Cosmology -- the study of the origin and structure of the universe -- is the topic of the next "Tuesday Night Lecture Series," presented by Syracuse University's physics department, on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Alumni Professor of Physics Mark Trodden will give a presentation titled "Modern Cosmology and the Building Blocks of the Universe" at 7 p.m. in Stolkin Auditorium on the SU campus. The event is free and open to the public.
In the first half of his presentation, Trodden will provide a brief overview of cosmology, focusing on a series of recent groundbreaking experiments. "These experiments provide evidence that the universe is composed of roughly four percent `ordinary matter' -- the stuff of the Periodic Table; 26 percent `dark matter,' whose nature is mostly unknown; and 70 percent `dark energy,' which is completely unknown," he says. In the second half, Trodden will address questions and issues facing modern-day cosmologists.
Trodden's research concerns the interplay between gravity and particle physics in the very early universe -- in particular, cosmological implications of quantum field theories, general relativity and superstring theories. "The challenge of modern cosmology is using these seemingly different aspects of physics to explain how a young, hot, small universe became the old, cold, huge cosmos we see today," he says. Trodden is also among a growing group of researchers at SU involved in a new interdisciplinary initiative exploring cosmology through a variety of "messengers," including electromagnetic waves, cosmic rays and gravitational waves.
The "Tuesday Night Lecture Series" is free and open to the public. Discounted parking is available to non-SU students and employees for $3.25 in the Irving Garage, off of Stadium Place. For more information, call (315) 443-3901 or
visit http://www.phy.syr.edu/TuesdayNight/index.html. The physics department is an academic unit of The College of Arts and Sciences at SU.
