Summer Program

Fundamental Physics in the Era of Big Data and Machine Learning

May 26–June 23, 2024

Organizers:
*Gregor Kasieczka, Universität Hamburg
Francois Lanusse, CNRS
Siddharth Mishra-Sharma, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
**Lina Necib,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
David Shih,
Rutgers University

Large data sets have overtaken most fields of physics, from the smallest scales of high energy physics to the largest scales of astronomy and cosmology. Experimental developments on all fronts, from current detectors including the LHC, the Gaia space mission, and LIGO to upcoming experiments such as the Rubin Observatory and Square Kilometer Array (SKA) require a redefinition of our approach to physics in order to fully exploit such advancements. In parallel, the field is in the midst of a revolution in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). Applications of powerful new AI/ML techniques to Big Data promise to open a never-before-seen window into the essential questions of fundamental physics, such as the search for physics beyond the Standard Model, the particle nature of Dark Matter, the cosmological formation of structure, and the history of the Universe. This workshop will aim to bring together experts in AI/ML and Big Data across a wide variety of subfields of fundamental physics, as well as AI/ML researchers from industry and academia who are potentially interested in physics applications. The primary goal of the workshop will be to provide unique opportunities for researchers to exchange ideas, develop new techniques, and cross-pollinate solutions to common problems posed by Big Data across the different domains of fundamental physics.

Summer Workshops

The summer program, running for 16 weeks from late-May to mid-September, emphasizes exciting open problems at the cutting edge. Two or three concurrent workshops, each with a specific focus selected for timeliness and the potential for breakthroughs and of two to five weeks in length, establish the main themes of each week, with twelve or thirteen different workshops each summer, balanced across fields including particle physics, string theory, astrophysics and hard and soft condensed matter physics, as well as emerging areas including biological physics, ultra-cold atom physics, quantum information, and physical mathematics. Additional researchers participate in small working groups or as individual researchers. This framework is designed to maximize informal interactions and free discussion within each area and to promote cross-fertilization between different areas via the common language of theoretical physics. Participation in the summer program of the Aspen Center for Physics is by application and subsequent invitation only. View past workshops.