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研究，重点关注暗物质的天体物理学概念，暗物质不产生光或与光（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，也不知道暗物质大部分在哪里。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，在过去的某个时候，暗物质晕要么从未拥有，要么已经失去了它们的普通物质。该项目包括寻找这些暗星系，并研究观测、模拟、理论和推理的独特结合，使天体物理学家能够做出这样的发现。它将为博士后提供接受最高水平哲学和天体物理学高级培训的独特机会；它的设计是为了让博士后充分参与天文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一项哲学分析的科学研究。希望这种亲密而强烈的互动将推动天体物理学知识的界限，同时展示天体物理学哲学这一新的子学科所固有的独特丰富性。这位博士后将在宾夕法尼亚大学度过三个学期，在卡内基天文台度过一个学期，她将接受训练，使用拉斯坎帕纳斯的麦哲伦望远镜。研究人员将接受本科研究助理的培训和协助，这些助理部分将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的哲学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，重点关注暗物质星系研究中的激动人心的话题，以及公民科学家的重要新角色。这个跨学科项目的重点是通过联合考虑寻找暗物质星系所需的模拟、观测和数据库梳理，以及在搜索过程中提出和阐明的哲学问题，来寻找暗物质星系。中心哲学问题集中在认识论保证的主题上。例如，他们将考虑成像、光谱学、模拟和理论化如何结合起来，以保证对数百万光年外的物体的推断，这些物体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：有什么理由将这些数据导入到发光星系/暗星系的相互作用中？在没有人有意识地观察到目标事件的情况下，得出精确和准确的模拟结论需要考虑哪些因素？

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?