10.15 Lubin Lab - Astrophysics

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glegrady
Posts: 203
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:26 pm

10.15 Lubin Lab - Astrophysics

Post by glegrady » Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:14 am

The Experimental Astrophysics Group is directed by Prof. Lubin and is primarily focused on studies of the early universe. Currently active projects include:
- the ESA-NASA Planck Mission
- COFE (a balloon borne CMB foregrounds experiment)
- Bmachine prototype (ground based CMB polarization)
- ARCADE (Balloon borne CMB spectrum)
- TOSS (the Transient Optical Sky Survey)

For additional info, please visit: http://www.mat.ucsb.edu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=224
George Legrady
legrady@mat.ucsb.edu

sterlingcrispin
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:34 am

Re: 10.15 Lubin Lab - Astrophysics

Post by sterlingcrispin » Tue Oct 22, 2013 10:48 am

The Lubin Lab is focused on studies of the early universe and works with baloon-borne instruments, ground based telescopes, satellites and photovoltaic lasers. Much of the research involves CMBR, or Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Three generations of satellites have mapped CMBR and Phil was involved with the first generation satellite. PLANCK is the most recent satellite launched in 2009 and is an international effort lead by NASA.

The lab is very engaged in developing new technologies to find the data they are looking for with numerous sensors, experiments, satellites.

A problem that faces the lab is high dynamic range data which exceeds our ability to experience it. For example, how does one understand a million shades of grey? How does one experience the way that kind of data compares to itself? How do humans experience multispectral information?

Often the path to data to discovery is very complex and not straight forward. Sometimes scientists find the results they're looking for because they want to find it. Narratives of scientific discovery are often exaggerated and centered around heroic stories rather than gritty details of what actually happened.

However, finding things that don't fit your explanation and trying to explain them is fruitful. Overtime these findings build up, the greater scientific community comes to a consensus, and new 'laws' are made.

a) How do you gather data - through ground based telescopes, baloon-borne instruments and satellites

b) What kind of technology is used - Optical telescopes, complex scientific balloon based instruments, open-aperture cryogenic optics(ARACDE2), the B-Machine we saw on the roof is a CMB polarimeter with a Reflection Half Wave Plate

c) Does the research make you design new technology - yes a large number of instruments and satellites,

d) How is your data analyzed - signal and image processing

e) How do you make assumptions based on the analysis - observations are tested against expected results

f) How does the analysis result in discovery - slow incremental advances

g) How do you represent the results - with many images and figures, this is an area of challenge, as the data is often very high dynamic range

sterlingcrispin
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:34 am

Re: 10.15 Lubin Lab - Astrophysics

Post by sterlingcrispin » Thu Nov 07, 2013 1:38 pm

attached are photos from the visit
Attachments
Lubin_2.jpg
Lubin.jpg

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