Splash Biography

The nature of dark matter still remains a remarkable open question almost a hundred years after its first discovery in our Universe. Its history reveals a tale that has evolved from astrophysics into the realm of particle and fundamental physics, with surges of theories and experiments being proposed to answer this question. Yet, the enigma of dark matter remains outstanding. Beginning with the humble first astronomical observations of dark matter, this class will then proceed to give both a theoretical and observational treatment of what the dark matter question is, how it bridges both astrophysics (galaxies? clusters? black holes?) and particle physics (axions? WIMPS? other hypothetical particles?), and where we stand on the dark matter problem today.

In this session we will take a whirlwind journey through analyzing the structure of our universe through the lens of relativity. The theory of relativity, in its special and general forms, remains a remarkable milestone in human scientific achievement. Demanding a revolutionary, and often unintuitive, way to think about space, time, and our universe, relativity manifests as an extremely elegant geometric theory which can be linked to a variety of physical phenomena, including muon decay, gravitational lensing, black holes, and cosmology, the last of which we will explore extensively. Beginning with electromagnetism and the origins of special relativity, this class will then proceed to give both a qualitative and quantitative treatment of the theory of general relativity and all of its glorious implications, triumphs, and remaining mysteries -- from the beginning of our universe to its (theorized) lonely end.

Often introduced for purely mundane equation-solving purposes, most people are familiar with some sense of 'algebra.' However, algebra -- in its many forms -- is an incredibly diverse topic whose influence and impact is often underappreciated. In this session, we want to show that analyzing this more abstracted idea of 'algebra' leads to some of the most useful and insightful mathematical and physical objects we have today. This whirlwind tour will guide learners through the foundations of modern algebra, the rigorous study of group theory, algebraic geometry, and representation theory, as well as the essential use of these ideas in physics, namely quantum mechanics and theoretical particle physics.

Often relegated to a secondary role in the standard mathematics curriculum, complex numbers are usually unfortunately presented as a contrived abstraction used to solve certain equations. In this session, we want to show that, ironically, these 'imaginary' entities are some of the most useful and insightful mathematical and physical (!) objects we have today. This whirlwind tour will guide learners through the motivations of complex numbers, the rigorous (and magical) field of complex analysis, as well as the essential use of these ideas in physics, namely quantum mechanics and theoretical particle physics.

The theory of relativity, in its special and general forms, remains a remarkable milestone in human scientific achievement. Demanding a revolutionary, and often unintuitive, way to think about space, time, and our universe, relativity manifests as an extremely elegant geometric theory which can be linked to a variety of physical phenomena, including muon decay, gravitational lensing, and black holes. Beginning with electromagnetism and the origins of special relativity, this class will then proceed to give both a qualitative and quantitative treatment of the theory of general relativity and all of its glorious implications, triumphs, and remaining mysteries.