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David Toback Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof, Honors Talk February 2013

Scientists, the Big Bang and The Big Bang Theory. This could be you. David Toback Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof, Honors Talk February 2013. A little about me…. Grew up on the south side of Chicago Went to school at MIT and then University of Chicago Came to A&M in 2000

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David Toback Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof, Honors Talk February 2013

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  1. Scientists, the Big Bang and The Big Bang Theory This could be you David Toback Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof, Honors Talk February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar

  2. A little about me… • Grew up on the south side of Chicago • Went to school at MIT and then University of Chicago • Came to A&M in 2000 • Professor of Physics and Astronomy • I 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 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  3. Outline for Today • Answer questions you probably wanted to ask, but were afraid to • Answer other questions you might find interesting • Tell you a little about ideas behind the Dark Matter research I do • Tell you about my course “Big Bang and Black Holes” David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  4. Most of what people know about physicists comes from Big Bang Theory Is that really what it’s like? David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  5. Is this really what physicists are like? David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  6. Start with some facts… Need to understand there are different TYPES of physicists Lives with his mommy David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  7. People like Sheldon really exist? Simple answer Yes Luckily not too many Actually, they imitate us pretty well… My office-mate in grad school is the science advisor The science is also very good David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  8. Luckily, other parts are also true Senior Advisor for Chemical Engineering David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  9. Switch Topics • More about good things physics has produced • What people with a Physics degree do after school • Fun research in physics • Want to learn more without getting a physics degree? David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  10. What are the cool things physics research have produced? • Radar • Lasers • The Internet • Medical imaging (MRI) • Optical fibers • Power: Nuclear, Solar, Hydro, Fusion(?) • Semiconductors (chips for computers, DVD players, video games etc…) • Superconductors • Lots more… David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  11. Most people assume that if you have a physics degree you can only be a high school teacher or a Professor People who say that don’t know what they were talking about!

  12. Is the money any good compared to other majors I might choose? A: Yup!!! http://physicsworld.com/blog/2009/07/big_bucks_for_physicists.html David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  13. What are physicists researching these days? • Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology • Relativity, Origin of the Universe, Galaxy formation, Dark Energy • Condensed Matter & Materials Physics • Atomic/Laser Physics • Nuclear physics • What’s inside the nucleus? • Particle physics • What’s inside a proton? Dark Matter, Higgs, LHC • String theory/Theory of Everything • What are particles made of? David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  14. Interested in Undergraduate Research? • Physics department has a long history of award winning undergraduate research in many areas: • Applied Physics • Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology • Atomic Physics • Condensed Matter Physics • Materials Physics • Nuclear Physics • Particle Physics • Quantum Optics • String Theory… My office David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  15. Switching again… • What are some of the things *I* study for a living? • Cosmology and Particle Physics • Dark Matter • Evolution of the Universe • Particle 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? David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  16. Dark Matter What is some of the evidence for Dark matter? David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar

  17. As the Solar System Turns http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/Talks/Video/Lab4_SS1_video.swf Simple predictions from gravity David Toback, Texas A&M University

  18. Is that what our galaxy, the Milky Way, looks like? 0 Do the stars orbit like the planets in our solar system? Outer stars go around much more slowly? David Toback, Texas A&M University

  19. Lots of Dark Matter out there! No clue what this stuff is… What’s the Matter in the Universe? David Toback, Texas A&M University

  20. The Known Particles • No known particles have the properties of Dark Matter • Other credible reasons to believe there are new fundamental particles to be discovered • Maybe Dark Matter is a New Particle! David Toback, Texas A&M University

  21. Dark Matter = New Particle? Make a Hypothesis based on Astronomy, Cosmology and Particle Physics Hypothesis:TheDark 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 High energy collisions between particles in the early Universe If they created Dark Matter, maybe we can also in an experiment! David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar

  22. Particle Physics How might Giant Particle Accelerators Help us Answer The Dark Matter Question? Tevatron at Fermilab Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar

  23. Can we Make and Discover Dark Matter? • High energy collisions between particles in the Early Universe • Recreate the conditions like they were RIGHT AFTER the Big Bang • If we can produce Dark Matter in a collision then we can STUDY it David Toback, Texas A&M University

  24. High Energy Collisions  New particlesTevatron ≈10 ps after the Big Bang LHC  ≈1 ps after the Big Bang Detector Dark Matter Particle 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 directly Dark Matter Particle David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar

  25. 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 10 Meters Tall! 30 Meters Long! Powerful multi-purpose detector Really Big with LOTS of cool electronics and other toys! David Toback, Texas A&M University

  26. Where in the world is the LHC? France Geneva Switzerland Jura Mountains Actually… It’s down here 100 yards Underground! The accelerator David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar

  27. Another view of the LHC 27 km in Circumference! One of the largest and the most complex scientific instrument ever conceived & built by humankind Lake Leman Geneva Airport Collides high energy protons Two huge detectors CMS p p ATLAS David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar

  28. What does it DO? Accelerates protons to REALLY high energies, then bashes them together

  29. 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 Bang Can study Cosmology, Particle Physics and Astronomy with one experiment! David Toback, Texas A&M University

  30. Other Exciting Possibilities • May be able to discover Supersymmetry • Have we discovered the Higgs Boson? • One of the many Higgs bosons? • Explain why there is more matter than anti-matter in the Universe • Hint for Extra Dimensions or String Theory? David Toback, Texas A&M University

  31. Want to know more about the exciting physics without taking the advanced courses? • 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 109/119 • Tier 2 Science Distribution Class • Associate lab class • Answers many of the questions you want to know about • Origin and Evolution of the Universe • How do stars form? • What is Dark Matter? Dark Energy? • What are Black Holes? • General Relativity & Quantum Mechanics • Particle Physics • Etc…. http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/109/ David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  32. Conclusions • 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 corner David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  33. End of Lecture

  34. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Edwin Hubble Albert Einstein David Toback, Texas A&M University Davidson Scholars

  35. The Big Bang Inquiring Minds Want to Know What is the scientific evidence that a Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago? David Toback, Texas A&M University Davidson Scholars

  36. 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 quickly David Toback, Texas A&M University Davidson Scholars

  37. 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 Creation What happened in the past? Run the clock backward in time David Toback, Texas A&M University Davidson Scholars

  38. The Big Bang occurred, then what? How did we get from the bang to the Universe we have today? David Toback, Texas A&M University Davidson Scholars

  39. A Brief History of Time • The Big Bang  produces lots of particles • Quarks combine to form protons and neutrons • Protons and Neutrons combine to form the nucleus of an atom • Nuclei and electrons combine to form atoms • Atoms combine to form Stars and Galaxies • The Earth and our solar system forms • You listen to me talk • Zero • One millionth of one second after the Bang • A few minutes • A few hundred thousand years • 100 million to 1 billion years • 9 billion years • ~13.7 billion years David Toback, Texas A&M University Davidson Scholars

  40. Conclusions • 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 corner at the LHC! Wanna join us? We need your help! David Toback, Texas A&M University Davidson Scholars

  41. David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof

  42. 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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