Department of Computer Science - Colloquium Series 2021-2022
Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 3:00 PM, RB 104
Light refreshments will be served
Using Python to Study the Link Between Radioactive Decay Anomalies and Dark Matter in the Universe
Presented by: Jennifer Coy, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Computer Science
Abstract: Radioactive decay seems to be a well understood physical behavior of an atomic nucleus, so why does a geological experiment show daily and annual variations in the decay rate of Radon? And furthermore, how could a measure of radioactive decay in a sealed container on Earth be correlated with our Sun’s sunspot activity? One potential explanation could support the existence of the theoretical dark matter particle known as the axion. In this talk, I will review the physics of radioactive decay, show the curious anomalies in the experimental data, briefly explain how an axion might be involved, and share how python can be used to assist in the data analysis.
Biography: Jennifer Coy is the Chair of the Computer Science department, and with a B.S. in Engineering Physics and Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Toledo, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from Purdue University. In her past research, she built a computational simulation using parallel processing to study the problem of dark matter within spiral galaxies and possible alternative theoretical explanations. Currently, she is exploring two different areas: computer science education research and the study of dark matter through anomalies in measures of radioactive decay rates.