Mark Trodden, the Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics and Department Chair, and Masao Sako, associate professor and undergraduate chair, both explore the universe—but they do so from different, complementary approaches. Trodden, a theoretical physicist, constructs mathematical models in an effort to explain the cosmic data that observational astronomers like Sako obtain using telescopes and other tools.
“Masao and his colleagues have made great strides in revealing dark matter’s behavior and the existence of dark energy,” says Trodden. “Theorists like me are struggling to explain these phenomena and interpret them in terms of our theories of fundamental physics.”
In an Omnia Q&A, the two discuss dark energy and dark matter, what makes each of their approaches to the study of these phenomena unique, and how do we detect and study things that are invisible.
Read more and listen to the audio link at Omnia magazine.
