REVEALING THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSE: GRAVITATIONAL WAVES, COSMOLOGY AND EXOPLANETS
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics
Abstract
This is an ambitious proposal to advance our understanding of the structures in our Universe, exploiting the latest STFC observational programmes in gravitational waves, the cosmic microwave background, galaxy surveys and exoplanets. Our main goals are:
1. We will investigate the statistics of matter in the Universe using the latest galaxy survey data (the Dark Energy Survey), as well as maps of the cosmic microwave background, the relic radiation left over from the Big Bang. Determining whether these statistics are Gaussian (obey the normal distribution), we will be able to better understand gravitational collapse and to look for primordial signals from the early Universe, testing theories for the origin of galaxies.
2. In this project, we will develop new approaches to the study of CMB lensing, the gravitational deflection of relic light from the Big Bang, and apply them to the state-of-the-art Simons Observatory experiment. With our novel methods for extracting and inverting the lensing deflection, we will provide a clearer view of the beginning of the universe and the distribution of dark matter.
3. The spatial distribution of everything on cosmological distances, from atoms to light, from energy to spacetime itself was set up in the first fraction of a second after the big bang, in an era called inflation. By studying models of inflation, we will predict specific patterns of regularity in this apparently haphazard distribution and search for evidence of this signal in the Cosmic Microwave Background.
4. One of the most spectacular discoveries from astrophysics and cosmology is that most of the Universe's matter content is dark, i.e. invisible in electromagnetic observations. The 2017 Nobel-Prize winning detection of gravitational waves now provides us with a new channel to search for the enigmatic dark matter. For this purpose we will compute how dark matter environments manifest themselves in the gravitational wave signal from black hole binaries.
5. The recent direct detection of gravitational waves emitted in black hole mergers provides an unprecedented opportunity to test Einstein's General Relativity (GR) for strong gravitational fields. To do this we need theoretical predictions for how a deviation from GR would affect the gravitational waves emitted in a black hole merger. We will develop the mathematics needed to perform supercomputer simulations of black hole mergers in a very broad class of theories. It will use these to identify how the predictions of such theories differ from those of GR in the strong gravity regime.
6. Discoveries of the gravitational wave sources by LIGO/Virgo observatory necessitate the need to understand the origin of the objects that produce them - binary black holes and neutron stars. This project takes a fresh look at the dynamical evolution of such relativistic binaries in dense stellar clusters to understand their contribution to LIGO/Virgo discoveries.
7. We will study the breaking of tidal waves in stars caused by close exoplanets, to understand the rates at which their orbits are shrinking. We will also provide the scientific community with efficient codes to compute tidal dissipation in rotating and evolving stars and giant planets, so that the origins and orbital evolution of many observed exoplanet systems can be understood.
8. Planets are born in the disks of gas and dust encircling very young stars. These disks are both turbulent and magnetised; we will seek, via computer simulations, how these two processes influence the formation of planets, and the evolution of the disks that bear them.
9. We have embarked on a joint outreach venture with the Discovery Channel to reach a very large international audience through the launch of a new multimedia Video on Demand service. It will use content we supply from our gravitation and cosmology research projects, on which we will also base our talks and websites for the public and schools.
1. We will investigate the statistics of matter in the Universe using the latest galaxy survey data (the Dark Energy Survey), as well as maps of the cosmic microwave background, the relic radiation left over from the Big Bang. Determining whether these statistics are Gaussian (obey the normal distribution), we will be able to better understand gravitational collapse and to look for primordial signals from the early Universe, testing theories for the origin of galaxies.
2. In this project, we will develop new approaches to the study of CMB lensing, the gravitational deflection of relic light from the Big Bang, and apply them to the state-of-the-art Simons Observatory experiment. With our novel methods for extracting and inverting the lensing deflection, we will provide a clearer view of the beginning of the universe and the distribution of dark matter.
3. The spatial distribution of everything on cosmological distances, from atoms to light, from energy to spacetime itself was set up in the first fraction of a second after the big bang, in an era called inflation. By studying models of inflation, we will predict specific patterns of regularity in this apparently haphazard distribution and search for evidence of this signal in the Cosmic Microwave Background.
4. One of the most spectacular discoveries from astrophysics and cosmology is that most of the Universe's matter content is dark, i.e. invisible in electromagnetic observations. The 2017 Nobel-Prize winning detection of gravitational waves now provides us with a new channel to search for the enigmatic dark matter. For this purpose we will compute how dark matter environments manifest themselves in the gravitational wave signal from black hole binaries.
5. The recent direct detection of gravitational waves emitted in black hole mergers provides an unprecedented opportunity to test Einstein's General Relativity (GR) for strong gravitational fields. To do this we need theoretical predictions for how a deviation from GR would affect the gravitational waves emitted in a black hole merger. We will develop the mathematics needed to perform supercomputer simulations of black hole mergers in a very broad class of theories. It will use these to identify how the predictions of such theories differ from those of GR in the strong gravity regime.
6. Discoveries of the gravitational wave sources by LIGO/Virgo observatory necessitate the need to understand the origin of the objects that produce them - binary black holes and neutron stars. This project takes a fresh look at the dynamical evolution of such relativistic binaries in dense stellar clusters to understand their contribution to LIGO/Virgo discoveries.
7. We will study the breaking of tidal waves in stars caused by close exoplanets, to understand the rates at which their orbits are shrinking. We will also provide the scientific community with efficient codes to compute tidal dissipation in rotating and evolving stars and giant planets, so that the origins and orbital evolution of many observed exoplanet systems can be understood.
8. Planets are born in the disks of gas and dust encircling very young stars. These disks are both turbulent and magnetised; we will seek, via computer simulations, how these two processes influence the formation of planets, and the evolution of the disks that bear them.
9. We have embarked on a joint outreach venture with the Discovery Channel to reach a very large international audience through the launch of a new multimedia Video on Demand service. It will use content we supply from our gravitation and cosmology research projects, on which we will also base our talks and websites for the public and schools.
Planned Impact
Our group has a long record of accomplishment in astrophysics, cosmology and gravitation, and of disseminating the fruits of our research to the public. The global coverage of Stephen Hawking's passing was a reminder of the enormous impact he has had in making physics and cosmology accessible and exciting to the public through his books, television series, lectures and media appearances. The live-streamed video of the 2017 Public Symposium we organised to mark his 75th birthday has received over five million views (speakers included Brian Cox, Gabriela Gonzalez (chief LIGO spokesperson), Lord Rees and Stephen Hawking). He raised the profile of STFC's cosmology programme in ways that continue to resonate through many media.
Our research conferences have always included a major public outreach programme of talks with high-profile speakers, and this will continue with public talks closely tied to the research projects in gravitational waves, modified gravity, black holes, inflation, the microwave background and galaxy surveys. For example, our upcoming COST Gravitational Waves Summer School will benefit young researchers in this cutting-edge branch of observational astronomy, and will feature an evening of talks about the implications for the GWs discovery which will be open to the public and live-streamed. The group holds an annual high profile public outreach lecture, entitled the Andrew Chamblin lecture, with speakers in recent years including Kip Thorne, Gerard t'Hooft, Frank Wilczek, Michel Mayor, Sir Roger Penrose and Jim Al-Khalili.
Our group faculty and other members give regular talks to non-university audiences that increase the impact of the research conducted on the grant, including the encouraging of girls to study physics and mathematical sciences. We also have a strong presence at the annual Cambridge Science Festival, holding talks and demonstrations, and at the regular DAMTP open days (attended by over 800).
A major new venture is a collaboration with the Discovery Channel with their new Video on Demand service and then for a new app. Science Surrounds Us, which will feature multimedia and articles by our researchers, which will create massive public reach and enduring impact for our STFC research projects. The content we create will appear on Facebook, YouTube and other social media websites, and we will extend the impact on our own group webpages, using this material for talks and interactions with the public.
The new STFC Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Intensive Science in Cambridge continues to develop many industrial partnerships through internships and studentships, developed and overseen by our faculty member James Fergusson.
As host of the award-winning COSMOS Intel Parallel Computing Centre (IPCC), we will continue to have a significant economic and technical impact on high performance computing (HPC). It is through this that we offer broader support to researchers outside Cambridge (e.g. supporting the public release of the powerful new GRChombo numerical relativity code) and also HPC and research programming courses for doctoral students. The COSMOS IPCC will continue its industrial collaboration with the world-leading HPC vendors Intel and HPE. In this, we build on a record of high impact, which includes public demonstrations at most of the recent major international HPC conferences (Supercomputing '15, 16, 18 and ISC '15, 16, 18). We will continue to engage proactively with our industrial project partners as we explore emerging technologies, presenting our results in industry-wide HPC conferences, articles and white papers.
Our research conferences have always included a major public outreach programme of talks with high-profile speakers, and this will continue with public talks closely tied to the research projects in gravitational waves, modified gravity, black holes, inflation, the microwave background and galaxy surveys. For example, our upcoming COST Gravitational Waves Summer School will benefit young researchers in this cutting-edge branch of observational astronomy, and will feature an evening of talks about the implications for the GWs discovery which will be open to the public and live-streamed. The group holds an annual high profile public outreach lecture, entitled the Andrew Chamblin lecture, with speakers in recent years including Kip Thorne, Gerard t'Hooft, Frank Wilczek, Michel Mayor, Sir Roger Penrose and Jim Al-Khalili.
Our group faculty and other members give regular talks to non-university audiences that increase the impact of the research conducted on the grant, including the encouraging of girls to study physics and mathematical sciences. We also have a strong presence at the annual Cambridge Science Festival, holding talks and demonstrations, and at the regular DAMTP open days (attended by over 800).
A major new venture is a collaboration with the Discovery Channel with their new Video on Demand service and then for a new app. Science Surrounds Us, which will feature multimedia and articles by our researchers, which will create massive public reach and enduring impact for our STFC research projects. The content we create will appear on Facebook, YouTube and other social media websites, and we will extend the impact on our own group webpages, using this material for talks and interactions with the public.
The new STFC Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Intensive Science in Cambridge continues to develop many industrial partnerships through internships and studentships, developed and overseen by our faculty member James Fergusson.
As host of the award-winning COSMOS Intel Parallel Computing Centre (IPCC), we will continue to have a significant economic and technical impact on high performance computing (HPC). It is through this that we offer broader support to researchers outside Cambridge (e.g. supporting the public release of the powerful new GRChombo numerical relativity code) and also HPC and research programming courses for doctoral students. The COSMOS IPCC will continue its industrial collaboration with the world-leading HPC vendors Intel and HPE. In this, we build on a record of high impact, which includes public demonstrations at most of the recent major international HPC conferences (Supercomputing '15, 16, 18 and ISC '15, 16, 18). We will continue to engage proactively with our industrial project partners as we explore emerging technologies, presenting our results in industry-wide HPC conferences, articles and white papers.
Organisations
- University of Cambridge (Lead Research Organisation)
- QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON (Collaboration)
- Institute for Advanced Study (Collaboration)
- Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (Collaboration)
- University of Hawaii (Collaboration)
- University of Amsterdam (Collaboration)
- IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- KING'S COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- Intel (United States) (Collaboration)
Publications
Zanazzi J
(2020)
Eccentric tidal disruption event discs around supermassive black holes: dynamics and thermal emission
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zanazzi J
(2022)
Erratum: Eccentric tidal disruption event discs around supermassive black holes: dynamics and thermal emission
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ziampras A
(2023)
Modelling planet-induced gaps and rings in ALMA discs: the role of in-plane radiative diffusion
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Description | International Emerging Actions (IEA) |
Amount | € 30,000 (EUR) |
Organisation | National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS) |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | France |
Start | 05/2023 |
End | 12/2024 |
Description | STFC Gravitational Wave grant (supplementary funding) |
Amount | £93,121 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ST/V005669/1 |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2024 |
End | 09/2025 |
Description | Amsterdam |
Organisation | University of Amsterdam |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Expertise in cosmology and gravitation. |
Collaborator Contribution | As above. |
Impact | Papers in progress. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | GRChombo |
Organisation | King's College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Contributions to performance enhancement, specifically a code restructuring outlined here: https://github.com/GRChombo/GRChombo/wiki/Updating-old-examples-for-Diagnostic-Variables-changes |
Collaborator Contribution | Performance enhancement/code development |
Impact | Several papers - https://www.grchombo.org/publication/ |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | GRChombo |
Organisation | Queen Mary University of London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Contributions to performance enhancement, specifically a code restructuring outlined here: https://github.com/GRChombo/GRChombo/wiki/Updating-old-examples-for-Diagnostic-Variables-changes |
Collaborator Contribution | Performance enhancement/code development |
Impact | Several papers - https://www.grchombo.org/publication/ |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Hawaii |
Organisation | University of Hawaii |
Department | Department of Physics and Astronomy |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Expertise in cosmology and gravitation. |
Collaborator Contribution | As above. |
Impact | Papers in progress. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | IAS |
Organisation | Institute for Advanced Study |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Theoretical studies of the origin of the gravitational wave sources |
Collaborator Contribution | Theoretical studies of the origin of the gravitational wave sources |
Impact | An article: "Secular dynamics of binaries in stellar clusters -- III. Doubly-averaged dynamics in the presence of general relativistic precession" Hamilton, C. & Rafikov, R. 2021, MNRAS, 505, 4151 |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Imperial/Perimeter |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Co-author of a publication. |
Collaborator Contribution | Co-authors of the publication. |
Impact | Pre-print: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.02832 |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Imperial/Perimeter |
Organisation | Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics |
Country | Canada |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Co-author of a publication. |
Collaborator Contribution | Co-authors of the publication. |
Impact | Pre-print: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.02832 |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Intel oneAPI Centre of Excellence |
Organisation | Intel Corporation |
Country | United States |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | On the basis of a longstanding collaboration with Intel, the Cosmos team at CTC were awarded Intel Parallel Computing Centre status in 2014; this year this was upgraded to an Intel oneAPI Centre of Excellence (CoE). COSMOS IPCC and CoE status entails regular support from expert Intel software engineers, in both many-core parallelization and visualization, coordinated in biweekly telecons. |
Collaborator Contribution | See above. |
Impact | Collaborative achievements include on Intel's development of the OSPRay ray-tracing visualization package for many-core systems, together with Kitware where it is embedded in ParaView using the Catalyst library, incorporating in-situ visualization capabilities for adaptive mesh refinement (AMR grids). These advances with Intel and Kitware, are incorporated into ParaView, an open source package used worldwide (downloaded over 100K times/yr). |
Start Year | 2021 |
Title | Research data and code supporting "Formation of Gaps in Self-gravitating Debris Disks by Secular Resonance in a Single-planet System. II. Toward a Self-consistent Model" |
Description | The contents of this repository supplement the publication:Sefilian A. A., Rafikov R. R. & Wyatt M. C., 2023, "Formation of Gaps in Self-gravitating Debris Disks by Secular Resonance in a Single-planet System. II. Toward a Self-consistent Model", The Astrophysical Journal, 954, 100 (31pp) [Link]. This repository contains the following items:A copy of the N-ring code (in .m format) developed as part of this work. The code is written in MATLAB.Three video files (in .mp4 format) representing the animated versions of Figures 4, 7, and 8.Dataset (in .mat format) representing the simulation results of Model A (i.e., Simulation #24, see Table B1 and Section 2.2). This can be used to e.g. reproduce Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.The N-ring code, developed as a MATLAB script, can be used to simulate the long-term, secular evolution of self-gravitating particulate disks and their response to external perturbations in general (coplanar) astrophysical setups. This semi-analytic framework is built upon the continuum version of the classical Laplace-Lagrange theory, whereby the disk is modeled as a series of N>>1 massive rings interacting with each other and with (any) external perturbers. Unlike the classical Laplace-Lagrange theory, however, here the ring-ring interaction is softened by spatially smoothing the Newtonian point-mass potential (for more details on this, see Sefilian & Rafikov (2019)). This is essentially done by introducing a small, but non-zero, softening length into the calculations, rendering the force between two rings finite -- rather than infinite -- at points of orbit crossings. The N-ring code adopts the softening formalism of Hahn (2003), which stems from accounting for the vertical extent of the interacting rings, and vertically averaging the resulting disturbing function over the disk. The model is fully described in Sefilian et al. (2023); see e.g. Section 2.1 and Section 3 therein. An extensive report on various tests which are used for verifying the performance of the N-ring code is outlined in Appendix A.Given the parameters of the star, the planet, and the disk, the MATLAB script first calculates the matrix A appearing in Equation (16) which encapsulates the mutual gravitational interactions among all considered rings (i.e., disk and planet), and then solves for the time evolution of the eccentricities and longitudes of pericenter of each ring.The default parameters supplied are for the fiducial model considered in the study, namely, model A (i.e., Simulation #24, see Table B1 and Section 2.2), the outcome of which can be found in this repository. To simulate the evolution of other systems, please change the values in the "User-Specific Inputs" section of the MATLAB script. Generally speaking, no modifications should be required outside of the specified section as long as the considered planet-disk system setup is the same as in Sefilian et al. (2023), i.e., a single planet orbiting interior to a debris disk.Please feel free to use the N-ring code for your own purposes. In case the results go into a publication, it would be very much appreciated if you could cite the paper above (Sefilian et al. 2023). Furthermore, I would greatly appreciate your feedback if you come across any issues or have specific requirements. Enjoy simulating self-gravitating (debris) disks!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contact:Antranik A. Sefiliansefilian [dot] antranik [at] gmail [dot] comPersonal webpage--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
URL | https://figshare.com/articles/software/Research_data_and_code_supporting_Formation_of_Gaps_in_Self-g... |
Title | Research data and code supporting "Formation of Gaps in Self-gravitating Debris Disks by Secular Resonance in a Single-planet System. II. Toward a Self-consistent Model" |
Description | The contents of this repository supplement the publication:Sefilian A. A., Rafikov R. R. & Wyatt M. C., 2023, "Formation of Gaps in Self-gravitating Debris Disks by Secular Resonance in a Single-planet System. II. Toward a Self-consistent Model", The Astrophysical Journal, 954, 100 (31pp) [Link]. This repository contains the following items:A copy of the N-ring code (in .m format) developed as part of this work. The code is written in MATLAB.Three video files (in .mp4 format) representing the animated versions of Figures 4, 7, and 8.Dataset (in .mat format) representing the simulation results of Model A (i.e., Simulation #24, see Table B1 and Section 2.2). This can be used to e.g. reproduce Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.The N-ring code, developed as a MATLAB script, can be used to simulate the long-term, secular evolution of self-gravitating particulate disks and their response to external perturbations in general (coplanar) astrophysical setups. This semi-analytic framework is built upon the continuum version of the classical Laplace-Lagrange theory, whereby the disk is modeled as a series of N>>1 massive rings interacting with each other and with (any) external perturbers. Unlike the classical Laplace-Lagrange theory, however, here the ring-ring interaction is softened by spatially smoothing the Newtonian point-mass potential (for more details on this, see Sefilian & Rafikov (2019)). This is essentially done by introducing a small, but non-zero, softening length into the calculations, rendering the force between two rings finite -- rather than infinite -- at points of orbit crossings. The N-ring code adopts the softening formalism of Hahn (2003), which stems from accounting for the vertical extent of the interacting rings, and vertically averaging the resulting disturbing function over the disk. The model is fully described in Sefilian et al. (2023); see e.g. Section 2.1 and Section 3 therein. An extensive report on various tests which are used for verifying the performance of the N-ring code is outlined in Appendix A.Given the parameters of the star, the planet, and the disk, the MATLAB script first calculates the matrix A appearing in Equation (16) which encapsulates the mutual gravitational interactions among all considered rings (i.e., disk and planet), and then solves for the time evolution of the eccentricities and longitudes of pericenter of each ring.The default parameters supplied are for the fiducial model considered in the study, namely, model A (i.e., Simulation #24, see Table B1 and Section 2.2), the outcome of which can be found in this repository. To simulate the evolution of other systems, please change the values in the "User-Specific Inputs" section of the MATLAB script. Generally speaking, no modifications should be required outside of the specified section as long as the considered planet-disk system setup is the same as in Sefilian et al. (2023), i.e., a single planet orbiting interior to a debris disk.Please feel free to use the N-ring code for your own purposes. In case the results go into a publication, it would be very much appreciated if you could cite the paper above (Sefilian et al. 2023). Furthermore, I would greatly appreciate your feedback if you come across any issues or have specific requirements. Enjoy simulating self-gravitating (debris) disks!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contact:Antranik A. Sefiliansefilian [dot] antranik [at] gmail [dot] comPersonal webpage--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
URL | https://figshare.com/articles/software/Research_data_and_code_supporting_Formation_of_Gaps_in_Self-g... |
Description | CUAS Gravitational Waves |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Dr Ulrich Sperhake gave an online talk to the Cambridge University Astronomical Society entitled "The Dawn of a new Era: Exploring the Universe with Gravitational Waves". The target audience was anyone with an interest in astronomy. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://talks.cam.ac.uk/talk/index/154360 |
Description | Einstein: archetypal genius |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Michalis Agathos took part in a "Naked Scientists" podcast on Einstein's legacy. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/naked-reflections/einstein-archetypal-genius |
Description | Queens' Math Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | On 9 March 2022, Ulrich Sperhake gave a talk to the Queens' College Mathematics Society entitled "The dawn of a new era: Exploring the Universe with Gravitational Waves." |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | The Archimedeans |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Ulrich Sperhake gave an outreach talk to the Archimedeans, the Cambridge University Mathematical Society. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | The Big Bang and Black Holes: In Celebration of Stephen Hawking's Birthday |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Two online public outreach lectures about the science of our Universe were delivered on Friday, 8th January 2021 by Professor Sir Roger Penrose, recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics, and Professor Eiichiro Komatsu, Director of the Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Munich. Sir Roger Penrose was one of Stephen Hawking's earliest and most important collaborators, with whom he proved an all-encompassing theorem about how matter collapses to a singularity in both the Big Bang and Black Holes, that is, points in space where mass is seemingly compressed to infinite density and zero volume. Professor Komatsu played a leading role in the NASA WMAP satellite project that mapped the whole cosmic microwave sky for the first time, revealing a blueprint of the primordial seeds that Stephen Hawking had helped predict. Sir Roger and Eiichiro took us on a journey through space and time, looking forward to new insights from future experiments. After the lectures a panel of young experts - postdoctoral fellows and PhD students - remained on the livestream to answer questions from members of the public. The lectures were livestreamed on Cambridge University's YouTube and Facebook channels. They were also livestreamed on the CTC's own YouTube channel (which we set up for the occasion), along with the panel discussion afterwards. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | http://www.ctc.cam.ac.uk/activities/hawking79/ |
Description | Universe Unravelled |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Stephen Hawking Centre for Theoretical Cosmology teamed up with Discovery on a documentary series exploring new windows on our Universe. The Universe Unravelled series premiered on discovery+ in November 2020, coinciding with the UK launch of this new digital platform. It is aimed at anyone who is curious about the Universe we live in, with no previous knowledge of cosmology required. In over 20 short episodes the series explores what we already know about the Universe, what cosmologists are working on right now, and what they hope to find out in the future. Universe Unravelled explores cutting-edge topics in cosmology and extreme gravity in a way that is accessible to everyone. It describes how massive objects warp the fabric of spacetime and how they can collapse under their own gravity to form black holes. It explores how these black holes can send gravitational waves rippling across spacetime, and what happens if you were to fall into a black hole. And it explores the violent explosion that marked the beginning of our Universe, and how the Universe expanded from this initial Big Bang, forming all the structures we observe today - galaxies, stars and planets. Universe Unravelled also probes the mysteries that still puzzle cosmologists, such as dark energy and dark matter. The series features stunning graphics, some produced in collaboration with Intel's Advanced Visualization team. The series features 17 CTC researchers explaining these mind-blowing concepts, together with members of the Kavli Institute of Cosmology, Cambridge. It offers a glimpse of what it's like to work at the cutting edge of cosmology: confronting sophisticated mathematics with observational data, employing some of the world's fastest supercomputers, and even daring to challenge Einstein's highly successful theory in an attempt to explain what has so far defied explanation. Viewers not only learn about the deepest secrets of our Universe, but also find out about the everyday life of students and staff at a world-leading research centre. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.discoveryplus.co.uk/show/universe-unravelled-with-the-stephen-hawking-centre |