Why Support Big Science Do we get our moneys worth

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Why Support Big Science Do we get our
moneys worth?
Paul Grannis Worlds of Physics Dec. 13, 2002

• Scientific projects in Physics, Chemistry,
  Astronomy, Biology are increasingly becoming
  large in number of participants, and in
• Why should we as members of the tax-paying
  public agree to support these large ventures?

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The science enterprise
Can divide scientific RD into three broad
categories Development (taking known principles
and converting them into products or services)
e.g. Develop protection for missile guidance
systems against strong bursts of electromagnetic
radiation Applied research (developing new
knowledge with the aim of making new applications
possible) e.g. Develop new superconducting
circuits that could provide replacements for
silicon-based computers Basic research
(exploring fundamental questions without a clear
goal of applications) e.g. Study whether the
Universe will expand forever
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National RD expenditures, by source of funds and
character of work 2000
The pattern of support for the different sectors
varies widely
U.S. RD expenditures,by character of work 2000
In this talk, we are asking about the support for
basic research, largely funded by government (us
!)
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The character of basic big science
It addresses big questions for example
What makes up the universe? How did it start,
what is the matter and energy in it? Why is
it the way it is now?
Element formation in stars
Fundamental particle forces shape the future
universe
Element formation in stars
The big bang
Dark matter shapes the galaxies
Laboratory particle physics and cosmology let us
look back to the big bang
Forming Earth-like planets
Chemistry of life
Each of these steps involves several big science
projects at accelerators, at giant telescopes,
or in space
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The timeline of the universe
Break the unified force into its components
Quarks gluons freeze into protons and neutrons
Subatomic particle forces control evolution era
of particle cosmology
Electron/photon plasma era
Protons and electrons freeze into atoms
remaining photons go free to become cosmic
microwave background
Particle physics, cosmology and astronomy are
intertwined in determining the structure of the
universe
Gravity controls evolution era of Astronomy
Galaxies, stars, planets form
We are here, looking back with our accelerators
and telescopes
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Cosmic microwave background
Boomerang balloon flight -- Antarctica
Photons left when electrons and protons combined
into atoms reveal universe at 300,000 yrs. The
small lumpiness at that time shows up as small
variations in temperature on the sky now
patches of few mK variations on the 2.7 K cosmic
microwave background observed in satellites and
balloons.
Stars contribute only 0.5 of necessary matter
for a flat universe. Interstellar gas gives
another 5. Rotations of galaxies reveal dark
matter stuff that does not shine with another
25 of mass, so still something missing!
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Supernova Project
Scan the sky at new moon and 3 weeks later to
find new supernovae in distant galaxies. Direct
Hubble other telescopes to measure the maximum
brightness (Standard Candle) and infer the
distance the red shift tells us the velocity.
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Particle physics experiments reveal the Laws that
shaped the Universe
Recent large experiments at accelerators have
told us what the particles of matter are and how
the fundamental forces between them work.
The Electric and Magnetic forces were unified by
Maxwell (1865). In 1983, the Weak Nuclear Force
(involved in radioactive decay and making the sun
shine) was unified with the Electromagnetic force
? Electroweak Force. Each works by exchanging
bosons the massless photon for the EM and the
very heavy W and Z bosons for the weak rather
like two hockey players exerting a force at a
distance by exhanging the puck.
Atomic binding
e
e
g
Au
Au
The Strong Nuclear Force, holding the atomic
nucleus together is due to exchange of bosons
called gluons between the quarks. All these
exchange bosons have one unit of spin. So
Strong, Weak and EM forces have similar
characteristics. Could they be unified?
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Is there unification of forces?
Unification means that at some energy scale, the
forces have the same strength and merge into one.
Our present theory does not quite allow
unification of Strong Nuclear force, EM and Weak.
But if there were a new ingredient
Supersymmetry unification would work! (Susy
provides a partner for all known particles,
e.g. a spin zero partner of the spin ½ electron.)
Present theory (standard model)
gs give strength of Strong, EM and Weak forces
g3
g2
g1
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What are the building blocks of matter?
Big accelerator experiments show us 6 quarks 6
leptons that make up all matter. The masses of
quarks range from 1 MeV (up quark) to 174,000
MeV (top quark) mass of Au nucleus ! Why such
disparity?
The u, d quarks and the electron and electron
neutrino are all we need to explain everyday
matter. For example, the proton is 2 u and 1 d
quarks. But the c, s, b and t quarks are
necessary to make a surplus of matter in the
universe allowing stars, planets and us to
exist! So they are necessary too.
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Why do particles have mass?

• Why are the g, W and Z masses so different?
  (massless g , mass of W and Z 100 proton
  masses).
• Why is the top quark 200,000 times as heavy as
  the up quark but is otherwise identical?
• And why do they have mass at all ??

Experiments suggest that the Higgs boson is
responsible the Higgs field permeates all space
and provides a viscous drag proportional to mass
on moving particles and slows them (so more
massive particles tend to move more slowly).
The Higgs field may influence the early
inflation of the universe that gives the
structure fluctuations we see in cosmic microwave
background.
Higgs boson mass is expected to be 120 proton
masses. But it is very hard to keep it from
growing to be huge! (Supersymmetry would provide
the necessary stabilization.)
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Find the Higgs boson and determine its character
The W Z boson properties studied at CERN and
Fermilab, and the top quark discovered by CDF and
DØ experiments at Fermilab predict the Higgs
boson mass (in the context of the standard
model). CERN experiments set mass limit gt113
GeV. The most likely location is in the region
already ruled out! But if there were
supersymmetry the measurements would be more
consistent. The current round of experiments at
Fermilab could find the Higgs and see evidence
for supersymmetry. LHC at CERN will surely
discover.
Measurements of top quark and W boson mass, with
experimental errors

Region consistent with present standard theory
for the Higgs boson between 113 GeV and 1000 GeV.
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Synthesis of cosmology and particle experiments
tell us much about the universe
The quarks and leptons and the forces among them
dictate the evolution of the early universe.
supernovae
Matter makes up only 30 of the total sum of
energy matter. 80 of the matter is Dark
Matter. Accelerator experiments should be able
to find it (the lightest supersymmetric particle
is a good candidate).
CMB
The remaining 70 is pushing the universe apart
it is unseen and a huge puzzle. Need clues from
cosmology and particle physics. Accelerator
searches for extra dimensions could be key.
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Some characteristics of big science DØ
Experiment at Fermilab
CDF
DØ
2 km
Fermilab accelerator complex 4 miles around
built in stages since 1972 with total cost
1B Accelerates protons and antiprotons to 1000
GeV in counter-rotating directions. Collisions
at CDF and DØ also n beams, fixed target
experiments.
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Some characteristics of big science
Large groups Many scientists
in the team -- each with particular parts of the
project and the scientific analyses. About 600
now in DØ.
Long times DØ began in 1983 First run 1992
1996 Major upgrades to accelerator and detectors
1996 2001 2nd run 2001 2008?
Cost of detectors about 20K/person/year or
6.5 per lb (cost of good steak)
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Some characteristics of big science
World-wide collaborations DØ collaboration
institutes from Argentina, Brazil, China,
Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France,
Germany, India, Korea, the Netherlands, Poland,
Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, Vietnam and
United States
participating intitutions


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Physical Review Letters Abbott to Zylberstejn
Some characteristics of big science
Huge author lists One experiment produces many
different scientific results for DØ, now about
125 papers. About 0.02 papers per person per year
very similar to earlier smaller scale
experiments in the field About 150 PhDs
generated by DØ so far about 200 postdoctoral
fellows trained
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More big projects for the future
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The main answers to Why support?

• We want to understand how our world works.
• Train the young minds that our society demands in
  a technological age.
• Develop bridges across cultures and nations to
  foster a more understanding and interconnected
  world.
• Develop the new technologies and ideas that will
  enter the mainstream of society and transform the
  way we live.

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1. Understand how the world works
Ever since the dawn of civilization, people
have not been content to see events as
unconnected and inexplicable. They have craved
an understanding of the underlying order in the
world. Today we still yearn to know why we are
here and where we came from. Humanitys deepest
desire for knowledge is justification enough for
our continuing quest. And our goal is nothing
less than a complete description of the universe
we live in. Stephen Hawking
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1. Understand how the world works

• The big questions do attract us as scientists
  and I think also as members of the society As
  humans, we are programmed to be curious about our
  world. Looking at the themes of the poets,
  musicians and artists over the millennia shows
  that we all want to understand our place in the
  universe.
• How is the human genome constructed?
  (Can we understand the
  blueprint for life? What dictates the shapes of
  the proteins of the genome?)
• How is the complex structure of materials built
  from such simple underlying principles?
  (crystals, molecules made of atoms
  atoms are electrons and nucleus nuclei from
  protons and neutrons protons/neutrons from
  quarks)
• Where did the Big Bang come from? How did it
  dictate the universe we see today?
  
  (quark gluon plasma, unification of forces,
  inflation, origin of matter- antimatter asymmetry
  )

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2. Train young minds
Basic science serves as a powerful magnet that
attracts inquisitive and unusually capable
people. Such people may be dreamers, but they
are also driven to find practical techniques to
investigate the objects of their fascination.
The quest to understand some basic aspect of
nature often results in the creation of new
practical and conceptual tools that didnt exist
before the dreamer began investigating the
problem.
Some of the students at the time of the DØ top
quark discovery
The investigators themselves may be indifferent
to the applications of their tools beyond their
own purposes, and sometimes are not well equipped
to explain what these tools might mean beyond
their narrow spheres of application, but their
legacy can be tremendous.
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2. Train young minds

• In particle physics, about one half of the
  freshly minted PhDs stay in the field as
  postdoctoral research associates.
• After one or two terms of a postdoc, about one
  half of these take academic or basic science
  research positions in national labs.
• Where do the remaining 3/4 of the PhD graduates
  go?
• To technical industrial positions information
  technology, communications industry, biophysics
  applications, medical instrumentation etc.
• To the financial industry
• To government as analysts, policy experts etc.

Society is directly enriched by this pool of
young people who can tackle a problem for which
no previous solution existed, who have a strong
set of technical tools, and who can work in teams
effectively computing, electronics, large
data-set management, etc.
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3. Strengthen international ties
Basic science is intrinsically international.
There is a strong tradition that the results of
investigations, after peer review, are made
available for all to study and use in their work
without regard to nation. At the height of the
cold war, scientific exchanges were nearly unique
bridges between cultures, and these fostered
understanding. There have been bans on
participation of scientists in international
projects from time to time. Indians were banned
from DØ after the explosion of a nuclear device.
Present restrictions on free interchange due to
war on terrorism are similarly damaging.
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3. Strengthen international ties
The language of science is international (i.e.
heavily accented English!) Learning to
communicate across language and cultural barriers
brings people closer together. The student you
help in the experiment today is likely to be the
Science Minister in his home country in 20 years,
and the common basis developed now pays back
dividends in cooperative ties later.
Scientists from around the world join in
collaborations each brings value to the
collaboration both in contributions to the
apparatus, and to ideas. Financial
contributions vary, but often moderately poor
nations can contribute materials of value (raw
materials such as germanium, steel, ceramics are
often less expensive in poorer countries).
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4. New technologies for society
It is repeatedly happened that although basic
science can seem wholly remote from the daily
needs of society, in the long term esoteric new
knowledge has a habit of re-entering the
mainstream with a bang!
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4. Predictions on new technologies
We have traditionally had a very bad record of
predicting the impact of new scientific
discoveries and new technologies.

• Some examples
• "Everything that can be invented has been
  invented." Charles H. Duell, commissioner, US
  Office of Patents, 1899
• "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to
  be seriously considered as a means of
  communication. The device is inherently of no
  value to us." Western Union, internal memo,
  1876
• "Heavier-than-air flying machines are
  impossible." Lord Kelvin, president, Royal
  Society, 1895
• "Airplanes are interesting toys but of no
  military value." Marshal Ferdinand Foch,
  professor of strategy, Ecole Supérieure de Guerre

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4. Predictions on new technologies

• "Professor Goddard does not know the relation
  between action and reaction and the need to have
  something better than a vacuum against which to
  react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge
  ladled out daily in high schools."New York Times
  editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary
  rocket work, 1921
• "The wireless music box has no imaginable
  commercial value. Who would pay for a message
  sent to nobody in particular?" David Sarnoff's
  associates, in response to his urgings for
  investment in the radio in the 1920s
• "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?"
  Harry M. Warner, Warner Bros., 1927
• "I think there is a world market for maybe five
  computers." Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

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4. From basic research to technology

• About 65 of the US GDP derives from the
  investment made by the government in basic
  research.
• Some past scientific discoveries that influence
  our life
• The discovery that all matter and energy comes
  in discrete quantum bundles was revolutionary in
  science but of no foreseeable use in the 1920s.
  It led however to the modern electronics,
  computers and communications that are central to
  modern life.
• In the late 19th century, physicists were
  surprised to see that certain materials, when
  cooled to nearly absolute zero, showed no
  resistance to the flow of electricity. This
  scientific curiosity re-emerged as the basis for
  powerful superconducting magnets for MRI, the
  levitation of trains, and power transmission.
• Chemists sought to make new organic molecules
  to see what configurations were possible. In
  time, this spawned huge plastics and
  pharmaceutical industries.

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4. New tools for research
Often it is not the scientific discoveries, but
the tools invented to advance the science that
transform

• Medical imaging tools PET scan detectors,
  MRI, tracer nuclides, CAT scans are derived from
  research techniques invented for research.

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4. Accelerators for society
Particle accelerators were devised to produce
high energy probes for studying the atom now
they are used for medical therapy, materials
research, implantation for electronic circuits,
nuclear waste disposal.
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4. New tools enable new research
High energy electrons passed through periodic
bending magnets give a very short intense pulses
of coherent, very short wavelength (few Å) X-rays
the Free Electron Laser. These pulses may be
used to probe the structure of biomolecular
systems, and track chemical reactions in real
time.
imaging of non-crystaline bio-molecular
assemblies with atomic resolution and on time
scales of chemical reactions (femto seconds)
Solution X-FEL Lysosyme
Diffraction from single molecule
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4. Big science spawns communication
The World Wide Web was invented by CERN, a
particle physics laboratory to enable far-flung
collaborations to communicate information and
make large data sets available around the world.
1 trillion
Tim Berners-Lee
The commercial impact of the Web has grown
exponentially, and has transformed the way we get
information.
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The basic science enterprise
U.S. Total RD funding, by source
The federal funding for science is not increasing

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The basic science enterprise
Funding for basic research in physical sciences
here high energy physics has declined in past
15 years.
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The basic science enterprise
Nondefense RD as a percentage of GDP The US
does not invest as heavily as other developed
nations.
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Does basic science make its case to the public?
Public understanding of nature of scientific
inquiry 2001
50
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Does basic science make its case?
Public understanding of scientific terms and
concepts 2001
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Does basic science make its case?
Public assessment of scientific research
Despite widespread lack of understanding of the
character of basic research, the public tends to
value science.
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Outreach
Big science that examines esoteric questions must
provide a clear explanation of the goals and
importance of these studies. Make the discoveries
accessible to the public who pays for them. This
obligation has been increasingly understood. For
a nice entry to web pages that highlight particle
physics and cosmology from across the world,
check out http//pdg.lbl.gov/outreach.html and
the Quarknet program to bring particle physics
into the high school http//quarknet.fna
l.gov
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So why support science ?
Understanding our world is an adventure that we
should all be able to participate in. We all
share in wanting to know how the world works.
url for this talk http//sbhep1.physics.sunysb.e
du/grannis/worlds-physics.html