Events
Prof. Peter Onyisi (Department of Texas, The University of Texas at Austin)
"The Roadmap for US Particle Physics in the Next Decade and Beyond"
Abstract: Particle physics is a discipline that seeks to explore the fundamental nature of matter and forces in the universe, from the Big Bang until today. To do so it requires experimental efforts ranging from table-top devices to the largest machines built by humans, and extensive theoretical work ranging from precision predictions of known phenomena to invention of new paradigms and organizing principles. A large array of technologies - instrumentation, accelerators, data acquisition and computing, artificial intelligence, and microelectronics - and facilities - underground laboratories, accelerator complexes, even the South Pole and the Moon - are necessary to carry out research in the field.
The cost and human commitment needed to engage in particle physics projects means that they need to be prioritized, keeping in mind the scientific return on investment, the overall cost envelope and the timing of various projects, and the overall balance and health of the field. They also need to be understood in the global context in which there is both collaboration and competition. The Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5), constituted roughly once a decade, is charged with reviewing project proposals for the US particle physics program over a ten-year period, with a long-term vision given that the lifetime of many projects will extend far beyond that. I will discuss the report of the 2023 P5, which was released in December: the science we intend to address, the experiments that will get us there, and potential long-term futures.
