October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar 1 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

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 February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 2

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” February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 3

Most of what people know about physicists comes from Big Bang Theory Is that really what it’s like? February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 4

Is this really what physicists are like? February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 5

Start with some facts… February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 6 Lives with his mommy Need to understand there are different TYPES of physicists

People like Sheldon really exist? February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 7 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

February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 8 Senior Advisor for Chemical Engineering Luckily, other parts are also true

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? February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 9

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… February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 10 What are the cool things physics research have produced?

11 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 Professor

Is the money any good compared to other majors I might choose? February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 12 A: Yup!!!

What are physicists researching these days? February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 13 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?

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… February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 14 My office

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? February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 15

Dark Matter September 2012 David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar 16 What is some of the evidence for Dark matter?

David Toback, Texas A&M University 17 As the Solar System Turns Simple predictions from gravity

David Toback, Texas A&M University 18 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?

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

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!

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar 21 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

October 2011 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 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

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar 24 High Energy Collisions  New particles Tevatron  ≈10 ps after the Big Bang LHC  ≈1 ps after the Big Bang 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 directly

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

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar 26 Where in the world is the LHC? Geneva France Switzerland Jura Mountains 100 yards Underground! The accelerator Actually… It’s down here

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M University Research Topics Seminar 27 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

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

David Toback, Texas A&M University 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!

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 30

Want to know more about the exciting physics without taking the advanced courses? February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 31 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…. faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/109 /

Conclusions February 2013 David Toback, Texas A&M University Pizza and Prof 32 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

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March 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M University Davidson Scholars 34 Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Edwin HubbleAlbert Einstein

March 2011 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?

March 2011 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

March 2011 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

March 2011 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?

March 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M University Davidson Scholars 39 A Brief History of Time 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 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

March 2011 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!

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As the Galaxy Turns David Toback, Texas A&M University 42