Prospects for fundamental physics with LISA

Authors

Authors

Caltech High Energy Physics (HEP) has a broad program in both experimental and theoretical physics. We are known for our creativity and leadership. The future is uncertain and we strive to be involved in all the major areas of experimental and theoretical HEP physics so no matter where the important discoveries occur we are well positioned to play an important role. An outstanding group of postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, staff scientists, and technical and administrative personnel support our efforts in experimental and theoretical physics. The PI’s on this grant are involved in the following program of experimental and theoretical activities: I) EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS Our CMS group, led by Harvey Newman and Maria Spiropulu, has played a key role in the discovery and interpretation of the Higgs boson and in searches for new physics. They have important hardware responsibilities in both ECAL and HCAL and are also involved in the upgrades needed for the High Luminosity LHC. Newman's group also develops and operates Grid-based computing, networking, and collaborative systems for CMS and the US HEP community. The charged lepton (Mu2e) and quark BaBar flavor physics group is led by David Hitlin and Frank Porter. On Mu2e they have been instrumental in the design of the calorimeter. Construction responsibilities include one third of the crystals and associated readout as well as the calibration system. They also will have responsibility for a major part of the online system software. Although data taking ceased in 2008 the Caltech BaBar group is active on several new forefront analyses. The neutrino group is led by Ryan Patterson. They are central to NOvA's core oscillation physics program, to calibration, and to detector readiness being responsible for the production and installation of 12,000 APD arrays. They have key roles in neutrino appearance and disappearance analysis in MINOS and MINOS+. Sunil Golwala leads the dark matter direct detection effort. Areas of activity include: CDMS II data analysis, contributions to SuperCDMS Soudan operations and analysis, R&D towards SuperCDMS SNOLAB, development of a novel screener for radiocontamination (the BetaCage), and development of new WIMP detector concepts. Ren-Yuan Zhu leads the HEP crystal laboratory for the advanced detector R&D effort. The crystal lab is involved in development of novel scintillating crystals and has proposed several crystal based detector concepts for future HEP experiments at the energy and intensity frontiers. Its current research effort is concentrated on development of fast crystal scintillators with good radiation hardness and low cost. II) THEORETICAL PHYSICS The main theme of Sergei Gukov's current research is the relation between the geometry of quantum group invariants and their categorification, on the one hand, and the physics of supersymmetric gauge theory and string theory, on the other. Anton Kapustin's research spans a variety of topics in non-perturbative Quantum Field Theory (QFT). His main areas of interest are supersymmetric gauge theories, non-perturbative dualities in QFT, disorder operators, Topological Quantum Field Theory, and non-relativistic QFT. He is also interested in the foundations and possible generalizations of Quantum Mechanics. Hirosi Ooguri's current research has two main components. One is to find exact results in Calabi-Yau compactification of string theory. Another is to explore applications of the AdS/CFT correspondence. He also plans to continue his project with Caltech postdoctoral fellows on BPS spectra of supersymmetric gauge theories in diverse dimensions. John Preskill works on quantum information science. This field may lead to important future technologies, and also lead to new understanding of issues in fundamental physics John Schwarz has been exploring a number of topics in superstring theory/M-theory, supersymmetric gauge theory, and their AdS/CFT relationships. Much of the motivation for these studies is the desire to gain a deeper understanding of superstring theory and M-theory. The research interests of Mark Wise span particle physics, cosmology and nuclear physics. His recent work has centered on extensions of the standard model where baryon number and lepton number are gauged and extensions of the standard model that have novel sources of baryon number violation and new sources of charged lepton flavor violation

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsCharles W. BagnalCharles W. Bagnal Jr. (BS, nuclear engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1980) is a consulting engineer at GRP Consulting, Inc., currently engaged in reactor physics methods development and nuclear engineering support services. He has been involved in nuclear reactor design analysis and software development for six years. His experience includes advanced light water reactor (LWR) and heavy water reactor designs, including extended burnup fuel cycles using gadolinia burnable poison.Gerard P. CavanaughGerard P. Cavanaugh (BS, physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1969; MS, 1970, and PhD, 1976, nuclear engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) worked from 1973 to 1975 in the Neutronics Physics Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is currently supervisor of radiation physics and criticality analysis at Combustion Engineering, Inc. (C-E). His primary technical interests are in the areas of radiation transport, stochastic sampling methodologies, and computer applications ranging from mainframes to personal computers.Robert P. HarrisRobert P. Harris (BS, 1974, and MS, 1975, nuclear engineering, and MS, 1984, metallurgy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) has worked in the core design, safety analysis, and licensing of C-E pressurized water reactors since 1973. He is currently involved in the neutronic design of advanced burnable poisons and fuel assemblies. He consults in the areas of core fuel management, safety analysis, and startup physics testing.Regis A. MatzieRegis A. Matzie (BS, physics, U.S. Naval Academy, 1965; MS, 1971, and PhD, 1976, nuclear engineering, Stanford University) is currently the manager of analog plants in the nuclear engineering department at C-E. His current technical interests include advanced LWR designs, methods of improving fuel utilization and fuel cycle costs in current design LWRs, and alternate fuel cycles for advanced converter reactors.Laszlo B. TarkoLaszlo B. Tarko (BS, physics, University of Connecticut, 1980) is currently the lead engineer in the radiation physics group at C-E. His current technical interests include radiation transport, ex-core radiation physics, dose rates, energy deposition, and associated computer techniques.Howard OckenHoward Ocken (D. Eng., metallurgy, Yale University, 1966) is a project manager in the Nuclear Power Division of the Electric Power Research Institute. He has managed projects that addressed materials performance in nuclear core components. His current interests include materials aspects associated with reducing radiation fields, especially replacing cobalt sources and decontamination and preconditioning technology.Per Hedemann JensenPer Hedemann Jensen (BSc, electronic engineering, Technical University, Aarhus, Denmark, 1970) is a senior health physicist at Ris0 National Laboratory, where he is head of the Section for Applied Health Physics. He has been involved in studies of radiological consequences from hypothetical core-melt accidents at nuclear power plants. His current technical interest is experimental work on internal dosimetry problems.Ian J. HastingsIan J. Hastings (PhD, metallurgical science, University of Queensland, 1968) is head of the Fuel Properties and Behaviour Group in the Fuel Materials Branch at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories (CRNL) of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. His current interests are in oxide fuel behavior under irradiation, particularly release of short-lived fission products under normal and accident conditions, and in fusion ceramics.Elio MizzanElio Mizzan (BA Sc, chemical engineering, University of Toronto, 1949) is a supervisor at the Fuel Materials Branch Hot Cell Facility at CRNL. His interests have been in the areas of postirradiation examination of reactor fuels and materials, particularly postdefect handling of spent U02 fuel.Alan M. RossAlan M. Ross (BSc, general, University of London, 1953) is a supervisor at the Recycle Fuel Fabrication Laboratories of the Fuel Materials Branch of CRNL. His interests include the fabrication, nondestructive assay, properties, irradiation behavior, and neutron radiography of current and advanced thermal reactor fuels.John R. KelmJohn R. Kelm is a research technician in the Fuel Materials Branch at CRNL. His research responsibility is the operation of a special project hot cell. His current interest is U02 oxidation and stress corrosion cracking.Real J. ChenierReal J. Chenier is a research technician in the Fuel Materials Branch at CRNL. His current research responsibility is operation of the postirradiation metallographic facilities.D. H. RoseD. H. Rose is a research technologist in the Fuel Properties and Behaviour Group of the Fuel Materials Branch at CRNL. His current responsibility is fabrication and operation of instrumented in-reactor experiments.J. NovakJ. Novak (BASc, engineering science, University of Toronto, 1974) is employed in Central Nuclear Services, Nuclear Generation Division of Ontario Hydro. Since 1976 he has been engaged in the areas of nuclear fuel production and development. His current technical interests include behavior of irradiated fuel in air, U02 powder characteristics, and fuel performance improvement.Claudio RonchiClaudio Ronchi (Dr. rer. nat. phys., State University, Milan, Italy, 1965) is a research officer at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the Commission of European Communities. After having worked in the research and development of advanced fuels for fast breeders, he is now engaged in reactor safety studies.Jacques van de LaarJacques van de Laar (Ingenieur Fysische Techniek, H.T.S., Heerlen, The Netherlands, 1974) works in thec mathematical modeling department of JRC-Karlsruhe. He is currently involved in the development and execution of computer programs for reactor fuel performance and safety analysis.Hubert BlankHubert Blank (PhD, metal physics, Technical University of Stuttgart, 1957), head of the Physics Division of the European Institute for Transuranium Elements, Karlsruhe, has directed the “Swelling of Advanced Fuels” project at this institute since 1973.Tetsuo FukasawaTetsuo Fukasawa (BS, 1976; MS, 1978; and Dr. Eng., 1981, nuclear engineering, Tohoku University) is a researcher in the Energy Research Laboratory (ERL), Hitachi, Ltd. He has specialized in the radiochemistry of actinide elements and is currently working in the field of low-level radioactive waste treatment and spent fuel reprocessing.Koichi ChinoKoichi Chino (BS, 1972, and MS, 1974, mechanical engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology) is a researcher at ERL. His primary areas of interest are transport phenomena and radioactive waste management.Osamu KuriyamaOsamu Kuriyama (BS, 1973, and MS, 1975, Tohoku University) is a researcher at ERL. His current interests include the radioactive waste management and chemistry of nuclear waste.Fumio KawamuraFumio Kawamura (BS, chemical engineering, Gunma University,1970; MS, 1972, and Dr. Eng., 1976, Tohoku University) is a researcher at ERL where he is involved in radioactive waste management and reactor water chemistry.Hideo YusaHideo Yusa (BS, physics, Tohoku University, 1959; Dr. Eng., Osaka University, 1969) is a chief researcher at ERL. He is responsible for the research and development of radioactive waste management systems.Bernard L. CohenBernard L. Cohen (BS, Case Institute of Technology, 1944; MS, University of Pittsburgh, 1948; DSc, Carnegie Institute of Technology, 1950) did basic research on nuclear structure using accelerators at Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1950 to 1958 and at the University of Pittsburgh until the mid-1970s. He then turned his research efforts to the environmental impacts of energy generation, including studies of radioactive waste, health effects of radiation, risk and risk aversion, radon problems, and reactor safety. He is a professor of physics at the University of Pittsburgh and a former director (1965 to 1978) of its Scaife Nuclear Laboratories.K. TasakaK. Tasaka (PhD, nuclear engineering, University of Tokyo, 1976) first worked in breeder reactor safety and fission product characteristics research for ten years and in light water reactor (LWR) safety research for nine years at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). He is the project leader of the Rig of Safety Assessment (ROSA) program, and his current interests include analysis of thermal-hydraulic behavior during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and an anticipated transient without scram in LWRs.M. SuzukiM. Suzuki (MS, mechanical engineering, Kyoto University, 1971) has worked for the ROSA program since 1974. His current interests include safety evaluation of an LWR.Y. AnodaY. Anoda (PhD, mechanical engineering, University of Tokyo, 1979) is a research engineer for the ROSA program. His current interests include two-phase flow during a LOCA.Y. KoizumiY. Koizumi (PhD, mechanical engineering, University of Tokyo, 1977) is a research engineer for the ROSA program. His current interests include analysis of thermal-hydraulic behavior during a LOCA with emphasis on two-phase flow characteristics and heat transfer.T. YonomotoT. Yonomoto (MS, nuclear engineering, University of Osaka, 1982) is a research engineer for the ROSA program. His current interests include analysis of thermal-hydraulic behavior during a LOCA.H. KumamaruH. Kumamaru (PhD, nuclear engineering, University of Tokyo, 1980) is a research engineer for the ROSA program. His current interests include core heat transfer under LOCA conditions.H. NakamuraH. Nakamura (MS, crystalline material engineering, Nagoya University, 1981) is a research engineer for the ROSA program. His current interests include analysis of thermal-hydraulic behavior during a LOCA.M. ShibaM. Shiba (MS, mechanical engineering, Waseda University, 1959) is the general manager of Reactor Safety Laboratory 1 at JAERI. He has worked for 22 years at JAERI in the field of reactor engineering and safety and is currently responsible for simulated LOCA experiments.Genichi MatsumotoGenichi Matsumoto (BS, physics, Tokyo University, 1946) has been an associate professor of nuclear engineering at Nagoya University from 1963 to the present, where he is responsible for research and education in nuclear reactor engineering. He worked as a member of the Scientific Research Institute of Tokyo following his graduation from Tokyo University, and from 1950 to 1963, he served on the technical staff of the Research Reactor Operation Division of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. His current research field includes nuclear safety, neutron radiography (especially neutron television technology), and heat pipe technology.Soichi DoiSoichi Doi (BS, 1976, and MS, 1978, nuclear engineering, Nagoya University) has been employed by the Mitsubishi Atomic Power Industry Co. since 1978, where he is responsible for the nuclear fuel engineering of light water reactors.Kohei OhkuboKohei Ohkubo (BS, mechanical engineering, Aichi Institute of Technology, 1975) is a staff member of Nagoya University.Yasushi IkedaYasushi Ikeda (BS, physics, 1963, and PhD, nuclear engineering, 1982, Nagoya University) has been an assistant staff member of Nagoya University from 1964 to the present. He has investigated thermodynamics of nuclear materials using mass spectrometric technology; neutron radiography technology is also included in his research interests.Günther HesselGünther Hessel [BS, physics, Technical University Dresden, German Democratic Republic (GDR), 1970] is a research scientist at the Central Institute of Nuclear Research (CIN), Rossendorf. He is involved in experimental investigations and developments for technical diagnosis, especially at nuclear power plants.Hans-Erich KöppenHans-Erich Köppen (BS, computer science, Technical University Dresden, 1973) is a research scientist at the CIN. His area of expertise is microprocessor hard- and software and the construction of autonomously working monitors.Peter LiewersPeter Liewers (BS, physics, University of Halle, GDR, 1957; PhD, physics, University of Leipzig, GDR, 1962) is the scientific leader of the group for reactor diagnostics at the CIN. His interests and activities have shifted from reactor physics to technical diagnostics.Peter SchumannPeter Schumann (BS, nuclear engineering, Technical University Dresden, 1963; PhD, physics, Bergakademie Freiberg, GDR, 1970) is a staff scientist at the CIN where he is concerned with digital signal processing and computer software. Formerly he worked in the field of in-core measuring techniques and neutron spectrometryFrank-Peter WeiβFrank-Peter Weiβ (BS, physics, Technical University Dresden, 1973) is a research scientist in the group for technical diagnostics at the CIN. His current interest is the application of statistical pattern recognition to technical diagnostics.

This paper examines the epistemological significance of the present situation of underdetermination in quantum mechanics. After analyzing this underdetermination at three levels---formal, ontological, and methodological---the paper considers implications for a number of variants of the thesis of scientific realism in fundamental physics and reassesses Lakatos‘ characterization of progress in physical theory in light of the present situation. Next, this paper considers the implications of underdetermination for Weinberg’s ‘‘dream of a final theory.’’ Finally, the paper concludes by suggesting how one might still think of realism and progress in fundamental physics despite the possibility of persistent underdetermination in quantum mechanics.

About Our Authors

"Introduction to Nuclear Physics." Nuclear Science and Engineering, 29(2), pp. 312–313 Additional informationNotes on contributorsDavid L. HetrickDr. Hetrick is Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Arizona. His current interests in graduate teaching and research are nuclear reactor dynamics and safety. He was a reactor physicist at Atomics International for nine years, and has taught physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and San Fernando Valley State College. He received his PhD in theoretical physics at UCLA in 1954.

Trilogy, a planetary geodesy mission concept for measuring the expansion of the solar system

This volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series is dedicated to scientific contributions presented at the 14th International Workshop on Advanced Computing and Analysis Techniques in Physics Research (ACAT 2011) which took place on 5–7 September 2011 at Brunel University, UK. The workshop series, which began in 1990 in Lyon, France, brings together computer science researchers and practitioners, and researchers from particle physics and related fields in order to explore and confront the boundaries of computing and of automatic data analysis and theoretical calculation techniques. It is a forum for the exchange of ideas among the fields, exploring and promoting cutting-edge computing, data analysis and theoretical calculation techniques in fundamental physics research.This year's edition of the workshop brought together over 100 participants from all over the world. 14 invited speakers presented key topics on computing ecosystems, cloud computing, multivariate data analysis, symbolic and automatic theoretical calculations as well as computing and data analysis challenges in astrophysics, bioinformatics and musicology. Over 80 other talks and posters presented state-of-the art developments in the areas of the workshop's three tracks: Computing Technologies, Data Analysis Algorithms and Tools, and Computational Techniques in Theoretical Physics. Panel and round table discussions on data management and multivariate data analysis uncovered new ideas and collaboration opportunities in the respective areas.This edition of ACAT was generously sponsored by the Science and Technology Facility Council (STFC), the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology (IPPP) at Durham University, Brookhaven National Laboratory in the USA and Dell. We would like to thank all the participants of the workshop for the high level of their scientific contributions and for the enthusiastic participation in all its activities which were, ultimately, the key factors in the success of the workshop.Further information on ACAT 2011 can be found at http://acat2011.cern.ch Dr Liliana Teodorescu Brunel UniversityThe PDF also contains details of the workshop's committees and sponsors.

We introduce the LARES 2 space experiment recently approved by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The LARES 2 satellite is planned for launch in 2019 with the new VEGA C launch vehicle of ASI, ESA and ELV. The orbital analysis of LARES 2 experiment will be carried out by our international science team of experts in General Relativity, theoretical physics, space geodesy and aerospace engineering. The main objectives of the LARES 2 experiment are gravitational and fundamental physics, including accurate measurements of General Relativity, in particular a test of frame-dragging aimed at achieving an accuracy of a few parts in a thousand, i.e., aimed at improving by about an order of magnitude the present state-of-the-art and forthcoming tests of this general relativistic phenomenon. LARES 2 will also achieve determinations in space geodesy. LARES 2 is an improved version of the LAGEOS 3 experiment, proposed in 1984 to measure frame-dragging and analyzed in 1989 by a joint ASI and NASA study.

Unknowability in Mathematics, Biology, and Physics Gregory J. Chaitin (bio) there are three fields in mathematics that deal with unknowability; in chronological order, they are probability theory, metamathematics, and algorithmic information theory. The theory of probabilities began in a series of letters between Pascal and Fermat. One of the first books in this field is A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities by Pierre-Simon Laplace, published in 1814, which is still very much worth reading. The theory of probability is about indeterminate events, but it is not about mathematical facts, which are always black or white, not grey, and which are necessary, not contingent, truths. However, the field of meta mathematics is actually about unknowability within mathematics itself—and a fascinating piece of intellectual history associated with the names David Hilbert, Kurt Gödel, and Alan Turing. These three gentlemen are mentioned elsewhere in this volume, so I will not dwell on them. The newest mathematical field dealing with unknowability is algorithmic information theory. The star of this theory is a real number, the halting probability Omega, which is defined as the probability that a self-contained computer program chosen at random will eventually halt. If all programs halted, the halting probability would be one. If no program halted, the halting probability would be zero. And since some programs eventually halt and others don't, Omega is actually between zero and one. [End Page 107] Omega has a rather straightforward mathematical definition, and it is a single, well-defined real number. Yet its numerical value is maximally unknowable. The base-two bits of the numerical value of the halting probability Omega provide a perfect simulation within pure mathematics of independent tosses of a fair coin. Whether an individual bit is a zero or a one is, to God or to an infinite mind, a single, well-determined individual mathematical truth, but to us down here, it appears maximally unknowable and very much like the result of independent tosses of a fair coin. Hilbert had hoped that there would be a theory of everything for pure mathematics, but Omega shows that pure math is more like biology, the domain of the irreducibly complex, than it is like fundamental physics, where there is still hope of finding a small set of simple equations that determine the universe. So that brings us to biology, a very messy, complicated field. I have a wife and a child, so I love messy biology, but from a mathematical point of view, biology looks rather intractable, rather opaque. Will we ever be able to prove mathematically that life must evolve? Does Darwin's theory provably account for the spectacular biological creativity that led to human beings, to you and me? Can one prove that random mutations and natural selection are enough to account for the richness and diversity of our biosphere? There is a highly developed field called systems biology that deals with computer simulations of complex biological systems, but there are very few mathematical proofs in biology. What can be done about this? Well, in a remarkable 1948 lecture published in 1951 and remarkably forgotten, The General and Logical Theory of Automata, John von Neumann identified the fundamental mathematical idea hidden in biology. That's the idea of software, which accounts both for the plasticity of computer technology and its overwhelming success, and for the plasticity of the biosphere with its spectacular diversity of forms. To put it bluntly, nature invented software millennia before humanity did. Biology deals with extremely ancient software. "Evodevo," or evolutionary developmental biology, is a kind of software archeology. [End Page 108] The new field I call "metabiology" recognizes the impossibility of a fundamental mathematical theory dealing with the effect of random mutations on natural software, on DNA, so instead it proposes studying the effect of random mutations on artificial software, on computer programs. That, in fact, turns out to be tractable mathematically, and it is probably as close as one can get to a theoretical biology as deeply impregnated with mathematics as theoretical physics already is. When I was a visiting professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, I sketched out these ideas, and they were published in a little...

The era of ime domain and multi-messenger astronomy is not only leading to the development of a much broader set of detectors and instruments for astrophysical observations, but is also providing the means for astronomy to tie directly to cutting-edge studies in physics. In this manner, fundamental physics (theory and experiment) coupled with a strong theoretical understanding of astrophysical phenomena (guided by high-performance computing simulations) can tie directly to the amazing new observations in astronomy. This paper discusses how physics, astrophysical models, and observations can not only help astronomy probe fundamental physics but guide the needs for next-generation astrophysical missions.

The article is devoted to the discussion of research in the field of fundamental theoretical physics in Russia. The role of fundamental physics and the attitude of a number of colleagues to it are shown. A close connection between the development of modern fundamental physics and the principles of metaphysics is indicated. Important considerations about the foundations of fundamental physics, expressed by well-known Russian scientists in the middle of the 20th century and at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, are presented.

Notes on Contributors

The whole reality (Universe) represents the unity in its diversity. What is the basic mechanism that creates the unity of being? Many thinkers have expressed the Unity Principle by saying “everything is connected to everything else”, but nobody has detected its essence. On the base of dialectical logic, the Unity Principle is discovered which illustrate the exact mechanism how the physical Universe may work at its macro and micro levels. Fundamental discovery of the dialectical Unity Principle is a base on which new fundamentals of theoretical physics are built in the field of cosmology and particle physics