PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY COLLOQUIUM

Thursday, March 15, 2007
4:10 p.m.

1415 Biomedical & Physical Sciences Bldg.

Refreshments at 3:30 pm in Rm. 1400 BPS Bldg


Speaker: Young-Kee Kim
         University of Chicago

Title:   E=mc^2 Opening Windows on the World

Abstract:

The profound discovery of Einstein a century ago, that particles can both
be made from energy and disappear back into energy, inspires the
experiments that provide our knowledge of the smallest building blocks of
matter. The experiments, done at enormous accelerators, have led to a
consistent theory of the origins of our world up to a certain point.
However, at an energy scale not far above what we can attain at existing
accelerators, this picture is predicted to break down. Moreover, the
theory of the very small is intimately connected to cosmology -- the
ultimate cause and structure of our universe. Cosmological observations
again point to the need for a new theory in this energy range. In this
colloquium, I will trace out the path from where we are at the Tevatron
and what we need to do to take the next step towards understanding the
nature of space and time. The discovery of new particles will open up
windows on this world.