Eric Heller, Harvard University

Topic: "Branched flow of waves and rays in quantum mechanics, oceanography, acoustics, and more"  (Video)

Abstract: The familiar twinkling of starlight or the pattern of sunlight on a pool bottom is the beginning of the phenomenon of branched flow, which applies to both waves and rays. It is a beautiful and poorly studied phenomenon, given its ubiquity. We illustrate, explain, and discuss the applicability across many fields of science.