Particle Physics in Media

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

This grant funds the research of Professor Raymond Sawyer in the Physics Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Professor Sawyer's work concerns models of very compact and massive objects (neutron stars, supernovae), and is focused on the microscopic properties of the matter therein. Understanding the properties of this matter is critical to understanding how to interpret our observations of these objects. In the period of this award, Professor Sawyer will work to elucidate the neutrino physics that enters in the first moments of a supernova. He will also study the nuclear fusion rates in the interiors of very dense stars. This research will also have significant broader impacts. Observational astronomy has long shared advances in detector technology and data analysis with industries and research groups concerned with terrestrial problems. Moreover, students trained in theoretical astrophysics have gone into many parts of the economy, bringing with them a broad education in basic science and often large-scale computing skills. Finally, this research is truly interdisciplinary, connecting diverse fields such as particle physics, astrophysics, and nuclear physics.