TIGERISS (Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder on the International Space Station) is the third-generation successor to the TIGER balloon experiments, which measured statistically meaningful data on the elemental composition of galactic cosmic rays beyond iron. TIGERISS will extend this methodology to a long duration platform on the ISS, increasing measurement resolution up to lead nuclei (Z=82) with a combination of experimental methods.

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) is the leading mechanism that enable angular momentum transport in magnetized, differentially rotating astrophysical systems such as accretion disks and hypermassive neutron stars. In this talk we will look at the properties of MRI and how they are derived from first principles.

Since LIGO's first detection a decade ago, gravitational waves have pioneered new frontiers in physics and astronomy. In addition to these contributions, gravitational wave observations are also poised to explore the nature of dark matter beyond the CDM regime. In particular, dissipative dark matter halos can fragment and cool to form black hole binaries whose mergers emit gravitational waves. In this talk, I will discuss how gravitational wave observations constrain dark sector microphysics.

I will give arguments for the two seemingly controversial claims: (1) in thermodynamics, the 2nd law alone is silent on the direction of time for non-cyclic processes (2) in statistical mechanics, it requires a cosmological principle to arrive at irreversible macrophysics from reversible microphysics

JWST observations have revealed both star-forming and quiescent galaxies in the early Universe. Bursty star formation histories, marked by short-term fluctuations, may explain this diversity, but constraining their timescales is difficult since young, massive stars outshine older stellar populations. I present a new method to infer the power of star formation fluctuations in galaxy populations across varied timescales, enabling direct tests of theoretical feedback models in upcoming surveys.

We live in a world of interactions. Everything you’ve ever experienced comes from something interacting with something else. No system is ever truly isolated. In an exactly solvable N-qubit network, we derive the dynamics of an ensemble of K-qubit open subsystems (K<N). We show that the change in system–environment entanglement governs the positivity of open dynamics. We explore how open dynamics positivity can serve as a probe of otherwise unobservable global structure.

Many studies exploring how dark matter might leave imprints on compact objects build on the idea that WIMPs may scatter off nuclear matter inside neutron stars, lose energy, and become captured, potentially altering the stars’ properties. In this PUG talk, I will revisit an early calculation by Press and Spergel of the capture rate of dark matter in the Sun, then discuss how it has been adapted and extended for neutron stars.

We will explore what it means for a set of gates to be universal. Then we will see the role symmetry plays when introduced into a gate set. Utilizing symmetry, we will demonstrate there are four-local gates that cannot be realized using two-local gates. Finally, we explore a strict kinetically constrained model and generalize it using quantum circuits containing only symmetry respecting gates. These are examples of models that exhibit out-of-equilibrium behavior.

An Overview of Broadband Emission in Be/X-ray Binary Systems

Be/X-ray Binaries (BeXRB) are a common type of X-ray binary star system that emit variable radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum on all timescales. In this talk, I will discuss the different observational properties of BeXRBs and describe the underlying physical processes at work. Through these processes, we will gain a better understanding of how BeXRBs can improve our understanding of the evolution of high-mass stars and compact objects.

Gold, platinum, europium, and other elements heavier than iron are forged in the universe’s most violent events, yet their origins remain uncertain. Ancient stars show these elements appeared early, while gravitational waves suggest their known sources are too rare to explain them. These elements form the foundation of life and technology, so we may need to dig deeper for this gold to uncover the cosmic origin of our own sustenance.

The problem of Quantum Gravity has been one of the forefronts of physics research for nearly half a century. There have been many attempts to develop a fully quantum description of the gravitational force and so far, none of them have been proven to be "the one". In this talk I will lay out the conceptual foundation of one of these attempts, Loop Quantum Gravity, and describe how it attempts to solve the problems that arise in classical, semi-classical, and perturbative quantum gravity.

Gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows provide a unique laboratory for studying relativistic blast-wave physics. In this talk I will outline the basic dynamics of a decelerating blast wave in constant-density and wind-like media, derive basic scaling relations, and connect them to the structure of the afterglow spectrum.