CAREER: Discovering the Microphysics of Dark Matter with Cosmology

这笔职业补助金资助了南加州大学(USC)教授Vera Gluscevic的研究活动。Gluscevic教授的研究重点是使宇宙学暗物质的发现成为可能。暗物质占宇宙物质的85%，因此支配着星系的演化和动力学。然而，它不能用任何已知的粒子或力来解释。Gluscevic教授将把现有的经验证据-特别是在小尺度和大尺度上对宇宙的观测-与基本理论和新颖的计算方法相结合，以确定支配暗物质的力并揭示其起源。该计划中产生的知识将通过促进基础科学的进步以及通过产生对物质和物理现实本身的新理解来促进国家利益。该计划还将直接为天文学和物理学领域中代表性不足的少数族裔创造研究机会，并涉及培训8名初级学者，其中包括5名全国黑人物理学家协会的本科生成员。他们的培训将包括对拟议的研究做出贡献，并强调计算和数据分析，为他们在研究领域的职业生涯做好准备。Gluscevic教授还将通过南加州大学一门关于编程和数据素养的新课程，帮助促进学生留住学生，并增强物理专业学生的归属感。相关活动将为互动和包容的物理课堂创造一个蓝图，并有助于使STEM的劳动力多样化。更严格地说，该项目旨在实现快速预测暗物质对银河系亚结构影响的新方法。它还将开始首次探索暗物质相互作用下的宇宙学一致性。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This CAREER grant funds the research activities of Professor Vera Gluscevic at the University of Southern California (USC).The research of Professor Gluscevic focuses on enabling the discovery of cosmological dark matter. Dark matter comprises 85 percent of the matter in the universe, and thereby governs the evolution and dynamics of galaxies. However, it cannot be explained by any known particles or forces. Professor Gluscevic will combine the available empirical evidence --- in particular, observations of the universe on both small and large scales --- with fundamental theory and novel computational methods, in order to identify the forces that govern the dark matter and uncover its origins. The knowledge generated in this program will advance the national interest by promoting the progress of fundamental science and by generating a novel understanding of matter and physical reality itself. This program will also directly create research opportunities for underrepresented minorities in astronomy and physics and involve training of 8 junior scholars, including 5 undergraduate members of the National Society of Black Physicists. Their training will involve contributions to the proposed research and emphasize computation and data analysis, preparing them for careers in research. Professor Gluscevic will also help to promote student retention and bolster the sense of belonging for physics majors, through a new course on programming and data literacy at USC. The associated activities will create a blueprint for an interactive and inclusive physics classroom and help to diversify the workforce in STEM.More technically, this project aims to enable new methods for fast prediction of dark matter effects on galactic substructure. It will also begin the first exploration of cosmological concordance in light of dark matter interactions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.