The Physics Frontier Center of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The Physics Frontier Center of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (PFC-KICP) brings together an accomplished team of physicists and astronomers, both theorists and experimentalists, within a unique interdisciplinary environment to address three of the most compelling questions in all of science today: (1) What is the nature of the Dark Energy and Dark Matter that dominate the Universe and have shaped its evolution? (2) Was there an inflationary epoch in the first moments of the Universe, and if so, what is the underlying physics that caused it? (3) What clues do nature?s highest energy particles offer about the unification of forces and particles? The answers to these questions have the potential to transform in a fundamental way our view of the origin and evolution of the Universe and the laws that govern it. These three questions were the focus of the Physics Frontier Center for its first four years of existence and remain at the heart of its program. Discoveries and theoretical advances over the last four years, many produced by the PFC-KICP, have sharpened these questions and pointed to new avenues for addressing them. The Center will foster several new research initiatives aimed at seizing these opportunities while continuing a number of efforts begun in the first term of the Center that are now coming to fruition. The new initiatives will make strides toward the detection of inflationary gravity waves in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), probe the nature of the Dark Energy with a large optical survey, develop a promising, new method for detecting Dark Matter, and provide new pooled resources for the analysis of large experimental and theoretical data sets. The integrated, cross-cutting program of research, education, and outreach aimed at fundamental questions in cosmological physics at the PFC-KICP is designed to capture the imagination of the public from K to 99 through its variety of activities with broader impact: (1) Training and educating scientists to work in teams, cross boundaries in their research, and integrate research and education, particularly through the Fellows program. (2) Disseminating important scientific results whose implications cut across the disciplines of astronomy and physics. (3) Using this exciting area of science to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering, with programs such as Space Explorers, WAP, UPRIDE, and RET. (4) Creating broadly shared infrastructure; e.g., the Sunyaev-Zel?dovich Array (SZA) will become part of the CARMA facility and the Dark Energy Camera will be a user instrument at CTIO; both will be broadly used by the astronomy community. (5) Sharing the excitement of this science and educating the public about the nature of science through a vigorous and diverse outreach program that includes cosmology short courses, museum partnerships, and public talks. (6) Engaging the broader cosmological physics community through a targeted program of workshops, visitors, and symposia.