Integrated Calendar

Light-induced processes are at the basis of fundamental natural phenomena as well as of a variety of applications. Since the functions that can arise from the interaction between light and matter depend on the degree of complexity and organization of the receiving ‘matter’, the research on these processes has progressively moved from molecular to supramolecular (multicomponent) systems. Examples of multicomponent systems capable to perform specific functions under light stimulation (photochemical molecular devices, PMDs) have been developed, relying on processes such as photoisomerization and photoinduced electron or proton transfer.
Here I will describe a few recent examples of PMDs studied in our laboratories, designed to (i) gather, transfer and process binary information (molecular logic gates and circuits) or (ii) undergo controllable motions of some molecular components with respect to the others (molecular machines).
Apart from futuristic applications, investigations on PMDs can increase the basic understanding of a variety of processes, as well as develop reliable theoretical models. This research has also the important merit of stimulating the ingenuity of chemists, thereby instilling new life into chemical sciences.

We will explain the physics of neutrino oscillation, whose discovery has taught us that neutrinos have nonzero masses. Then we will briefly review what has been learned about the neutrinos so far, and identify the major open questions. We will explain why these questions are interesting, and discuss ideas for answering some of the most intriguing ones through future experiments. We will also report several recent experimental surprises which suggest that the neutrino world may be richer than we thought.