Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Type	Research institute
Location	Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Website	www.perimeterinstitute.ca

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is an independent research centre in foundational, theoretical physics located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1999, Perimeter Institute works to advance our understanding of physical laws and develop new ideas about the very essence of space, time, matter, and information.

In addition to research, Perimeter also provides a wide array of scientific training and educational outreach activities to nurture scientific talent and share the importance of discovery with students, teachers and the general public. This is done in part through Perimeter’s Educational Outreach team.

History and mission

Lazaridis' initial donation of $100 million was announced on October 23, 2000. A subsequent personal donation of $50 million was made on June 4, 2008. Research operations began in 2001. Along with its research activities, Perimeter Institute operates an international outreach program. It hosts the International Summer School for Young Physicists every summer, which is a physics camp for high school students.

Under the stewardship of Howard Burton, the Institute's first Executive Director, PI initially operated out of Waterloo's historic post office on King Street. In October 2004, it moved into its custom-built facility on Caroline Street, across Silver Lake from Waterloo Park. The building was designed by Montreal architect firm Saucier + Perrotte, which received a Governor General's Medal for Architecture for the design in May 2006. The building next to PI, housing the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, won the same award for its architects in 1997. Perimeter Institute's building features an open glass facade along the north and west sides, contrasting with the slate-black metal walls of much of the rest of the building. Each researcher's office, as well as various lounge areas, features a full-wall blackboard for working out and theorizing in solo or group efforts. The Ontario budget, announced in March 2006, included a commitment to provide $50 million in funding to PI from the Ministry of Research and Innovation.

In November 2008, it was announced that prominent physicist Stephen Hawking would take the position of Distinguished Research Chair, a visiting position, at the Institute.

PI is building on its promising start with the goal of becoming one of the world’s leading centres for foundational theoretical physics. It seeks to act as a global resource for the field, promoting research excellence and stimulating major scientific breakthroughs.

Research

Theoretical physics seeks to understand what the universe is made of, and the forces that govern it, at the most fundamental level. It is one of the highest impact, yet lowest costs fields in all of science. Its powerful ideas have seeded innovations across all of science and technology, from mechanical engineering to wireless communication, from electronics to power generation.

As an independent research centre, Perimeter Institute actively promotes interactions and new connections among different disciplines. Discoveries often result from collisions between different approaches, when ideas combine to yield entirely new insights. Perimeter has strategically expanded its research to encompass eight fields, each offering complementary views of the basic laws governing the universe. The chosen set of research areas is unique worldwide, forming a whole far greater than the sum of its parts and enabling advances in one area to promote progress in others.

Eight Research Areas

• Complex systems, which includes the description of complex phenomena, from statistical physics to nonlinear dynamics, to novel mathematical tools for describing phenomena on all length scales
• Cosmology and gravitation, looks at the really big picture: how did the universe form, and how were the stars, galaxies, and black holes we now observe created? What are dark matter and dark energy? What really occurred at the big bang singularity?
• Condensed matter physics, studies physics on intermediate scales, where atoms combine into solids and liquids. Why do materials exhibit exotic properties like magnetism or superconductivity? Are there new states of matter we have not yet observed?
• Particle physics, aims to discover the laws governing matter and forces on the tiniest subatomic scales. What are the basic building blocks of nature, and what holds them together?
• String theory and Quantum gravity, both seek to unify quantum theory and the laws of particle physics with general relativity, Einstein’s theory of gravity which describes space and time. This unification is central to resolving fundamental questions such as what fixed the pattern of particles and forces, how the universe evolved in its earliest moments and what is the nature of the dark energy now shaping its evolution.
• Quantum foundations and Quantum information, aim to develop our understanding of quantum reality. Quantum theory is the most precisely tested theory we possess, but its meaning remains mysterious. Can we understand it more deeply? Can we harness its power to build quantum computers?

Perimeter Institute Recorded Seminar Archive (PIRSA)

Research activities at PI are accessible to the global scientific community via the internet through the Perimeter Institute Recorded Seminar Archive (PIRSA). PIRSA is a permanent, free, searchable, and citable archive of recorded seminars, conferences, workshops, and outreach events.

On-demand seminars with video and timed presentation materials can be accessed in Windows and Flash formats and offer MP3 audio files and PDFs of the supporting materials. A split-sceen format allows viewers to watch seminars from the perspective of an audience member, as well as being able zoom-in, pause, and examine specific slides, equations, or figures more closely.

Educational Outreach

Perimeter Institute has an active Educational Outreach team that aims to engage, educate and inspire students, teachers and the public. Perimeter focuses on sharing the importance of science with audiences around the world, while supporting a network of educators and providing in-class resources to develop brilliant young minds. The centre also serves as a global resource by posting educational content online and participating in international gatherings.

Perimeter Institute's educational outreach activities include a monthly public lecture series, a two-week summer camp for the world’s top science students, a series of in-class resources, week-long professional development workshops for science teachers, cultural activities with local and international artists, an online archive of educational resources, an extensive network of science teachers to share content across Canada, and many other special events and science festivals.

Perimeter Public Lectures

Since its beginning, Perimeter Institute has brought great thinkers from around the world to share their ideas on interesting and topical subjects for Perimeter’s Public Lecture series. Each event is tailored for the general public and free for everyone in the community. All lectures are recorded and posted on Perimeter Institute’s website.

Past lecturers have included: Sir Roger Penrose, Leonard Susskind, Seth Lloyd, Freeman Dyson, Gerard ‘t Hooft, Jay Melosh, Jay Ingram, Anton Zeilinger, Michael Peskin, and Frank Wilczek.

ISSYP

The International Summer School for Young Physicists (ISSYP) brings approximately 40 Canadian and international students aged 16 – 18 to Perimeter for two weeks each year. Students get a firsthand view of leading-edge research, including lessons on modern physics, mentoring sessions with top scientists, and lab tours.

With lectures on Quantum Mechanics, Special Relativity, and General Relativity, the program is able to introduce some deep math with more emphasis on the conceptual side of these fields.

Classroom and Online Resources

To further a love and understanding of science with teachers and students, Perimeter Institute offers a multitude of resources for use in classrooms. These include educational modules, also posted free online, designed to spark the interest and imagination of high school students by making connections between their everyday lives and the process of fundamental physics, motivating them to continue to take math and science in the senior grades. Topics include: GPS and relativity, dark matter, quantum physics, and the physics of innovation.

Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas for the Future festival

Held in October, 2009, the Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas for the Future festival (Q2C Festival) was the largest and most comprehensive science outreach event ever held in Canada. The festival included events and activities spanning: lectures, panel discussions, pub talks, cultural activities, a PI documentary premiere (The Quantum Tamers: Revealing Our Weird and Wired Future), sci-fi film festival, an art exhibit and the hugely popular Physica Phantastica exhibit centre, a 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) space filled with demonstrations, hands-on activities, experiments and an immersive 3D tour of the universe narrated by Stephen Hawking.

The Q2C Festival attracted some 40,000 attendees (including over 6,000 in the secondary school program that brought students from Ontario and New York State and nearly one million viewers – and counting – through online streaming, video-on-demand services and special television broadcasts. Special additions of TVO’s “The Agenda with Steve Paikin”, filmed live in PI’s Atrium in Waterloo attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers from across Canada with just five broadcasts.

While the festival lasted 10 days, the impact continues – individuals can still view archived Q2C Festival lectures online, download podcasts and animations, and order educational presentations.

Training

Joint masters-level program

In partnership with the University of Waterloo, PI launched Perimeter Scholars International (PSI), a concentrated Masters level course for exceptional students who wish to become researchers in theoretical physics. The 10-month course, taught at PI by outstanding international lecturers, started in August 2009, and is expected to eventually draw 50 scholars per year. Participants are brought to the cutting edge of fundamental physics across a wide range of research disciplines, and conduct a specialized research project under the supervision of a faculty member at PI or one of the local universities. The Masters degree is issued by the nearby University of Waterloo.

The convocation of the inaugural pilot class of 28 outstanding research trainees from 17 countries, including 6 women, was held at Perimeter Institute on June 20, 2010.

Doctoral studies

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics also hosts exceptional PhD students wishing to pursue full-time graduate studies under the supervision of a PI faculty member. PhD students receive their doctoral degrees from a university partner, such as the University of Waterloo.

Courses

Perimeter Institute offers a number of planned courses each year, including cross-listed programs with universities and mini-courses given by PI Faculty, Associate Faculty, and Visiting Researchers. In addition to providing excellent learning opportunities for young researchers at PI, the courses are made available to all students enrolled in surrounding universities. The popular courses are attended by students from University of Waterloo, University of Western Ontario, McMaster University, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, York University, and other centres.

Expansion

Stephen Hawking Centre at Perimeter Institute

Designed by Teeple Architects, a new 55,000 square feet (5,000 m²) expansion, the Stephen Hawking Centre at Perimeter Institute, completed in September of 2011 and is the first building to which Stephen Hawking, a Perimeter Institute Distinguished Research Chairhas ever lent his name. The Stephen Hawking Centre at Perimeter Institute was honoured by leaders in the building industry as the first-ever Gold Seal-managed project in Ontario. It is planned to attain LEED Silver certification. The Centre's grand opening was in September 2011 and was not attended by Stephen Hawking.

Notable members and former members

Perimeter Institute is an independent not-for-profit corporation governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Board approves and monitors strategic plans and is the final authority on all matters of substance related to the general structure and development of the Institute

The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is an integral oversight body, deliberately created to assist the Board of Directors in ensuring objectivity and a high standard of scientific excellence. The SAC advises on matters of scientific policy, appointments and renewal of scientific staff, performance reviews of the scientific staff, outreach initiatives and general structural concerns. The SAC meets on an annual basis. It is composed of eminent scientists drawn from the international community.

Past and present researchers

• Yakir Aharonov -- Distinguished Research Chair; Wolf Prize (1998)
• Dorit Aharonov -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Nima Arkani-Hamed -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Freddy Cachazo -- Faculty Member (superstring theory)
• Juan Ignacio Cirac -- Distinguished Research Chair; Benjamin Franklin Medal (2010); founding figure in quantum computing
• David Cory -- Associate Faculty Member (quantum information)
• Georgi Dvali -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Laurent Freidel -- Faculty Member (quantum gravity)
• Daniel Gottesman -- Faculty Member (quantum information)
• Stephen Hawking -- Distinguished Research Chair; Wolf Prize (1988); Copley Medal (2006); Dirac Medal and Prize (1987); Maxwell Medal and Prize (1976); Albert Einstein Medal (1979); Albert Einstein Award (1978); Eddington Medal (1975)
• Patrick Hayden -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Chris Isham -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Leo Kadanoff -- Distinguished Research Chair; Wolf Prize (1980); Lorentz Medal (2006); Boltzmann Medal (1989); Buckley Prize (1977)
• Raymond Laflamme -- Associate Faculty Member (quantum information); founding figure in quantum information theory
• Renate Loll -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara -- Faculty Member (quantum gravity)
• John Moffat -- Senior Researcher Affiliate(cosmology and gravitation/particle physics)
• Michele Mosca -- Associate Faculty Member (quantum information)
• Robert Myers -- Faculty Member (superstring theory)
• Malcolm Perry -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Subir Sachdev -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Ashoke Sen -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Lee Smolin -- Faculty Member (quantum gravity); founding figure in loop quantum gravity
• Rafael Sorkin -- Senior Researcher (quantum foundations)
• Leonard Susskind -- Distinguished Research Chair; Sakurai Prize (1998); founding figure in string theory
• Neil Turok -- Executive Director (cosmology and gravitation); Maxwell Medal and Prize (1992)
• Bill Unruh -- Distinguished Research Chair
• Guifré Vidal -- Faculty member (condensed matter)
• Xiao-Gang Wen -- BMO Newton Chair
• Mark Wise -- Distinguished Research Chair; Sakurai Prize (2001)

Notable past and present members of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)

• Abhay Ashtekar
• Sir Michael Berry
• Brian Greene
• Gerard 't Hooft
• Igor Klebanov
• Renate Loll
• Michael Peskin
• John Preskill
• David Spergel
• Erik Verlinde
• Artur Ekert
• James Hartle
• Chris Isham
• Sir Anthony Leggett
• Sir Roger Penrose
• Joe Polchinski
• Jorge Pullin
• Paul Steinhardt
• Scott Tremaine
• Neil Turok
• Frank Wilczek

Notable Directors

• Mike Lazaridis
• Kevin G. Lynch
• Steven MacLean (astronaut)

External links

• Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI)
• PIRSA - Perimeter Institute Recorded Seminar Archive
• Perimeter Scholars International (PSI)
• The Quantum Tamers: Revealing Our Weird and Wired Future
• Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas for the Future festival
• Blog that often mentions PI called "BackReaction" by Sabine Hossenfelder