UC Irvine Center for Cosmology

Prof. James Bullock appointed to chair users committee for James Webb Space Telescope

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UC Irvine astronomer and cosmologist Prof. James Bullock was appointed chair of the James Webb Space Telescope users committee. The group, which includes 10 to 14 American, European and Canadian scientists, was established to ensure that the observatory is operated in such a way as to maximize its scientific performance. The JWST, successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, is scheduled to launch in late 2018. From its position in outer space, more than a million miles from Earth, the telescope will study exoplanets in the Milky Way and the earliest stars and galaxies in the universe in infrared and visible light wavelengths. “We expect to achieve some amazing scientific breakthroughs with Webb,” said Bullock, professor of physics & astronomy. “But it’s important that we coordinate our efforts as astronomers here on Earth so that we’re using this valuable tool in the most effective way possible.” The users committee will convene twice a year, with the first meeting at Baltimore’s Space Telescope Science Institute in mid-September.

Via UCI News.

Center for Cosmology Particle Physicist’s Guide to the Biggest Mysteries in the Universe Published

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A hilarious and helpful guide to the biggest mysteries in the Universe. PHD Comics creator Jorge Cham and UC Irvine particle physicist Daniel Whiteson team up to explain everything we don’t know about the Universe, from Cosmic Rays and Dark Matter to time travel and the Big Bang.

Filled with their popular infographics, cartoons, and clear and entertaining explanations, this book is perfect for anyone who’s curious about science and all the big questions we still haven’t answered.
Visit the URL below for details:

UC Irvine Particle Physicists Find Evidence for Fifth Force of Nature

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UC Irvine physicists have released a paper on the possible discovery of a 5th fundamental force of nature.
The group includes UCI professors Jonathan Feng and Tim Tait, UCI postdoctoral researchers Bart Fornal, Iftah Galon, and Flip Tanedo, UCI graduate student Jordan  Smolinsky, and Susan Gardner, a University of Kentucky professor visiting UCI on sabbatical this year.
There are 4 known forces: electromagnetism, weak, strong, and gravity.  These are mediated by force carrier particles, like the photon for electromagnetism.
Last year, a group of Hungarian nuclear physicists saw some puzzling anomalies in their experimental data.  They postulated that it could be the sign of a new particle, but few people knew what to make of it, and it was largely ignored.
On April 25, the UCI research group released a paper showing that the experimental data provided evidence for a new force carrier particle, which would imply a 5th force.  Four days later, these results were presented at a gathering of the world’s experts on this subject at a meeting at Stanford to standing-room-only audiences.  It has now gained much attention, with numerous experiments being proposed to check the Hungarian experimental result.  If confirmed, the discovery would revolutionize our understanding of the Universe, with consequences for the unification of forces and dark matter.
Original Story:

http://www.nature.com/news/has-a-hungarian-physics-lab-found-a-fifth-for…

Bright light may not be dark matter’s smoking gun after all | New Scientist features UCI Center for Cosmology work

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New Scientist magazine features work led by graduate student Ryan Keeley that shows strong tension between dark matter interpretations of the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess and dwarf galaxy limits on dark matter annihilation from the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope.

  • arXiv preprint available here.
  • New Scientist article available here.