One of the greatest accomplishments in recent astrophysics is the creation of a model for the complete inventory of the universe.
All the observational data tells us with extremely high certainty that ordinary matter (every particle ever detected by every person who ever lived) makes up only one fifth of all matter. The rest goes by the popular name of dark matter. Because it is dark, dark matter has been notoriously hard to detect; it doesn't emit or reflect radiation such as light or heat, and it can have only the feeblest of interactions with itself and ordinary matter. So how do we know it is there? In this talk, Dr. Bradac will discuss how she observes and measures the properties of invisible matter with the use of Einstein's general relativity and try to convince us that the principles behind it are not a rocket science and can be understood with a simple use of a wine glass!
About Maruša Bradac
Originally from Slovenia, Maruša Bradac, Ph.D. is a physics professor at UC Davis. Her research includes studying the composition of the universe, her specialty being properties of dark matter, the elusive “stuff" that makes up a quarter of the universe. Increasingly popular in the media especially with the excitement of the latest discoveries about the universe’s past. Maruša also studies first galaxies that formed in the universe. The tools of her trade are telescopes in space (Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope) and on the ground in Hawaii (Keck). Maruša uniquely combines her passion for the universe with her outdoor loves of skiing, surfing and mountain biking. She is passionate about her research and is committed to providing the best possible education for her students. The one thing that excites her even more than her own research and the outdoors is seeing young and bright minds excited about the world around them.
- Join us at 6:30 p.m. fo complimentary refreshments care of Starbucks
- The program takes place from 7 to 8:15 p.m.