Beyond Leading Order: Using Computation to Constrain Fundamental Physics

该奖项资助助理教授小约翰·T·吉卜林的研究。在凯尼恩学院，宇宙是一个我们可以在极高能量下测试物理的实验室。因此，关于宇宙中高能过程的信息提供了一种理解物质、重力和粒子在这些能量下的相互作用的基本性质的方法。这个奖项将帮助解释我们在宇宙中观察到的信息，并将展示这些观察如何与基本粒子物理理论联系在一起。Giblin教授和他的学生将使用高性能计算来模拟高能物理模型，并使用这些模拟来预测这些模型的观测结果。一旦完成，这项工作将使物理学家能够约束各种不同的模型和参数-结果可能对下一代观测任务的设计产生影响。该奖项还满足了几个更广泛的需求。首先，它为未来三年的本科生提供资金。本科生有意义地参与原创研究对于激励下一代科学家至关重要，也是科学教育的关键部分。此外，该奖项还将资助凯尼恩学院的“周六科学”项目。这个项目每年将吸引200名中学生来到校园，提供对科学的感官介绍。这样的项目是必不可少的，特别是在农村社区，并将帮助年轻学生接触专业科学家。

This award funds the research of Assistant Professor John T. Giblin, Jr. at Kenyon College.The Cosmos is a laboratory in which we can test physics at extremely high energies. As such, information about high-energy processes in the Cosmos provides one way of understanding the fundamental nature of matter, gravity, and the interactions of particles at those energies. This award funds work that will help interpret the information we observe in the Cosmos, and will demonstrate how these observations are tied to theories of fundamental particle physics. Professor Giblin and his students will use high-performance computing to simulate models of high-energy physics, and use these simulations to predict observational consequences of these models. Once completed, this work will enable physicists to constrain a variety of different models and parameters --- results which may have implications for the design of the next generation of observational missions.This award also addresses several broader needs. First, it provides funding for undergraduate students over the next three years. Meaningful undergraduate participation in original research is critical in inspiring the next generation of scientists and a critical part of scientific education. Further, this award will fund a "Saturday Science" program at Kenyon College. This program will bring two hundred middle-school students each year to campus and provide a sensory introduction to science. Such programs are essential, particularly in rural communities, and will help bring young students into contact with professional scientists.