$4M grant from the John Templeton Foundation funds a brand new frontier in cosmology

Only about 5% of the universe consists of particles and forces effectively understood by trendy physics. The relaxation stays a puzzle — one which includes darkish matter, an invisible substance that shapes galaxies and cosmic constructions, in addition to ubiquitous however poorly understood particles referred to as neutrinos, which have been produced moments after the Big Bang.

With a $4 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation, a workforce of students from USC,  the University of California, Riverside, and the Carnegie Science Observatories will set up a analysis hub to higher perceive these mysterious elements of the cosmos. 

The new Lyman-Alpha forest Research Collaboration (LARC) will  develop cutting-edge pc fashions to simulate the delivery of construction within the universe, testing totally different theories about how galaxies type. Comparing these computer-grown fashions of the universe to observations of the actual factor will assist reveal quantum properties of the universe’s hidden constituents, together with darkish matter and neutrino particles. 

Vera Gluscevic, affiliate professor of physics and astronomy on the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, will function the collaboration lead with Simeon Bird, affiliate professor of astrophysics at UC Riverside, as co-lead. 

“At its core, LARC is designed to pursue the deepest questions about our universe and the essence of human knowledge: What is the fundamental nature of matter? What forces shape physical reality? What is the meaning of ‘discovery’ when AI and simulation guide the pursuit of truth?” says Gluscevic. 

Bird says the collaboration assembles a uniquely certified group of students to deal with these questions. “The most exciting part is the team, experts in a vast range of disciplines, including theoretical and observational astrophysics, philosophy, computer science, and even interactive data visualization” he says. “I am especially excited to work with computer scientists to make better simulations of the Universe, which will help us understand where it comes from and what it’s made of.”

To boldly go…

Among the primary targets of the LARC workforce is to make use of pioneering observations of hydrogen gasoline in house, created by workers scientists Drew Newman and Gwen Rudie at Carnegie Observatories, to hint darkish matter. “Thanks to new observations with large telescopes, we can now map the three-dimensional structure of intergalactic gas. With the LARC team, we’ll create new ways to use these exciting maps to learn about the hidden universe,” stated Newman. 

LARC additionally consists of pc scientists Aiichiro Nakano, professor of pc science, physics and astronomy, and quantitative and computational biology at USC Dornsife and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and Christian Shelton, professor of pc science and engineering at UC Riverside. Both use synthetic intelligence strategies to acknowledge helpful patterns in pc simulations, and velocity them up. This allows astrophysicists to check simulations to actual knowledge collected by telescopes and house missions. 

In doing so, they increase an essential philosophical query, one which the group additionally plans to deal with. 

Historically, scientific understanding meant formulating theories easy sufficient to be grasped and defined by people. Now, the sheer quantity and complexity of astronomical knowledge problem this conventional strategy, as many insights come from computer-generated fashions past direct human instinct. What does it imply to “understand” the universe when our data comes from computer-generated fashions?

To dig into this conundrum, a workforce of philosophers, led by Dmitri Gallow, affiliate professor of philosophy, will study how  new scientific strategies comparable to these could change our understanding of how we produce scientific conclusions  and generate data.  

“Using AI to understand a system as complex as the universe poses significant rewards — but also significant risks,” Gallow says. “We need to think carefully about how to responsibly learn from AI.” 

The artwork of science

The public will get an opportunity to attempt their hand at this cosmic exploration, as effectively. Martzi Campos, assistant professor of cinematic arts, and sport lab analysis affiliate Sean Bouchard, each with the USC School of Cinematic Arts, will produce a 3D interactive visible, which will probably be displayed within the Visualization Lab on the Carnegie Observatories campus, in addition to academic video games for the general public utilizing the hub’s work as inspiration. 

The extensive scope of this venture is consistent with the ambitions of John Templeton himself, a maverick investor who launched the muse with the intention of funding advances in scientific discovery and provoking awe and marvel for the universe.

“Understanding the fundamental nature of dark matter and neutrino particles would present a seismic advance in science, likely opening whole new directions of research in particle physics and cosmology,” Gluscevic says. “And, if we can help redefine the formal process of  ‘discovery’ in the era of  AI and computer simulation, we may enable future research to proceed on firmer ground and at greater speed than ever.”