THE 80TH COMPTON LECTURE SERIES

Every Saturday morning beginning October 4, through December 13, 2014; lectures start at 11:00 a.m. (No lecture on November 29th [Thanksgiving Weekend] or December 6th ["Physics with a Bang"])

Lecturer: Tim Linden, Kavli Postdoctoral Scholar 
Topic: "Shining Light on the Dark Side of the Universe"

Kersten Physics Teaching Center
5720 S. Ellis Avenue, Room 106
Chicago, IL 60637

Everything you see around you – the chair you are sitting on, the grass beneath your feet, and the air you breathe – has a common feature.  These objects emit and absorb light. This feature enables us to see, hear, touch, taste and smell the world around us. However, astronomers have discovered over the last 40 years that most of the "stuff" in the universe does not actually interact with light! An astounding 95% of the universe's matter and energy takes an invisible form that cannot be explained by any of the currently known particles. Now, the hunt is on to uncover the nature of these novel substances, aptly named "dark matter" and "dark energy".

In these lectures Dr. Linden will describe the cutting edge research which aims to understand the nature of dark matter and dark energy. This exciting field spans from observatories placed deep under the ice at the South Pole, to particle detectors on board the International Space Station, to simulations running on some of the world's largest supercomputers.  Revealing the dark side of the universe will reshape our understanding of both the history and future of the universe, as well as our place within it. The lectures require no mathematical or scientific background; just bring your curiosity.