Michael D. Niemack
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Looking at Earth: an Astronaut's Journey Induction Ceremony 2017
american academy of arts & sciences winter 2018 www.amacad.org Bulletin vol. lxxi, no. 2 Induction Ceremony 2017 Class Speakers: Jane Mayer, Ursula Burns, James P. Allison, Heather K. Gerken, and Gerald Chan Annual David M. Rubenstein Lecture Looking at Earth: An Astronaut’s Journey David M. Rubenstein and Kathryn D. Sullivan ALSO: How Are Humans Different from Other Great Apes?–Ajit Varki, Pascal Gagneux, and Fred H. Gage Advancing Higher Education in America–Monica Lozano, Robert J. Birgeneau, Bob Jacobsen, and Michael S. McPherson Redistricting and Representation–Patti B. Saris, Gary King, Jamal Greene, and Moon Duchin noteworthy Select Prizes and Andrea Bertozzi (University of James R. Downing (St. Jude Chil- Barbara Grosz (Harvard Univer- California, Los Angeles) was se- dren’s Research Hospital) was sity) is the recipient of the Life- Awards to Members lected as a 2017 Simons Investi- awarded the 2017 E. Donnall time Achievement Award of the gator by the Simons Foundation. Thomas Lecture and Prize by the Association for Computational American Society of Hematology. Linguistics. Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Clara D. Bloomfield (Ohio State 2017 University) is the recipient of the Carol Dweck (Stanford Univer- Christopher Hacon (University 2017 Robert A. Kyle Award for sity) was awarded the inaugural of Utah) was awarded the Break- Joachim Frank (Columbia Univer- Outstanding Clinician-Scientist, Yidan Prize. through Prize in Mathematics. sity) presented by the Mayo Clinic Di- vision of Hematology. Felton Earls (Harvard Univer- Naomi Halas (Rice University) sity) is the recipient of the 2018 was awarded the 2018 Julius Ed- Nobel Prize in Economic Emmanuel J. -
Cosmology After WMAP (5)
Cosmology After WMAP (5) DavidDavid SpergelSpergel Geneve June 2008 StandardStandard cosmologicalcosmological modelmodel StillStill FitsFits thethe DataData ! General Relativity + Uniform Universe Big Bang " Density of universe determines its fate + shape ! Universe is flat (total density = critical density) " Atoms 4% " Dark Matter 23% " Dark Energy (cosmological constant?) 72% ! Universe has tiny ripples " Adiabatic, scale invariant, Gaussian Fluctuations " Harrison-Zeldovich-Peebles " Inflationary models QuickQuick HistoryHistory ofof thethe UniverseUniverse " Universe starts out hot, dense and filled with radiation " As the universe expands, it cools. • During the first minutes, light elements form • After 500,000 years, atoms form • After 100,000,000 years, stars start to form • After 1 Billion years, galaxies and quasars ThermalThermal HistoryHistory ofof UniverseUniverse radiation matter NEUTRAL r IONIZED 104 103 z GrowthGrowth ofof FluctuationsFluctuations •Linear theory •Basic elements have been understood for 30 years (Peebles, Sunyaev & Zeldovich) •Numerical codes agree at better than 0.1% (Seljak et al. 2003) Sunyaev & Zeldovich CMBCMB OverviewOverview ! We can detect both CMB temperature and polarization fluctuations ! Polarization Fluctuations can be decomposed into E and B modes q ~180/l ADIABATIC DENSITY FLUCTUATIONS ISOCURVATURE ENTROPY FLUCTUATIONS DeterminingDetermining BasicBasic ParametersParameters Baryon Density 2 Wbh = 0.015,0.017..0.031 also measured through D/H DeterminingDetermining BasicBasic ParametersParameters -
Employee Wellbeing at Cornell Re
Your guide to resources that support all the dimensions of your wellbeing. HR.CORNELL.EDU/WELLBEING 1 2 1.6.20 Dear Colleague, During your time with Cornell, we want you to be well and THRIVE. Cornell invests in benefits, programs, and services to support employee wellbeing. This guide features a wide range of university (and many community!) resources available to support you in various dimensions of your wellbeing. As you browse this guide, which is organized around Cornell’s Seven Dimensions of Wellbeing model pictured below, you’ll find many resources cross-referenced in multiple dimensions. This illustrates the multifaceted nature of wellbeing. It is often non-linear in nature, and our most important elements shift as our work and Mary Opperman personal lives evolve. CHRO and Vice President Division of Human Resources We experience wellbeing both personally and as members of our various communities, including our work community. We each have opportunities to positively contribute to Cornell’s culture of wellbeing as we celebrate our colleagues’ life events, support one another during difficult times, share resources, and find creative approaches to how, where, and when work gets done. Behind this page is a “quick start directory” of Cornell wellbeing-related contacts. Please save this page and reach out any time you need assistance! Although some of these resources are specific to Cornell’s Ithaca campus, we recognize and are continuing to focus on expanding offerings to our employees in all locations. Thank you for all of your contributions -
Small-Scale Anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background: Experimental and Theoretical Perspectives
Small-Scale Anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background: Experimental and Theoretical Perspectives Eric R. Switzer A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY RECOMMENDED FOR ACCEPTANCE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS [Adviser: Lyman Page] November 2008 c Copyright by Eric R. Switzer, 2008. All rights reserved. Abstract In this thesis, we consider both theoretical and experimental aspects of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy for ℓ > 500. Part one addresses the process by which the universe first became neutral, its recombination history. The work described here moves closer to achiev- ing the precision needed for upcoming small-scale anisotropy experiments. Part two describes experimental work with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), designed to measure these anisotropies, and focuses on its electronics and software, on the site stability, and on calibration and diagnostics. Cosmological recombination occurs when the universe has cooled sufficiently for neutral atomic species to form. The atomic processes in this era determine the evolution of the free electron abundance, which in turn determines the optical depth to Thomson scattering. The Thomson optical depth drops rapidly (cosmologically) as the electrons are captured. The radiation is then decoupled from the matter, and so travels almost unimpeded to us today as the CMB. Studies of the CMB provide a pristine view of this early stage of the universe (at around 300,000 years old), and the statistics of the CMB anisotropy inform a model of the universe which is precise and consistent with cosmological studies of the more recent universe from optical astronomy. -
Lars Hernquist and Volker Springel Receive $500,000 Gruber Cosmology Prize
Media Contact: A. Sarah Hreha +1 (203) 432‐6231 [email protected] Online Newsroom: https://gruber.yale.edu/news‐media Lars Hernquist and Volker Springel Receive $500,000 Gruber Cosmology Prize Lars Hernquist Volker Springel New Haven, CT — The 2020 Gruber Cosmology Prize recognizes Lars Hernquist, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and Volker Springel, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, for their defining contributions to cosmological simulations, a method that tests existing theories of, and inspires new investigations into, the formation of structures at every scale from stars to galaxies to the universe itself. Hernquist and Springel will divide the $500,000 award, and each will receive a gold laureate pin at a ceremony that will take place later this year. The award recognizes their transformative work on structure formation in the universe, and development of numerical algorithms and community codes further used by many other researchers to significantly advance the field. Hernquist was a pioneer in cosmological simulations when he joined the fledgling field in the late 1980s, and since then he has become one of its most influential figures. Springel, who entered the field in 1998 and first partnered with Hernquist in the early 2000s, has written and applied several of the most widely used codes in cosmological research. Together Hernquist and Springel constitute, in the words of one Gruber Prize nominator, “one of the most productive collaborations ever in cosmology.” Computational simulations in cosmology begin with the traditional source of astronomical data: observations of the universe. Then, through a combination of theory and known physics that might approximate initial conditions, the simulations recreate the subsequent processes that would have led to the current structure. -
1St Edition of Brown Physics Imagine, 2017-2018
A note from the chair... "Fellow Travelers" Ladd Observatory.......................11 Sci-Toons....................................12 Faculty News.................. 15-16, 23 At-A-Glance................................18 s the current academic year draws to an end, I’m happy to report that the Physics Department has had Newton's Apple Tree................. 23 an exciting and productive year. At this year's Commencement, the department awarded thirty five "Untagling the Fabric of the undergraduate degrees (ScB and AB), twenty two Master’s degrees, and ten Ph.D. degrees. It is always Agratifying for me to congratulate our graduates and meet their families at the graduation ceremony. This Universe," Professor Jim Gates..26 Alumni News............................. 27 year, the University also awarded my colleague, Professor J. Michael Kosterlitz, an honorary degree for his Events this year......................... 28 achievement in the research of low-dimensional phase transitions. Well deserved, Michael! Remembering Charles Elbaum, Our faculty and students continue to generate cutting-edge scholarships. Some of their exciting Professor Emeritus.................... 29 research are highlighted in this magazine and have been published in high impact journals. I encourage you to learn about these and future works by watching the department YouTube channel or reading faculty’s original publications. Because of their excellent work, many of our undergraduate and graduate students have received students prestigious awards both from Brown and externally. As Chair, I feel proud every time I hear good news from our On the cover: PhD student Shayan Lame students, ranging from receiving the NSF Graduate Fellowship to a successful defense of thier senior thesis or a Class of 2018............................. -
Report for the Academic Year 1999
l'gEgasag^a3;•*a^oggMaBgaBK>ry^vg^.g^._--r^J3^JBgig^^gqt«a»J^:^^^^^ Institute /or ADVANCED STUDY REPORT FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 1998-99 PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY HISTORICAL STUDIES^SOCIAl SC^JCE LIBRARY INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY 08540 Institute /or ADVANCED STUDY REPORT FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 1 998 - 99 OLDEN LANE PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY • 08540-0631 609-734-8000 609-924-8399 (Fax) http://www.ias.edu Extract from the letter addressed by the Institute's Founders, Louis Bamberger and Mrs. FeUx Fuld, to the Board of Trustees, dated June 4, 1930. Newark, New Jersey. It is fundamental m our purpose, and our express desire, that in the appointments to the staff and faculty, as well as in the admission of workers and students, no account shall be taken, directly or indirectly, of race, religion, or sex. We feel strongly that the spirit characteristic of America at its noblest, above all the pursuit of higher learning, cannot admit of any conditions as to personnel other than those designed to promote the objects for which this institution is established, and particularly with no regard whatever to accidents of race, creed, or sex. ni' TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 • BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 7 • FOUNDERS, TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE BOARD AND OF THE CORPORATION 10 • ADMINISTRATION 12 • PRESENT AND PAST DIRECTORS AND FACULTY 15 REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN 18 • REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 22 • OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR - RECORD OF EVENTS 27 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 41 • REPORT OF THE SCHOOL OF HISTORICAL STUDIES FACULTY ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES MEMBERS, VISITORS, -
Astro2020 Science White Paper Primordial Non-Gaussianity
Astro2020 Science White Paper Primordial Non-Gaussianity Thematic Areas: Cosmology and Fundamental Physics Principal Author: Name: P. Daniel Meerburg Institution: University of Cambridge Email: [email protected] Abstract: Our current understanding of the Universe is established through the pristine measurements of structure in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the distribution and shapes of galaxies tracing the large scale structure (LSS) of the Universe. One key ingredient that underlies cosmological observables is that the field that sources the observed structure is assumed to be initially Gaussian with high precision. Nevertheless, a minimal deviation from Gaussianity is perhaps the most robust theoretical prediction of models that explain the observed Universe; it is necessarily present even in the simplest scenarios. In addition, most inflationary models produce far higher levels of non-Gaussianity. Since non-Gaussianity directly probes the dynamics in the early Universe, a detection would present a monumental discovery in cosmology, providing clues about physics at energy scales as high as the GUT scale. This white paper aims to motivate a continued search to obtain evidence for deviations from Gaussianity in the primordial Universe. Since the previous decadal, important advances have been made, both theoretically and observationally, which have further established the importance of deviations from Gaussianity in cosmology. Foremost, primordial non-Gaussianities are now very tightly constrained by the CMB. Second, models motivated by stringy physics suggest detectable signatures of primordial non-Gaussianities with a unique shape which has not been considered in previous searches. Third, improving constraints using LSS requires a better understanding how to disentangle non-Gaussianities sourced at late times from those sourced by the physics in the early Universe. -
Looking at Earth: an Astronaut's Journey Induction Ceremony 2017
american academy of arts & sciences winter 2018 www.amacad.org Bulletin vol. lxxi, no. 2 Induction Ceremony 2017 Class Speakers: Jane Mayer, Ursula Burns, James P. Allison, Heather K. Gerken, and Gerald Chan Annual David M. Rubenstein Lecture Looking at Earth: An Astronaut’s Journey David M. Rubenstein and Kathryn D. Sullivan ALSO: How Are Humans Different from Other Great Apes?–Ajit Varki, Pascal Gagneux, and Fred H. Gage Advancing Higher Education in America–Monica Lozano, Robert J. Birgeneau, Bob Jacobsen, and Michael S. McPherson Redistricting and Representation–Patti B. Saris, Gary King, Jamal Greene, and Moon Duchin Upcoming Events MARCH APRIL 1st 12th California Institute of Technology American Academy Pasadena, CA Cambridge, MA Bryson Symposium on Climate and Annual Awards Ceremony: A Celebration of the Energy Policy Arts and Sciences Featuring: Dallas Burtraw (Resources for Featuring: Martha C. Nussbaum (Univer- the Future), Ralph Cavanagh (nrdc), sity of Chicago), recipient of the Don M. Nathan S. Lewis (California Institute of Randel Award for Humanistic Studies; and Technology), Mary Nichols (California Barbara J. Meyer (University of California, Air Resources Board), Ronald O. Nichols Berkeley), recipient of the Francis Amory (Southern California Edison), Thomas F. Prize in Medicine & Physiology Rosenbaum (California Institute of Tech- nology), and Maxine L. Savitz (Honeywell, MAY Inc., ret.; formerly, President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology) 3rd American Academy 7th Cambridge, MA American Academy Songs of Love and Death: Sonnets by Petrarch Cambridge, MA and Others Set by Cipriano de Rore in “I madri- Building, Exploring, and Using the Tree of Life gali a cinque voci” (Venice, 1542) Featuring: Douglas E. -
Bruce Winstein 1943–2011
Bruce Winstein 1943–2011 A Biographical Memoir by Melvyn J. Shochet and Michael S. Turner ©2016 National Academy of Sciences. Any opinions expressed in this memoir are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Academy of Sciences. BRUCE daRRELL WINSTEIN September 25, 1943–February 28, 2011 Elected to the NAS, 1995 Bruce D. Winstein began his career as an experimental high-energy physicist and became renowned for making the most precise measurements of CP (“charge parity”) violation in the neutral K meson system. His results illu- minated the tiny asymmetry between matter and anti- matter that is essential for the existence of matter in the universe. He was associated with the University of Chicago from 1972 until his death in 2011, first as a senior research associate and finally as the Samuel K. Allison Distinguished Service Professor. Late in his career Winstein became a cosmologist, focusing on the polar- ization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Bringing to cosmology the techniques from By Melvyn J. Shochet high-energy physics, he made highly accurate measure- and Michael S. Turner ments of CMB polarization. Winstein was also instru- mental in establishing the Kavli Institute for Cosmo- logical Physics at the University of Chicago. Outside of physics, he was an avid fan of avant-garde film, twice teaching a course on the films of Michelangelo Antonioni. Early years Bruce was born in Los Angeles, CA, to Saul and Sylvia Winstein. His father was a distinguished physical organic chemist, elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1955 and a faculty member at UCLA from 1941 until his death in 1969. -
JAAVSO 2009 the Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers
Volume 37 Number 2 JAAVSO 2009 The Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers The Superoutburst Period of KV Dra Observations of KV Dra. Superoutbursts are indicated by a bar. Also in this issue... • Evidence for Cyclic Activity in an Orion Irregular • CX Lyrae 2008 Observing Campaign • Quantifying Irregularity in Pulsating Red Giants 49 Bay State Road Cambridge, MA 02138 Complete table of contents inside... U. S. A. The Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers Editor Associate Editor John R. Percy Elizabeth O. Waagen University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada Assistant Editor Matthew Templeton Production Editor Michael Saladyga Editorial Board Priscilla J. Benson David B. Williams Wellesley College Indianapolis, Indiana Wellesley, Massachusetts Douglas S. Hall Thomas R. Williams Vanderbilt University Houston, Texas Nashville, Tennessee The Council of the American Association of Variable Star Observers 2008–2009 Director Arne A. Henden President Paula Szkody Past President David B. Williams 1st Vice President Jaime Ruben Garcia 2nd Vice President Michael A. Simonsen Secretary Gary Walker Treasurer Gary W. Billings Clerk Arne A. Henden Councilors Barry B. Beaman Katherine Hutton James Bedient Michael Koppelman Pamela Gay Arlo U. Landolt Edward F. Guinan Christopher Watson ISSN 0271-9053 JAAVSO The Journal of The American Association of Variable Star Observers Volume 37 Number 2 2009 49 Bay State Road Cambridge, MA 02138 ISSN 0271-9053 U. S. A. The Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers is a refereed scientific journal published by the American Association of Variable Star Observers, 49 Bay State Road, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. -
Data Characteristics and Preliminary Results from the Atacama B-Mode Search (ABS)
Data Characteristics and Preliminary Results from the Atacama B-Mode Search (ABS) Katerina Visnjic A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Princeton University in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Recommended for Acceptance by the Department of Physics Adviser: Lyman A. Page September 2013 c Copyright by Katerina Visnjic, 2014. All rights reserved. Abstract The Atacama B-Mode Search (ABS) is a 145 GHz polarimeter located at a high altitude site on Cerro Toco, in the Andes of northern Chile. Having deployed in early 2012, it is currently in its second year of operation, observing the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). It seeks to probe the as yet unde- tected odd-parity B-modes of the polarization, which would have been created by the primordial gravitational wave background (GWB) predicted by theories of inflation. The magnitude of the B-mode signal is characterized by the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r. ABS features 60 cm cryogenic reflectors in the crossed-Dragone configuration, and a warm, continuously rotating sapphire half-wave plate to modulate the polarization of incoming radiation. The focal plane consists of 480 antenna-coupled transition edge sensor bolometers, arranged in orthogonal pairs for polarization sensitivity, and coupled to feedhorns in a hexagonal array. In this thesis we describe the ABS instrument in the state in which it is now operating, outline the first season of observations, and characterize the data obtained. Focusing on observations of the primary CMB field during a one month reference period, we detail the algorithms currently used to select the data suitable for making maps.