We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. Learn more. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Mato Grosso do Sul on Monday with a shower of green and yellow balloons Children from the Nova-andradinense Culture Foundation performed a dance with hula-hoops and crowds of 20,000 gathered to see the relay pass through the city the flame travelled to Presidente Prudente Picture by Rio2016/André MourãoRodrigo Faro an actor and presenter who played handball and did gymnastics said he had already bought tickets to see the Games “This will be an historic edition of the Olympic Games,” he said “My medal bets are on the men’s and women’s volleyball team and I also think we have a great chance in judo.” the flame arrived in Paraguaçu Paulista to dance and musical performances in the city’s Praça da Matriz square said: “I’m very pleased with the sustainability policy of Rio 2016 The event’s historical factor and its symbolism point to this concern I'm enjoying the Olympic Games with its symbol that unites people The flame that makes the heart and mind burns That we can be all together in this story.” was also among the Torchbearers and said: “If my carrying the torch was a scene from a soap it would be a dramatic scene with some comic relief Picture by Rio2016/André Mourão“I’m not sporty and I’m terrified of letting the torch fall the flame visited four towns in the state of Paraná on 29 June and was welcomed by orchestras martial arts performances and dancers dressed as Greek gods One of the highlights was Torchbearer Ricardinho one of Brazil’s most successful volleyball players two gold medals in the World Championships gold in Athens 2004 and silver in London 2012 Picture by Rio2016/André Mourão“It was wonderful to carry the torch,” he said like the emotion of entering the Olympic Village for the first time I think Brazil will do really well at these Olympic Games.” the flame was put through a mini-triathlon cyclist Gabriela Gomes and runner Guilherme Santana The day ended in Cascavel with a dance performance of Verdades do Olimpo and demonstrations of martial art capoeira head of a research group at Utrecht University recognized by the European Physical Society Internationally renowned for her work in quantum mechanics physicist Cristiane de Morais Smith often compares the field to cubism an artistic movement best known for the works of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) “Both emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century and both offer multiple ways of observing the same object,” says the researcher who uses this visual metaphor to describe the various perspectives of reality that characterize her field of knowledge Morais Smith has been teaching and leading a research group at the Institute for Theoretical Physics of Utrecht University in the Netherlands since 2004 she won the Emmy Noether Award from the European Physical Society The award recognized her contributions to the theory of condensed matter systems and ultracold atoms to unveil novel quantum states of matter among other reasons because the scientist whose name it bears [1882–1935] made great contributions to physics Morais Smith’s aptitude for physics was first noticed when she was 13 years old during a class on kinematics at school in her hometown of Paraguaçu Paulista in the state of São Paulo “I managed to solve a problem that was considered difficult for my age group It was then that I  decided I wanted to learn more,” she says when she started her undergraduate degree in physics at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Morais Smith was intrigued by quantum mechanics after attending classes by Amir Caldeira capable of describing strange phenomena that happen on an atomic scale.” During her master’s degree in quantum mechanics at UNICAMP Morais Smith’s work involved describing dissipative quantum systems which included a period at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) that the physicist’s international career took off described the dissipative dynamics of vortices in high-temperature superconductors As well as using cubism as a metaphor for a field that most people see as highly abstract Morais Smith also likes to say that she studies electron sociology “The way these particles interact is comparable to human beings in society electrons behave differently than when they are alone,” she explains the electron is no longer just a marble that hits another and then disperses In addition to studies using quantum simulators and graphene considered an excellent conductor of electricity the research group led by Morais Smith was responsible for creating the first quantum fractal a structure that could reveal new types of electron behavior Defined as standardized shapes that recur to produce an image of the whole “The discovery offers new ways of studying quantum wires and the intermediate dimension of electronic systems,” she adds © Revista Pesquisa FAPESP - All rights reserved.