Event 3 | 132nd Faculty Research Lecture

On May 17th, I attended one of the events: The 132nd Faculty Research Lecture. This event was hosted by Professor Alice Shapley, the vice chair of Astronomy&Astrophysics from the department of Physics and Astronomy. I chose to attended this event was mainly because the host and related materials are coherent with the fields of study of my second major-Astrophysics. The main topic of this lecture is "Travelling Back to the Birth Time of the Galaxies", which is exactly the contents of the Universe History that I learned from lower-division astro classes and high school before.


Event-132nd Faculty Research Lecture


Professor Shapley initiated the lecture with the general description of the galaxies, types and categories, and the theories of formation. Through mentioning about the commonly-known Big Bang, professor Shapely introduced us the spending timeline and the entire development process of the universe. The formation of hadrons and leptons, the dark age, synthesis of element atoms, combination into substance, aggregation to become interstellar clusters, and finally to the existance of nebula, stars, and galaxies, she comprehensively expressed this process in an easy way for the audience to understand.


Illustration of Formation of Galaxies in 3D Timeline


The Cosmic Timeline


After the introduction, Professor Shapley talked about some facilities, tools, and scientific devices that are used in the astrophysics research. Speaking about satellites, she said that these tools are somehow magnificant "Time Machine", which can date back based on the distance in light years about the cosmic objects' activities in the distant past. The information gathered became a bridge that connect the distant past and the present. Besides satellites, there are other tools such as Infrared and HST image that are siginificant observational approaches which can aid the scientific research.


Telescopes as "Time Machines"

Cosmic Observational Approaches


Professor Shapley then talked about concepts of the expansion of the universe. Based on the inflation theory, we are observing red-shift of distant information source galaxies and starts, which can infer the open-type universe that is expanding. She metaphored such condition with expansion of a balloon, and we are on the dimension of the surface of the ballon, which can also lead to more question on the multi-dimensional universe. This is a topic not only on the basis of astronomy&astrophysics, but also strongly correlated to the frontier physics, such as quantum mechanics, string theories, and dimensions. I firmly believe that someday in the future, all of these questions can be resolved and we can eventually spread the bright flame of human civilization to every corner of the universe!


Expansion of the Universe


**I really really enjoy this lecture! Professor Shapley organized the lecture in a very clear way, expressed the concepts and ideas in very self-explanatory way which is very easy for audience to understand, and the contents are rich and comprehensive. Even if you are not that familiar with astro before, this event will not disappoint you! I strongly recommend everyone to come and enjoy the charm of the universe and astronomy!

Rating: 10/10


Word Count: 400

Referrences:

Alan H. Guth, "The Inflationary Universe : The Quest for a New Theory of Cosmic Origins", 1998.

Chow, Denise, The history of the universe: Big Bang to now in 10 easy steps
    https://www.space.com/13320-big-bang-universe-10-steps-explainer.html

Greshko, Michael, The universe is expanding faster than it should be
    https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/the-universe-is-expanding-faster-than-it-should-be

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, What is the Inflation Theory?             https://wmap.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_cosmo_infl.html#:~:text=The%20Inflation%20Theory%20proposes%20a,relatively%20gradually%20throughout%20its%20history.

Shapley, Alice, 132nd Faculty Research Lecture, Travelling Back in Time to the Birth of Galaxies, UCLA, 2022

Wolchover, Natalie, Physicists Debate Hawkings Idea That the Universe Had No Beginning
    https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-debate-hawkings-idea-that-the-universe-had-no-beginning-20190606/


Proof of Attendance & Email Registration Confirmation:



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