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PRODID:-//LBNL Physics Division Research Progress Meetings - ECPv6.8.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN
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X-WR-CALNAME:LBNL Physics Division Research Progress Meetings
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for LBNL Physics Division Research Progress Meetings
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BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:UTC
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:UTC
DTSTART:20210101T000000
END:STANDARD
TZID:America/Los_Angeles
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20180311T100000
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BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0800
TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20181104T090000
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END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20211116T130000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20211116T130000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20211112T175120Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211112T175120Z
UID:1737-1637067600-1637067600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Taylor Hoyt (University of Chicago) "Using Astrophysical Distance Indicators to Test Standard Cosmology"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \nMeasurements of the universe’s present-day expansion rate\, or the Hubble constant (H0)\, that use a Cepheid variable star calibration of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are in >4σ disagreement with values predicted by the standard\, Lambda cold dark matter (LCDM) model of the universe. In this talk\, I will review the evidence for this “Hubble Tension” and discuss in particular my work on an alternative calibration of the SNe Ia using the Tip of the Red Giant Branch (TRGB)\, a standard candle that can return distances precise to 2% when observed in ancient populations of stars. Anchored by the TRGB\, we derived in the Carnegie Chicago Hubble Program a SN value of H0 that is significantly less in tension with base LCDM (<2σ) than the Cepheid-calibrated SN H0\, which raises the question of underestimated uncertainties and softens evidence for new physics. I will identify likely causes of this Cepheid-TRGB divergence\, present paths to a potential resolution\, and highlight how the astrophysical distance scale can converge on a self-consistent\, 1% determ\n──────────\nTroy Cortez is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95226946591?pwd=NEw3Q1FvL1grb204RUh5ckREbkxldz09 \nMeeting ID: 952 2694 6591\nPasscode: 432494\nOne tap mobile\n+16699006833\,\,95226946591#\,\,\,\,*432494# US (San Jose)\n+13462487799\,\,95226946591#\,\,\,\,*432494# US (Houston) \nDial by your location\n+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)\n+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)\n+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)\n+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)\n+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)\n+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)\nMeeting ID: 952 2694 6591\nPasscode: 432494\nFind your local number: https://lbnl.zoom.us/u/adl0MwWuqw \nJoin by SIP\n95226946591@zoomcrc.com \nJoin by H.323\n162.255.37.11 (US West)\n162.255.36.11 (US East)\n115.114.131.7 (India Mumbai)\n115.114.115.7 (India Hyderabad)\n213.19.144.110 (Amsterdam Netherlands)\n213.244.140.110 (Germany)\n103.122.166.55 (Australia Sydney)\n103.122.167.55 (Australia Melbourne)\n64.211.144.160 (Brazil)\n69.174.57.160 (Canada Toronto)\n65.39.152.160 (Canada Vancouver)\n207.226.132.110 (Japan Tokyo)\n149.137.24.110 (Japan Osaka)\nMeeting ID: 952 2694 6591\nPasscode: 432494 \n──────────
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/taylor-hoyt-university-of-chicago-using-astrophysical-distance-indicators-to-test-standard-cosmology/
LOCATION:Zoom Talk\, 50A-5132\, Berkeley\, ca\, 94720
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180719T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180719T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180521T102729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180521T102729Z
UID:862-1532016000-1532019600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Laura Newburgh (Yale U.) "New Probes of Old Structure: Cosmology with 21cm Intensity Mapping and the Cosmic Microwave Background"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nCurrent cosmological measurements have left us with deep questions about our Universe: What caused the expansion of the Universe at the earliest times? How did structure form? What is Dark Energy and does it evolve with time? New experiments like CHIME\, HIRAX\, and ACTPol are poised to address these questions through 3-dimensional maps of structure and measurements of the polarized Cosmic Microwave Background. In this talk\, I will describe how we will use 21cm intensity measurements from CHIME and HIRAX to place sensitive constraints on Dark Energy between redshifts 0.8 — 2.5\, a poorly probed era corresponding to when Dark Energy began to impact the expansion history of the Universe. I will also discuss how we will use data from new instruments on the ACT telescope to constrain cosmological parameters like the total neutrino mass and probe structure at late times.\nSlides Here
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/laura-newburgh-yale-u-tba/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180710T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180710T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180328T102415Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180328T102415Z
UID:775-1531238400-1531242000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Yuri Gershtein (Rutgers U.) "CMS Tracker for HL-LHC: an Exciting New Tool for Discovery"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract\nThe radiation environment at the High Luminosity LHC requires CMS to\nreplace its silicon tracker with one that is more radiation hard and granular.\nThe new tracker is designed twenty years after the original one\, and has new unique\ncapabilities. It spans 8 units in rapidity\, is more then twice lighter\, and is capable to\nparticipate in the first level of trigger decisions. In this talk\, after sketching the\nHL-LHC physics case\, I will describe the detector design\, FPGA-based track reconstruction\,\nand focus on one of many possible new opportunities it provides for new physics searches.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/yuri-gershtein-rutgers-u/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180628T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180628T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180514T092705Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180514T092705Z
UID:853-1530201600-1530205200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Adam Becker (UCB) "An Incomplete Survey of Proposed Solutions to the Quantum Measurement Problem"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nThe central puzzle that drives the field of quantum foundations is the measurement problem: what gives rise to the appearance of wave function collapse? While there is no single answer to this question that has wide acceptance\, this is not for lack of available options. A variety of solutions to the measurement problem have been proposed\, in the form of various interpretations or modifications of quantum mechanics. Some solutions eliminate collapse entirely\, as in the many-worlds and de Broglie-Bohm interpretations. Others propose altering the dynamics of the theory to make collapse objective\, as in GRW (stochastic collapse) and gravitational collapse theories. “Psi-epistemic” interpretations attempt to dissolve the measurement problem by claiming that the wave function isn’t something real in itself\, but merely a representation of our knowledge of an underlying reality. Finally\, Copenhagen-style interpretations claim that that there is no “reality” to be talked about at all. Bounding this menagerie of interpretations are several important theorems that restrict the options available. Bell’s theorem is the most famous (and most misunderstood) of these\, but it is not the only one. In this talk\, I will briefly lay out the measurement problem and its history\, go over several of the theorems that constrain the possible solutions\, and discuss a few of the families of quantum interpretations and the open problems that remain for each of them.\nSlides here
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/adam-becker-u-michigan-tba/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180621T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180621T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180613T103600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180613T103600Z
UID:868-1529568000-1529600400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Joshua Spitz (U. Michigan) " First Measurement of Monoenergetic Muon Neutrino Charged Current Interactions
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nThis talk will present the first measurement of monoenergetic muon\nneutrino charged current interactions. The MiniBooNE experiment at\nFermilab has been used to isolate and study 236 MeV muon neutrino\nevents originating from charged kaon decay at rest. The muon\nkinematics and total cross section have been extracted from this data.\nNotably\, this result is the first known-energy\, weak-interaction-only\nprobe of the nucleus to yield a measurement of omega (energy\ntransferred to the nucleus) using neutrinos\, a quantity thus far only\naccessible through electron scattering. I will discuss the\nsignificance of this measurement\, and these monoenergetic neutrinos in\ngeneral\, for elucidating both the neutrino-nucleus interaction and\noscillations.\nSlides here
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/joshua-spitz-u-michigan-first-measurement-of-monoenergetic-muon-neutrino-charged-current-interactions/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180614T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180614T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180518T110903Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180518T110903Z
UID:856-1528992000-1528995600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Norbert Zacharias (USNO) "Impact of Gaia on Astrometry and Beyond"
DESCRIPTION:April 2018 marks the 2nd data release (DR2) of the ESA Gaia space mission.\nA new era in astrometry begun. Accurate positions\, proper motions\nand parallaxes for over a billion stars are now available on the\nsub-mas level. The properties of DR2 will be explained in context\nto pre-Gaia data and the final Gaia results expected in a few years.\nThe impact of Gaia reaches far into almost all of astronomy\, and a\nfew examples will be given.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/norbert-zacharias-usno-tba/
LOCATION:INPA Common Room (50-5026)\, 50-5026
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180604T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180604T150000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180417T153520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180417T153520Z
UID:833-1528120800-1528124400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Masashi Hazumi (KEK) "LiteBIRD Satellite for Tests of Cosmic Inflation and Quantum Gravity"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nCosmological inflation is the leading hypothesis to resolve the problems in the Big Bang theory.\nIt predicts that primordial gravitational waves were created during the inflationary era\, which\nthen imprinted large-scale curl patterns in the cosmic microwave background (CMB)\npolarization map called the B-modes.\nMeasurements of the CMB B-mode signals are known as the best probe\nto detect the primordial gravitational waves.\nLiteBIRD is a candidate for JAXA’s strategic large mission to map the polarization of\nthe CMB radiation over the full sky at large angular scales with unprecedented precision\,\nwhich will offer us a crucial test of cosmic inflation. It will also serve as the first crucial test of\nquantum gravity such as superstring theory. Precise polarization maps of LiteBIRD will also\nprovide us with valuable pieces of information on particle physics and astrophysics.\nIn this talk\, I will give an overview of the science and design of LiteBIRD
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/masashi-hazumi-ipmu-tba/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180531T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180531T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180507T131320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180507T131320Z
UID:844-1527782400-1527786000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Michael Hance (UCSC) "Searching for Compressed SUSY at the Energy Frontier"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nWeak-scale Supersymmetry can help to resolve several puzzles presented by the Standard Model\, including the nature of dark matter and the naturalness of the Higgs mass\, and has motivated a robust search program at the Large Hadron Collider. Searches for direct production of Supersymmetric partners of weak bosons and leptons are particularly interesting as probes of dark matter and naturalness\, but are challenged by small cross sections\, low-momentum decay products\, and multiple Standard Model backgrounds. I will review efforts by the ATLAS experiment to discover such new particles\, with an emphasis on scenarios with “compressed” mass spectra containing nearly-mass-degenerate states. I will discuss recent LHC results\, as well as prospects for discovery in Run 2 and beyond.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/michael-hance-ucsc-tba/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180529T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180529T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180514T084613Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180514T084613Z
UID:851-1527609600-1527613200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Nicholas Carlini (UCB) "Adversarial Machine Learning"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nMany fundamental properties of neural networks are still not well\nunderstood. This talk studies two of these from an adversarial perspective.\nI begin with my main line of research and examine the apparently-fundamental\nsusceptibility of neural networks to adversarial examples. I develop effective\nalgorithms for generating adversarial examples and find that most most training\nregimes are ineffective at increasing robustness. Then\, I perform a brief\nexamination of neural network memorization\, and demonstrate that training\ndata can be efficiently extracted from a trained model given only black-box\naccess to that model. I conclude with directions for future research.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/nicholas-carlini-ucb-adversarial-machine-learning/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180517T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180517T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180423T155352Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T155352Z
UID:836-1526572800-1526576400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Chris Fassnacht (UC Davis) "Cosmological parameters from strong gravitational lenses"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nRecent measurements of the Hubble Constant (H_0) through distance\nladder techniques have revealed a noticeable tension with the\nPlanck H_0 value that was obtained under the assumption of the cosmological\n“standard model”\, i.e.\, a flat Lambda cold dark matter cosmology. Is this\ntension an indication that modifications to the standard model are\nnecessary\, or is it the sign of unknown systematic effects in one or\nboth of the techniques? To address this question requires additional\nhigh-precision measurements with techniques that are independent of\nthe distance ladder. The time delay strong lensing technique\, in\nwhich gravitational lensing by a massive galaxy produces multiple\nimages of a time-variable quasar\, fulfills these requirements. I will\npresent recent results from the H0licow program\, in which the analysis\nof just three time-delay strong lenses has produced a 3.8% measurement\nof H_0\, and discuss the implications for other cosmological parameters\,\nincluding those describing dark energy. I will also discuss the\nfuture prospects of this technique in the era of large sky surveys and\nextremely large telescopes.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/chris-fassnacht-uc-davis-tba/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180510T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180510T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180507T113212Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180507T113212Z
UID:841-1525968000-1525971600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Christian Bauer (LBNL) "GENEVA: Combining perturbative calculations with parton showers"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nI will discuss the event generator GENEVA\, which for the first time combines fixed order and resummed perturbative calculations with parton showering and hadronization. I will explain the basic physics concepts underlying GENEVA\, and show how they can be used to achieve in principle any accuracy desired. After presenting physics results on the production of vector boson + jets at the LHC\, I will finish by giving an overview of how to use GENEVA.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/christian-bauer-lbnl-tba/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180503T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180503T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180329T134931Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180329T134931Z
UID:783-1525363200-1525366800@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Alan Schwartz (University of Cincinnati) "Challenging the Standard Model with the Belle(II) Experiment"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nThe Belle experiment in Japan began taking data in the late 1990’s and went on to record the world’s largest sample of B-anti-B meson pairs produced in a quantum correlated state. This initial state allowed Belle\, and the BaBar experiment at SLAC\, to measure CP violation in B decays with high accuracy. These measurements contributed to the awarding of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics to Kobayashi and Maskawa for their theory of CP violation. However\, other measurements have exhibited discrepancies with the Standard Model\, e.g.\, measurements of |Vub| and |Vcb| \, R(D) and R(D*)\, etc. Over the past several years\, the Belle detector and accelerator complex have been rebuilt and significantly upgraded to become the Belle II experiment. Belle II is designed to record 50 times the data set that Belle recorded\, and with much improved detector performance. This forthcoming data should resolve several discrepancies observed by Belle and BaBar. Here we review some recent results from Belle and discuss the physics program and current status of Belle II.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/alan-schwartz-university-of-cincinnati/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180426T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180426T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180402T095622Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180402T095622Z
UID:785-1524758400-1524762000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Gustavo Branco (CFTP-IST\, Univ. de Lisboa\, Portugal) - "Multi-Higgs Models\, The Flavor Problem and the Origin of CP Violation"
DESCRIPTION:We analyse two-Higgs-Doublet extensions of the Standard Model\, paying special attention\nto novel mechanisms for natural suppression of scalar Flavor-Changing-Neutral-Currents\nand their imllementation in specific models. Some of the most salient implications of these models will be presented. The possibility of having realistic models of spontaneous CP violation will be studied.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/gustavo-branco-cftp-ist-univ-de-lisboa-portugal-multi-higgs-models-the-flavor-problem-and-the-origin-of-cp-violation/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180419T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180419T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180329T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180329T134537Z
UID:780-1524153600-1524157200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Paolo Calafiura (LBNL) HL-LHC Computing Challenges
DESCRIPTION:The current models for HL-LHC computing show order-of-magnitude resource shortages with large uncertainties. Business-as-usual is not an option unless we accept limiting HL-LHC physics reach\, particularly for precision studies.\nA  grassroots initiative called the HEP Software Foundation has been collecting ideas and pooling efforts to perform the necessary R&D to meet these O($100M) resource shortages. HSF produced a Community White Paper that has been endorsed by the LHC experiments\, the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid\, and some funding agencies.\n I will briefly review some of the technical and organizational challenges ahead of us as we turn the Community White Paper into a research program\, and try to present some of the exciting new R&D ideas we are prototyping at Berkeley Lab and elsewhere.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/paolo-calafiura-lbnl/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180412T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180412T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180409T141937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180409T141937Z
UID:817-1523548800-1523552400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:George Smoot (UCB/LBNL) "Reinterpreting Low Frequency LIGO/Virgo Events as Gravitationally-Lensed Magnified Stellar-Mass Black Hole Mergers at Cosmological Distances"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:  \nThough dismissed by most\, we claim that strong gravitational lensing of the gravitational waves for merging black holes explains the high mass binary black hole mergers observed by LIGO/Virgo explains the apparent 30 M_Sun events better than any alternative models.\nIt turns out to be difficult to make large mass black hole binaries in sufficient number to explain LIGO’s results. However\, strong gravitational lensing of cosmological distant mergers can naturally explain them while the redshift of the orbital frequencies amplifies the observed apparent masses.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/george-smoot-ucb-lbnl-reinterpreting-low-frequency-ligo-virgo-events-as-gravitationally-lensed-magnified-stellar-mass-black-hole-mergers-at-cosmological-distances/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180405T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180405T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180329T134647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180329T134647Z
UID:778-1522944000-1522947600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Colin Hill (IAS) - "Fundamental Physics from the Foreground-Obscured Microwave Sky: Inflation\, Neutrino Masses\, and Beyond"
DESCRIPTION:The cosmic microwave background (CMB) remains a key source from which to extract information about fundamental physics\, due to its clean\, well-understood origin and immense constraining power on many types of new physics. The next decade of CMB observations will yield answers to at least two fundamental questions: (1) did large-field inflation source the initial density perturbations in our universe? (2) what is the absolute mass scale of the neutrinos? In this talk\, I will explain the routes by which these answers will be obtained. Both rely on highly precise measurements of the polarization of the CMB\, which can be used to search for the signature of primordial gravitational waves (answering the first question) and to measure the growth of cosmic structure via gravitational lensing (answering the second question). Moreover\, I will describe new methods with which to overcome the most significant challenge to this program: emission from non-primordial foreground sources. I will highlight the major role that the Simons Observatory and CMB-Stage IV experiments will play in these exciting developments. Finally\, I will describe additional unique information about the distribution and properties of baryons and dark matter that these measurements will yield\, providing crucial feedback for cosmological analyses with DESI and other large-scale structure surveys.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/colin-hill-ias-fundamental-physics-from-the-foreground-obscured-microwave-sky-inflation-neutrino-masses-and-beyond/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180403T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180403T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180320T135609Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180320T135609Z
UID:765-1522771200-1522774800@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Brice Menard (JHU) and Ting-Wen Lan (IPMU)  - Twenty years of SDSS spectra: lessons for DESI
DESCRIPTION:We have played with SDSS spectra for almost two decades and enjoyed performing all sorts of statistical analyses with them. In this talk we will take a critical look at these explorations and discuss what has worked well and what has not\, what mistakes were made and some of the fundamental limits arising from the calibration of the data — all of which are informative to prepare ourselves for the DESI era. Finally we will also discuss new data analysis ideas and emerging techniques that are likely to impact the way we think and manipulate spectra in the near future.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/brice-menard-jhu-and-ting-wen-lan-ipmu-twenty-years-of-sdss-spectra-lessons-for-desi/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180329T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180329T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180321T163208Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180321T163208Z
UID:768-1522339200-1522342800@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Sven Vahsen (University of Hawaii) - Directional Dark Matter Searches via Charge Cloud Tomography
DESCRIPTION:With WIMP-nucleon scattering limits approaching the neutrino floor\, and coherent neutrino-nucleon scattering experimentally established\, there is renewed interest in directional detectors as a means to penetrate the neutrino floor. The CYGNUS collaboration aims to deploy multiple gas Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) to accomplish this. I will review recent R&D work carried out within CYGNUS\, with a focus on efforts at the University of Hawaii. I will discuss recently deployed directional neutron detectors capable of imaging the 3D surface shape of nuclear recoils with high resolution. These existing detectors represent a stepping stone towards larger detectors capable of providing fully tomographic 3D images of nuclear recoils. I will discuss how 3D recoil imaging is relevant to dark matter detection by enabling several new measurement techniques. Time permitting\, I will also discuss a conceptual design study that compares the suitability of different technological approaches to a large-scale nuclear recoil observatory with sensitivity to both WIMP dark matter and neutrinos.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/sven-vahsen-university-of-hawaii-directional-dark-matter-searches-via-charge-cloud-tomography/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180327T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180327T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180110T112627Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180110T112627Z
UID:721-1522166400-1522170000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Lisa Barsotti (MIT) "Squeezing the most out of gravitational wave detectors"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nThe recent observations of gravitational waves have been enabled by a new generation of LIGO detectors\, Advanced LIGO\, the most sensitive laser interferometers ever built. In my talk I will review the main scienctific results from the first two Observing Runs\, O1 and O2\, and discuss the status of the Advanced LIGO detectors and plans for O3. I will also describe prospects for further extending the astrophysical reach of ground-based observations with future generations of detectors.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/lisa-barsotti-mit/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180322T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180322T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180224T203251Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180224T203251Z
UID:750-1521734400-1521738000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Andreu Font (U. College London) - "Cosmology with the Lyman alpha forest: challenges and opportunities”"
DESCRIPTION:From 2009 to 2014\, the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) used the SDSS telescope to obtain spectra of 1.5 million galaxies to get very accurate measurements of the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) scale at redshift z ~0.5. At the same time\, BOSS observed over 184 000 high redshift quasars (z>2.15) with the goal of detecting the BAO feature in the clustering of the intergalactic medium\, using a technique known as the Lyman alpha forest (LyaF). In this talk I will overview the final results from the LyaF working group in BOSS\, including the measurement of BAO at z=2.4 both from the auto-correlation of the LyaF (Bautista et al. 2017)\, and from its cross-correlation with quasars (du-Mas-des-Bourboux et al. 2017). From the combination of these studies we are able to measure the expansion rate of the Universe 11 billion years ago with a 2% uncertainty.\nStarting in 2019\, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) will increase this dataset by an order of magnitude. In this talk I will review the challenges that we will face in order to provide an exquisite measurement of the expansion over cosmic history\, and the opportunities that we will have to study other fundamental questions: the sum of the mass of the neutrino species\, properties of dark matter particles\, and the shape of the primordial power spectrum of density fluctuations.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/andreu-font-u-college-london-tba/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180320T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180320T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180228T155548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180228T155548Z
UID:755-1521561600-1521565200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Simone Ferraro (LBNL) "Lighting up the Dark Universe"
DESCRIPTION:Recent progress in cosmological observations reveal a simple yet strange universe. Our preferred cosmological model relies on mysterious components such as Dark Matter\, Dark Energy and an early period of accelerated expansion. The challenge in the next decade will be to understand the nature of these components and reveal new aspects of fundamental physics.\nI will discuss the synergies between upcoming redshift and CMB experiments and show that thanks to sample variance cancellation techniques\, a large improvement on constraining power is possible even at fixed volume. I will highlight the role of cross-correlations and velocity fields in increasing the statistical power of future surveys\, while at the same time allowing for greater control of systematics. I will show how the combination of large-scale structure and CMB experiments hold great promise to reveal the secrets of our mysterious Universe.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/simone-ferraro-lbnl-tba/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180315T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180315T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180123T140914Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180123T140914Z
UID:727-1521129600-1521133200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Peter Mohr (NIST) "The New SI and Fundamental Constants"
DESCRIPTION:The International System of Units (SI) is expected to undergo a revolutionary change on\nMay 20\, 2019. In October 2017\, the International Committee on Weights and Measures met\nat the International Bureau of Weights and Measures near Paris and recommended a new\ndefinition of the SI such that a particular set of constants would have certain values when\nexpressed in the new SI units. In particular\, the new SI would be defined by the statement:\nThe International System of Units\, the SI\, is the system of units in which \n\nthe unperturbed ground state hyperfine splitting frequency of the\ncaesium 133 atom Cs is 9 192 631 770 Hz\,\nthe speed of light in vacuum c is 299 792 458 m/s\,\nthe Planck constant h is 6.626 070 15× 10−34 J/Hz\,\nthe elementary charge e is 1.602 176 634×10−19 C\,\nthe Boltzmann constant k is 1.380 649×10−23 J/K\,\nthe Avogadro constant NA is 6.022 140 76×1023 mol−1\,\nthe luminous efficacy Kcd of monochromatic radiation of frequency 540×1012 hertz is 683 lm/W\n\nThe numerical values of the constants were determined by a special CODATA adjustment of\nthe values of the constants using data in papers that were accepted for publication by July\n1\, 2017.\nThe Convention of the Meter (Convention du M`etre)\, a treaty that specifies international\nagreement on how units are defined\, was established in 1875 with 17 nations initially signing\non\, including the U.S. The SI\, established within the treaty in 1960\, is more recent and\ncontinues to evolve. Currently\, the treaty is agreed to by fifty-eight Member States\, including\nall the major industrialized countries. Even though a majority of people in the U.S. still\nuse units such as inches and pounds\, the official standards for these units are based on the\nSI units\, so the U.S. national measurement standards will also be redefined\, although the\nchange will be imperceptible in every-day use.\nThe redefinition will have a significant impact on the fundamental constants when ex-\npressed in SI units. Not only will the defining constants be exact\, but many others will also\nbe exact\, and still others will have considerably reduced uncertainties. This reflects a shift\nfrom macroscopic measurement standards to quantum based standards.\nThis talk will describe the new SI\, review reasons for the change\, and show how units\ncan be based on assigned values of certain physical constants.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/peter-mohr-nist-the-new-si-and-fundamental-constants/
LOCATION:50-Auditorium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180227T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180227T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180224T202826Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180224T202826Z
UID:748-1519747200-1519750800@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Julien Guy (LBNL) "The DESI Project\, Construction Status and Prospects for Precise Cosmological Distance Measurements with Lyman-Alpha Forests"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nThe Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument is a multi-object spectrograph composed of a wide field corrector\, a 5000 robotically positioned fiber system\, and 10 3-arms spectrographs. The instrument is installed this year on the Mayall 4-m diameter telescope at Kitt Peak\, Arizona. Operations will start next year. In 5 years\, DESI will measure spectra and redshifts of more than 30 million galaxies and quasars. This catalog will be used to measure the expansion history of the Universe and the growth rate of structure in the past 10 billion years with sub-percent precision. I will present the construction status and give some insight on the Lyman-alpha BAO analysis.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/julien-guy-lbnl-the-desi-project-construction-status-and-prospects-for-precise-cosmological-distance-measurements-with-lyman-alpha-forests/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180220T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180220T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180105T093643Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180105T093643Z
UID:713-1519142400-1519146000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Lauren Tompkins (Stanford U.) "The World’s most complicated game of Bingo: Pattern Recognition at the Energy-Intensity Frontier"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nIn 2012 the ATLAS and CMS experiments discovered the Higgs Boson\, firmly establishing the Standard Model as the dominant paradigm for subatomic particle interactions.  Many expected the Higgs discovery to be one of several discoveries at the energy frontier\, yet five years later it remains the single addition to the subatomic particle pantheon.  Meanwhile\, the LHC has begun to push the boundaries of the hadron collision intensity frontier\, yielding large datasets for further understanding the Standard Model as well as continuing the increasingly difficult search for new physics.  I will discuss a path through the intensity frontier\, focusing on a hardware based\, real-time pattern recognition engine which will enable the ATLAS experiment to fully exploit the delivered data by playing the world’s most complicated game of bingo.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/lauren-tompkins/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180215T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180215T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180105T093618Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180105T093618Z
UID:711-1518710400-1518714000@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Haichen Wang (LBNL) Title: The Higgs boson and the top quark share the stage
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nThe top quark plays an important role in the collider phenomenology of the Higgs boson\, and the study of the interplay between the top quark and the Higgs boson may provide key insights to some critical questions in particle physics. A milestone in the experimental study of the top-Higgs sector of the Standard Model will be the observation of the Higgs boson production in association with top quarks (ttH)\, a direct evidence for the top-Higgs Yukawa coupling. With 36.1 fb-1 pp collisions at 13 TeV\, the ATLAS experiment performed searches for the ttH production in several channels and found the evidence for this production. In this talk\, I start with a brief overview on the experimental understanding of the Higgs boson properties and motivate the study of the top-Higgs Yukawa coupling. I then present the ATLAS ttH searches with a focus on the diphoton channel. In the end\, I discuss the prospect of the ttH study and its impact on other aspects of the LHC physics program.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/haichen-wang/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180213T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180213T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180105T093552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180105T093552Z
UID:709-1518537600-1518541200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Zeynep Demiragli (CMS / MIT) "Search for Dark Matter: CMS Strikes Back!"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nThe experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN are at the energy frontier of particle physics\, searching for answers to fundamental questions of nature. In particular\, dark matter (DM) presents strong evidence for physics beyond the standard model (SM). However\, there is no experimental evidence of its non-gravitational interaction with SM particles. If DM has non-gravitational interactions with the SM particles\, we could be producing the DM particles in the proton-proton collisions at the LHC. While the DM particles would not produce an observable signal in the detector\, they may recoil with large transverse momentum against visible particles resulting in an overall transverse momentum imbalance in the collision event. In this talk\, I will review the searches for DM particles in these missing momentum final states at the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. I will also discuss the prospects for discovering dark matter at the High Luminosity-LHC and other future experiments.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/zeynep-demiragl/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180208T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180208T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180104T090008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180104T090008Z
UID:699-1518105600-1518109200@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Daniel Scolnic (U. Chicago) "Measuring Dark Energy with Supernovae and Kilonovae"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nThe next decade will be the golden age of cosmology with transients. In this talk\, I will present new analyses of Type Ia Supernovae that mark the most precise measurement of dark energy to date. I will go over how this analysis ties together with the analysis of the local value of the Hubble constant\, for which tension persists with the inferred value from the CMB – an exciting hint at possible departures from the standard cosmological model. I will then discuss the first measurements of the Hubble constant with kilonovae and gravitational waves. I will review the large amount of overlap between the issues that must be tackled for future progress using supernovae and kilonovae to measure cosmological parameters. Finally\, I will discuss the roles that surveys like LSST and WFIRST will play and how we can harness the millions of transients discovered to make generation-defining cosmological measurements.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/daniel-scolnic-u-chicago-tba/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180206T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180206T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180105T093524Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180105T093524Z
UID:707-1517932800-1517936400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Heather Gray (LBNL) Title: The Higgs and the Quarks; Probing the Yukawa couplings of the Higgs boson
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:  \nThe discovery of the Higgs boson at the LHC in 2012 relied predominantly on studies of the bosonic decay modes. However\, there is a rich structure in the Yukawa sector of the Higgs boson.  Studies of the direct coupling of the Higgs boson to fermions can be used to probe the proportionality of this coupling to the fermion mass and hence the test the fermionic mass generation mechanism. I will introduce current experimental studies in the quark sector and\, in particular\, the recent evidence obtained at the LHC for the coupling of the Higgs to heavy quarks. I will discuss some of the important experimental challenges and highlight new ideas for the future.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/heather-gray-2/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180201T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180201T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180129T101934Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180129T101934Z
UID:735-1517500800-1517504400@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Jason Bono (FNAL) Physics and Mathematics in Music
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nMusic is nearly universal in human culture and yet it remains\nmysterious. In order to help answer some of music’s fundamental\nquestions\, we will briefly turn to archeology and early history before\nexamining some of music’s salient features from a physical and\nmathematical perspective. Principles rooted in physics and pure\nmathematics will provide a link to intercultural qualities of musical\ntone and melody to the deep role that symmetry plays in human\nperception\, thus shedding light on the questions that we set out to\nanswer. To enhance clarity and familiarity\, various concepts will be\nillustrated with animations and sound bites.
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/jason-bono-fnal-physics-and-mathematics-in-music/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180130T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20180130T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T193818
CREATED:20180105T093504Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180105T093504Z
UID:705-1517328000-1517331600@rpm.physics.lbl.gov
SUMMARY:Alex Drlica-Wagner (FNAL) "Using Cosmic Surveys to Understand the Fundamental Nature of Dark Matter"
DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT:\nThe existence of dark matter is strong evidence for new physics beyond the Standard Model. While laboratory and collider searches for dark matter have advanced rapidly over the past several decades\, astrophysical observations currently provide the only robust\, positive\, empirical measurement of dark matter. Astrophysical observables can be directly linked to the fundamental properties of dark matter\, such as particle mass\, self-interaction cross section\, and self-annihilation rate. In this talk\, I will discuss how the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and the Dark Energy Survey (DES) have advanced our understanding of dark matter from observations of the smallest and most dark-matter-dominated galaxies. In addition\, I will discuss opportunities to build a cohesive dark matter program with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).
URL:https://rpm.physics.lbl.gov/event/alex-drlica-wagner/
LOCATION:HYBRID 50A-5132 (Sessler Conference Room)\, https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/91782268585\, 50A-5132
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR