Research Topics Seminar 1 David Toback Texas AampM University Pizza and Prof Honors Talk February 2013 Scientists the Big Bang and The Big Bang Theory This could be you A little about me ID: 703187
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October 2011
David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar
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David Toback
Texas A&M University
Pizza and
Prof, Honors TalkFebruary 2013
Scientists, the Big Bang and The Big Bang Theory
This could be youSlide2
A little about me…
Grew up on the south side of ChicagoWent to school at MIT and then University of Chicago
Came to A&M in 2000Professor of Physics and AstronomyI specialize in Experimental
Particle physics (Fermilab, LHC, search for Supersymmetry, Dark Matter)I’ve been teaching ASTR/PHYS 109 (Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math) for a number of years now
February 2013David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityPizza and Prof
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Outline for Today
Answer questions you probably wanted to ask, but were afraid toAnswer other questions you might find interesting
Tell you a little about ideas behind the Dark Matter research I doTell you about my course “Big Bang and Black Holes”
February 2013David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityPizza and Prof
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Most of what people know about physicists comes from Big Bang Theory
Is that really what it’s like?
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Is this really what physicists are like?
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David Toback, Texas A&M University
Pizza and Prof5Slide6
Start with some facts…
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David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityPizza and Prof
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Lives with his mommy
Need to understand there are different TYPES of physicists Slide7
People like Sheldon really exist?
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Simple answerYesLuckily not too manyActually, they imitate us pretty well… My office-mate in grad school is the science advisorThe science is also very goodSlide8
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Pizza and Prof
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Senior Advisor for Chemical Engineering
Luckily, other parts are also trueSlide9
Switch Topics
More about good things physics has producedWhat people with a Physics degree do after schoolFun research in physics
Want to learn more without getting a physics degree?
February 2013David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityPizza and Prof9Slide10
Radar
LasersThe Internet
Medical imaging (MRI)Optical fibersPower: Nuclear, Solar, Hydro, Fusion(?)
Semiconductors (chips for computers, DVD players, video games etc…)SuperconductorsLots more…February 2013
David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityPizza and Prof10
What are the cool
things physics research have produced?Slide11
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People who say that don’t know what they were talking about!
Most people assume that if you have a physics degree you can only be a high school teacher
or a
ProfessorSlide12
Is the money any good compared to other majors I might choose
?
February 2013David Toback, Texas A&M University
Pizza and Prof12
http://physicsworld.com/blog/2009/07/big_bucks_for_physicists.html
A: Yup!!! Slide13
What are physicists researching these days?
February 2013
David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityPizza and Prof
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Relativity, Origin of the Universe, Galaxy formation, Dark EnergyCondensed Matter & Materials PhysicsAtomic/Laser PhysicsNuclear physics What’s inside the nucleus?
Particle physics What’s inside a proton? Dark Matter, Higgs, LHCString theory/Theory of Everything What are particles made of?Slide14
Interested in Undergraduate Research?
Physics department has a long history of award winning undergraduate research in many areas:
Applied Physics
Astronomy, Astrophysics and CosmologyAtomic PhysicsCondensed Matter PhysicsMaterials PhysicsNuclear PhysicsParticle Physics
Quantum OpticsString Theory…February 2013
David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityPizza and Prof14
My officeSlide15
Switching again…
What are some of the things *I* study for a living?Cosmology and Particle PhysicsDark Matter
Evolution of the UniverseParticle Physics and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)Can we discover Dark Matter with giant accelerators like the LHC as a way of learning about our Universe
?February 2013David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityPizza and Prof
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Dark Matter
September 2012
David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar
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What is
some
of the evidence for Dark matter? Slide17
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As the Solar System Turns
Simple predictions from gravity
http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/Talks/Video/Lab4_SS1_video.swfSlide18
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Is that what our galaxy, the Milky Way, looks like?
Do the stars orbit like the planets in
our solar system?
Outer stars go around much more slowly?
0Slide19
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University
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Lots of Dark Matter out there!
What’s the Matter in the Universe?
No clue what this stuff is…Slide20
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The Known Particles
No known particles have the properties of Dark Matter
Other credible reasons to believe there are new fundamental particles to be discoveredMaybe Dark Matter is a New Particle!Slide21
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David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar
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Hypothesis:
The
Dark Matter in the Universe is made up of LOTS of particles that we haven’t discovered yet!
Best Guess: Got created in the Early Universe like everything else and is still here today!
Big Bang!
Then Universe gets bigger
Dark Matter = New Particle?
High energy collisions between particles in the early Universe
If they created Dark Matter, maybe we can
also in an experiment!
Make a Hypothesis based on Astronomy, Cosmology and Particle Physics Slide22
October 2011
David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar
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Particle Physics
How might Giant Particle Accelerators Help us Answer The Dark Matter
Question?
Tevatron at
Fermilab
Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
at CERNSlide23
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Can we Make and Discover Dark Matter?
High energy collisions between particles in the Early UniverseRecreate the conditions like they were RIGHT AFTER the Big Bang If we can produce Dark Matter in a collision then we can STUDY itSlide24
October 2011
David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar
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High Energy Collisions
New particles Tevatron ≈10 ps after the Big Bang
LHC ≈1 ps after the Big Bang
Dark Matter Particle
Dark Matter Particle
Detector
Proton
Anti-Proton
Ok… Its more complicated than this since Dark Matter Particles don’t easily interact with detectors…
Nor do we usually produce them directlySlide25
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Example Detector
Surround the collision point with a detector and look at the stuff pops out after a collision as it interacts with the various components
Powerful multi-purpose detector
Really Big with LOTS of cool electronics and other toys!
10 Meters
Tall!
30 Meters
Long!Slide26
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David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar
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Where in the world is the LHC?
Geneva
France
Switzerland
Jura Mountains
100 yardsUnderground!
The accelerator
Actually… It’s down hereSlide27
October 2011
David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar
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Another view of the LHC
CMS
ATLAS
27 km in Circumference!
One of the largest and
the most complex scientific
instrument ever conceived &
built by humankind
p
p
Collides high
energy protons
Two huge detectors
Lake Leman
Geneva Airport Slide28
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What does it DO?
Accelerates protons to REALLY high energies, then bashes them togetherSlide29
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High Energy Collisions
So… The LHC makes really high energy collisions that might produce Dark Matter so we can discover it LHC is creating the conditions like they were RIGHT AFTER the Big BangCan study Cosmology, Particle Physics and Astronomy with one experiment!Slide30
Other Exciting Possibilities
May be able to discover SupersymmetryHave we discovered the Higgs Boson?
One of the many Higgs bosons? Explain why there is more matter than anti-matter in the UniverseHint for Extra Dimensions or String Theory?
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Want to know more about the exciting physics without taking the advanced courses?
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Physics department now offers a course entitled “Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math” Covers Stephen Hawking’s
“Brief History of Time”Cross listed as ASTR/PHYS 109/119Tier 2 Science Distribution ClassAssociate lab classAnswers many of the questions you want to know aboutOrigin and Evolution of the Universe
How do stars form?What is Dark Matter? Dark Energy?What are Black Holes?General Relativity & Quantum MechanicsParticle PhysicsEtc….http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/109
/Slide32
Conclusions
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It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a scientist!
Astronomy, Cosmology and Particle Physics are all coming together!
Starting to understand the Big Bang and Dark Matter!If our understanding is correct, a major discovery may be just around the cornerSlide33
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End of LectureSlide34
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David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityDavidson Scholars
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Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Edwin Hubble
Albert EinsteinSlide35
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The Big Bang
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
What is the scientific evidence that a Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago?Slide36
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What did Hubble See?
Hubble observed lots of galaxies with the world’s best telescope
He noticed that
All the far away ones are moving away from us VERY quicklySlide37
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David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityDavidson Scholars
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So What?
All the galaxies will come from a single point in space ~13.7 billion years ago
Name this time
The Big Bang A moment of CreationWhat happened in the past? Run the clock backward in timeSlide38
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David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityDavidson Scholars
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The Big Bang occurred, then what? How did we get from the bang to the Universe we have today?Slide39
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A Brief History of TimeZeroOne millionth of one second after the BangA few minutes
A few hundred thousand years100 million to 1 billion years9 billion years~13.7 billion years
The Big Bang produces lots of particles
Quarks combine to form protons and neutronsProtons and Neutrons combine to form the nucleus of an atomNuclei and electrons combine to form atomsAtoms combine to form Stars and Galaxies The Earth and our solar system formsYou listen to me talkSlide40
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ConclusionsIt’s an incredibly exciting time to be a scientist!Astronomy, Cosmology and Particle Physics are all coming together!Starting to understand the Big Bang and Dark Matter!If our understanding is correct, a major discovery may be just around the corner at the LHC!
Wanna join us? We need your help!Slide41
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Pizza and Prof
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As the Galaxy Turns
http
://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/Talks/Video/Lab4_GX1_video_slow.swf
David Toback, Texas A&M University
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