Physics Interfaces: Astrophysics

Board on Physics & AstronomyNovember 7, 2009

NAS Beckman Center/Irvine, CA

Michael S TurnerKavli Institute for Cosmological Physics

The University of Chicago

Context

• 20th Century: Physics is King! (esp USA)– Won the war, made the information economy

possible, and ruled the roost• 21st Century: Century of Biology

– Better life, harnessing the cell, understanding living things

• The “Science Mores” of the 21st Century:– More interdisciplinary, more collaborative,

more international, more computational, more expensive, and more faster

Plentiful Opportunities Ahead• Many lie at the boundaries

– Designer materials, sustainable energy, birth of the Universe, physics of living systems, simulation, the extreme Universe, nano-engineering, life elsewhere, … many involve astrophysics

• Balkanization ahead? I hope not.• What defines physics?

– A specific area of science: e.g., chemistry is all about what atoms & molecules do

– An approach to understanding Nature: physics is what physicists do -- quantitative & rigorous; seek underlying principles; reductionist; and innovative instrumentation

Astrophysics Interface: Historically Rich

Great Opportunities Ahead

… there is a reason they named this the Board on Physics & Astronomy

Galileo, Physicist and Inventor of the

Telescope, Physics, and

Modern Science

Universal Law of Gravitation

Father of Astrophysics Janssens and Lockyer: Discovers of He

The first missing matter found (25%)

Solar Physicist, Founder of the first astrophysics department, the Astrophysical

Journal and modern observational astronomy

Five Modern Waves• Quantum Mechanics: stellar end states and the seeds of

structure in the Universe

• General Relativity: from cosmology to black holes

• Nuclear Physics: stars and the origin of the elements

• Radio (followed later by x-ray, infrared, gamma, cosmic rays, neutrinos, gravity waves, …): new eyes on the Universe

• Elementary Particle Physics: dark matter, dark energy, baryogenesis, inflation and the birth of the Universe

The Universe: Dark matter, dark energy and birth of the Universe

Maxwell’s Universe: understanding how magnetism shapes the Universe from

planetary systems to quasars and beyond

The extreme Universe: understanding black holes, neutron stars, supernovae and powerful cosmic accelerators

The Living Universe: understanding planetary systems

The Simulated Universe: from stars and planets to black holes and multiverses

Astrophysics Interface: Historically Rich, Great Opportunities Ahead• The Universe: Dark matter, dark energy and

birth of the Universe• The extreme Universe: understanding black

holes, neutron stars, supernovae and powerful cosmic accelerators

• Maxwell’s Universe: understanding how magnetism shapes the Universe from planets to quasars

• The Living Universe: understanding planetary systems

• The Simulated Universe: from stars and planets to black holes and multiverses

Strong, complex and 400Strong, complex and 400--year old year old relationship that has enriched both relationship that has enriched both

fields, tangled their agendas, fields, tangled their agendas, frustrated their practitioners and in the frustrated their practitioners and in the

process made both physics and process made both physics and astronomy more vitalastronomy more vital

$64,000 Question

Is the Astrophysics/Physics interface being adequately addressed by Astro2010,

EPP2010, NP2010, or will there be a need for Q2CII (I hope not)?

Good signs and bad signs.The jury is still out (especially on Astro2010)