The Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos is a multidisciplinary institute of Penn State researchers dedicated to the study of the most fundamental structure and constituents of the Universe.
News and Events
- Research on quantum cosmology carried out at IGC was highlighted in a documentary le big bang, mes ancètres et moi which premiered at the Palais de la Découverte in Paris on December 3, 2009. It has since been shown several times on the French and German TV. For a short glimpse of the interview with Abhay Ashtekar which featured in the documentary see minutes 3:50 to 6:30 of the clip at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbficp_2x4-le-big-bangmes-ancetres-et-moi_tech. Clip
Victor Taveras is the winner of the first Bergmann-Wheeler prize of the International Society for General Relativity and Gravitation. The prize is given for the best Ph.D. thesis in all sub-areas of quantum gravity since the last tri-annual conference of the Society. The selection committee consisting of Stephen Carlip (Chair), Gary Horowitz, Theodore Jacobson and Carlo Rovelli prepared the following citation:
"For contributions to loop quantum cosmology and the development of a novel extension of loop quantum gravity."
This prize carries a certificate and a check for $1,500 and will be awarded in the opening ceremony of the 19th International conference of the Society to be held in Mexico City in July 2009.
Nicolas Yunes is the winner of the first Juergen Ehlers prize of the International Society for General Relativity and Gravitation. The prize is given for the best Ph.D. thesis in all sub-areas of mathematical and numerical relativity since the last tri-annual conference of the Society. The selection committee consisting of David Garfinkle (Chair), Bernd Bruegmann, Bala Iyer and Alan Rendall prepared the following citation:
"For pioneering work on a variety of topics involving binary black holes, gravitational radiation, and Chern-Simons gravity"
This prize carries a certificate and a check for $1,500 and will be awarded in the opening ceremony of the 19th International conference of the Society to be held in Mexico City in July 2009.
IceCube Experiment at the South Pole
Professors Doug Cowen and Tyce DeYoung lead to a group of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and undergraduates performing research with the
IceCube experiment at the South Pole. A recent article published by their collaboration was featured in Physical Review Letters "This Week in Physics"
website:
In the search for dark matter, among the most interesting candidates is the neutralino, a neutral particle, predicted in supersymmetric extensions of the
standard model, which interacts only weakly with other matter. Since the neutralino is expected to be stable, it may be possible to find particles that are
relics of the early universe."
"Theorists have predicted that the sun's gravity can trap neutralinos, which could collect in its center and then annihilate each other. The standard-model
particles created by these annihilations could subsequently decay, producing high-energy neutrinos that could escape from the sun and be detected on earth.
Based on searches for these neutrinos, the IceCube Collaboration has now reported in Physical Review Letters new limits on neutralino annihilations in the sun."
(Stanley Brown, Physical Review Letters) More....
