KICP in the News: 2007

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KICP in the News

In the News: 2007

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KICP in the News

2007

Science Friday broadcast: South Pole Telescope

28 December 2007
by Ira Flatow, Science Friday broadcast: South Pole Telescope

"...
Brrrrr! Researchers are using a new telescope in Antarctica to probe the edges of the universe. We'll find out what the researchers hope to find, and why the South Pole is a good place to do astronomy. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Host: Ira Flatow

Guests:
John Carlstrom, Physics Professor
Director, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Zak Staniszewski, PhD Student in Physics
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
..."

Science Friday

Great minds drink alike: University of Chicago professors bond with locals over suds and science

13 December 2007
by Liz Plosser, Great minds drink alike: University of Chicago professors bond with locals over suds and science

"...
When he talks about mapping the ancient universe using 13-billion-year-old light waves on Monday 17, University of Chicago professor Clem Pryke won�t be holding a piece of chalk and pointing at diagrams. Like the other scholars who present on a variety of brainy topics at Cafe Scientifique gatherings, Pryke will probably be clutching a frosty mug of beer.
..."

TimeOut Chicago

Studying Particles Moving Faster Than Light

5 December 2007
by John Borland, Studying Particles Moving Faster Than Light

Wired Science

Radiation flashes may help crack cosmic mystery

4 December 2007
by Steve Koppes, Radiation flashes may help crack cosmic mystery

"...
Faint, fleeting blue flashes of radiation emitted by particles that travel faster than the speed of light through the atmosphere may help scientists solve one of the oldest mysteries in astrophysics.

For nearly a century, scientists have wondered about the origin of cosmic rays�subatomic particles of matter that stream in from outer space. "Where exactly, we don't know," said Scott Wakely, Assistant Professor in Physics at the University of Chicago. "They're raining down on the atmosphere of the Earth, tens of thousands of particles per second per square meter."

Recent results from the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory suggest that the highest-energy cosmic rays may come from the centers of active galaxies. But the vast majority of the cosmic rays seen at Earth originate from its own galaxy, from sources that are still unknown. Tracking down these sources is crucial to developing a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon, scientists say.
..."

The University of Chicago News Office

Public invited to cosmic tour of universe Dec. 5

30 November 2007
by Steve Koppes, Public invited to cosmic tour of universe Dec. 5

"...
University of Chicago cosmologists Rocky Kolb and Michael Turner will conduct a cosmic magical mystery tour from Chicago to the edge of the visible universe from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5., at the Art Institute of Chicago. The free event will take place at the Art Institute's Rubloff Auditorium, 230 S. Columbus Dr. and is sponsored by the University of Chicago's Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Festival of Maps Chicago.

The cosmic tour of the universe will include virtual visits to observatories around the globe and interviews with leading scientists from the University of Chicago who are mapping the dark matter that holds galaxies together and discovering the nature of the dark energy, which pulls space apart. The event is part of the Festival of Maps Chicago, a citywide celebration of humanity's greatest discoveries and the maps that record its boldest explorations.

"In addition to discussing the science, we will highlight the scientists who are mapping the universe in one way or another," said Kolb, the Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics. "We have an incredibly active group of scientists who go out from their offices in Hyde Park to look for dark matter and dark energy in places as diverse as Chile, Antarctica, Fermi National Acceleratory Laboratory, and Chicago's Deep Tunnel. This program allows us to give the public an insider's view of what it's all about."

The list of guest scientists includes James Cronin, co-recipient of the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physics, and Young-Kee Kim, the Deputy Director of Fermilab.
..."

The University of Chicago News Office

Cosmic mapmakers to rendezvous in Chicago Dec. 3-6

30 November 2007
by Steve Koppes, Cosmic mapmakers to rendezvous in Chicago Dec. 3-6

"...
Astronomers and astrophysicists make maps of the sky-pervading radiation left behind by the big bang. They make maps of stars and galaxies. And they make maps of the brightest objects in the sky, including gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe.

Usually these scientists attend conferences on topics that tightly focus on their areas of special interest. Nevertheless, the Chicago Festival of Maps provided the inspiration to bring more than 100 of them here together from Dec. 3 to 6 to share their ideas under the umbrella of a larger theme: Cosmic Cartography, Mapping the Universe from the Big Bang to the Present. The meeting is sponsored by the University of Chicago's Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics and the Chicago Festival of Maps.
..."

The University of Chicago News Office

Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Universe of data changes face of astronomy

19 November 2007
by Steve Koppes, Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Universe of data changes face of astronomy

"...
Two hundred and seventy two stars gave their lives for the photo spread on cosmic explosions that graced pages 80 and 81 of the March National Geographic.

Ben Dilday, University graduate student in Astronomy & Astrophysics, assembled these images of exploding stars from observations the Sloan Digital Sky Survey collected in 2005 and 2006. The images come in the vanguard of the SDSS II (Sloan Digital Sky Survey's Phase Two), which focuses, in part, on supernovas. During its first phase, survey astronomers invented a new way of doing astronomy by dedicating a single telescope to mapping the universe in three dimensions.
..."

The University of Chicago Chronicle

Pierre Auger Collaboration: Scientists seeking exact source of high-energy cosmic rays with array

18 November 2007
by Steve Koppes, Pierre Auger Collaboration: Scientists seeking exact source of high-energy cosmic rays with array

"...
While only 90 percent complete, the sprawling Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory in South America has produced its first major discovery. The international Auger collaboration has traced the rain of high-energy cosmic rays that continually pelts the Earth to the cores of nearby galaxies, which emit prodigious quantities of energy.

"This is a fundamental discovery," said Nobel laureate James Cronin, the University Professor Emeritus in Physics and the College. "The age of cosmic-ray astronomy has arrived. In the next few years, our data will permit us to identify the exact sources of these cosmic rays and how they accelerate these particles."
..."

The University of Chicago Chronicle

Mysterious cosmic rays linked to galactic powerhouses

9 November 2007
by Steve Koppes, Mysterious cosmic rays linked to galactic powerhouses

"...
The sprawling Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory in South America has produced its first major discovery while still under construction. The international Auger collaboration has traced the rain of high-energy cosmic rays that continually pelts the Earth to the cores of nearby galaxies, which emit prodigious quantities of energy.

"This is a fundamental discovery," said Nobel laureate James Cronin, the University Professor Emeritus in Physics at the University of Chicago. "The age of cosmic-ray astronomy has arrived. In the next few years, our data will permit us to identify the exact sources of these cosmic rays and how they accelerate these particles."

The Auger collaboration, which includes 370 scientists and engineers from 17 countries, will formally announce its discovery in the Friday, Nov. 9 issue of the journal Science. Ten researchers belong to the University of Chicago contingent of the Auger collaboration, including Cronin and Angela Olinto, Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Cronin initiated the project with Alan Watson of the University of Leeds in the early 1990s.

Photo (Credit: Lloyd DeGrane): Nobel laureate James Cronin, University Professor Emeritus in Physics at the University of Chicago, and co-founder of the Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory.
..."

The University of Chicago News Office

Energetic Cosmic Rays May Start From Black Holes

9 November 2007
by Dennis Overbye, Energetic Cosmic Rays May Start From Black Holes

"...
Now 370 scientists and engineers from 17 countries in a group known as the Pierre Auger Collaboration say they finally have evidence of a fitting answer: supermassive black holes that rumble at the hearts of many galaxies, crushing stars and gas out of existence and spewing jets of radiation and subatomic particles into intergalactic space.

Using a new array of cosmic ray detectors known as the Pierre Auger Observatory, which is spread over an area the size of Rhode Island near Malargue, in the pampas of Argentina, the scientists traced some of the highest-energy cosmic rays back to the vicinities of nearby galaxies bubbling with black hole fireworks, so-called active galaxies.

The work is reported today in the journal Science.

"The age of cosmic-ray astronomy has arrived," said James Cronin, a Nobel-prize winning physicist at the University of Chicago and the co-founder of the Auger observatory.

"We're really just getting started," he added in an interview.
..."

The New York Times

Scientists trace cosmic rays to black holes

9 November 2007
by John Johnson Jr., Scientists trace cosmic rays to black holes

"...
Researchers at the Pierre Auger Observatory, a complex of detectors spread over a Rhode Island-sized slice of the South American prairie, said the most likely source for these ultra-high-energy particles is a type of black hole found at the center of some galaxies.

These violent phenomena are called active galactic nuclei because they both gobble up energy from the surrounding space and spit some out with tremendous force.

"This is a fundamental discovery. We have taken a big step forward in solving the mystery of the nature and origin of the highest-energy cosmic rays," said Nobel laureate James Cronin, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago and coauthor of the paper published in the current issue of the journal Science.
..."

Los Angeles Times

"Auger Collaboration - Correlation of Highest-Energy Cosmic Rays with Nearby Extragalactic Objects" Cover article in Science

8 November 2007
"Auger Collaboration - Correlation of Highest-Energy Cosmic Rays with Nearby Extragalactic Objects" Cover article in Science

"...
COVER All-sky projection of highest-energy cosmic rays detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory (open circles) that are correlated with the positions of nearby quasars (crosses), a measure of the local galaxy distribution. The supergalactic and Milky Way planes are marked. The background shows a composite image of a nearby galaxy (M82) observed by NASA's Spitzer, Hubble, and Chandra space observatories. See page 938. Composite image: Kelly Krause/Science (figure: Auger Collaboration; photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/Chandra X-ray Center/Univ. of Arizona/ESA/AURA/Johns Hopkins Univ.)
..."

Science Vol. 318. no. 5852

Find your way: Cosmic Cartography Journey Through the Universe

2 November 2007
by Trine Tsouderos, Find your way: Cosmic Cartography Journey Through the Universe

"...
Beginning this week, Chicago becomes the center of the mapping universe as dozens of the world's most fascinating, influential and downright odd maps will be shown over the next several months at the massive Festival of Maps. At more than 30 institutions across the city and suburbs, you'll find hundreds of maps, including rarely displayed ones by Claudius Ptolemy, the Greek astronomer who kicked off modern mapping, maps by Leonardo da Vinci and maps by "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien.

EVENTS
COSMIC CARTOGRAPHY JOURNEY THROUGH THE UNIVERSE: Two cosmologists will lead a tour of observatories around the world and talk about dark matter and dark energy. Dec. 5. University of Chicago, Department of Astronomy and Physics, 280 S. Columbus Drive; 773-702-8212, astro.uchicago.edu.
..."

Chicago Tribune

University scholars receive distinguished, named professorships

21 September 2007
by William Harms, Steve Koppes, Lien Payne, and Josh Schonwald, University scholars receive distinguished, named professorships

"...
Edward Kolb, Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics, the Enrico Fermi Institute and the College, has been named the Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor.

His major research interest is the application of particle physics to cosmology and astrophysics, with a special focus on studying elements of the very early Universe. He writes and lectures on cosmology as part of an effort to increase science education, particularly for the general public.

Over the course of his career, Kolb has won a number of awards and honors. In 2002, he was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Kolb, who was a founding head of the Theoretical Astrophysics Group and the founding Director of the Particle Astrophysics Center at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, began his career at the lab and as a Professor at the University in 1983. Previously, he was a Deputy Group Leader in the Theoretical Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

He has held visiting positions at a number of institutions, including the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Michigan.

He received his B.S. in physics from the University of New Orleans in 1973, where he was the top graduate in his field. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1978.
..."

The University of Chicago Chronicle

Can one theory explain all things physical?

22 August 2007
by Dave Mosher, Can one theory explain all things physical?

"...
"You hear people complain about how good the standard model is," said Michael Turner, a cosmologist at the University of Chicago. "It's an incomplete model, and yet we can't find flaws in it."

Turner explained that discovering a mass-inducing particle, called the Higgs boson, remains the next big test for the standard model. If discovered, the heavy particle would definitively show that properties like electromagnetism and radioactivity are really different facets of the same force.

"It's the miracle that allows us to combine them together," Turner said of the Higgs, which may be found someday in the collisions of particle accelerators that "rewind" matter to the intense energies of the early universe.
..."

MSNBC

Opine: Simon Swordy

20 August 2007
Opine: Simon Swordy

"...
Simon Swordy, the James Franck Professor in Physics and the College, is a member of the VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) collaboration. As a member of the collaboration, he is looking for evidence of gamma-ray emissions from the remnants of exploding stars. He recently has been named the Director of the Enrico Fermi Institute at the University.
..."

The University of Chicago Chronicle

KICP in the Slackerpedia Galactica

29 May 2007
by Aaron Price, KICP in the Slackerpedia Galactica

"...
The Kavli Institute For Cosmological Physics (KICP) is one of the world's leading institutes for cosmology research. It is located at the University of Chicago and endowed in part by the Kavli Foundation.

Aaron spent a week there in May of 2007 to develop a slate of cosmological material for the Slackerpedia Galactica podcasts and web site.
..."

The Slackerpedia Galactica

First light focuses on dark energy

9 May 2007
by Steve Koppes, First light focuses on dark energy

"...
Scientists have aimed the University's South Pole Telescope (SPT) at Jupiter and collected the instrument's first test observations. Soon a far more distant quarry will fall under the telescope's sights as the team tackles one of the biggest mysteries to beset modern cosmologists - the nature and origin of dark energy.
In Antarctica's cold, dry air the telescope can better detect the big bang's afterglow.

"The telescope, camera, and optics are all working as designed," said John Carlstrom, the S. Chandrasekhar distinguished service professor in astronomy & astrophysics and the College, who heads the nine - institution SPT team. Reaching "first light' - the moment light initially passes through the telescope, making it operational - this past February was "a major milestone for the project and is a fitting conclusion to a remarkably productive summer season for the South Pole Station," Carlstrom said. "We now look forward to fully characterizing the instrument and beginning cosmological observations."
..."

University of Chicago Magazine, v. 99, issue 5

Map of the universe

9 May 2007
by Katie Brandt, Map of the universe

"...
Dozens came - artists, attorneys, construction workers, scientists. So many showed up, in fact, that some were turned away once the bar reached its capacity of 94. The patrons gathered on a drizzly Wednesday evening at the Map Room, a Bucktown hot spot, to hear University of Chicago astrophysicist Stephan Meyer discuss "Measuring the Big Bang: Still Confused after All These Years."
..."

University of Chicago Magazine, v. 99, issue 5

University of Chicago honored with 11 new fellows in American Academy of Arts and Sciences

4 May 2007
by William Harms, University of Chicago honored with 11 new fellows in American Academy of Arts and Sciences

"...
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced on Monday, April 30, its election of 203 new fellows and 24 new foreign honorary members. Ten Chicago scholars and one University trustee are among them, and Chicago is one of three institutions with the most fellows elected this year.
...
Bruce Winstein currently studies the cosmic microwave background radiation, the afterglow from the big bang, for information about the physical conditions in the early universe. He was the founding director of the National Science Foundation Physics Frontier Center for Cosmological Physics, established in 2001 and known today as the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics. Winstein now heads the Q/U Imaging Experiment.

A multi-institutional collaboration, Q/U Imaging Experiment is attempting to measure small variations in the cosmic microwave background polarization using novel detectors operating at a facility at high altitude in Chile. These variations contain information about the structure and composition of the early universe.

Before turning his attention to cosmology in recent years, Winstein specialized in particle physics. He led a research team that in 1999 announced making the definitive observation of a new type of CP violation. CP (charge-parity) violation is the phenomenon that led to the vast predominance of matter over antimatter in the universe. The only other observation of CP violation before that came in 1964, in an experiment that earned James Cronin, the University Professor Emeritus in Physics and the College, and Val Fitch, the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Winstein's honors include membership in the National Academy of Sciences, a Panofsky Prize and a John Simon Memorial Foundation Guggenheim fellowship.
..."

The University of Chicago News Office

Polar research brings program to Chicago

23 April 2007
by Robert K. Elder, Polar research brings program to Chicago

"...
South Pole Telescope

The 75-foot tall, 280-ton telescope will "give astronomers a powerful new tool to explore dark energy, the mysterious force that may be causing the universe to accelerate," according to the project's Web site. University of Chicago professor John Carlstrom heads the South Pole telescope team. Web site: http://spt.uchicago.edu
..."

Chicago Tribune

Up 'scope

25 March 2007
by Jeff Lyon, Up 'scope

"...
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO'S long-awaited South Pole Telescope just went on-line in Antarctica and scientists will soon start using it to study one of the biggest of cosmic mysteries-dark energy, the antigravity force that seems to be driving the universe apart at an ever-faster rate. Astronomers have long known that the universe is expanding, attributing it to the Big Bang, but in the late '90s, they discovered the process is unexpectedly speeding up, which led them to theorize that a dark form of energy is overwhelming the gravity force that holds the universe together. The $19.2-million, 70-foot telescope can take snapshots of the microwave background radiation left over from the Big Bang, and by studying it at various cosmic distances, determine if dark energy really exists and when it began to make galaxies start hitting the gas.
..."

Chicago Tribune

South Pole Telescope to study dark energy: Telescope may detect thousands of galaxy clusters within a few years

2 March 2007
South Pole Telescope to study dark energy: Telescope may detect thousands of galaxy clusters within a few years

MSNBC

Telescope fixes itself on South Pole skies in search of clues to explain universe's composition, evolution

1 March 2007
by Steve Koppes, Telescope fixes itself on South Pole skies in search of clues to explain universe's composition, evolution

The University of Chicago Chronicle

U. of C. astronomer loves South Pole's clear sky

27 February 2007
by Jim Ritter, U. of C. astronomer loves South Pole's clear sky

"...
Think you've had a rough winter?

University of Chicago astronomer John Carlstrom just spent nearly four months at the South Pole directing construction of a $19.2 million telescope.

About 30 scientists and construction workers were outside 10 hours a day -- in temperatures as low as minus 40 -- assembling the 280-ton device.

"A warm day was minus 15 degrees," Carlstrom said.

Scientists made the first test observation Monday. They will make scientific observations during the antarctic winter, which begins next month. There will be six months of uninterrupted darkness and minus-80 degree temperatures.
..."

Landmark Completion of South Pole Telescope to Help Scientists Learn What the Universe Is Made of and How it Got Here

27 February 2007
Landmark Completion of South Pole Telescope to Help Scientists Learn What the Universe Is Made of and How it Got Here

NSF, Press Release

New South Pole telescope to study mysterious dark energy

26 February 2007
by SPACE.com Staff, New South Pole telescope to study mysterious dark energy

USA Today

Scientists elucidate the origin of the darkest galaxies in the universe

14 February 2007
by Neil Calder, Scientists elucidate the origin of the darkest galaxies in the universe

"...
Kazantzidis, who completed part of the study as a fellow at the University of Chicago's Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, reports his findings in the Feb. 15 issue of Nature.

"These results are so exciting because they are based on a combination of physical effects that has never before been postulated," said Kazantzidis. "This is one step toward a more complete understanding of the formation of structure in the universe, which is one of the fundamental goals of astrophysics."
..."

Stanford News Release

Think 'n' drink: Cafe Scientifique puts a nice head on a bar scene thirsty for something more

23 January 2007
by Chris McNamara, Think 'n' drink: Cafe Scientifique puts a nice head on a bar scene thirsty for something more

"...
Though the back half of the Map Room, 1949 N. Hoyne Ave., was packed with young adults, nobody was watching the Duke-Georgia Tech basketball game on the TVs. And no patrons were flirting with each other or rehashing the day's events or singing along with a jukebox. They were too busy listening to a lecture on global warming. And they actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.

That, says Randy Landsberg, is the point of Cafe Scientifique. As the director for education and outreach with the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago, Landsberg is like a concert promoter, though his performers are less likely to be rock stars than U. of C. professors (who frequently discuss rocks and stars).
..."

Chicago Tribune


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