Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era (2011) / Chapter Skim
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8 Fundamental Physical Sciences in Space
8 Fundamental Physical Sciences in Space
Pages 249-264
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From page 249... ...
to discover and understand the organizing principles of complex systems from which structure and dynamics emerge. A robust physical sciences program pursuing these quests is essential to NASA's effort to explore and develop space and promises societal benefits and technologies for improving life on Earth.
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At the end of this chapter, the panel's overall findings are discussed and recommendations for research in the fundamental physical sciences are provided, including statements about scientific content as well as platforms and facilities needed for success. RESEARCH ISSUES Thrust I: Soft-Condensed-Matter Physics and Complex Fluids Complex fluids and soft condensed matter are materials with multiple levels of structure.
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Complex fluids and soft matter are a key component of the microgravity research of space agencies internationally. Practitioners of the field have gained some important experience in the conduct of microgravity experiments.
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Such novel effects provide distinct signatures for precision experimental searches that are often best carried out in space. Two examples are discussed in more detail below; however, there are also many other opportunities for space-based precision measurement, each offering a unique opportunity for a major discovery in fundamental physics.‡ First, note that Einstein's theory of general relativity assumes an exact equivalence between gravitational mass and inertial mass.
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has improved by two orders of magnitude over the past decade, driven pri marily by breakthroughs in fundamental physics in areas such as cold atoms, ion traps, and laser frequency combs. NASA, through its earlier Code U Fundamental Physics Program, supported research in this area.
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A remarkable range of physical phenomena can be investigated using BECs, but many of them only in space. Aspects of the formation of the BEC and its intrinsic quantum properties represent one rich class.
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Experiments with quantum gases in space will allow the study of matter in regimes not achievable on Earth. They will support new developments and applications of breakthrough technologies such as the atom laser, a bright source of coherent matter waves analogous to coherent light waves of the familiar laser.
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Comparisons of the data from these measurements provided a stringent test of the theory of finite size-scaling.15 With NASA support, experiments have been designed to elucidate critical phenomena in other classes of universality, to explore fundamentally new effects that are observed when a system near its critical point is driven away from equilibrium, both in the bulk and near boundaries.16 These experiments, which have been promoted to the level of flight readiness, provide a near-term opportunity to obtain a well-defined science return from an available microgravity laboratory. The flight of these experiments would provide insight into the behavior of these critical systems that cannot be obtained on Earth.
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To understand the importance of this basic knowledge for the development of new engineered systems, con sider how basic research on superfluidity has led to the development of new inertial devices, such as new superfluid gyroscopes that operate on the superfluid Josephson effects in 3He and in 4He.19 These devices may prove useful in future space exploration missions, and in some terrestrial applications. They use dynamical superfluid properties to detect rotations and may someday detect rotation rates that are far smaller than those that can be detected with conventional laser gyroscopes based on the Sagnac effect.
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Certain aspects of fundamental physics experiments that have flown, or that have been prepared for spaceflight within the fundamental physical sciences programs, could be treated as facilities themselves, which guest investigators could use to multiply the science returns. This could also be done with the ongoing development of laser cooling and atomic physics experi ments in space, as well as experiments that test gravity and fundamental symmetries.
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PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXPERIMENT-SPECIFIC SUPPORT FACILITIES ON VARIOUS PLATFORMS Fundamental physical science in space is enabled both by dedicated, single-experiment, free-flying platforms, such as Gravity Probe B and STEP, and by specially designed pieces of space hardware that allows researchers to experiment on different systems. Such systems include static and dynamic light-scattering facilities for the study of complex fluids and soft-condensed-matter physics; atomic clock ensembles such as ACES; and future opticalmagnetic systems that permit the creation of quantum gases and the study of new physical phenomena in them.
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Recommended Program Element 1: Research on Complex Fluids and Soft Matter (FP1) Complex fluids and soft condensed matter are excellent candidates for study in the microgravity laboratory.
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With NASA support, experiments have been designed to elucidate critical phenomena in other universality classes and to explore fundamentally new effects that are observed when a system near its critical point is driven away from equilibrium, both in the bulk and near its boundaries. These experiments have been designed and brought to the level of advanced flight readiness; this should allow obtaining a well-defined science return from an available microgravity laboratory.
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NASA will need to continue to sponsor an international symposium series centered on the opportunities and viability of research missions within the fundamental physical sciences in space. Looking ahead, a successful program 3 to 4 years from now will have NASA begin evaluating proposals for space-based fundamental physics -- including those that use both free-flyer platforms and the ISS -- to select compelling research that has demonstrated flight viability and a clear need for microgravity as demonstrated by the ground-based program.
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1971. Introduction to Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena.
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