Theoretical Physics of Fundamental and Cosmological Interactions

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

This award funds the research activities of Professors Marc Kamionkowski and David E. Kaplan at Johns Hopkins University. The search to understand the fundamental laws of physics is at an exciting but uncertain time. While we eagerly await the discovery of new physics at the LHC or with the next decade of dark-matter searches, existing null results have forced theorists to discard old prejudices and think deeply about entirely new ideas for fundamental physics and novel experimental avenues to seek new physics. Recent developments in observational/experimental cosmology provide the exciting prospect of opening wholly new windows to the very earliest Universe and of understanding the physics driving the accelerated cosmic expansion and the nature of dark matter. The research of Kamionkowski and Kaplan tackles central problems at the juncture of theory and experiment in particle physics and cosmology. Their work will advance new ideas for cosmological observations and fundamental-physics searches, and they will propose new mechanisms and models that may ultimately help in the grand synthesis of nature's laws. This research will proceed hand in hand with the training of students and postdocs who will become scientific leaders in subsequent generations, and the group will remain vigorous in its quest to communicate the excitement of particle physics and cosmology to the general public. Theoretical research along these lines advances the national interest by optimizing our investment in major experimental facilities in their quest to understand new physical laws. More technically, Kaplan will develop new non-accelerator directions for exploring the fundamental laws of nature while pushing to pursue a deeper understanding of the phenomena we see. Kamionkowski will develop novel ways to search for new physics with astrophysical observations and non-accelerator experiments. He will study new ideas for dark energy, develop novel techniques to decode cosmic microwave background measurements, and develop theoretical underpinnings to support large-scale-structure probes of inflation and dark energy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.