Top Researchers Gather for 2006 Mitchell Symposium in Fundamental Physics

Super magnets may reveal some of the universe’s super secrets, a researcher said Monday during the first session of the 2006 Mitchell Symposium on Astronomy, Cosmology and Fundamental Physics at Texas A&M University.

The annual conference brings together many of the world’s top scientists in the fields of physics, astronomy, cosmology and other areas. It is sponsored by the George and Cynthia W. Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and the Department of Physics at Texas A&M.

Samuel Ting, physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says superconducting magnets are being used in several space experiments.

“We believe these super magnets can be used for both energy and propulsion,” Ting said. “We are just now learning the benefits of superconducting magnets.”

Such magnets could help us learn more about the origin of the universe and where it goes from here, Ting added. “Just how these super magnets work in space is what we are trying to learn. Energy storage and uses might be two big benefits of them. We might even learn more about the Big Bang theory and how the universe originated.

“We know that Russia had a strong program to study magnets in space during the 1960s and 1970s. But how these super magnets work in space is the focus of some key NASA work right now.”

The symposium continues through Saturday with all lectures held in Rudder Tower. The event is free and open to the public.

Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates, welcoming the dozens of researchers from around the world, said that “there was a time when this university was largely thought of only for its engineering and agriculture programs. But in the last few years, Texas A&M has been visited by some of the world’s leading authorities on astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology aimed at unlocking the universe’s greatest mysteries as well as helping Texas A&M better define its role in these fields.”

Speakers are scheduled to address numerous topics over the next five days, such as the string theories, new thoughts on the Big Bang theory and several lectures on dark matter and dark energy, two aspects of the universe that have dominated astronomy conferences in recent years.

The George and Cynthia W. Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics was established in 2002 from a generous gift by George and Cynthia Mitchell. The goals of the institute are to explore and advance the understanding of theoretical high-energy physics, astroparticle physics and cosmology and to explore the interface and observation of particle physics and cosmology.

For a complete list of speakers, go to http://cosmology.tamu.edu/

-aTm-