david toback texas a&m university research topics seminar october 2011

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

David TobackTexas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar

October 2011

Cosmology and Particle Physics in

Collider Experiments

Outline• 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?

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 2

Dark Matter

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 3

What is some of

the evidenc

e for Dark

matter?

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 4

As the Solar System Turns

Gravity and General Relativity

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 5

Is that what our galaxy, the Milky Way, looks like? Does it

spin like our solar system? Closest stars go around

quickest?

As the Galaxy Turns

http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/Talks/Video/Lab4_GX1_video_slow.swf

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 6

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 7

Lots of Dark Matter out there!

What’s the Matter in the

Universe?

No clue what this stuff is…

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 8

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 UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 9

Astronomy, Cosmology and Particle Physics: 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!

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 10

Particle PhysicsHow might Giant Particle

Accelerators Help us Answer This Question?

Tevatron at Fermilab

Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

at CERN

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 11

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 UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 12

High Energy Collisions New particles

Tevatron ≈10 ps after the Big Bang

LHC ≈1 ps after the Big Bang

Dark Matter Partic

le

Dark M

atte

r Par

ticle

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

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 13

Example DetectorSurround 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 MetersTall!

30 Meters Long!

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 14

Where in the world is the LHC?

GenevaFrance

SwitzerlandJura Mountains

100 yardsUnderground!

The accelerator

Actually… It’s down here

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 15

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

pp

Collides high energy protons

Two huge detectors

Lake LemanGeneva Airport

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 16

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

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 17

High Energy CollisionsSo… 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• May be able to discover the

Higgs Boson• Explain why there is more

matter than anti-matter in the Universe

• Hint for Extra Dimensions or String Theory?

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 18

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 19

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!

October 2011 David Toback, Texas A&M UniversityResearch Topics Seminar 20

AbstractPhysicists have entered a golden age of

science. We are starting to be able to answer some of the most exciting questions ever asked, including questions that touch on the Big Bang, the fundamental building blocks of nature, and the Dark Matter that fills the Universe. There is good reason to believe that by using the world’s highest energy particle accelerators we can discover how the biggest things in the Universe (like the Universe itself) and the smallest things (like quarks and electrons) are inextricably linked at the most fundamental levels. Perhaps a new fundamental particle is just around the corner to be discovered.