Observing the Invisible: A Collaborative Investigation between Astrophysicists and Philosophers

该项目是天体物理学家和科学哲学家之间的合作调查，重点是暗物质的天体物理概念，它不产生光或与光（或更广泛地说，电磁辐射）相互作用。天体物理学家认为，宇宙的25%是由暗物质组成的，但他们不知道暗物质是什么，也不知道大部分暗物质存在于哪里。这个项目的指导性经验假设是，一些暗物质存在于暗星系中;也就是说，在暗物质晕中，它们要么从未拥有过普通物质，要么在过去的某个时候失去了普通物质。该项目涉及寻找这些暗星系，并研究观测，模拟，理论和推理的独特组合，使天体物理学家能够做出这样的发现。它将为博士后研究员提供一个独特的机会，接受最高水平的哲学和天体物理学高级培训;它旨在使博士后研究员充分参与望远镜和计算机的天体物理学工作。此外，天体物理学家将参与科学研究的哲学分析。希望这种亲密而激烈的互动将推动天体物理学知识的边界，同时展示新的子学科天体物理学哲学所固有的独特丰富性。博士后将在宾夕法尼亚大学度过三个学期，一个学期在卡内基天文台，她将接受培训，使用拉斯坎帕纳斯的麦哲伦望远镜。研究人员将接受本科生研究助理的培训和协助，这些助理将部分从针对代表性不足群体的学生的项目中招募。该项目的研究人员将就天体物理学哲学的主题进行四次公开讲座。此外，博士后将开发一个K-12外展工具包，专注于暗物质星系研究中令人兴奋的主题和公民科学家的重要新角色。技术摘要这个跨学科项目的重点是寻找暗物质星系，通过将寻找它们所需的模拟，观测和数据库梳理结合起来，以及搜索所提出和阐明的哲学问题。哲学的中心问题集中在认识根据这一主题上。例如，他们将考虑成像，光谱学，模拟和理论联合收割机如何结合，以保证对数百万光年之外的物体的推断，并且在所有已知频率下本质上是不可见的。另一个例子是使用暗物质-星系/发光物质-星系相互作用的模拟来确定它们的行为。这将提供一个机会来研究理论进入模拟构建的精确方式，以及理论在多大程度上决定了模拟参数的值。哲学问题包括：是什么保证了将这些数据导入亮/暗星系的相互作用？考虑到没有人在知情的情况下观察到目标事件，得出结论的模拟是精确和准确的？

General Audience Summary This project is a collaborative investigation between astrophysicists and philosophers of science that focuses on the astrophysical notion of dark matter, which does not produce or interact with light (or, more broadly, electromagnetic radiation). Astrophysicists believe that twenty-five percent of the universe is composed of dark matter, but they don't know what dark matter is or where most of it resides. The guiding empirical hypothesis of this project is that some dark matter resides in dark galaxies; that is to say, in dark matter halos that either never possessed or have lost their ordinary matter at some time in the past. The project involves searching for these dark galaxies and studying the unique blend of observation, simulation, theory, and reasoning that allows astrophysicists to make such a discovery. It will provide a unique opportunity for a postdoctoral fellow to receive advanced training in philosophy and astrophysics at the highest levels; it is designed to fully engage the post-doctoral fellow in astrophysical work at the telescopes and with computers. In addition, astrophysicists will participate in a philosophical analysis of the scientific study. It is hoped that this intimate and intense interaction will push the boundaries of knowledge in astrophysics and at the same time demonstrate the unique richness inherent in a new sub-discipline, philosophy of astrophysics. The postdoc will spend three terms at the University of Pennsylvania, one term at the Carnegie Observatories, and she will be trained to use the Magellan telescopes at Las Campanas. The researchers will train and be assisted by undergraduate research assistants, who are to be recruited in part from programs targeting students from under-represented groups. Researchers on the project will give four public lectures on topics in the philosophy of astrophysics. In addition, the postdoc will develop a K-12 outreach kit that focuses on exciting topics in dark matter galaxy research and important new roles for citizen scientists.Technical Summary This interdisciplinary project focuses on the search for dark matter galaxies by bringing into joint consideration the simulations, observations, and database-combing required to find them, and the philosophical issues raised and illuminated by the search. The central philosophical issues are focused on the theme of epistemic warrant. For example, they will consider how imaging, spectroscopy, simulation, and theorizing combine to warrant inferences about objects that are millions of light-years away and are intrinsically invisible at all known frequencies. Another example is the use of simulations of dark-matter-galaxy/luminous-matter-galaxy interactions to determine their behavior. This will provide an opportunity to study the precise ways that theory enters into the construction of simulations, and how much theory determines values for simulation parameters. Philosophical questions include: What warrants importing these data into the luminous/dark-galaxy interactions? What considerations go into concluding simulations are precise and accurate, given that no one has ever knowingly observed the target event?