pretty fucking shitty.

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

Big thanks to @PhysMossman for carrying the weight of this project on the WSU side and thanks to our collabs as always for the great simulations!

8/8

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

We generated soliton arrays! (https://t.co/84Hfqb9NsM)

Recipe:
-Take a two-state BEC
-Apply a magnetic field gradient
-Wait
-Pulse microwave fields
-Wait some more

Voila! An array of equally spaced solitons.

1/8

[Thomas Bersano @PhysatExtremes]

"Doesn't all this behavior depend on particle interactions?"

Yes it does! That is why we would like to try this with different atoms. Once these types of systems are well understood we can start shaking the soliton arrays and that's when the fun really starts!

7/8