POTUS2010: The Physics of The Universe Summit

US/Pacific
SpaceX Andaz Caltech

SpaceX Andaz Caltech

Description

To accomplish the extraordinary, you must seek extraordinary people. — James Lee Byars
In this two day retreat we hope to bring together the top minds (thinkers and doers) in the fields of the physics of the universe both theoretical and experimental. We want to ask and answer questions like “How much can we understand about the universe, soon?” “What is the role of theory and of experiment in getting there?” “Are there things we may not understand?” and “How much of what we think we know might be wrong?”. The meeting fosters discussion and we are convinced that when the best people talk the outcome is advance and growth. We are hoping we can avoid standard prepared talks, and focus on exciting forefront issues, where there may be differences of opinion, or new results that will provoke wide discussion. The summit is inspired by the onset of the Large Hadron Collider, the recent results by satellite and ground based experiments on dark matter searches, and the vast progress in theory. Also by meetings such as the workshops of the past years at the MCTP, KITP and Perimeter as well as interdisciplinary gatherings of the ASU Origins, the Edge Master-Classes and SciFoo.
SpaceX day contact: Mary Beth Brown @ 310-403-0188
Caltech/Cahill day contact: Mary Cross @ 626-262-3770

 

Participants: Asimina Arvanitaki; Barry Barish; Laura Baudis; Roger Blandford; Adam Bly; Mirko Boezio; Matthew Buckley; Sean Carroll; Daniel Chung; Walter De Logi; Alvaro De Rujula; Savas Dimopoulos; Georgi Dvali; Jesse Dylan; Richard Ellis; Lyn Evans; Lisa Everett; Jonathan Feng; Ted Field; Catherine Field; Martin Flug; Wendy Freedman; Sunil Golwala; Stephen Hawking; Danny Hillis; Lynda Hughes; Marc Kamionkowski; Gordon Kane; Peter Kaufman; Sarah Kennedy Flug; Edward (Rocky) Kolb; Lawrence Krauss; Andrew Lange; David Lee; Britta Lindgren; Joseph Lykken; Konstantin Matchev; Bob McKeown; Simona Murgia; Elon Musk; Harvey Newman; Hirosi Ooguri; Jennifer Ouellette; Dennis Overbye; Larry Page; Piergiorio Picozza; Aaron Pierce; Maurizio Pierini; David Politzer; John Preskill; Nick Pritzker; Susan Pritzker; Lisa Randall; Talulah Riley; Christopher Rogan; David Saltzberg; Kevin Savage; John Schwarz; Lucy Southworth Page; Maria Spiropulu; Alexa Staley; Tim Tait; Kip Thorne; Dennis Tito; Elizabeth Tito; Thomas Tombrello; Michael Turner; Liantao Wang; Neal Weiner; Mark Wise; Kathryn Zurek

Andaz West Hollywood
Caltech Campus Map /Cahill (building 17)
Essay by Dennis Overbye
pictures
SpaceX (maps-directions)
    • 18:00 21:00
      Pritzker Cocktail Reception/Dinner STUDIO 4 - mezzanine level (private dinning room) (Andaz West Hollywood)

      STUDIO 4 - mezzanine level (private dinning room)

      Andaz West Hollywood

      Sponsored by Susan and Nick Pritzker

    • 07:30 08:30
      Group Breakfast@Andaz Mezzanine Hall (Andaz West Hollywood)

      Mezzanine Hall

      Andaz West Hollywood

    • 08:30 09:15
      Buses to SpaceX Foyer (Andaz West Hollywood)

      Foyer

      Andaz West Hollywood

    • 09:30 12:00
      Duels: The Big Picture von Braun conference room (SpaceX)

      von Braun conference room

      SpaceX

      1 Rocket Rd, Hawthorne 90250 -[ alt street address 12301 Crenshaw, close to LAX ]

      For the “big picture duels” we are envisioning hearing the dueler's “universe view”. The idea here is to unbundle the thinking and then wrap it up into a picture that could be the full or partial solution to the big questions we want to discuss/address. We envision a focus on the data available and an expose of the knowledge gaps, as well as suggestions on how to fill them or take them into account, extrapolations from historical data, intuitive thinking and gut reactions. We expect to discuss what we should be cautious about, what are the contingency paths towards answering the questions and where/if we are under-prepared for each dueler's worldview. We expected the duelers and the panel be creative and get out on a limb all the way to being preposterous as the views are developed and argued. We expect any or all of the above. The round table discussion provoked by your universe-view will follow starting with comments and questions from the panel.

      • 09:30
        Duel 1 30m
        Speaker: Lisa Randall
      • 10:10
        Duel 2 30m
        Speaker: Savas Dimopoulos
      • 10:50
        Duel 3 30m
        Speaker: Gordy Kane
      • 11:30
        Duel 4 30m
        Speaker: Gia Dvali
    • 12:15 14:00
      Discussion/Lunch Break @SpaceX SpaceX

      SpaceX

    • 14:00 15:00
      Panel/RoundTable on Duels and responses from duelers von Braun conference room (SpaceX)

      von Braun conference room

      SpaceX

      Panel Moderator: Wendy Freedman

    • 15:00 15:30
      Discussion/Coffee Break SpaceX

      SpaceX

    • 15:30 17:30
      DM experiments (and a challenge) von Braun conference room (SpaceX)

      von Braun conference room

      SpaceX

      • 15:30
        CDMS 20m
        Speaker: Sunil Golwala
      • 15:55
        XENON 20m
        Speaker: Laura Baudis
      • 16:20
        PAMELA 20m
        Speaker: Mirko Boezio
      • 16:45
        FERMI 20m
        Speaker: Simona Murgia
      • 17:10
        A challenge 20m
        Speaker: Rocky Kolb
    • 17:45 18:45
      SpaceX tour (Elon Musk) SpaceX

      SpaceX

    • 18:45 19:30
      Buses to Andaz
    • 20:00 22:30
      Flug Summit Dinner Panorama (Rooftop Terrace) (Andaz)

      Panorama (Rooftop Terrace)

      Andaz

      sponsored by Sarah and Martin Flug

      • 21:45
        Challenge responses (dessert time) 45m
    • 07:30 08:30
      Group Breakfast@Andaz Mezzanine Hall (Andaz West Hollywood)

      Mezzanine Hall

      Andaz West Hollywood

    • 08:30 09:15
      Buses to Cahill/Caltech
    • 09:30 11:00
      Deconstruction:What we think we know, but maybe we donʼt really Hameetman Auditorium (Caltech/Cahill Center)

      Hameetman Auditorium

      Caltech/Cahill Center

      • 09:30
        Dark Matters 25m
        Speaker: Aaron Pierce
      • 10:00
        The Universe cosmo-history(ies) 25m
        Speaker: Dan Chung
      • 10:30
        LHC data interpretation(s) 25m
        Speaker: Lian-Tao Wang
    • 11:00 11:30
      Discussion/Coffee Break Library/Patio

      Library/Patio

      SpaceX Andaz Caltech

    • 11:30 12:15
      Panel/round table discussion and responses Hameetman Auditorium (Caltech/Cahill Center)

      Hameetman Auditorium

      Caltech/Cahill Center

      Panel Moderator: Roger Blandford

    • 12:15 14:00
      Lunch Break Library/Patio

      Library/Patio

      SpaceX Andaz Caltech

    • 14:00 15:45
      Diatribes and Polemics Hameetman Auditorium (Caltech/Cahill Center)

      Hameetman Auditorium

      Caltech/Cahill Center

      The diatribes session is comprised of short unconventional talks. Instead of only summarizing your latest paper, we would like you to emphasize what you think needs to be achieved in the next years, what are the arch-nemesis difficulties so far in your research, problems that the community may be ignoring, or describe some difficult issue that you want to wrap your & our minds around in the context of your current work.

      • 14:00
        Asimina Arvanitaki 10m
      • 14:15
        Maurizio Pierini 10m
      • 14:30
        Matthew Buckley 10m
      • 14:45
        Konstantin Matchev 10m
      • 15:00
        David Saltzberg 10m
      • 15:15
        Kathryn Zurek 10m
      • 15:30
        Chris Rogan 10m
    • 15:45 16:15
      Discussion/Coffee Break Library/Patio (Caltech/Cahill Center)

      Library/Patio

      Caltech/Cahill Center

    • 16:30 18:00
      Three Closing Summaries Hameetman Auditorium (Caltech/Cahill Center)

      Hameetman Auditorium

      Caltech/Cahill Center

      • 16:30
        Neal Weiner 20m
      • 17:00
        Sean Carroll 20m
      • 17:30
        Mark Wise 20m
    • 18:05 18:40
      The LHC and its first collisions
      • 18:05
        Lyn Evans 20m
      • 18:25
        Maria Spiropulu 15m
    • 18:45 20:15
      Premiere of Jesse Dylan's LHC short film and Cocktail Reception Hammetman Auditorium/Lobby/Library/Patio (Caltech/Cahill Center)

      Hammetman Auditorium/Lobby/Library/Patio

      Caltech/Cahill Center

    • 20:30 21:15
      Buses to Andaz